Cannabis oil extraction is becoming a lucrative business option. There are many available options for oil extraction, including CO2 extraction, butane extraction, alcohol extraction, and solvent-free extraction. Depending on the method you choose, you will end up with a slightly different product. Each method has its own cost and time constraints and produces oils with slightly different chemical compositions.

Solvent-Free Extraction

You don’t always need highly technical equipment for cannabis oil extraction. Lower-grade oils can be produced by methods as simple as grating, straining, or grinding. The scraped cannabis segments are then heated under pressure to purify the oil. This simple method can easily be done with items most people have in their homes, but the manual labor and decreased quality in the results can be discouraging.

Alcohol Extraction

This fairly simple form of extraction involves a solvent, such as alcohol. The solvent breaks down compounds within the plant, allowing for easy extraction. Subsequently, the mixture is warmed to allow the alcohol to evaporate. When done correctly, this method produces a pure, pleasant-tasting cannabis oil. However, there is a high risk of combustion during the evaporation process.

CO2 Extraction

With this method, the cannabis hash is combined with CO2 and then compressed in order to change the chemical composition. As this process is repeated, the cannabis is broken down into its various useful and less useful components. The advantages of this process include less waste and high production, although the compressors can be more of an investment than in many other extraction methods.

Butane Extraction

This method uses Butane or sometimes propane as a solvent. When the cannabis hash is combined with butane and pressurized and heated, the harsher components break down, allowing the oils to separate. Although this method is somewhat dangerous due to the combustible nature of butane, this method has remained popular due to the low start-up cost and high yield.

There are many methods of extracting cannabis oil, which can be more or less effective. In any method, there are risks and time constraints, yet all are exact sciences that are able to produce refined cannabis oils.