CBD distillation is the process of concentrating the CBD from sources like CBD oil and hemp extract to produce highly potent CBD liquid used to make CBD oil capsules, tinctures and several foods and beverages.
What Is Distillation in the General Sense?
Generally speaking, distillation is the process of separating various compounds based on the differences in their boiling point and condensation temperature .It is a widely used industrial process to prepare oils and beverages, and has high selectivity for desirable compounds.
How Does CBD Distillation Work
The difference in the vaporization temperature of the compounds in hemp extract is the governing principle of CBD distillation. THC and CBD are the two active cannabinoids in the hemp extract and the level of THC in it will be minimal while the CBD content will be high. Comparison of boiling points of THC and CBD indicate that THC has a lower boiling point than CBD.
The boiling point of THC is while for CBD it is 165 , which is why THC evaporates earlier than CBD. Apart from THC and CBD, hemp extract contains several other cannabinoids and terpenes and the terpenes have boiling points lower than that of THC. Most of the minor cannabinoids and fats and waxes have higher boiling points.
Selective separation of the compounds require selective temperature variations and choosing high temperatures sometimes produce undesirable compounds like benzene. Carrying out the distillation process in high vacuum eliminates the chance of production of undesirable compounds and possible damage to the chemical composition of the hemp extract.
Distillation of CBD Oil
The desirable components in CBD oil are cannabinoids, terpenes etc, while fats and waxes are less desirable compounds. CBD oil is a concentrated extract of CBD hemp and equipment operating at high vacuum and moderate heat is used to distil the oil.
High temperature can degrade the active components in the CBD oil and it is necessary to maintain a low temperature. The CBD oil is heated till the boiling point of CBD and the evaporated CBD is collected in a condenser to form CBD distillate.
Characteristics of CBD Distillate
At room temperature CBD distillate appears as a white crystalline or waxy solid which is high in CBD content. The CBD content of CBD distillate is between 80 and 90% and sometimes more.