Method and apparatus for extracting botanical oils

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10159908-B2
Application number	US-201615090143-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 4, 2016
Priority date	Oct 4, 2013
Publication date	Dec 25, 2018
Grant date	Dec 25, 2018

Abstract

An apparatus for extracting an oil from plant material includes an extraction chamber for plant material. The plant material is exposed to a heated gas stream with a temperature sufficient to volatilize on oil from the plant material. The gas stream is rapidly cooled to liquefy the oil into entrained droplets. The oil is collected with a collection solvent.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for extracting an oil from plant material, the system comprising:
a gas moving device operable to propel a gas stream through the system, the gas stream being a continuous stream of air or gas with or without entrained vapor, solids or droplets of liquid therein;
a heater disposed such that the gas stream flows through the heater, the heater operable to heat the gas stream to a temperature sufficient to cause volatilization of an oil to be extracted;
an extraction chamber having a receiving area for receiving plant material for extraction, the extraction chamber in communication with the heater such that the heated gas stream is directed through the receiving area, the heated gas stream volatizing the oil from the plant material such that the volatilized oil is disposed in the heated gas stream;
a collection chamber in communication with the extraction chamber such that that the gas stream flows through the collection chamber, the collection chamber having collection solvent operable to collect at least a portion of the extracted oil from the gas stream; and
a liquid collector in fluid communication with the collection chamber for collecting at least a portion of the collection solvent and extracted oil,
wherein the extracted oil is safe for human consumption; and
the system is configured such that the gas moving device is operable to propel the gas stream through each of the heater, extraction chamber, and collection chamber.

2. A system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the collection chamber has at least one collection solvent sprayer operable to spray droplets of collection solvent into the gas stream such that at least some of the extracted oil dissolves into the collection solvent droplets and at least some of the collection solvent droplets flow to the liquid collector.

3. A system in accordance with claim 2 , wherein the at least one collection solvent sprayer is a plurality of collection solvent sprayers and the collection solvent droplets generally have a diameter greater than one micron and less than 300 microns.

4. A system in accordance with any one of claim 2 , wherein the collection chamber has packing material disposed therein and the packing material is wetted by the collection solvent.

5. A system in accordance with claim 2 , further comprising a cooling chamber in communication with the extraction chamber such that the heated gas stream flows through the cooling chamber, the cooling chamber operable to cool the heated gas stream to or below a volatilization temperature of the oil such that the oil liquefies into droplets entrained in the gas stream, the collection chamber being downstream of the cooling chamber.

6. A system in accordance with claim 5 , wherein the cooling chamber is a spray cooling chamber having a high pressure sprayer operable to spray collection solvent into the heated gas stream such that the collection solvent rapidly cools the heated gas stream to or below a condensation temperature of the oil.

7. A system in accordance with any one of claim 5 , further comprising an agglomeration chamber in communication with the cooling chamber or extraction chamber so as to receive the gas stream, the agglomeration chamber increasing the droplet size in the gas stream.

8. A system in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising a cooling chamber in communication with the extraction chamber such that the heated gas stream flows through the cooling chamber, the cooling chamber operable to cool the heated gas stream to or below a volatilization temperature of the oil such that the oil liquefies into droplets entrained in the gas stream, the collection chamber being downstream of the cooling chamber.

9. A system in accordance with claim 8 , wherein the cooling chamber is a spray cooling chamber having a high pressure sprayer operable to spray collection solvent into the heated gas stream such that the collection solvent rapidly cools the heated gas stream to or below a condensation temperature of the oil.

10. A system in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising passages or chambers disposed downstream of the extraction chamber, the passages or chambers having surfaces with a temperature less than a condensation temperature of the collection solvent such that collection solvent vapor entrained in the gas stream condenses on the surfaces and forms a solvent liquid that washes accumulated oils and collection solvent containing dissolved oils from these surfaces, the combined liquid flowing to the liquid collector.

11. A system in accordance with claim 10 , wherein the interior surfaces of the extraction chamber are heated to a temperature sufficient to prevent condensation of the volatilized oils on the interior surfaces.

12. A system in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising an oil/solvent separation system operable to generally separate the collection solvent from the extracted oil so as to provide a generally purified collection solvent and a generally purified oil.

13. A system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the collection solvent is selected from the group consisting of:
a non-toxic, food-grade solvent;
a mixture of ethyl alcohol and water;
a mixture of organic ethyl alcohol and water; and
a solvent containing at least 40% ethyl alcohol.

14. A system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein:
the extraction chamber comprises a housing having an interior; and
the receiving area of the extraction chamber comprises either:
a removable container received in the interior of the housing, the container having an open upper end and a perforated bottom, the removable container defining the receiving area and the plant materials being supported on the perforated bottom; or
a conveyor element operable to convey plant material into the receiving area for extraction and out of the receiving area for disposal, the conveyor element being a conveyor disk having perforations such that the heated gas stream passes through the conveyor disk or a conveyor belt having perforations such that the heated gas stream passes through the conveyor belt.

15. A system in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising a gas stream mixer having a first gas inlet in communication with the extraction chamber so as to receive the gas stream, the gas stream being a first gas stream, the gas stream mixer further having a second gas inlet receiving a second gas stream having a temperature less than the temperature of the first gas stream.

16. A system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the collection solvent and extracted oil is recirculated to the collection chamber.

17. A system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the plant materials are raw plant portions or partially processed plant portions and the extracted oil includes terpinoids.

18. A system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the system is a substantially closed loop system, and the substantially closed loop is defined by the path of the gas stream.

19. A system for extracting an oil from plant material, the system comprising:
a gas moving device operable to propel a gas stream through the system, the gas stream being a continuous stream of air or gas with or without entrained vapor, solids or droplets of liquid therein;
a heater disposed such that the gas stream flows through the heater, the heater operable to heat the gas stream to a temperature sufficient to cause volatilization of an oil to be extracted;
an extraction chamber having a receiving area for receiving plant material for extraction, the extr

Assignees

• Natural Extraction Sys Llc

Inventors

• Thomas C Russell

Classifications

• B01D11/023

  using moving bands, trays fixed on moving transport chains · CPC title

• B01D1/14 Primary

  with heated gases or vapours {or liquids} in contact with the liquid · CPC title

• B01D11/0296

  Condensation of solvent vapours (condensation in general B01D5/00) · CPC title

• B01D2011/007

  Extraction using a solvent in the gas phase · CPC title

• B01D11/0288

  Applications, solvents · CPC title