Cannabidiol extraction and conversion process

Abstract

A cannabidiol extraction and conversion process includes an extraction process including a sizing unit wherein raw Cannabis plant material is reduced to a uniform size, a blending unit wherein an extraction solvent is blended together with the Cannabis plant material to form an initial extract, and a primary solvent exchange rotary evaporator unit wherein an exchange solvent is added to the initial extract, and a processed extract rich in cannabidiol is obtained. A conversion process includes a conversion rotary reflux unit wherein the processed extract is combined and processed with an acidic component, a separator unit wherein a solvent is added and a separator organic effluent is obtained, a secondary solvent exchange rotary evaporator unit wherein a further solvent is added, and a fractionation unit wherein the tetrahydrocannabinol obtained is separated into a plurality of functional fractions for selective blending.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A cannabidiol extraction process including:
 sizing an amount of raw  Cannabis  plant material,   blending an amount of dichloromethane with the amount of  Cannabis  plant material to form an initial extract,   removing dichloromethane from the initial extract in a primary solvent exchange rotary evaporator unit,   adding an amount of ethanol to the initial extract remaining in the primary solvent exchange rotary evaporator unit after at least partially removing dichloromethane, thereby producing an evaporated extract comprising cannabidiol in ethanol and dichloromethane.   
     
     
         2 . The cannabidiol extraction process as recited in  claim 1  wherein the amount of raw  Cannabis  plant material is about 115 kilograms per day. 
     
     
         3 . The cannabidiol extraction process as recited in  claim 2  wherein dichloromethane is added to the raw  Cannabis  plant material in the blending unit in an amount of about three to four kilograms of dichloromethane per kilogram of raw  Cannabis  plant material. 
     
     
         4 . The cannabidiol extraction process as recited in  claim 1  further comprising filtering the initial extract in a primary filtration unit. 
     
     
         5 . The cannabidiol extraction process as recited in  claim 1  further comprising contacting the initial extract with activated carbon in an extraction adsorption unit. 
     
     
         6 . The cannabidiol extraction process as recited in  claim 1  further comprising processing the evaporated extract through a wax coalescing unit to coalesce waxes and fats present in the evaporated extract. 
     
     
         7 . The cannabidiol extraction process as recited in  claim 6  further comprising filtering the evaporated extract, after processing the evaporated extract through the wax coalescing unit, through a secondary filtration unit to remove coalesced waxes and fats to produce a processed extract. 
     
     
         8 . The cannabidiol extraction process as recited in  claim 7  wherein the processed extract comprises cannabidiol in ethanol and dichloromethane. 
     
     
         9 . The cannabidiol extraction process as recited in  claim 8  wherein the processed extract comprises cannabidiol in a range of about sixty percent to about eighty percent by weight. 
     
     
         10 . A cannabidiol conversion process for a processed extract comprising cannabidiol in ethanol and dichloromethane, comprising:
 mixing an amount of concentrated sulfuric acid with an amount of the processed extract in a conversion rotary reflux unit and refluxing therein to obtain a conversion reflux,   combining an amount of dichloromethane with the conversion reflux in a separator unit,   removing a solvent layer consisting primarily of dichloromethane and ethanol from the separator unit and leaving a separator organic effluent remaining therein,   combining the separator organic effluent with an amount of ethanol in a secondary solvent exchange rotary evaporator unit wherein dichloromethane and ethanol are at least partially evaporated off to produce an exchange reflux which comprises tetrahydrocannabinol in ethanol and dichloromethane.   
     
     
         11 . The cannabidiol conversion process as recited in  claim 10  wherein the concentrated sulfuric acid has a concentration of about 95 percent to about 98 percent. 
     
     
         12 . The cannabidiol conversion process as recited in  claim 11  wherein the amount of concentrated sulfuric acid added to the processed extract is in a range of about two percent to three percent by weight of the amount of processed extract. 
     
     
         13 . The cannabidiol conversion process as recited in  claim 10  wherein the dichloromethane has a purity of about ninety-five percent. 
     
     
         14 . The cannabidiol conversion process as recited in  claim 13  wherein the dichloromethane is added to the conversion reflux in an amount of about one kilogram of dichloromethane per kilogram of the conversion reflux. 
     
     
         15 . The cannabidiol conversion process as recited in  claim 10  further comprising contacting the separator organic effluent obtained from the separator unit with activated carbon in a conversion adsorption unit prior to combining the separator organic effluent with ethanol in the secondary solvent exchange rotary evaporator unit. 
     
     
         16 . The cannanidiol conversion process as recited in  claim 10  further comprising separating the exchange reflux into a plurality of cannabinoid fractions in a fractionation unit.