System, Method and Apparatus for Cannabinoid Tincture Separation and Solvent Recovery

Abstract

A system for processing cannabinoids and recovering solvent has a vessel for a mixture of cannabinoids and solvent. A pump forms a vacuum in the system to draw the mixture into a first heat exchanger to pre-heat the mixture. A falling film evaporator receives the mixture from the first heat exchanger, and boils the mixture to form a solvent vapor. The falling film evaporator collects the cannabinoids from the mixture as a crude oil. The first heat exchanger receives the solvent vapor. Heat is transferred to incoming mixture of the system, and cools and condenses the solvent vapor to form solvent condensate and vapor. A second heat exchanger receives and further cools the solvent condensate and vapor to form further condensed solvent and some solvent vapor. The pump receives the further condensed solvent and some solvent vapor and increases pressure to form solvent liquid and recovers solvent liquid for reuse.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for processing cannabinoids and recovering solvent, the method comprising the steps of:
 providing, from a vessel, a mixture at a nominal temperature, the mixture comprising cannabinoids and solvent;   receiving the mixture at an evaporator downstream from the vessel;   heating the mixture in the evaporator to an evaporation temperature that is greater than the nominal temperature;   in response to heating the mixture to the evaporation temperature, forming solvent vapor and cannabinoid crude oil from the mixture;   removing the solvent vapor from the evaporator;   removing the cannabinoid crude oil from the evaporator;   collecting the cannabinoid crude oil;   condensing the solvent vapor into a solvent condensate at a condensing heat exchanger connected downstream from the evaporator; and   recovering the solvent condensate.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising, after recovering the solvent condensate, combining the solvent condensate with additional cannabinoids and defining additional mixture. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising providing the additional mixture to the vessel. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising heating the mixture from the nominal temperature to an intermediate temperature prior to receiving the mixture in the evaporator, wherein the intermediate temperature is between the nominal temperature and the evaporation temperature. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the evaporator is a falling film evaporator. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the mixture is drawn into an upper portion of the falling film evaporator and distributed into a plurality of tubes, wherein the mixture falls through the tubes and is heated by the evaporator, wherein the cannabinoid crude oil is collected from the bottom of the evaporator. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the cannabinoids of the mixture are not combined with additional solvent separate from the mixture. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the solvent is ethanol, and 95% or more of the ethanol by volume is recovered. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the mixture of solvent and cannabinoids is a pre-filtered tincture, the method comprising combining solvent and cannabinoids to define the pre-filtered tincture and providing the pre-filtered tincture to the vessel. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the solvent condensate that is recovered is not combined with the pre-filtered tincture in the vessel prior to forming an additional tincture. 
     
     
         11 . A method for processing cannabinoids and recovering solvent, the method comprising the steps of:
 drawing a mixture of cannabinoids and solvent into an evaporator via a pump connected downstream from the evaporator;   heating the mixture in the evaporator to an evaporation temperature;   in response to heating the mixture to the evaporation temperature, forming solvent vapor and cannabinoid crude oil from the mixture;   removing the solvent vapor from the evaporator;   removing the cannabinoid crude oil from the evaporator;   collecting the cannabinoid crude oil;   condensing the solvent vapor into a solvent condensate at a condensing heat exchanger connected downstream from the evaporator; and   recovering the solvent condensate.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the pump is connected downstream from the condensing heat exchanger. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the pump is a liquid ring pump and receives solvent condensate from the condensing heat exchanger and cools the solvent condensate. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the solvent condensate is collected after being received in the pump. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the solvent condensate is collected from the condensing heat exchanger. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising increasing pressure of the solvent vapor via a vacuum provided from the pump to further condense the solvent. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the solvent is drawn through the evaporator and the condensing heat exchanger toward the pump. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the pump creates a vacuum and pulls the mixture into the evaporator and further pulls the solvent vapor out of the evaporator after heating the mixture. 
     
     
         19 . A method for processing cannabinoids and recovering solvent, the method comprising the steps of:
 providing, from a vessel, a mixture at a nominal temperature, the mixture comprising cannabinoids and solvent;   receiving the mixture at an evaporator downstream from the vessel;   heating the mixture to an intermediate temperature via an intermediate heat exchanger connected upstream of the evaporator and downstream of the vessel;   heating the mixture in the evaporator to an evaporation temperature that is greater than the intermediate temperature;   in response to heating the mixture to the evaporation temperature, forming solvent vapor and cannabinoid crude oil from the mixture;   removing the solvent vapor from the evaporator;   removing the cannabinoid crude oil from the evaporator;   collecting the cannabinoid crude oil;   condensing the solvent vapor into a solvent condensate at a condensing heat exchanger connected downstream from the evaporator; and   
       recovering the solvent condensate 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the intermediate heat exchanger is further connected downstream from the evaporator and receives at least a portion of the solvent vapor removed from the evaporator.