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A hemp extraction centrifuge is a bowl centrifuge designed to extract the hemp biomass from the alcohol. It uses a centrifugal force of over 3,000 Gs to spin out the biomass solids from the ethanol. The separated biomass and ethanol are continuously discharged from separate discharge ports.
The exponential growth of the hemp industry has seen a variety of ethanol extraction centrifuges for sale. Basket-type (washing machine style) centrifuges are suitable for small-scale producers whose primary consideration is cost. Product losses are not a significant consideration at lower batch volumes.
Industrial hemp extraction centrifuge needs to be durable and heavy-duty to allow continuous processing with minimum labor involvement and production-related losses. Also, processing equipment downtime is not desirable for industrial-scale hemp extraction processors.
An industrial centrifuge is a heavy-duty separator proven over time to be highly reliable and durable across all industries. An industrial hemp centrifuge exerts a much higher centrifugal force, leading to higher production efficiency and minimum product losses.
Hemp Centrifuges offer multiple advantages over conventional basket centrifuges. Following is a list of some of these benefits.
A detailed technical comparison between ethanol extraction centrifuges explains each of these advantages.
If you have simple, routine questions: We have condensed our 40+ years of disc-stack centrifuge experience into 101 Frequently Asked Questions about Disc Stack Centrifuges!
There are other low-G, low-RPM 'Washing Machine' type Basket Centrifuges available for CBD and THC producers. There is no direct comparison between these centrifuges because a decanter centrifuge is a heavy-duty industrial centrifuge, whereas a basket or washing machine type centrifuge is consumer-grade equipment.
Please read our article about the technical comparison between decanter centrifuges and washing machine type centrifuges for ethanol biomass separation.
A Class 1 Div 2 centrifuge is a separator designed to operate in hazardous areas or process potentially flammable fluids. Ethanol-based hemp extraction of CBD oil required C1 D2 centrifuges due to ethanol, which is a flammable liquid.
A decanter centrifuge is a sedimentation type centrifuge that separates the hemp biomass from the ethanol using gravitational force generated by rotation. A basket centrifuge is a filtration type centrifuge that uses a porous media or basket to separate the biomass from ethanol.
The residence time is the amount of time the hemp biomass is soaked in the ethanol during CBD oil extraction. The residence time is somewhat adjustable in a decanter centrifuge even though it is a flow-through type of centrifuge.
An ethanol polishing centrifuge is a high-speed, high centrifugal force disc stack centrifuge that can remove the fine suspended solids such as wax, lipids, chlorophyll, etc., from the ethanol post-extraction before winterization. It is a self-cleaning type centrifuge that can reduce post-winterization filtration load by up to 80%.
Decanter centrifuges as flow-through type centrifuges and therefore have a much higher processing capacity (lbs) than conventional basket centrifuges that are batch type. If one compares the cost per pound of processing capacity, decanter centrifuges are much cheaper than basket centrifuges. But decanter centrifuges are more suitable for higher production volumes than small batches.
The dryness of the spent hemp biomass coming out of a decanter centrifuge is adjustable. Field data suggest hemp biomass dryness of over 95% is achievable with a decanter centrifuge. The simple fact that the decanter centrifuge exerts over 3,000 Gs of centrifugal force versus the 950 Gs of a basket centrifuge explains the ability of the decanter centrifuge to produce much drier biomass.
The smallest industrial centrifuge for separating hemp biomass from ethanol or water can process up to 20 GPM of hemp ethanol slurry. With a 3 to 1 ratio of ethanol to hemp biomass, this translates to approximately 1,500 pounds per hour.
| Centrifuge | Alfa Laval NX-314 Decanter Centrifuge |
| Rated Hydraulic Capacity | 40 GPM |
| Capacity on Hemp + Ethanol Mix @ 25% Hemp | 20 GPM |
| Total Mass Flow Rate | ~11,000 Lbs/Hr |
| Hemp Processing Capacity | ~1000 Lbs/Hr |
| Separated Hemp Biomass Dryness | < 5% Ethanol (wt) |
| Bowl Speed | 4,000 RPM |
| Centrifugal Force (RCF) | 3,150 Gs |
| Drive Motor | 15 HP |
| Material Of Construction (Wetted Areas) | 316L Stainless Steel |
More details on hemp biomass separator centrifuge are on our blog post.
There are multiple ways to extract CBD oil from hemp. Typically it is a 4-step extraction process that is also used in the cannabinoid oil extraction process. The processing steps are as follows.
The crushed (chopped) hemp plant is mixed with ethanol or other extraction fluid. Again, a stainless steel reactor tank with mechanical agitation is well suited for this purpose.
The hemp biomass (from step 1) is separated from the carrier fluid by a centrifuge or other separation methods. The separated ethanol (or carrier fluid) now has Cannabinoid Oil dissolved in it.
This polishing process removes the remaining small biomass particles, waxes, lipids, etc. This is achieved by a high-g, self-cleaning type centrifuge (or filter) to produce clarified ethanol.
In the final phase, the carrier fluid is distilled or evaporated to produce pure Cannabinoid Oil.
If designed and used effectively, Centrifuges offer high efficiency for the production of CBD Oil continuously to produce a high-quality, consistent product.
A decanter centrifuge is a highly efficient ethanol extraction centrifuge. Designed for the Hemp CBD Oil industry, our decanter centrifuges come with Class 1 Div 1 or Div 2 Explosion Proof motors with VFD control. Separated hemp biomass can be as low as 10% ethanol meaning high recovery efficiency.
Increase your CBD, THC, and Hemp Oil production for the medical marijuana industry! Alfa Laval decanter centrifuges (specially modified by Dolphin Centrifuge) and proven to extract ethanol from hemp biomass continuously.
Industrial food-grade centrifuges and decanters are also well suited to extract flavoring oils from herbal plant matter. Mechanical separation avoids the use of filtration, which reduces operating costs and labor.
Self-cleaning, Disc type centrifuges offer the maximum centrifugal force to separate the wax, lipids, and other suspended particles from the ethanol.
Hemp CBD Oil centrifuges reduce the need to filter the fine solids to purify hemp extract. This is essential to reduce post-winterization filtration load.
Dolphin Centrifuge has developed a custom-designed Hemp CBD Oil Centrifuges line to clarify the ethanol from the previous step of biomass separation using an explosion-proof centrifuge, as shown here.
Contact Dolphin Centrifuge today to discuss your hemp oil de-waxing application with one of Dolphin Centrifuge’s process engineers.
Warm ethanol extraction of CBD oil from hemp uses alcohol that has not been super chilled. The ethanol extracts the CBD oil from the hemp biomass and is distilled to obtain CBD oil. This process reduces the energy consumption of the ethanol chillers lowering production costs.
The inherent limitation of decanter centrifuges is the inability to process below the freezing point of water (32 F). This limitation is due to the possibility of environmental moisture condensing and freezing on the rotating centrifuge components.
Warm ethanol extraction removes this limitation and allows the use of decanters for the biomass separation process.
Need more information? Call us at (248) 819-1732 to discuss your particular application with one of our centrifuge experts. To get to know Dolphin Centrifuge - visit the About Us page.