I know that I promised to document the crude cannabis extraction from the Oregon cannabis farm, but I felt that the effort would be fruitless.

Instead, I inspected the extraction equipment and felt that the work would be extensive and only result in an inferior extract. The best option is to get the proper extraction equipment and work to extract a quality product instead of spending an enormous amount of energy to produce an bad product.

In the meantime, the vacuum filter set showed up in the mail. Using 11-micron filter element, I filtered my first experiment.

For those who haven’t read my previous blogs, I took an almost black tar-like (bad) extract and mixed it with 190 proof alcohol and then used powered activated charcoal in attempt to remove the dark color from the extract. That experiment was filtered through a coffee filter and resulted in no change.

Empty Vacuum Filter

The test sample went through the 11-micron filter with ease. I was going to switch to a 2.5-micron filter. Since it was so easy to filter the sample, I decided to skip this step. I then added 1 tablespoon of activated carbon and mix thoroughly. This time I put a 2.5-micron filter in the vacuum filter kit and filtered the sample. The sample took a few minutes to filter. The resulting sample unfortunately had no change in color.

First Sample with 11-micron filter

Sample with 2.5-micron filter and 1 tablespoon activated carbon

My theory of why the experiment failed is that the color is a result of oxidation instead of chlorophyll. If there were any chlorophyll in the sample, it is negligible compared to the amount of oxidation. The oxidized material will require more extreme processes to remove.

At this point, I didn’t bother attempting further filtering the other sample exposed to activated bentonite clay. I think that in order to continue this any further I would attempt to use “Fullers” bleaching clay but will not go out of my way to find the clay. Instead, I have encouraged the farm owners to purchase the proper extract equipment.

Here are some pictures of another indoor grow. Enjoy:

This is a veg room that grows the cannabis plant through the vegetative cycle. There is no soil. It is a full hydroponic system where the nutrients and water are strictly monitored and supplied to the roots.

This is a flower room. I apologize for the orange color. The intense artificial light in the room saturates my camera and makes the image look orange. This is the final stage of the plant’s life where it flowers and creates the THCA rich buds.

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