Passive vs. Active Solvent Recovery for Hydrocarbon Extraction

Passive and Active Solvent Recovery

When utilizing an extraction system that requires the use of solvent(s), the chosen solvent used in the extraction process is collected and recycled, by way of recovery. There are two types of recovery, active recovery, and passive recovery. The final product of each process is the same. However, there are some fundamental differences between active and passive solvent recovery that can affect different aspects of your manufacturing process.

Active solvent recovery

Active solvent recovery uses a gas compressor, often called ‘recovery pumps’ for the transfer of gaseous phase solvents. Recovering hydrocarbon solvents from the product involves heating the ‘slurry,” vaporizing the solvent which boils off at lower temperatures than the desired biomass (cannabinoids, terpenes, etc.) This vaporized, gaseous solvent then requires condensing back into a liquid state to be transferred into a solvent tank or cycled back into the process loop – ultimately to be reused. Active solvent recovery uses a mechanical pump to assist in compressing the vapor back to achieve this.

 

Passive solvent recovery

Passive solvent recovery on the other hand uses temperature differential, and temperature differential alone, to move and manipulate the solvent. This is normally achieved by using recirculating heaters and large chillers, and/or Carbon Dioxide or Nitrogen and as a consumable.

Passive Solvent Recovery

Pros

Quieter Lab Space
With passive systems, to maintain C1D1 compliance all the ancillary equipment is outside the C1D1 lab space making them quieter option for hydrocarbon extraction systems. Active systems utilize a compressor or ‘recovery pump’ that remains in the C1D1 lab space.

Cons

Higher Upfront Cost
High quality chillers and heaters are expensive. While more economic chillers are available they are also far more likely to bring your lab to a standstill down the road.

Higher Operating Costs
Chillers and heaters use large amounts of electricity, require regular consumable/maintenance expenditures, and aren’t user serviceable resulting in the need for HVAC professionals for most of the problems. Often when an ancillary piece goes down, the lab is down. All of this drives up the Cost of Goods Sold.

Gas Assistance Often Required
Often requires introduction of another gas, such as nitrogen, to aid in getting the solvent from one column to the next.

Active Solvent Recovery

Pros

Repeatable Consistent Results
Active solvent recovery offers consistent operation with repeatable results and is overall a far more efficient approach to recovering hydrocarbons. The ability to repeat procedures makes it easier to forecast everything from time to products and costs. Pumps are often user serviceable/rebuildable while chillers/heaters often require an HVAC professional.

Fail Points Eliminated
Active solvent recovery offers consistent operation with repeatable results and is overall a far more efficient approach to recovering hydrocarbons. The ability to repeat procedures makes it easier to forecast everything from time to products and costs. Pumps are often user serviceable/rebuildable while chillers/heaters often require an HVAC professional.

Can be added to improve recovery time on many legacy systems. For older hydrocarbon solvent recovery systems, the addition of a pump will increase the speed of solvent recovery, allowing for greater efficiency. Upgrading these legacy systems is a cost-effective way of increasing solvent recovery time without investing in an entirely new system. However, be mindful that your system is capable of keeping up with the compressor or “recovery pump” you plan on purchasing.

Cons

Can be loud depending on compressor/recovery pump
Certain ‘recovery pumps’ can be loud. Most ‘recovery pumps’ are repurposed equipment from other sectors of industry. Often users must rely on their Extraction System manufacturer to develop, distribute, and service the optimum solution for their systems’ solvent recovery.

Our Hydrocarbon Extraction Systems

Active solvent recovery systems can go as fast as the ability feed the ‘recovery pump’ with vaporized solvent, and how fast that recovery pump converts that vapor back into liquid for full recovery. For first gen systems, adding a ‘recovery pump’ will speed up the hydrocarbon solvent recovery time. If already using a ‘recovery pump’ a further option to speed up the process is adding a wiped film evaporator, or a falling film evaporator. Our Base models do it all – cold & fast. Traditionally, heating, and cooling columns is achieved by using electric heaters and chillers that circulate a variety of specialized cooling FLUIDS in columns’ jackets to thermodynamically move and manipulate the solvent’s phase (liquid and gaseous) through the entire process. We refrigerate columns (hot and cold) using propane as a refrigerant. C1D1 guidelines allows the use of propane in our labs. Our jacketed propane refrigeration loop that never needs topped off, uses FAR LESS utilities, and is the only way to drive down the Cost of Goods Sold as our marketplaces expand, prices continue to be unstable, and consolidation continues.

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