Eden Labs LLC supports a variety of different methods for performing extracts. Please review these methods to decide which systems applies to your needs. Feel free to call or E-mail any questions you may have.

This is the original extraction method that Eden Labs was built on and it continues to be the backbone of the company. Technically, our distillation devices are "modified soxhlet extracters." The original soxhlet extracter was developed by Franz Von Soxhlet, a German agricultural chemist, in the early part of this century. Our patent pending modifications to his basic design make it possible for the operater to distill at much lower temperatures and it enables one to recollect the solvent that was used to extract the plant material back out of the extract for re-use.

 Within an enclosed flask there is an inverted condenser pointing down into the flask from the top. Just below that condenser will be suspended either what's called a soxhlet basket or a recovery vessel depending on whether you're extracting or recovering solvent. The condenser will have cold liquid circulating through it to keep the condenser cold. In the bottom of the main flask solvent is placed. To do an extraction, the ground plant material is placed in the soxhlet basket which is a vessel with perforated sides and bottom so that liquid can fall through it. When gentle heat is applied to the main flask, the solvent begins to evaporate and the solvent vapors reach the cold condenser at the top of the flask and begin to liquefy on the sides of the condenser. (much the same way that a cold glass of water becomes wet on the outside of itself on a hot day) The re-condensed solvent on the sides of the condenser begin flowing down the sides of the condenser and begin dripping off of drip points on the end of the condenser. This solvent drips into the top of the soxhlet basket where it saturates the herb being extracted. The solvent flows through the basket and out the holes in the bottom of the basket carrying the extract with it into the bottom of the flask.

The extract laden solvent falling from the soxhlet basket is dark in color and as it becomes clearer you know that the plant material is leached out and the process is finished.

 At this point you can do one of three things: 1. Stop the operation and pour the extract infused solvent out of the main flask. 2. Hook up the recovery vessel and remove the solvent from your extract which generally leaves a paste behind. 3. Dump and squeeze out the spent plant material in the soxhlet basket, then start a fresh basket of herb in the extracter using the same solvent which continually re-distills and extracts regardless of how much extract is infused into it in the bottom of the main flask.

 The recovery vessel is simply a cup which is suspended below the condenser. As solvent vapors re-condense and fall off the tip of the condenser, they fall into the cup and are thus separated from the extract itself.

 Our most sophisticated units which use this process are also vacuum compatible. Applying a vacuum to this inside of the main flask lowers the boiling point of the solvent enabling the operator to distill solvent at much lower temperatures and to distill much more quickly. When using vacuum, solvent vapors will migrate out of the port through which the vacuum is being pulled. To capture these vapors before they go into the vacuum pump, a cold trap is utilized which is a different type of condenser which re-condenses solvent vapors and then sends the liquid solvent back into the main flask. (see Professional Round Bottom unit)

This is a traditional method of extraction used by herbalists throughout the world and it's very simple. Above a flask or vessel is suspended a cone or tube. The bottom of the tube has a perforated base which holds ground herb in place. Solvent is poured into the top of the tube where it soaks through the herb leaching out the extract and then falling out the bottom end of the tube into the flask. If desired, the percolation tube can be wrapped in heating tape to help facilitate the extraction.

 Percolater cones or tubes can be ordered as accessories to any of our basic distillation units. Please contact us for details and prices as these our custom made to customer request.

This is the accepted method used by most large, industrial operations which are in the business of processing herbal extracts. The main reason for this is that the distillation/extraction method outlined earlier becomes cost prohibitive and very time consuming when sized up to industrial scale.(Our largest distillation/extraction unit is the size of a 55 gallon drum. Beyond this size, that design becomes impractical.)

 The first stage of this process involves the use of a large mixing vat or tank. The tank is heated by a water jacket and has a big mixing arm with blades on it extending down through the top of it. Ground herb and solvent are put in the tank and agitated for a determined period of time. In the bottom of the tank is a three-way valve. During agitation the valve is closed. After agitation, the valve is opened to let the liquid out but the plant material is retained for further agitation. The liquid that is recovered from this first run is very thick with extract and is suitable for immediate use if a liquid extract is the desired form.

 To completely leach out the plant material, more solvent must be introduced into the agitation vessel whereby the process is repeated. This process may be repeated 2-4 times to completely leach out the extract from your herb with each successive run yielding a leaner batch of extract. When the last run is complete, the valve is opened up so that the spent herb and the solvent all run out thus draining the tank. To recover the solvent from these batches of extract, a distillation vessel is used to strip the solvent out of the extract similar to the solvent recovery method outlined in the distillation/extraction section. A press or centrifuge is used to squeeze the liquid out of the spent plant material.

This is the most technologically advanced extraction system in the world. Research into the techniques and applications of this amazing process is ongoing and Eden Labs is at the forefront of these investigations.

 Super Critical Fluid Extraction (SFE) involves taking gases, usually CO2, and compressing them into a dense liquid. This liquid is then pumped through a cylinder containing the material to be extracted. From there, the extract laden liquid is pumped into a separation chamber where the extract is separated from the gas and the gas is recovered for re-use. CO2 's solvent properties can be manipulated and adjusted by varying the pressure and temperature that one works at.

 The advantages of SFE are the versatility it offers in pinpointing the constituents you want to extract from a given material and the fact that your end product has virtually no solvent residues left in it. (CO2 evaporates completely) The downside is that this technology is quite expensive.

There are many other gases and liquids that are highly efficient as extraction solvents when put under pressure. Please click on our section titled High Pressure Supercritical Fluid Extraction for more details.

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