If you are new to the hemp and CO2 extraction industry, choosing a cost-effective, safe, and reliable extractor can be overwhelming. As you consider various parameters of the extraction equipment, it is not always easy to compare extractors.  

Average CO2 extractor have over a hundred specifications, but not all of them are equally important. In this article, we will explain which of them are the most essential to consider.

It’s important that you don’t focus on just one single feature of the extraction equipment. Many sales reps use this tactic when they are promoting their product.

It can be easy to just focus on lower price, pressure, or customer service. But don’t be fooled by short-sighted sales tricks as they entice you to choose their product over their competitors in the industry.

In order to cut through the noise when it comes to choosing the right CO2 extractor, we recommend you arrange specifications of each CO2 extractors in a table

Making a fair comparison will help you see the full picture as it relates to each option as a whole.

However, the most important factor is to ensure that the overall quality of the output of oil is satisfactory. The specifications mean nothing if the quality of the oil is compromised.

With outputs being equal, we then suggest you consider three key factors: speed, power, and footprint. You will need these factors to scale your operation to larger volumes when you will be expanding.

Infrastructure Requirements

Some low-cost and simple extractors need complex and very expensive infrastructure requirements. Based on your individual circumstances, some infrastructure requirements could end up being cost prohibitive. 

Some equipment requires infrastructure to comply with cGAMP, cGMP, or cGMP+C1D1 special-use facilities. In this case, the cost of infrastructure requirements will be extremely high if your facility is not already compliant. 

To build C1D1 space will cost you 350-500 USD/square ft. It also has stringent OSHA, state fire codes, and solvent storage requirements for flammable liquids and vapors. All these requirements increase the total cost of the infrastructure.

GMP facilities requirements need designated and precise levels of control of each manufacturing and adjacent area. To build GMP compliant spaces this will cost you roughly $1000-$2000 USD/square ft.

It’s possible you may save some money with low-cost equipment, but instead spend much more on costly infrastructure for them.

More Equipment – More Complexity

If a particular system requires a lot of equipment, it becomes more complicated to manage your facility. Make sure you’re aware of other necessary upstream and downstream equipment that will impact your bottom-line and add that as a consideration to your decision-making process.

For a simple manufacturing facility, you may have to buy at least 10 different pieces of major equipment. Then, you will need to consider over a hundred additional features for every piece of equipment. Moreover, every piece of equipment will have its exclusive infrastructure requirements.

In fact, ideally you just concentrate on 20-30 key parameters that matter to your organization. With these key parameters, you can optimize equipment, processes, facilities, and compliance concerns with over 1000 parameters.

Your System’s Complexity

Your system consists of individual pieces of equipment. Each of them will affect the performance of every other piece of equipment in the value stream. When you commission equipment into a manufacturing system, you should consider additional important parameters such as:

1. Is the maintenance of my equipment balanced?
2. Does the throughput of different pieces of equipment match each other?
3. How is the workflow?
4. How many units per unit time can I expect to produce?
5. How can I calculate the value add labor vs machine time?

The checklist of similar questions can go on endlessly. However, in operation, you should focus on a few key process indicators for main parameters. These are throughput, labor content, power usage, WIP, and cycle time.

To sum it up, you need to consider the complexity of everything. The complexity of the equipment, the complexity of the methods, the complexity of the infrastructure, and the complexity of the whole system. All these parts need your equal attention and it will help you to make the proper decision and buy the right CO2 extractor.

Summary

Above we have provided you with a theory guide on what to consider when buying a CO2 extractor. Ultimately it is up to you to make the best decision, but here are a few key takeaways.

Avoid buying individual pieces of equipment to avoid possible problems with matching the separate pieces of the equipment. Before purchasing, make a point to see it complete and in action.

Next, pay attention to the throughput of your new system. Calculate its power and the infrastructure it requires. See what kind of labor you will need for production and consider the expense for those employees.

Consider the people who will install your new system for you. Will there be training for your employees and exhaustive customer support should you run into issues?

Finally, think about equipment design, layout, and workflow. Does this work within your current configuration and systems?

As you research your options for CO2 extraction equipment, we hope that you have found this guide helpful. Asking the right questions and focusing on the key points will help you to make a better decision for your business. 

Good luck with your new CO2 extraction business!  

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