Abstract: A method of and apparatus for recovering an alcohol solvent from a liquid mixture of the solvent and plant oil and decarboxylating the plant oil may include, pressurizing the liquid mixture to a super-atmospheric pressure, recirculating the pressurized liquid mixture a plurality of times through at least one membrane separator to separate some of the solvent from the mixture to provide a concentrated mixture of the plant oil with less solvent, reducing the pressure of the liquid concentrated mixture to less than 15 psig, heating it at a pressure of less than 15 psig to a temperature sufficient to vaporize the solvent in the concentrated mixture, removing sufficient heat from the vaporized solvent to condense it to a liquid solvent at atmospheric pressure and temperature conditions, and heating the plant oil to a temperature desirably of at least 215° F. to decarboxylate the plant oil.

Abstract: A process and apparatus for extracting plant oil from plant material by cooling an alcohol solvent to a temperature of ?40° C. or lower, contacting the plant material with the cold solvent to extract plant oil to provide a solvent and plant oil mixture, heating the mixture to convert the solvent to a gaseous state to thereby separate the solvent from the plant oil, and cooling the separated gaseous solvent to a liquid to recover the solvent. The apparatus may include a heat exchanger to cool the alcohol solvent, a centrifuge configured to receive and contact a batch of plant material with the cold solvent to extract oil from the plant material to provide a solvent and oil mixture, and a programmable logic controller to monitor and control the temperature of the cold solvent, and control the centrifuge to agitate the solvent in contact with the plant material.

Abstract: A process of and apparatus for dehydrating an alcohol/water mixture may include pressurizing the mixture to at least 40 psig, heating the pressurized mixture to a temperature of at least 170° F., passing the heated and pressurized mixture through at least one Zeolite separator to produce separate streams of water and pressurized and heated dehydrated alcohol, and using the pressurized and heated dehydrated alcohol to at least in part heat pressurized mixture and to cool the pressurized and heated dehydrated alcohol. At least some implementations may include cooling the pressurized and heated dehydrated alcohol to a temperature below its boiling point at atmospheric pressure. At least some implementations may include applying a vacuum to the water stream side of the Zeolite separator. At least some implementations may include cooling the stream of water to a temperature of less than about 200° F.

Abstract: A method of and apparatus for recovering an alcohol solvent from a liquid mixture of the solvent and plant oil and decarboxylating the plant oil may include, pressurizing the liquid mixture to a super-atmospheric pressure, recirculating the pressurized liquid mixture a plurality of times through at least one membrane separator to separate some of the solvent from the mixture to provide a concentrated mixture of the plant oil with less solvent, reducing the pressure of the liquid concentrated mixture to less than 15 psig, heating it at a pressure of less than 15 psig to a temperature sufficient to vaporize the solvent in the concentrated mixture, removing sufficient heat from the vaporized solvent to condense it to a liquid solvent at atmospheric pressure and temperature conditions, and heating the plant oil to a temperature desirably of at least 215° F. to decarboxylate the plant oil.

Abstract: A process of and apparatus for dehydrating an alcohol/water mixture may include pressurizing the mixture to at least 40 psig, heating the pressurized mixture to a temperature of at least 170° F., passing the heated and pressurized mixture through at least one Zeolite separator to produce separate streams of water and pressurized and heated dehydrated alcohol, and using the pressurized and heated dehydrated alcohol to at least in part heat pressurized mixture and to cool the pressurized and heated dehydrated alcohol. At least some implementations may include cooling the pressurized and heated dehydrated alcohol to a temperature below its boiling point at atmospheric pressure. At least some implementations may include applying a vacuum to the water stream side of the Zeolite separator. At least some implementations may include cooling the stream of water to a temperature of less than about 200° F.

Abstract: A process and apparatus for extracting plant oil from plant material by cooling an alcohol solvent to a temperature of ?40° C. or lower, contacting the plant material with the cold solvent to extract plant oil to provide a solvent and plant oil mixture, heating the mixture to convert the solvent to a gaseous state to thereby separate the solvent from the plant oil, and cooling the separated gaseous solvent to a liquid to recover the solvent. The apparatus may include a heat exchanger to cool the alcohol solvent, a centrifuge configured to receive and contact a batch of plant material with the cold solvent to extract oil from the plant material to provide a solvent and oil mixture, and a programmable logic controller to monitor and control the temperature of the cold solvent, control the centrifuge to agitate the solvent in contact with the plant material for a period of time and to rotate for a period of time to separate the mixture from the plant material.

Abstract: A plant oil extraction apparatus may include a volatile solvent tank, an oil bearing plant material container for receiving at least some of the volatile solvent, a chiller for cooling volatile solvent to a liquid state in contact with the oil bearing plant material, a vessel for collecting at least some of the mixture of volatile solvent and plant material, a heater for heating at least liquid state volatile solvent to a gas state, a compressor for compressing volatile solvent gas to a higher pressure, and a heat exchanger to cool and condense at least part of the compressed solvent gas to a liquid state and to return at least part of the condensed liquid volatile solvent to the solvent tank. The cycling of the apparatus may at least in part be controlled by an electronic controller and a human machine interface may be used by an operator to input data to the electronic controller.