Search

Projected revenues of cannabis concentrates and extracts in Canada will reach 5 billion dollars, of which infused products will account for half of the total. The pharmacologically active cannabinoids accumulate in the crop's flowers, accounting for as much as 30% of their dry mass, and are absent from the rest of the plant's body. To achieve a cost effective drug formulation requires optimizing cannabis processing techniques. Here, we review the pre‐treatment of Cannabis sativa L., its solvent extraction, and the isolation of its active metabolites. We describe traditional extraction processes such as maceration and percolation with organic solvents, but focus on recent green solvent and methods including supercritical fluid extraction (SCFE) and microwave‐ and ultrasound‐enhanced techniques. Furthermore, we report the decarboxylation kinetics to convert tetrahydrocannabinolic acid and cannabidiolic acid and purification‐isolation techniques to satisfy regulatory and consumer requirements. Cannabinoids decarboxylate in 10–60 min at 100–150°C. Ethanol and petroleum ether recover up to 90% of the neutral cannabinoids from plant inflorescences, but the crude extracts require further refining as the purity is less than 50%. Propane and butane compressed gas extraction facilitate solvent removal but introduce safety hazards related to flammability. SCFE is the safest solvent‐free extraction method with improved terpenoid recovery and >80% purity. Academic and commercial interest in the field is expected to accelerate in the next decade due to recent changes in regulatory schemes across North America, which will reduce legal and stigmatic barriers to research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest None disclosed.

Severe corrosion was found covering the brass beads on several beaded belts. The corrosion was a mixture of copper soaps and zinc soaps, and was so thick in some places that it completely buried the brass beads. One of these belts was chosen as a test case for cleaning. The details of the cleaning are described, as are the effects of the corrosion process on the beads and surrounding organic materials. Two supporting studies are also reported: tests of the solubility of the corrosion in a variety of organic solvents, including mixtures of ethanol and petroleum-based solvents; and tests of leather dressings and other coatings on brass, copper, and zinc coupons in various relative humidities (RH), to determine what values of RH could be recommended for storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Canadian water purification firm Purifics ES Inc has been awarded a contract to supply its Photo-Cat GWP system to purify contaminated groundwater at the former American Beryllium Co facility in Sarasota, Florida, USA, which is now owned by Lockheed Martin Corp. The groundwater is contaminated with volatile organic solvents, including 1,4-dioxane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports that women occupationally exposed to organic solvents during pregnancy are 13 times more likely to give birth to a child with serious congenital malformations. Risk only applying to those women who develop symptoms of solvent exposure; Assertion that hydrocarbon solvents are teratogenic in humans; Research by Sohail Khattak et al, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario; Methods; Other effects of solvent exposure. INSET: Some weedkillers and pesticides linked to..., by Kelly Morris.