Rotary Evaporators

A rotary evaporator, also known as a rotovap or rotavapor, is a type of laboratory equipment used for the efficient and gentle removal of solvents from samples by evaporation. It is commonly employed in various industries, including cannabis processing, for concentrating, isolating, and purifying compounds from botanical extracts.

1. Components of a Rotary Evaporator:

Rotating Flask: Place your sample in a rotating flask to increase the surface area exposed to the heated bath.

Water or Oil Bath: Immerse the flask in a heated bath (water or oil) for gentle and controlled heating during evaporation.

Condenser: This component cools and condenses solvent vapors back into liquid form, with options like vertical coil and diagonal condensers.

Vacuum System: Reduce system pressure with the vacuum system, lowering solvent boiling points for efficient evaporation.

Collection Flask: Collect condensed solvent separately, leaving behind a concentrated sample.

2. Operation:

1. Load your sample into the rotating flask securely attached to the rotary evaporator.

2. Activate the vacuum system to reduce pressure in the system.

3. Rotate the flask in the heated bath, causing solvent evaporation at a lower temperature.

4. Vapor rises through the condenser, cooling and condensing into liquid form.

5. Condensed solvent collects separately, leaving the concentrated sample in the rotating flask.

3. Cannabis Processing Applications:

• Solvent Removal: Widely used to remove solvents from cannabis extracts obtained through various methods.

• Distillation: Employed for distillation processes to separate cannabinoids and terpenes based on boiling points.

• Concentration: Used to concentrate cannabis extracts, increasing potency and reducing volume.

• Purification: Evaporative process helps remove impurities, leaving a purified cannabis product.

• Terpene Extraction: Isolate and concentrate specific terpenes contributing to cannabis aroma and flavor.

• Customization: Flexibility allows customization for specific cannabis strains and extraction methods.

4. Advantages:

• Gentle Process: Minimizes degradation of sensitive compounds in cannabis extract.

• Versatility: Suitable for both small-scale and large-scale cannabis processing.

• Efficiency: Offers efficient solvent removal and concentration in a controlled environment.

• Research and Development: Used in labs for optimization, testing, and development of new extraction and processing techniques.

In the cannabis industry, rotary evaporators are commonly utilized during winterization to purge waxes and lipids from extracts at low temperatures. Beyond winterization, rotavaps have diverse applications, turning raw cannabis into high-grade THCA isolate diamonds and producing oils and tinctures with different calibrations.