hexane-for-oil-extraction

Can You Use Hexane For Oil Extraction?

If you work in an industry that extracts oils from plant materials, you may want to look into hexane for oil extraction. Oil extraction is a process that uses a chemical solvent and heat to extract the oils from various nuts, seeds, or plants to create products such as CBD oil, sunflower oil, olive oil, or canola oil. There are many methods of extraction such as pressing or steam extraction, but a common method used today is solvent extraction. In this method of oil extraction, a low toxicity chemical solvent, such as hexane, is mixed with the product that oil is being extracted from.  The plant product sits soaking in the solvent allowing the solvent to pull the oil from the seed or plant. After the oil has been successfully extracted, heat is applied to boil the solvent and plant mixture, allowing the chemical solvent to evaporate, leaving behind a plant oil. If you are looking for a safe, easy to use chemical solvent for extraction processes like these, hexane may be exactly what you need. 

Why Is Hexane A Good Solvent For Oil Extraction? 

  • Hexane is low toxicity, making it safe to use when extracting oils for consumer use, and it does not produce any strong odors or toxic fumes. Hexane also causes less irritation to users when compared to other chemical solvents.
  • Hexane has a low boiling point. Boiling can occur between 50 – 70 degrees celsius which allows for quick and easy evaporation of the solvent.
  • Hexane can naturally pull more oil out of plant products than other solvents like ether or ethyl acetate, without disturbing the nutritional value of the plant’s natural oil.

Hexane for oil extraction is a great alternative to other more volatile solvents. If you could benefit from implementing the use of hexane for extraction you should contact us today or shop our hexane products here.

Ecolink is an environmentally conscious provider of bulk chemical solvents that will provide you with a high quality product at an affordable rate.