Optimizing Ethanol Recovery in Winterized Botanical Extracts with Heidolph AUTOaccurate Technology

Ethanol recovered from a winterized batch of botanical extract can be reused for multiple cycles of extraction and winterization. However, due to the dynamic nature of batch evaporation, ensuring a highly productive workflow and high-quality results without residual ethanol requires precise and frequent adjustments to vacuum settings during separation. For less experienced operators, identifying and maintaining optimal parameter settings can be a significant challenge. Striking a balance between effective separation and operational efficiency often demands expertise and constant oversight.

Automated Process Control: Addressing Industry Challenges

Many manufacturers respond to these operational demands by dedicating personnel solely to monitor evaporators and manually adjust vacuum settings. However, this approach often results in inefficiencies, as these technicians may lack sufficient experience with evaporator systems, thereby reducing daily output and operational cost-effectiveness.

To address this challenge, Heidolph has developed the Hei-VAP Industrial packages, which offer an advanced solution to streamline the evaporation process. The innovative AUTOaccurate function automates the detection, adjustment, and maintenance of optimal vacuum settings throughout the evaporation process. By doing so, it eliminates the need for constant manual monitoring. AUTOaccurate ensures that the condenser operates at peak efficiency and further lowers the vacuum to a predefined final pressure after solvent evaporation, enabling the production of high-quality botanical extracts with no residual ethanol.