Butane extraction, sometimes referred to as butane hash oil extraction (BHO extraction), is a popular method of extracting the valuable compounds from the cannabis plant to essentially create a cannabis concentrate. The end result is known as butane hash oil (BHO). BHO is used to make many forms of consumable cannabis extracts, including shatter, terpene sauce, budder, and more.
BHO extraction utilizes a hydrocarbon such as butane, hexane, or propane as the solvent to extract the psychoactive components of cannabis from the inert plant matter.
To extract the psychoactive components from the inert plant material of cannabis, a hydrocarbon solvent can be used. In addition to butane, hexane and propane can also be used with varying degrees of effectiveness. The resulting product is referred to as Butane Hash Oil (BHO).
To make BHO, cannabinoid-rich cannabis plant material is tightly packed into a specially made glass or steel cylinder with a screen at the bottom end of the tube. The solvent is washed over the tightly packed buds from the top of the tube using gravity and the pressure from the butane cannister. The butane reaches ultra-low temperature and effectively washes the trichomes and chemical components away from the inert plant matter. The resulting liquid is then collected below the screen.
This target-chemical-rich liquid solution is then carefully heated so the hydrocarbon solvent can be evaporated away from the targeted cannabis components in a process called purging.
Once the solvent has been evaporated away (a dangerous and highly flammable process) the resulting purged oil is BHO. This BHO can be further processed into shatter and many other common forms of extract.
The information on this page is purely informational and should not be considered instructional. The creation of cannabis extracts can be extremely dangerous and requires a full understanding of the process and risks involved.
