Frequently Asked

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Aurora CO 80011

Filter media is a porous, often inert, solid powder used to coat a simple 2D filter membrane (e.g., filter paper), built up as depth filtration aid to remove very fine solid particles from liquid suspension during production & purification of oils, botanical extracts, foods & beverages, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and other goods, mainly to clarify or “polish” liquid solutions and/or purify their solutes.

Adsorbent media have “activated” properties like functional surface chemistry, charge polarity and specific pore size, making them suitable for additional applications like removing color bodies (pigments, dyes, etc.), heavy metals, pesticides, and many toxic or otherwise undesired impurities. The most precisely refined adsorbents are used as stationary phase in chromatography to purify and isolate individual compounds from chemical mixtures.

CRC is Cannabis industry vernacular for the adsorbent media filter assembly, a common component of modern closed-loop extraction systems—typically those using butane and/or propane as liquid solvent—otherwise known as a SPEc (solid phase extraction cartridge). The meaning of this highly variable acronym in Canna-lingo is dependent on its particular usage mode: Color (mostly Chlorophyll)… Remediation (Removal)… Column/Cartridge ~or~ Chromatography.

The typical CRC assembly is described as: a hollow tube or column, at least 3X (preferably max 6X, but up to 8X) longer than its diameter, with a filtered drain port on bottom (sometimes with a flow regulation valve), filled with adsorbent media as particulate solid, topped with a porous membrane as a ‘distributor’ for liquid solution entering port(s) on its sealed pressure cap.

Our natural and synthetic media are sourced from around the globe to bring you the best quality at the lowest prices!

The majority of our products are sourced from the United States, but other notable source countries include Mexico, China and Germany.

Whether you are a professional looking for improvement or you are totally new to processing, you’re in the right place! Carbon Chemistry will help you to select the right media, to optimize your process, and we can even connect you with vetted-trustworthy Cannabis consultation from our team of industry experts! Please feel free to contact us through our website, by phone at 888.446.8421 or email to Sales@CarbonChemistry.com
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These are industry terms for cannabinoid acid (specifically THCa) crystallization problems of “chalky petrification” and “runaway precipitation,” respectively. Careful analysis has revealed the root cause is impurities—mainly organo-amines and methanol from the petroleum refining process—in the butane used as solvent to extract BHO or “butane honey oil” from the Cannabis.

Carbon Chemistry has been at the forefront of solutions to this menace, providing adsorbent filtration media to control, minimize and even eliminate these phenomena easily, safely and efficiently.

This is a “loaded” question with at least as many different answers as there are different products made using media! Please see our Let’s Get Baked! article in the Knowledge Base, or Contact Us for help with your specific application!

This designates our Top-of-the-line, functionally activated line of clays. These premium clays are designed to Target impurities in your process. Our T-5, for example is Thermally activated to enhance its adsorptive properties.

Take advantage of our lowest prices and FAST shipping right here on our website or you may find a vendor near you for local pickup!

Carbon Chemistry is here to help you select the best media to achieve your goals. We have resources to further education on several topics, and we are available to answer your questions by phone: 888.446.8421 and even Instagram @carbonchemistryltd

Carbon chemistry recommends using a fibrous depth filtration element to capture all solid particles without clogging. We now have die-cut precision-felted polyester fiber discs to simplify depth filtration for your media CRC! Flat, 2D membranes like filter paper and fine mesh screens can “blind” (i.e., become coated with a layer of fine solids that limits or blocks liquid flow), but 3D fibrous pucks trap solid particles and allow liquid to flow around the coated fibers. Loose fiber materials like cotton balls must remain fluffy to work, so media weight is supported on a strong coarse screen or sintered steel “classifier” above the cotton plug.

Fortunately, our tough new drop-in filter discs may be used on the perforated filter plate, directly beneath powders, granules and pellets! They are initially rated to remove particles as small as 1µm (micrometer or ‘micron’), and just a thin layer of powder media like T-5 will enhance filtration to sub-micron levels, all without risk of blinding or blow-outs!

The rules of thumb go by “weight percent” or w/w: media/Cannabis.
Use no more than 10-20% mass of any one filter medium (e.g. “inert” powder media) to dry plant biomass. For example: 100g silica per 1kg hemp
Adsorbent media usage varies based on its affinity relative to the desired concentration of target compounds—stronger adsorption for lower target concentration in final product—but it’s best to start small to balance product enhancement with yield loss. Examples: Chlorophyll causing dark color; Start with 250g T-41 per 1kg biomass.

Increase ratio of T-41 if too darkly colored & yield weight is okay.
Decrease ratio of T-41 if color is good, but mass % yield is too low

Most filter media is made to be used once, and most adsorbents can be used up to a few times, depending on concentrations of process adsorbates (pigments, impurities, etc.), and then sent for environmentally sound disposal. However, our inert filter media may be “washed” for reuse, and molecular sieve beads are designed for regeneration/reactivation by baking.

The rules of thumb go by “weight percent” or w/w: media/Cannabis.
Use no more than 10-20% mass of any one filter medium (e.g. “inert” powder media) to dry plant biomass. For example: 100g silica per 1kg hemp
Adsorbent media usage varies based on its affinity relative to the desired concentration of target compounds—stronger adsorption for lower target concentration in final product—but it’s best to start small to balance product enhancement with yield loss. Examples: Chlorophyll causing dark color; Start with 250g T-41 per 1kg biomass.

Increase ratio of T-41 if too darkly colored & yield weight is okay.
Decrease ratio of T-41 if color is good, but mass % yield is too low.

Powders are the powerhouses of adsorption, having the highest surface area to volume ratios for high adsorbate capacity and fast activity in relatively compact housings. Powders are also effective filter aids to remove suspended solids. However, they can be messy to load, and will hold up product solution by absorption in the bulk of the powder, much like a sponge. Thus, powders require elevated pressures to allow fluid flow, and rinsing (or continued use) to collect any absorbed liquid.

Granules have fairly broad size range and irregular shapes, while pellets are much more uniform in shape and often also in size. We distinguish granular and pelletized media for good reason, but they have similar characteristics in usage. Both types of media are easy to load with little or no mess, and they provide high liquid, gas and vapor flow rates with very low pressure, even by gravity, alone.

Pellets and granules can be strong adsorbents, albeit slower acting with lower surface area than powders, which is why some applications require a valved drain on the CRC housing to manually slow the flow of solution over these media for best results!