By Luke Sumpter


Butane hash oil (BHO) entered popular cannabis culture in 1999 following a forum post guiding users on how to make the substance. Today, the solvent-based cannabis extract remains a popular choice, offering a condensed, potent hit of terpenes and cannabinoids.

Despite its powerful effects and widespread recognition, BHO comes with its own set of disadvantages. As well as being dangerous to make in some circumstances, many preparations are poorly crafted and carry undesirable contaminants, from unwanted plant constituents to solvent residues.

Find out more about BHO below, and learn how technicians are using colour remediation column (CRC) extraction to make their products safer and more appealing to the eye, ultimately changing the industry for the better.

What Is BHO?

BHO first hit the scene thanks to a post on Erowid—a forum dedicated to psychoactive substances. The extract has since surged in popularity with cannabis users, mostly because people can make it at home with only a few basic pieces of equipment.

The process involves packing a BHO extractor tube with cannabis and filling it with butane gas. The substance moves through the cannabis and, working as a solvent, pulls cannabinoids, terpenes, and other compounds from the flower material.

The extract emerges at the other end as a liquid infused with precious cannabis constituents. Next, users need to “purge” the crude extract. This step removes the solvent from the mix, but also fills the air with flammable gas, making it a relatively dangerous step when performed in careless conditions. Known as an “open-loop" system, this DIY method allows butane to evaporate and enter the atmosphere.

Several companies in cannabis-friendly states and countries have taken things to the next level with closed-loop systems. This method recaptures the butane and recycles it back through the system, creating an overall more efficient and safer procedure.

  • Types of BHO

There are several different types of BHO that users can purchase from dispensaries or coffeeshops, or even make at home. Such choice has helped BHO reach its high status within the cannabis world. Each form requires a slightly different process, but they are all made using butane as a solvent.

The most popular BHO extracts include:

Shatter

Crumble

Wax

Sauce

Budder

Problems With BHO

While BHO serves as an accessible and easy-to-make extract, it comes with a list of problems. First, purging BHO in an open-loop system poses a serious fire hazard.

During the purge, BHO enters the air as a gas. The presence of naked flames or unlikely electrical sparks is enough to ignite the gas and cause it to catch fire. Although it might seem rare, major accidents can, and do, happen. Extract makers in the UK, for example, have blasted walls in their homes in the past.

Second, the quality of BHO varies dramatically depending on the technique used and the experience of the person making the extract. While seasoned extract makers are capable of crafting exceptionally pure BHO, beginners are prone to producing, and subsequently inhaling, impure products.

BHO impurities come in two major categories. Plant constituents make up the first category. Excess chlorophyll, waxes, and other components discolour BHO and make for a harsh and unpleasant smoke.

The second category involves chemical residues. While plant components merely taste bad, inhaling butane does the lungs no favours at all.

What Is CRC?

CRC provides an effective solution to contaminated BHO. Not only does this advanced process minimise the chances of chemical and plant compound contamination, but it vastly improves the visual appearance of the extract.

CRC tech has the potential to change the BHO industry in legal regions, and extract makers in prohibited areas are also using the technique at home to improve the quality of their products.

What Does CRC Do?

First and foremost, CRC vastly improves the colour of BHO. While most homemade BHO is opaque, dark brown, and tastes harsh, CRC creates translucent and brightly coloured extracts that are much more pleasing to the eye.

But why should consumers care about how an extract looks? Well, a pure look often reflects a pure product. The bright golden-yellow colour of CRC BHO bears testimony to the lack of excessive constituents, which do nothing but take away from the taste and effects of the extract.

What Does CRC Do?

Sure, aesthetics do matter, especially in the eyes of customers looking for their next favourite product to blaze. But CRC also achieves something much more important. As well as removing a load of unnecessary plant material, it also helps to prevent contamination at the hands of solvents.

Although current closed-loop systems do a great job of removing butane residues, CRC systems take things to the next level. Through the use of an additional layer of filters, this method captures all traces of solvents and prevents them from winding up in the final product.

The CRC Process

Extractors can achieve better colour and purer products by simply adding one more step to the extraction process. Just like a normal BHO setup, CRC rigs feature a solvent tank, a material tank (where the solvent pulls all of the cannabinoids and terpenes), and a collection tank. However, the addition of a CRC column between the material tank and the collection tank makes all the difference.

The CRC column contains several layers of materials that work to filter contaminants from the extract. These materials vary between setups but commonly include bentonite clay, synthetic magnesium, and silica gel.

After the crude extract enters the CRC column, it passes through several layers of these filtering materials. After making it through the initial barriers, the filtered oil then passes through a paper filter and finally a filter plate to determine maximum purity.

The CRC Process

Can CRC Tech Fuel Extract Industry Growth?

CRC will definitely make a positive impact on the BHO industry in legal nations and states. As companies continue to embrace this method, customer satisfaction and confidence will expand. Manufacturers can offer higher levels of purity, better-looking products, and extracts with improved tastes and effects.

What Are the Downsides?

Does CRC have any downsides? When it comes to a commercial setting, not really. The only downside of the method lies in making extracts at home. Artisan makers can use CRC tech to improve the quality of their products, but incorporating it into an open-loop DIY system means more effort and investment.

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Privacy Policy - Royal Queen Seeds

To ensure a safe online environment and guarantee adequate data protection, we strictly comply with all legal requirements. In this privacy statement, we provide information about how and for what purpose data is collected, safety measures, storage periods and contact details.


COMPANY NAME: SNORKEL SPAIN, SL (hereinafter ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS)

C/ Vilar d'Abdelà, 5 (nave 1) CP: 08170 de Montornès del Vallès

+34 937 379 846

support@royalqueenseeds.com


The present Privacy Policy sets out the terms on which we will treat personal data at ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS; this includes any personal data collected through our website https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/ as well as any other data we process in the course of our business activities.

ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS collects the following personal data for the purposes listed below:

SECTION 1 – PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

1.1 Account purchases

Account purchases can only be made if you are in possession of a personal account. When you create an account or purchase something from our shop, as part of the buying and selling process we collect the following personal information that you provide to us:

This information is required for delivery. In addition, when you browse our shop, we automatically receive the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your computer. Based on this information, we can optimise your online experience and at the same time protect our online environment.

Purpose of data collection

We collect and store account-related data for the following purposes:

(a) to carry out obligations arising from any contracts between you and us, and to provide you with information, products and services that you may request from us;

(b) to set up, manage and communicate with you about your account and your orders;

(c) to conduct market research and analysis;

(d) to confirm your age and identity, and to detect and prevent fraud.

1.2 Newsletters

With your explicit permission, we may send you newsletters about our shop, new products and other updates. We send newsletters based on your explicit consent. In the event that you purchase a product, and in accordance with current regulations, we may send you commercial communications in accordance with the legitimate interest of our company, always about products or services similar to those you have purchased or contracted. In any case, you may exercise your right of opposition through the channels announced in this Privacy Policy. The following information is collected in relation to the newsletter:

We do not need to know the sex of the person in order to send the newsletter (data minimisation: by law we must ask for data that is strictly necessary to provide the service, and in this case knowing the sex is not necessary to send the newsletter).

Purpose of data collection

The data collected is used to:

(a) personalise our emails, including your name and gender;

(b) provide gender-specific content.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by using the link provided in the newsletter or the contact information provided in section 2.

1.3 Customer service and contact form

In order to provide appropriate support, our customer service employees have access to information related to the account. Consequently, their support will be highly effective and friendly. The data provided in our contact form is used by our CRM provider, SuperOffice. We will only use your details to respond to your message.

SECTION 2 – LEGITIMATE INTEREST

If you have purchased any of our products, please note that we may process your personal data for promotional purposes, based on Royal Queen Seeds' legitimate interest only to offer you products or services from our company and about products or services similar to those you have purchased. You may exercise your right to opt out of future messages by the means set out in this Privacy Policy or through any notification you receive.

2.1 How do you withdraw consent?

If you change your mind, you can withdraw your consent for us to contact you for the purpose of collecting, using, or disclosing your data at any time by reaching out to us at: support@royalqueenseeds.com.

SECTION 3 – DISCLOSURE

We may disclose your personal information if we are required to do so by law or if you breach our Terms of Service.

SECTION 4 – HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR DATA?

At Royal Queen Seeds, we will not retain your data for longer than is necessary for the purposes described in this Policy. Different retention periods apply for different types of data; however, the longest period we will normally hold any personal data is 10 years.

4.1 Account information

Data relating to the account remains relevant for as long as the consumer is in possession of an account. Therefore, the data remains documented for as long as the account exists. When our customers delete an account, the associated data will be deleted within a reasonable period of time. Requests regarding the inspection or correction of stored personal data or the deletion of an account can be sent to support@royalqueenseeds.com.

4.2 Newsletters

In the event that you give us your consent to inform you about our products or services, we will keep your data until you express your wish not to receive any further communications from us. However, we regularly (every month) carry out a relevance check. Registered customers (and their personal information) will be deleted whenever customers do not reply to our request. In addition, our newsletter mailing has an opt-out feature. Consumers can withdraw their consent by using this opt-out feature.

SECTION 5 – COOKIES

Cookies are small information files that notify your computer of previous interactions with our website. These cookies are stored on your hard drive, not on our website. Essentially, when you use our website, your computer displays its cookies to us, informing our site that you have visited before. This allows our website to function more quickly and remember aspects related to your previous visits (such as your username), making your experience more convenient. At Royal Queen Seeds, we use two types of cookies: functional and analytical.

5.1 Functional Cookies

Functional cookies are used to enhance your online experience. Among other things, these cookies track what is added to your shopping cart. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

5.2 Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies are used for research and market analysis. The data collected with these analytical cookies is anonymous, making it unusable for third parties. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

SECTION 5 – THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

Third-party services are required to conduct transactions and provide our services. In general, the third-party providers we use will only collect, use and disclose your information to the extent necessary to enable them to perform the services they provide to us.

However, certain third-party service providers, such as payment gateways and other payment transaction processors, have their own privacy policies regarding the information we must provide to them for your transactions.

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these providers so that you can understand how these providers will handle your personal information.

In particular, certain suppliers may be located or have facilities located in a different jurisdiction than yours or ours. Therefore, if you choose to proceed with a transaction involving the services of a third party, your information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which that service provider or its facilities are located.

Once you leave our website or are redirected to a third-party website or application, you are no longer governed by this Privacy Policy or the Terms of Service of our website.

Web analytics service (anonymous data)

On this website we have integrated an element of a web analytics service (with anonymisation functionality). Web analytics can be defined as the gathering, processing and analysis of data about the behaviour of visitors to websites. An analytics service collects, among other things, data about which website a person came from (the so-called referrer), which sub-pages they visited or how often and for how long they visited a sub-page. Web analytics is mainly used for website optimisation and for a cost–benefit analysis of internet advertising.

Courier service

To complete deliveries we use a courier service. This courier service carries out the delivery between our company and the consumer's home. To complete these logistics, the company requires access to the consumer's name and address information.

Mailing service

Royal Queen Seeds uses a third-party mail service provider to send its newsletter. This provider has access to limited account information related to opt-in consent (e.g. email address).

Marketing services

Royal Queen Seeds has the support of a company that specialises in marketing and communication activities. Their access to personal information is very limited and mostly anonymous.

Payment services

At Royal Queen Seeds we use external payment services to handle our transactions (e.g. credit card payments).

SECTION 6 – SECURITY

To protect your personal information, we take reasonable precautions and follow industry standard best practices to ensure that it is not inappropriately lost, misused, accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed.

If you provide us with your credit card information, the information is encrypted using secure socket layer technology (SSL) and stored using AES-256 encryption. Although no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, we follow all PCI-DSS requirements and implement additional industry standards that are commonly accepted. Information related to the account is protected with a hashing method. This method transforms the information into a generated hash. As a result, confidential information is protected and invisible, even to us. In addition, our databases are exceptionally protected against unauthorised access. For example, access to the database is only possible and permitted via approved IP addresses (e.g. from Royal Queen Seeds headquarters). Other attempts and addresses are rejected at all times.

Furthermore, data is anonymised as much as possible, so it cannot be directly linked to a specific consumer. With this data, however, we may be able to carry out market research and analysis. In addition, the third parties concerned (e.g. mailing service) are examined prior to our collaboration, comply with the GDPR from the EU and receive a processing agreement. Within Royal Queen Seeds, employees are assigned different access permissions. Specific permission provides access only to information that is strictly required to perform a task. Digital security measures are subject to change and must meet high requirements to ensure the safety of online customers. That is why, at Royal Queen Seeds, we appoint a security officer. Regular verification and improvement of security measures (where necessary) are part of the role.

SECTION 7 – CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, so please check back regularly. Changes and clarifications will be effective immediately upon being published on the Website. If we make substantial changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated so you will know what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it.

SECTION 8 – YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO: