Procedure for Reclaiming Used Non-Polar Organic Solvents

This procedure is very simple. In fact, writing it out likely complicates it more than anything. The quantity of materials will be arbitrary and can be adjusted to suit your needs - scale as needed.


Materials:
Used non-polar solvent
Old pickle jar with HDPE film underneath the lid (make sure the lid will seal completely)
Deionized or distilled water
Sodium carbonate
Seachem Matrix Carbon
Glass Pipette or Glass Syringe
Old solvent container (Storage of the freshly cleaned solvent)

Safety:
Goggles
Gloves
Long pants
Closed toed shoes



Method:

1. First, decide how much solvent needs to be cleaned. A large volume can be cleaned in smaller batches or in a larger single batch. The primary confliction of a larger scale will be finding the appropriate size jar and surface area exposure/contact time. If the total volume of the jar is 1000 mL, then that is fine. If it is 500 mL, that is fine. Pick a jar that is appropriate for your volume. For the sake of this experiment, the volume will be 1000 mL.

2. Add some of the sodium carbonate to deionized/distilled water. If the water is not saturated, that is ok.

3. The Seachem Matrix Carbon is a spherical activated carbon product sold for aquariums. The spherical shape of the carbon increases surface area. High amounts of surface area means that you can effectively remove the discoloration and fats, while using less of the activated carbon.
a. Depending on the amount of solvent that needs to be cleaned, choose a quantity of Seachem Matrix Carbon and rinse it with sodium carbonate solution. Rinsing the carbon removes the carbon dust that results from the spheres grinding against each other during shipping. A metal strainer, cheese cloth, or aquarium (fish) net can be used to rinse the carbon. If none of the others are available, then womens' stockings will work, as well.
b. I usually use between 1/8th to 1/2th cup of Seachem Matrix Carbon for a 1000 mL jar (depending on volume of solvent and impurity levels).

4. After thorough rinsing, place the carbon in the pickle jar.

5. Using the sodium carbonate solution, fill the jar until it just covers the carbon. **If the water begins to turn black, then the carbon was not rinsed well enough**
a. You can fill it with more or less water – as mentioned in the beginning, many quantities are arbitrary. But, more water and less carbon will make it more difficult to achieve the proper exposure time.

6. Once the sodium carbonate solution and carbon are added to the jar, some of the carbon might float – that’s ok. Some will sink - that’s ok, too. Add the non-polar solvent and tighten the lid so that no liquid can escape.

7. Shake vigorously, as long as needed, until the non-polar solvent is colorless.
a. Allow some time for the layers to separate and verify that the solvent is the desired color(less).
b. **Note - The vigorous mixing allows the non-polar solvent to come in contact with the activated carbon. After the layers separate the carbon should remain in the aqueous layer. The only brand that I have used is the Seachem Matrix Carbon. I don't know how other brands or carbon types will perform. And yes, there are different types of activated carbon that are sold under different brands. Large chunks have poor surface area exposure and they are less effective per mass and price. The Seachem Matrix Carbon has an ideal size, accompanied with the spherical shape.***

8. After separation has finished (sometimes adding a small amount of sodium carbonate solution will help this), decant the non-polar solvent and store it in the original container. Label this container "Reclaimed." If you plan to dispose of the solvent, then label it "Used," and deliver it to your local waste handling facility.

Please do not dispose of solvents in the toilet, tub, or sink. The water situation is already complicated - we don't want to create further problems. Thanks!!


Essentially, that’s it. You can take it further if you’d like. Some folks may want to use a drying agent, such as anhydrous magnesium sulfate or anhydrous sodium sulfate, to dry the solvent before returning it to the storage container. If you decide to do this, it's advisable to use vacuum filtration and laboratory-grade filter paper. It won't be harmful to use gravity-fed filtration, but it can be painfully slow.

I will have to follow with pictures, later.

Take Care,
ACY


Ok, pic added. Should be self explanatory, but:
1. Dirty solvent
2. & 3. Seachem Matrix Carbon
4. Proper labeled container
5. Up-close image of the spherical carbon
6. Carbon in strainer before rinsing
7. Carbon in small pickle jar after rinsing
8. Added sodium carbonate water and dirty NPS to jar
9. Shake'it up!!
10. Reclaimed solvent - (slight discoloration due to lighting and jar)

Updated with pics. Feel free to ask any questions - but, it's relatively easy. If you are not getting the desired coloration, then there is likely not enough carbon for the amount of molecules responsible for the coloration. In that case, you'll need to add more carbon. That is why I say that many quantities listed are arbitrary. You'll have to play around with it to find what works - as some solvents may have a more intense color than others.

Take Care,
ACY

Thanks ACY for that, i was a bit worried about distillation (as never done) to wash solvent. I tried sodium carbonate wash on naphta but was very satisfying. Will try your tek.

Thank dude

You're welcome!!

In honesty, I'm quite behind on posting this. A friend asked me to write it up for him
... 2 years ago? Maybe 3? Whooops!

I'd like to hear how it goes for you.

Being biased, I am curious how "easy" it will be for others to do. If there are issues, I'd like to know what they are, so the original post can be modified to include a "**If xyz happens.... then do abc.***"

I think that the biggest issue will be with adjusting the amount of carbon to fit the job as needed. This may heavily rely on: "how discolored does this look compared to the starting color?" If the NPS is very dark, like some of the ones i'd been saving, then it will likely take more carbon than a slightly discolored solvent.

Unless very discolored, I would start on the lower end and leave room in the "reclamation jar" for additional carbon (if needed). You know what they say - it's easier to add moar than it is to take some away - so, allowing extra space can amount for solvent that is severely discoloured.

By the looks of it, I was either working with ACRB, or using heat when I would pull; which gives us a time frame of ~2015.... I'd hidden those jars in my workshop. Seeing that I have done 1 extraction in 2018 and 1 extraction in 2019.... yeah, that's some old solvent. I think one of em may even be n-heptane, as bestine, before all the local craft stores stopped carrying it.

I need to just bite the bullet and order 4 liters of heptane. I think that could last me for the remainder of my extractions. Plus, with the cleaning method - I'd been able to reclaim the n-heptane. Know why I currently do not have heptane? Poorly sealed lids (Really, that simple.) I'd store the heptane in a jar, the solvent has a lower boiling point and evaps easier, and came back a week later to reclaim the heptane... jar was empty. Bummer. I picked it up and the lid fell off.... yeah, apparently I had just placed a jar lid on the top, and set the band around the neck to tighten it, but there must have been a pretty butterfly, because that lid was not tightened.

Now-a-daze, after being learned-up reel guud buy teh skewl sihztum, i gitz sooo smurrt tHAt... well, I didn't become any smarter.... i just became very detail oriented and nearly OCD. All my stuff gets a label printed with a time-stamp. Lol. Considering those jars are not labeled or stamped - then they are likely pre-2016.


Let me know if you hit any snaggs. I'll trouble-shoot as needed. I do get email notifications for this thread, but people are welcome to send me PMs. (On a funny side note - I have seen some people's signature, like that ron69 guy, not wanting PMs about the teks that he published... ohhh... uh, ok? So, he wants the "glory of an ego boost" without helping those who do get in jams... seems like a dick move, but whatever. [I'd say: maybe there is no surprise that he's not around any longer.])

Me? Personally, I encourage people to ask questions. If it's something you don't want public, but think the data could benefit the community - no prob. Let me know and I'll reply in PM and also put quote of the question and answer (identifying features removed) so that others can see possible errors and solutions.

Keep in mind - i've got many flaws. I can promise that this will become over complicated for at least one person. Just post, or send PM - don't be embarrassed.

Shoot, the first time I played around with this - I didn't rinse the carbon OR have an aqueous layer... Doh! The NPS filled with micro-grindings of carbon and was a total pain to remedy. (I did, but it was not the easier route.)

Take Care!
ACY

Oh yeah!----

This is not "my" tek. This is YOUR tek. And yours, and yours, and yours..... ***starts pointing to any person interested in trying the method*** All I did was play around with some stuff during a time of boredom. I am glad if it's useful for others. It's been useful to me.

Have you actually used this reclaimed naphtha?
Are your results and yields any different?
It doesn't sound like you extract often, no offense. I was just reading your post. I'm sure your skills are good. I would have never thought to reuse. A can and lighter does the trick for me.

Hi there!

Yes, i have only used reclaimed solvent for the past 3.5 years. The yields are completely dependent on your method. The method I use provides me with over 2% yield, each time. Some of the methods that I've published in the past yielded between 1-1.5% but that was acacia confusa bark.

No offense taken! And with that respect, no offense, but you can use the search engine and look through my old posts and likely have an idea of the amount of times i've extracted. I lost count after... well it doesnt matter. For simplicity - take the age of your two oldest grand parents, add that together - and then know that i've extracted more times than their cumulative age.

I don't extract as often, these days. After spending too much time staring into eternity - I began to think: there's nothing different about anything that seems different. Between the pretty colors and entities - there is one purpose: love. Then I asked myself: "how long will i stare at the same thing, while expecting different results? Is that not the definition of insanity? Am I just staring at the same thing and hoping for different results? Am I only seeing what I want to see?" Hoping is fine, but hoping is fairly hollow. DOing is where reality lives.

So, I suggest: why not DO the method and find out for yourself? You can hope it works. Or, it works. You choose.

Maybe even post your experience? If you have a snag, then maybe I can help you fix it.

I wouldn't be quick to make assumptions. If this is the only post, of mine, that you've read, then how could you be sure that my skills are good? That fancy little flask? They silly little head icon? They mean nothing. They mean that somebody else thinks that I'm more skilled than I think I am.

My best advice in this department - go look through my old posts that are tek related. You'll see both failure and success. If you search for "The MAD tek" or "Microwave Assisted Drytek" - you can see some of the phases of my trial and error with acacia confusa bark. If I'm not mistaken, I think I post some pictures of the crystals that had grown as a result of the MAD experiments. I currently use this method: "Low Lye approach to extacting DMT - analysis of N,N-Dimethyltryptamine in mimosa hostilis root bark" - i usually provide the link - but, if you're curious, just copy and paste that into the search bar. Or, hell, just go into the DMT Extraction Paths, click STB and look for the first post under the "Sticky's."

So, no. I'm not very skilled. I only take others' ideas and try to improve them for more efficient and environmentally-friendly approaches. I was born into a world that had existed long before me, so none of my ideas are original or proprietary. They are public information that strives to find the appropriate method of application for a sustainable future.


that's why I posted it. Now, you know. You think, therefore you are. So, reuse!



I'm not sure that I understand the context of this statement. A can and a lighter do what trick? A lighter and a can clean your used solvent and allow you to save money and lessen the burden of environmental impact? Please tell me! If a "lighter and a can" are capable of taking waste solvent and removing discoloration and fats - this is news to me! I will wait for your "lighter and can trick tek" to be published. If a "lighter and a can" implies that you just put the used solvent in a can and burn it... lemme get ya a little poem I wrote...

It was written for a different audience, so ignore my total criticism of the poly-ticks and their poly-tickle nonsense.



The point was - we are wrecking our own world, and blaming everyone but ourselves. We're not wanting to take responsibility for our actions - we just want someone else to do it for us. We want to have fun while making the mess, but we don't want to put the effort into cleaning the mess. You feel me? Then we put all this hollow hope into "leaders" that aren't even worthy of being a leader.

I hope you take no offense. And if you do - maybe see my signature!


ACY

Is there any problem using plain activated carbon for cleaning the air of cannabis smell? Already have tons of it.

To continue the sporadic poetical bent in this thread -

Activated carbon
is, all said and done,
all of an ilk to get the job done.

The difference lies in the particle size.
You can see this with your very own eyes.

The bigger lumps catch in a fairly coarse strainer,
whereas small bits pass through - how could it be plainer?

amazing thread! thanks for the info.

My experience in reusing solvent is that it results in a LOT of goo, and I don't yet know anyone who likes that. It makes it rather difficult to weigh out.

this process cleans the solvent, it should be almost like using new solvent. if you still have impurities you could always try running it through cleaning 2 or 3 times.

AcaciaConfusedYah,

Thank you so much for this.

I live in a difficult reality because I live in an over regulated state at the consumer level.

The last time I made a solvent purchase I had to drive out of state and it took a total of about 10 hours. I'm hoping never to have to repeat that.

I just wanted to confirm I have used this procedure and it seems to work very well. It did take a couple go rounds for me to get the SeaChem clean but again this does seem to be worth it.

very good post thank you very much!
I was personally cleaning the solvent the last years using mineral activated carbon, ground very fine, placing it one tablespoon above the solvent, and by force weight the carbon made sweeping effect on the particles housed in the solvent,,, sometimes two repetitions in the process, sometimes 3,,, and the solvete really looks like new, Completely transparent, with its characteristic perfume, and total efficiency for new work. I'm going to try this tek to see if I find any difference!!
thank you very much really