There are several processes for the removal of psychoactive cannabinoids from CBD distillate. These include
1. Precipitation of CBD in a solvent
2. Chromatography separations.
3. Partitioning of cannabinoids in different organic solvents.
4. Degradation of psychoactive cannabinoids with oxidation and light.
In the isolate process, the CBD is precipitated from the oil in a nonpolar solvent blend Leaving the psychoactive cannabinoid in the supernatant to be discarded.
The second process is chromatography. In chromatography, cannabinoids are separated again in a solvent while flowing A packed bed of particles. This process can be frustrating for the end-user because it requires a high level of skill to conduct the separation. Oftentimes the particles can fail and plug up if the sample that is being separated has not been properly prepared. If done correctly, this process has the potential to separate out large amounts of CBD from psychoactive cannabinoids.
The third process involves separation by partitioning between two immiscible solvents. This process is very solvent intensive and is costly from the standpoint of solvent usage. There are also issues with solvent contamination of the final broad spectrum CBD oil. If done correctly, this process has the potential to separate out large amounts of CBD from psychoactive cannabinoids.
Finally, the last process involves degrading the Delta 9 into CBN with oxidation and uv light. The problem with this approach is that the CBD also degrades so the yield for this process is typically less than desirable.