Condensible gas botanical extraction systems and methods

1. A method for extracting at least one compound from cannabis using a condensable gas solvent, the method consisting essentially of:

(a) providing cannabis to an extraction chamber wherein water in the cannabis is in a solid phase;

(b) extracting at least one compound from the cannabis using the condensable gas solvent while maintaining the cannabis in a frozen state and obtaining condensable gas solvent containing the at least one extracted compound;

(c) withdrawing a solvent stream containing the at least one extracted compound from the extraction chamber;

(d) conveying the condensable gas solvent containing at least one compound extracted from the cannabis along a solvent flow path extending from the extraction chamber to a heating zone;

(e) heating the condensable gas solvent from step (d) and conveying the condensable gas solvent from the heating zone proximate to an inlet of a flow nozzle at conditions at which the condensable gas solvent is at least primarily in a gaseous phase; and,

(f) directing the condensable gas solvent to a cyclone chamber and operating the cyclone chamber at conditions at which the condensable gas solvent within the cyclone chamber is primarily in a gaseous phase and the at least one compound extracted from the cannabis is primarily in a liquid phase,

wherein the condensable gas solvent is selected from the group consisting of carbon dioxide, Xenon, nitrous oxide, ethane, propane, butane, cyclopropane and sulfur hexafluoride.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cannabis provided to the extraction chamber has a moisture content of at least 9%.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the cannabis provided to the extraction chamber has a moisture content of at least 12%.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein, in step (a) at least 50% of the water in the cannabis is in the solid phase.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the solvent in the extraction chamber is in at least one of a liquid phase and a supercritical phase.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein in step (a), the cannabis is introduced into the extraction chamber in an unfrozen state.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the cannabis introduced to the extraction chamber has a moisture content of at least 5%.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the solvent in the extraction chamber is in a liquid phase.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cannabis is fresh cannabis and in step (a), the fresh cannabis is introduced into the extraction chamber.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the cannabis has a moisture content of at least 5% in the extraction chamber.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the solvent in the extraction chamber is in a liquid phase.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one compound extracted from the cannabis is selected from the group consisting of at least one of an aliphatic aldehyde, a terpene, and a cannabinoid.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the flow nozzle is a sonic flow nozzle and the solvent in step (e) exits an outlet of the flow nozzle at sonic velocity.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the temperature of solvent in the extraction chamber is brought to a temperature at or below the freezing point of water, such that at least a portion of the water in the cannabis is in a solid phase.