One of the largest expenses you will make when building an extraction facility is purchasing your extraction and post-processing equipment. This is a make or break for most facilities. Because if you purchase the wrong equipment, it can end your company before it even starts.
So what are the biggest concerns when buying equipment? First, is your equipment going to be “acceptable”. This means having the proper “3rd Party Engineer Review” or have a NRTL listing (often UL). However, now here is where it gets tricky. Therefore, we have talked to some companies who try. Tell us their in-house PE can do an engineer peer review for their own products, incorrect. Actually, 3rd party PE’s doing EPRs require an original letter/stamp from the in-house engineer before even starting the EPR. We have also heard that other companies are calling their ethanol extraction equipment “UL LISTED” incorrect. UL currently has no standards or listings for ethanol extraction units. This means this UL listing is only being applied to the hazardous controls. This machine still needs a Engineer Peer Review for the entirety of the machine. However, yes, this applies to any piece of equipment touching solvent including the falling film. Therefore, there are plenty of companies that are compliant to these standard though. C1D1 Labs LLC is now proud to announce we carry Peer Reviewed C1D2 30 Gallon Centrifuges and Yellowstone Falling Films! Furthermore, these new products are high quality and are certified to meet your AHJ’s requirements.
These engineer peer reviews are also necessary for extraction booths to be properly approved through your municipality. Again, this means an in-house stamp then a secondary EPR and Field verification.
These field verifications are often required by IFC, NFPA, or local municpalities to ensure your equipment. Booth was set up to the standards of the EPR author. Expect to do both of these steps!
So how do you know you are purchasing the right equipment? Use a professional to help before you purchase! C1D1 Labs LLC has an in-house Chemical Process Engineer who will personally go through you equipment list. Check all the certification and create a verified list. In addition, during this process, we also verify the machines will keep up with the throughput you wish to achieve. It is common for smaller equipment manufacturers to “stretch” their numbers. To ensure your success, it is always important to create a Process Flow Diagram “PFD” outlining each step of the process.
