The CO2 Extraction Process: What You Need To Know

When you think of carbon dioxide, you probably define it as the gas that we, humans, exhale. Environmentalists know it as a primary greenhouse gas that is harmful to the atmosphere. But did you know that CO2 is widely used in many different industries such as food and beverage, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals? With the aid of a supercritical CO2 extraction machine, CO2 gas is used to extract natural oils and nutrient rich substances from a naturally occurring bioproduct. 

What Is Supercritical CO2

When CO2 is heated and pressurized above 1071 psi and 31.1°C, it reaches its so-called supercritical state. In this state, elements will both have liquid and gas properties. Supercritical elements are versatile tools for processing various extracted products. 

What makes supercritical CO2 advantageous in many applications is that it has high density and low viscosity. They can easily effuse with solids and reach small spaces and pores like gas and act as a liquid solvent to dissolve materials well. On top of this, most extractions leave no residual solvents, are non-toxic, and are more economical than other supercritical gases to maintain. 

A cleverly designed and engineered supercritical CO2 extraction machine will also help you manipulate bioproduct extractions, allowing these elements to bond with other components within your recipe. 

The CO2 Extraction Process

A powerful solvent, CO2 can extract compounds from a raw material (like plant and food) without damaging the compounds’ characteristics and essence. 

More often than not, a pressure vessel manufacturer would need to fabricate the machine since gases under pressure will be part of the extraction process. 

The CO2 extraction process entails the following: 

• Feeding of CO2 into the extraction machine
• Heating and pressurization of CO2 to reach its supercritical state
• Penetration of the supercritical CO2 into the surface of a raw material
• Extraction of desired substances from the raw material
• Heating of the supercritical CO2, turning back into a gas
• Evaporation of the CO2
• Obtaining the extracted substance from the raw reservoir designed to capture material

As stated, CO2 leaves no residual solvent and is non-toxic. So, you can guarantee that the extracted substance is clean and safe. Because CO2 gas is also inert, the extract’s properties won’t be altered. 

Uses and Applications

Players in various industries can tap a reputable pressure vessel manufacturer to source supercritical CO2 extraction machines and use them for various applications. 

Today, CO2 extraction is commonly used to extract pure cannabidiol or CBD from the cannabis plant, essential oils for the fragrance industry and ethanol for the energy industry. The growing hemp industry uses this process to harness the true and natural potency of CBD to treat a wide array of conditions such as anxiety, depression, insomnia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and other cancer-related pains and symptoms. 

It also has pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications. CO2 extractions can be used to extract vegetable oils from raw plants and use them as essential ingredients in many medicinal and aesthetic products. 

This extraction technique is also used in beer brewing. Because of the easy manipulation of CO2, beer manufacturers can perform selective extraction of alpha and beta acids, which can then influence a beer’s flavor and aroma. A closed loop CO2 extractor is also employed to extract caffeine from coffee beans and produce the popular decaffeinated coffee. 

Besides the food and medicine industries, experts also use supercritical CO2 and the CO2 extraction process for research and academic purposes.

Stands and Tripods a Surveyor Uses

Without land surveyors, it will be difficult to properly determine and document property boundaries. This is critical for identifying and protecting land ownership. Without approved boundaries, construction development sites will struggle to meet designer specifications and inspection protocols. 

Needless to say, surveyors perform essential tasks that, when not carried out properly, will have long-term repercussions. Surveyors are tasked to measure distances, angles, locate important land features, prepare maps, establish boundaries, and more. For them to accomplish their duties, they must have a roster of reliable, top-quality surveying equipment. Finding the best survey tripod for sale can be a challenging task if you don’t know where to look. 

Apart from safety gear and proper workwear, here are the different tools and devices that make up a professional land surveyor’s arsenal. Some of the most important tools of surveyors’ help ensure that their equipment is stable on a well-made surveying tripod. 

Mounts. Specialized mounts are used for surfaces where simple bipods or tripods wouldn’t suffice. Surveyors use accessories such as column mounts that provide a stable surface where you can install the instrumentation you need. 

Poles. Modern surveyor poles are made of carbon fiber materials and incorporate technology for easy operation. Such poles can prevent unnecessary movement and rotation. 

Bipods. When mapping, scanning, or surveying, bipods can be essential tools to support and keep equipment steady, especially when placed on uneven ground. They can support equipment such as theodolites, digital levels, slope lasers and more. 

Tripods. Without a tall survey tripod, mount, or pole, a land surveyor’s accuracy and precision can be compromised. These essential tools are needed to secure stable readings. 

Tips To Know When Buying Surveying Tripods

Tripods, mounts, and poles are designed to stabilize a wide variety of surveying equipment. They’re part of the foundation of a surveyor’s quality work. If these stabilizing tools aren’t of good quality or are maintained poorly, they can be the very cause of bad readings. 

This is why many land surveyors who are looking for a survey tripod for sale makes it a point to buy from qualified manufacturers of precision measuring instruments. One of the most important factors to consider is material. Aluminum tripods are popular because they’re durable yet lightweight and budget friendly. They’re also quicker to assemble and are versatile. Another go-to material is wood coated with a protective paint or plastic. They’re not only super stable — they can also withstand various weather conditions. The downside is that they’re heavier than their alumni counterparts. 

Apart from material choice which affects durability, weight, and even portability, land surveyors also pay attention to the tripod’s height. While most of their tasks can be performed with a regular tripod, some work demands taller ones. To address this, surveyors also invest in extra tall tripods. 

A tripods’ cost is also a determining factor. Though it shouldn’t be the sole deciding element, it plays a crucial role. 

Secure Encrypted VoIP & Radio Communications

To deter security threats, voice and radio communication tools utilize encryption technology to make data being transmitted incomprehensible or obscure to unauthorized users. Voice over Internet Protocol or VoIP encryption products are particularly essential to secure as voice communication remains central to many organizations and entities across the globe. 

The Importance of Voice Encryption

VoIP allows people to send and receive voice data through the internet instead of the traditional analog phone systems. Incorporating VoIP concepts into two-way radio devices has allowed Radio over Internet Protocol or RoIP technology to emerge. 

Both are useful in making efficient, cost-effective quality voice calls. While they’re regarded to be more secure than many analog communication methods, they’re not exempted from security attacks. Advanced encrypted radio and digital voice communication technologies are needed to mitigate cyber threats. If there are no measures in place, your calls can be vulnerable to: 

Eavesdropping. Without secure voice communication encryption, attackers can easily intercept calls. This won’t just cause call quality degradation or disconnection. Worse, it can allow the attacker to access a treasure trove of personal information kept on the server (e.g. Usernames, emails, passwords). 

Identity and service theft. Once cybercriminals access your system, it will be easy for them to steal the personal information of your staff, stakeholders, and customers — and use that to steal their identity by cloning system access. These attackers can also steal your services, offer them to the public, charge fees, and profit in the process. 

Malware and viruses. These security intrusions can enter your system if your voice calls lack security measures like data encryption. Costly and stressful to manage, security compromises caused by viruses and malware can negatively impact the overall functionality of your system and your organization’s data. Ever hear of Ransomware? 

Voice Encryption Methods

Voice encryption has evolved throughout the past years.

Before high-tech RoIP and VoIP encryption products were introduced, voice communication tools relied on speech inversion as their main encryption technology. In this analog encryption method, the human voice is inverted or altered so that it will sound differently to attackers. 

From analog speech inversion, the more advanced digital voice encryption products came next. Motorola, a pioneering in this field, offered a proprietary DVP or Digital Voice Privacy (DVP) protocol. This cipher feedback process is a self-synchronizing encryption that uses 2.36 x 1021 different key combinations to protect your voice calls. Encryption keys use randomly generated bits and bytes to scramble and unscramble data. 

To standardize federal agencies’ encryption protocols, the government also introduced the Data Encryption Standard (DES). Unlike DVP, DESC can use 7.2 x 1016 different key combinations. Although this type of encryption is designed for the federal government’s use only. 

Expanding the reach of these protocols and reducing range loss issues, both DES and DVP have their enhanced counterparts. DVP-XL and DES-XL leverages an increase in their numbers of encryption key combinations. This allows for more secure communication systems for both VoIP and radio users.

Because DES and DES-XL requires a license for these encryption products to be used outside the US, the Digital Voice International (DGI)-XL was introduced. This product, however, has fewer numbers of available keys. 

For encrypted radio communications, a product called a keyloader is needed. As the name says, it’s used to load the encryption keys into radio devices. It’s an encryption device that looks like a radio and needs to be attached to the interface port of the radio to be encrypted. With technological advancements, the more economical and scalable OTAR or over-the-air rekeying is now available. This encryption product has one computer dedicated to managing all encryption keys for the radio devices of a system.

Kitchen Cabinet Materials That Contractors Love

Solid cabinetry is one of the essential components of a functional and beautiful kitchen. Ask any local cabinet maker and you’ll learn that some cabinet materials are favored more than others. 

Quality, durability, and versatility play a huge part in how craftsmen choose the best materials for kitchen cabinets. And if you’re wondering which materials to purchase for your kitchen construction or remodeling project, we’ve got you covered. Here are some cabinet materials that contractors love. 

Original Hardwood. Known for its durability and classic appeal, solid hardwood exudes luxury. Some of the most commonly used hardwoods for kitchen cabinets includes cherry, oak, maple, walnut, and birch. These high-end wood materials are typically available in semi-custom and custom kitchen cabinetry options. Each type of wood has its different color variations and natural textures — which you can custom cut and finish to get the aesthetics that you want (e.g. Rustic, contemporary). 

Natural Softwood. If you want your kitchen to have a farm- or country-style appeal, softwood cabinet materials are the way to go. Popular choices are pine, cedar, and spruce — which are lighter or paler in color compared with traditional hardwoods. Keep in mind that their softer surface makes them more vulnerable to dents and moisture. 

Medium-density fiberboard (MDF). Made of pressurized fibers from recycled wood, MDF board is a good choice if you’re looking for a cabinet material that can withstand peeling and cracking. Most often MDF is used as an inside cabinet material, where natural first cut wood doors are used to finish the cabinet. Because MDF is easy to paint over, it gives property owners that much-needed versatility when it comes to aesthetics. 

Cabinet-grade Plywood. Many local cabinet makers prefer plywood because it’s economical and highly resistant to moisture. Compared to MDF, it also has greater stability, thanks to its composition: each layer or board is glued sandwich-style using a special adhesive. 

Stainless steel. Giving a more modern or commercial appeal to your kitchen, stainless steel is a material that comes in ready-to-assemble or semi-custom options. They’re mostly used in commercial settings because of their high resistance to moisture. The downside is that it won’t give you the certain warm, homey aesthetic appeal that wood materials evoke. 

What Are The Different Cabinet Quality Grades

There are various options if you’re looking for the best materials for kitchen cabinets. But apart from picking which type of material you’ll use for your dream kitchen; you should also decide which quality grade you will utilize. 

The four main categories are Ready-to-assemble (RTA), stock, semi-custom, and custom.

RTA cabinets, as the name implies, are designed for DIY kitchen improvement projects. Available in a variety of styles and sizes, these can be assembled and installed even without the help of professionals. 

Stock cabinets, on the other hand, are already constructed from modular units and arrive at your home pre-sized. Compared to RTAs, they’re available in a wider variety. However, keep in mind that sizes are already fixed, so you can’t alter them to fit into your available space without some carpentry skills. 

If you’re looking for more variety and something that can be modified, semi-custom kitchen cabinets are for you. Semi-customs don’t just allow size adjustments once the order has been placed but are often better made by skilled cabinet makers. 

Custom made kitchen cabinets are the superior choice among the four categories but also the priciest. Custom cabinet makers will customize your cabinets including your preferred material, style, finishing, plus, accessories. 

It is hard to find local kitchen cabinet makers today. Many of the custom cabinet makers in New Jersey got gobbled up by larger cabinet manufacturers. The best place to buy kitchen cabinets today are through a kitchen designer that has those relationships already established.