A friend of mine has used D-Limonene for several extractions with MHRB and saved the used solvent. He is preparing a mesc extraction and was wondering if he could reuse the Limonene? I've searched on several forums for him and can't seem to find the answer.

If a moderator reads this. Please promote me so I can post with the big boys. I am an asset to this forum with my many friends with a vast knowledge of their exratctions and photo journals made along the way. My friends areas of expertise are MHRB, Syrian Rue, Salvia, San Pedro, Peruvian Torch and growing teks.

ThirdEyeVision

You could well end up with some DMT mixed in with your mescaline. In the best case that would just throw your weight measurements off. In the worst case I can potentially envision DMT (even small percentage amounts - remember how much more mescaline than DMT must be taken) combining with MAOI-like properties in some of the other alkaloids extracted from the cactus. That could give unexpected effects and/or intensity.

You should be able to re-use the solvent a few times, but only for the same type of extraction.

elphologist

Many solvents can be recycled by distillation. For many extractions, use of a roto-evaporator both concentrates the material and allows the solvent to be reused. I realize that this is not equipment that the home operator is likely to have, but if you know someone with access to this apparatus, it is better than allowing the organic solvents to simply evaporate. The challenge with D-limonene is that the boiling point is very high: 349F, or 176C, which cannot be achieved with a hot water bath. That requires a distillation apparatus with a heating mantle that exceeds the boiling point of limonene. The pure distilled product can then be reused multiple times, with the concentrated extraction byproducts discarded. This is all in the ideal world, but then a good chemist can be your best friend.

The distilation setup is next on my friends shoping list (along with a Soxhlet)

Yeah, SWIM was wondering something similar. If SWIM is using d-limonene and FASW, after his first pull (that is, after he seperates the limonene and the FASW for the third time), can he take that limonene and pour it back in with his bark for the second pull? Or does he need to clean the limonene somehow or use new limonene for every pull?

notice how your question is quite different than the OP.. the OP wanted to know about reusing limonene for extracting different products (in the case, first dmt, then mescaline).. yours is about reusing limonene for the same extraction, and the answer is, yes of course! this is one of the biggest advantages of the limo extraction

as for the op's question, elphologist already pretty much summed it up, but... I was just thinking here, if one obsessively washed the limonene with vinegar and/or other acidic solutions maaaany times.. shouldnt that be enough to get rid of all the alkaloids?

My friend has used the same D-Limonene for several pulls from the same
type of material with no problems. It's not even cross contamination he's concerned about. The bigest concern would be water contamination and is it just as good at pull 20 as it was at pull 1?

Ah, thanks. I understand.

SWIM would appreciate some reassurance here - so after salting with FASI and filtering the d-lim/FASI mix from DMT fumarate crystals, it is possible to reuse the d-lim for further pulls? Does it need to be washed through with water pulls before reuse?

If this is true then SWIM is relieved since churning through quite a lot of d-lim already... and apart from MHRB it happens to be the most expensive ingredient.

Why wouldn't it work? Before starting the cactus pulls, you can wash the nps with some ph4 wash water and evap to see if there is going to be any cross contamination.

PS: it might be useful run the limo through dry epsom salts to remove any water content. residual water dissolved in the limonene could carry contams.

im just wondering whether the FASI content of the d-lim negatively affects the root bark mixture if reused for further pulls....?

the BLAB tek states the d-lim must undergo water pulls (x3 at least) to pick up any remaining fumaric acid and IPA as this would threaten any further extraction using the same d-lim.