EU-GMPExtraction Systems:Hydrocarbon and Ethanol Series

Decimal's EU-GMP extraction systems are hydrocarbon and ethanol platforms built for producers manufacturing under GMP. The Hydrocarbon Series — the 15.HX and 75.HX — runs closed-loop light hydrocarbon; the Ethanol Series — the 20.EX — runs chilled ethanol in a centrifuge. All are engineered for regulated production environments; EU GMP certificates go to sites, not machines.

Two deliberate product families, engineered in the USA for regulated production environments — the 15HX and 75HX hydrocarbon platforms, and the 20EX ethanol centrifuge platform.

01Hydrocarbon Series

EU GMP hydrocarbon
extraction equipment

Two closed-loop light-hydrocarbon platforms, both recovering solvent passively and both driven through a C1D1 explosion-proof touchscreen tablet interface. They differ in scale and in the shift structure they are built to sustain, not in method.

Hydrocarbon is the route to terpene-forward product — live resin, badder, sauce and dabbable material — because the extraction runs cold and the solvent comes off gently. That is also why solvent recovery is the part of the process worth engineering hardest: recovery speed sets your real cycle time, and residual solvent is what a regulator will test the finished product for. Both the 15HX and the 75HX are built for rooms rated for that work.

Mid-scale precision platform

15.HX

The 15.HX is built for mid-scale hydrocarbon extraction. Like the rest of the HX line it recovers solvent passively through a falling-film condenser, runs 2 cycles per hour, and features a C1D1 explosion-proof touchscreen tablet interface — adding larger material columns and a higher recovery rate for operations running multiple shifts.

Capacity

Up to 15 lbs. biomass per run (200+ lbs. per 8 hour shift)

Per-run Capacity
Up to 15 lbs. biomass per run
Per-shift Capacity
200+ lbs. per 8 hour shift
Runs per Hour
2 runs per hour (at 5:1 solvent to biomass ratio)
Solvent Recovery Rate
3–5 lbs. per minute
Recovery Method
Passive
Solvents
Butane, Propane, Isobutane
Working Area
75 ft.²
Dimensions
82" L x 32" W x 70" H
15.HX specifications

Higher-throughput platform

75.HX

The 75.HX is our largest hydrocarbon extraction system, roughly double the scale of the 40.HX. It runs 2 cycles per hour and features a C1D1 explosion-proof touchscreen tablet interface, consistent with the rest of the HX line. Current capacity, throughput and utility specifications are confirmed directly by Decimal Engineering for your configuration.

Where the 15.HX sizes to a defined production shift, the 75HX is the platform for an operation that never really stops — back-to-back runs across consecutive shifts, with the extraction room as the constraint rather than the machine. It is the top of the HX line, and it is configured per order rather than sold from a fixed sheet.

  • Hydrocarbon extraction platform, roughly double the scale of the 40.HX
  • C1D1 explosion-proof touchscreen tablet interface
  • Two runs per hour at 5:1 solvent to biomass ratio
  • Contact Decimal Engineering for current configuration options

Position in the HX line

75.HXLargest

Ordering within the HX line only — not a capacity ratio. Current capacity, throughput and utility figures for the 75.HX are confirmed directly by Decimal Engineering for your configuration.

75.HX platform detail

Both hydrocarbon platforms run the C1D1 explosion-proof touchscreen tablet interface. Decimal builds for regulated environments: ASME code construction is available on qualifying pressure vessels and UL-recognized components are specified in the electrical package. See every hydrocarbon system.

02Ethanol Series

EU GMP ethanol extraction equipment

One platform, one process cell. The 20.EX spins biomass while chilled ethanol washes over it, so the wash and the separation happen in the same vessel instead of across a train of equipment.

Ethanol platform

20.EX

The 20.EX is a centrifuge-based ethanol extraction system. Biomass is spun while chilled ethanol washes over it, producing 15–20 minute cycle times at temperatures down to -40°C. The centrifuge, umbilical control panel and tablet are all C1D1 rated.

Cycle15–20 minutes

Throughput character

Up to 20 lbs. per cycle (approx. 500 lbs. biomass per 8 hr. shift)

A short, repeatable cycle is what makes the ethanol route scale: the machine is sized to keep a downstream winterization and distillation line fed rather than to win a single large batch. Ethanol is a Class 3 solvent under ICH Q3C, so the residual-solvent case you have to make for the finished product is a comparatively simple one.

Per-cycle Biomass
Up to 20 lbs. per cycle
Per-shift Throughput
Approx. 500 lbs. biomass per 8 hr. shift
Temperature Rating
-40° C
Solvents
Ethanol or Pentane (must be specified prior to delivery)
Alcohol per Run
13–15 gallons of alcohol per run
Drive
Variable Frequency Drive, 1850 RPM
Working Area
18 sq. ft²
Dimensions
24" W x 31" L x 33" H (approx.)

The 20.EX is designed to support EU-GMP facility compliance, and its centrifuge, umbilical control panel and tablet are C1D1 rated.

01 — Load

Biomass into the centrifuge basket

02 — Chill

Ethanol brought down to temperature

03 — Spin

Wash and separation under VFD control

04 — Recover

Solvent recovery, then winterization

03Which path fits your operation

Hydrocarbon or ethanol?

Which extraction method should a GMP facility choose?

Choose by product, not by preference. If the finished product is a terpene-forward concentrate, hydrocarbon is the route. If the finished product is distillate, edibles, topicals or anything downstream of winterization, ethanol is the route. EU GMP neither approves nor prohibits a method; it requires that whichever method you choose is validated and that the product meets its specification, including residual-solvent limits derived from ICH Q3C.

Where does the compliance effort actually land?

With hydrocarbon it lands on the room: C1D1 classification, ventilation, gas detection and the electrical package around the machine. With ethanol it lands downstream: solvent recovery volume, winterization and the handling of larger quantities of a flammable liquid. The equipment decision and the facility decision are the same decision.

Which system fits which scale?

The 15.HX is the mid-scale hydrocarbon platform with a published specification, sized to a defined production shift. The 75.HX is the largest platform in the HX line, for continuous multi-shift hydrocarbon production, and is configured per order. The 20.EX is the ethanol platform, built around a short repeatable centrifuge cycle that keeps a downstream line fed.

What do both routes share?

Cleanable stainless product-contact surfaces, a C1D1 explosion-proof touchscreen interface, and a documentation package written so your IQ, OQ and PQ protocols can reference it. Decimal specifies UL-recognized components and offers ASME code construction on qualifying pressure vessels. What neither route gives you is a machine-level EU GMP certificate — that is issued to your site, after inspection.

Hydrocarbon Series vs Ethanol Series — selection criteria
CriterionHydrocarbon SeriesEthanol Series
Systems15.HX, 75.HX20.EX
Product it servesLive resin, badder, sauce, dabbable concentrateCrude for winterization, distillate and formulation
SolventButane, Propane, IsobutaneEthanol or Pentane (must be specified prior to delivery)
Process characterClosed-loop cold wash with passive solvent recoveryChilled centrifuge wash and separation in one vessel
Where scrutiny landsRoom classification and the electrical packageSolvent volume, recovery and winterization downstream
Operator interfaceC1D1 explosion-proof touchscreen tabletC1D1 rated centrifuge, umbilical control panel and tablet

For the framework itself — what EU GMP requires, which EudraLex chapters and annexes apply, and how to run a qualification — read the EU GMP cannabis extraction equipment guide.

04Designed for regulated environments

Why GMP design intent has to be in the machine

Compliance is not a document you attach to a finished extractor. It is a set of decisions taken while the vessel geometry, the material specification and the control system are still on the drawing — which is why Decimal designs for regulated environments rather than bolting compliance on afterwards.

01

Cleanability is a geometry decision, not a cleaning procedure

Stainless product-contact surfaces, drainable vessels and minimised dead legs are designed in at the vessel stage. A crevice that cleaning validation cannot reach is not something an SOP can compensate for later.

02

Material selection you can evidence

Product-contact materials and elastomers are chosen against a stated standard so the certificates exist when your qualification asks for them. ASME code construction is available on qualifying pressure vessels, with the U-stamp as an optional configuration.

03

Process control that produces trustworthy records

The control system is where Annex 11 reaches an extractor. Every platform on this page runs a C1D1 explosion-proof touchscreen interface, and Decimal specifies UL-recognized components in the electrical package.

04

Documentation written to be referenced, not filed

Drawings, a control-system description and an operation manual that matches the machine as delivered — so your IQ and OQ protocols cite real supplier documents instead of placeholders.

One thing worth being precise about: no extractor is “EU GMP certified”. EU GMP certificates are issued to sites by a competent authority after inspection, not to machines. Equipment supports that outcome by being cleanable, qualifiable and documented. See the EU GMP framework guide for what the standard actually requires, and validation and turnover documentation for what ships with a system.

05Systems in context

Who each series is actually for

Hydrocarbon Series

A concentrate house scaling into a regulated market

Live resin and dabbable material are the product, terpene preservation decides quality, and the facility already runs — or is building — a C1D1 room. The 15.HX sizes to a defined shift; the 75.HX is where continuous multi-shift hydrocarbon production goes.

Hydrocarbon systems

Ethanol Series

A bulk producer feeding distillation and formulation

The output is crude destined for winterization, distillation and finished-product formulation. Ethanol is a Class 3 solvent under ICH Q3C, which keeps the residual-solvent argument comparatively simple, and the 20.EX's chilled centrifuge cycle suits a continuously fed downstream line.

Ethanol systems

After commissioning

The system is the start of the relationship

Gaskets, seals, filter media and the consumables a validated process burns through are stocked as OEM parts, and installation, commissioning and operator training are delivered by the same engineering team that specified the machine.

06Frequently asked questions

EU-GMP extraction systems, answered

What is EU GMP hydrocarbon extraction equipment?

EU GMP hydrocarbon extraction equipment is closed-loop light-hydrocarbon extraction machinery specified so it can be qualified and operated inside a facility manufacturing to EU GMP. In practice that means cleanable stainless product-contact surfaces, a control system whose records can be trusted, and documentation an IQ/OQ/PQ can reference. Decimal's hydrocarbon platforms are the 15.HX and the 75.HX.

What is EU GMP ethanol extraction equipment?

EU GMP ethanol extraction equipment is chilled-ethanol extraction machinery built to the same qualification and cleanability expectations, with the added benefit that ethanol is a Class 3 solvent under ICH Q3C and therefore carries a comparatively permissive residual-solvent limit. Decimal's ethanol platform is the 20.EX, a chilled centrifuge extractor.

Should I choose hydrocarbon or ethanol extraction for a GMP facility?

Choose hydrocarbon when the product is a terpene-forward concentrate — live resin, badder, dabbable material — and you can support a C1D1 room. Choose ethanol when the goal is bulk crude or distillate feedstock, winterization is already part of your process, and you want a Class 3 solvent to simplify the residual-solvent argument. Neither method is favoured or prohibited by EU GMP; what changes is where the validation effort lands.

What is the difference between the 15.HX and the 75.HX?

Scale and shift structure, not method. The 15.HX is the mid-scale hydrocarbon platform for an operation running defined production shifts with tight batch control. The 75.HX is Decimal's largest hydrocarbon system, roughly double the scale of the 40.HX, intended for continuous multi-shift hydrocarbon production. Both use the C1D1 explosion-proof touchscreen tablet interface that runs across the HX line. The 75.HX is configured per order, so its capacity, throughput and utility figures are confirmed directly by Decimal Engineering rather than published as a fixed specification sheet.

Is the 20.EX suitable for an EU GMP facility?

The 20.EX is designed to support EU-GMP facility compliance, and its centrifuge, umbilical control panel and tablet are C1D1 rated. It is important to be precise about what that means: no extractor is itself "EU GMP certified". EU GMP certificates are issued to sites by a competent authority after inspection, not to machines. Equipment supports that outcome by being cleanable, qualifiable and documented.

Are Decimal extraction systems EU GMP certified?

No, and neither is any other extractor. EU GMP certification applies to a manufacturing site, awarded to the site after a competent-authority inspection. Decimal designs for that outcome rather than claiming it: ASME code construction is available on qualifying pressure vessels, UL-recognized components are specified in the electrical package, and the documentation package is built to be referenced by your qualification protocols. Any supplier claiming a machine-level EU GMP certificate is describing something that does not exist.

Start a discovery conversation

Tell us the process, not the part number

Send us your user requirement specification, or simply your target product and throughput if you have not written one yet. Our engineering team will walk you through which series fits, how it lands in your facility, and what documentation comes with it.

Decimal Engineered Systems
Loading...