Cannabis Purification Deep-tech Unveiled At World’s Largest B2B Cannabis Event

Leading industry experts Ligar and Maratek have joined forces to launch high-performance equipment for processing cannabis using molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) – to produce a full spectrum concentrated cannabinoid extract

HAMILTON, NZ and BOLTON, Ontario – November 1, 2021 – Ligar, a New Zealand-based deep-tech company and Maratek, a Canadian-based engineering company have partnered to launch a revolutionary cannabis purification system that uses world-first molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) to selectively target and capture cannabinoid molecules to produce a higher quality extract, more efficiently, safely and economically.

The high-performance cannabis system was unveiled at MJBizCon in Las Vegas, the world’s largest B2B cannabis event. The successful launch follows an extensive research and development programme which includes numerous scientific breakthroughs, including the development of ‘smart’ MIP beads, which can be optimized to target and recover high-value molecules and remove contaminants in fluids across a wide range of food applications.

The cannabis industry has been revolutionizing itself at breakneck speeds over the last decade to automate and improve the process of cannabis extraction, driven by legalization across the United States and Canada. The boom in cannabis production led Ligar, one of the first companies in the world to manufacture MIPs at scale, to apply its novel purification technology to cannabis extraction. Joining forces with Maratek, a market leader in engineered cannabis and hemp extraction equipment, the partners have developed a cannabis MIP system that can produce large volumes of cannabis extract at a higher quality and reduced cost than traditional complex manufacturing processes.

The MIPs capture cannabinoids from crude extracts while letting the fats, waxes, lipids and contaminants pass through – eliminating the need for winterization and distillation. The result is a high-quality full-spectrum concentrated Mipillate™ extract that contains all of the different cannabinoid types present in the crude, including the acid forms.

Ligar’s Managing Director Aiden Tapping says, “We’re extremely proud to be bringing our MIP system to the cannabis extraction market in partnership with Maratek. This is an exciting milestone for the Ligar team as it’s the first of a series of research and commercial projects to be launched to the market. We’re also excited to launch our new brand ‘Mipillate™ - the evolution of distillate’, to describe extracts made by MIP systems – which we will develop as a distinct and unique product.”

Colin Darcell, President of Maratek says, “We’re always looking for ways to push the boundaries of what is available by partnering with forward thinkers, like Ligar. Starting in the solvent waste industry in 1965, Maratek has evolved through printing and silver extraction to now take the cannabis world by storm. Ligar’s unique extraction technology pairs perfectly with Maratek’s goal to provide a complete system for automation, optimization, and scaling opportunities.

“Working with MIPs offers an opportunity to leave behind the outdated and expensive winterization and distillation systems and put science to work, extracting with ease. MIPs is a technology we are very excited about and can’t wait to see its applications not only in the cannabis sector but with all bio-actives around the world.”

Maratek and Ligar have a shared focus on engineering and innovation. Ligar’s MIPs systems work alongside other technologies designed and manufactured by Maratek that complete the processing and extraction of crude oil and cannabinoids. Maratek’s strengths lie in ethanol extraction processes and look to limit solvent waste and increase efficiency. Ligar’s focus will remain on the development and manufacture of MIPs and the design of MIP systems.

Nigel Slaughter, Chief Exploration Officer of Ligar, says the Ligar team has been working on its cannabinoid processing systems for over six years, with many thousands of hours of development time, trials, analysis, testing, system design, and regulatory compliance processes.

“Our many pilot trials from benchtop scale to large volume processing, have helped us design and manufacture systems that optimize MIP performance and are automated for simple operation. We’ve also demonstrated we can manufacture the MIPs beads consistently at scale using methods that maintain international food contact compliance approvals. It’s exciting to have developed a MIPs process for cannabis extract purification that is more space, cost, and labour efficient than traditional winterization and distillation systems – preserving cannabinoid acids and terpenes in the extract while leaving behind pesticide and heavy metal contaminants.”

The reusability of the MIPs has been tested over thousands of process cycles. Each 1mm MIP bead in the system contains around ten quintillion (100,000,000,000,000,000) molecular binding sites, all shaped like the target molecule. The MIP beads trap molecules and filter them out, and then the beads get flushed out and reused.

Tapping concludes, “A decade ago, we started with some fantastic science and a concept that worked in the lab – with powders that are difficult to use – and have progressed through to a commercial deep-tech product manufactured in a user-friendly bead format. Today, Ligar is recognized globally as being at the forefront of molecularly imprinted polymer technology; thanks to the incredible support from our loyal and dedicated team who have developed world-leading expertise on manufacturing and using MIPs at scale, and our fantastic partners and investors.

“We’re excited for the future as we have a highly versatile MIPs platform technology for capturing and removing molecules for a wide range of applications. Ligar is already gearing up to launch the next application of its technology which, for the first time, allows winemakers to effectively remediate wine tainted by wildfire smoke, specifically removing the smoke molecules while retaining the positive characteristics.”

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