Nextleaf Solutions Ltd (CSE:OILS) announced that it has been issued patents in Germany, France and the UK related to its CBD oil extraction technology.

The company’s method of extracting and separating cannabinoids and terpenes makes it possible to purify and concentrate the desired compounds, which can be used for the manufacturing of a diverse array of products standardized for dose, the company said.

Over the past year, the company has been granted 24 issued patents and possesses more than 60 pending patents related to the extraction, purification and formulation of cannabinoids.

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“Nextleaf’s team of chemists and engineers have done a great job translating innovation into one of the largest stacks of IP for the industrial-scale extraction and distillation of CBD and THC,” Nextleaf IP Director Taran Grey said in a statement. “It is an exciting time with commercial oil production commencing at Nextleaf Labs”.

The new additions extend Nextleaf’s patent portfolio to encompass methodologies relating to the removal of fats and waxes from crude cannabis oil extracts in far less time, achieving more efficient throughput rates, and refined distillate.

Unrefined botanical extracts contain chlorophyll, fats, and other impurities that result in undesirable flavours and aromas when consumed, the company said. Nextleaf can apply its solution to a variety of primary extraction methods, such as supercritical CO2 or ethanol.

Securing patent protection in Europe, particularly in Germany and the UK, is central to Nextleaf’s long-term IP and commercial strategy, the company said.

Germany exported the highest dollar value of pharmaceuticals of any country last year and had more sales of medical sales than all other European countries combined, Neatleaf noted.

The European patents mirror a patent previously granted by the US Patent and Trademark Office last year. The Vancouver-based company initially files its patents in the US to create a priority date and allow for future filings in other jurisdictions, the company said.