Dillon is an original co-founder of Curian, a pioneer in botanical hardware and software extraction technology. As the CSO, his main role is to envision and develop the research capabilities (human, methodological, technological) for developing the evidence of the validity and utility of Curian-360. This includes extractors, falling film evaporators, wiped film evaporators, chillers, and other pieces of hardware and sensors. He is the Lead Author for Curian University curriculum and directs the creation of all Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) documents. Dillon communicates with scientific and customer communities around Curian product offerings and is the primary author and editor of the Curian white paper discussing the intramolecular forces that enable solvents to dissolve cannabinoids and other plant materials during the extraction process. This paper reinforces the unique advantage for ethanol as the preferred extraction solvent.
In an extremely talented and intellectually-diverse industry, @Photon_Noir is known by some of his botanical extraction lab peers as “The Wizard’s Wizard.” Inventor of the X-Phase and the first closed-loop BHO extractor, he believes in continuous innovation and B.E.S.T. extraction principles. This stands for:
Dillon is interested in all 4 chromatography testing techniques: gas, thin layer, liquid and supercritical fluid. A chemist and nanotechnologist, Dillon has worked with 50+ extraction labs to provide bleeding-edge science that makes operations competitive, safe and future-proof. His carefully developed and tested methods for the extraction and isolation of botanical compounds, formulations and applications make him a sought-after voice in the industry. He is the Team Leader for Project Green Buffalo.
His previous work in radio-pharmaceuticals QA/QC at Cardinal Health, where he worked on the manufacture and quality control/quality assurance aspects of radio-pharmaceuticals and on process validation, cGMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) USP, and FDA CFR compliance. Prior to that, Dillon was a Research Chemist at NaturalNano Inc., specializing in nanoparticle and functional chemistry patent development. “Photon_Noir” is active on Instagram and is a frequent contributor to the Future4200 community and an original inspiration for Cat Sidman and Dustin Powers in starting Future4200.
Dillon holds a B.S. in Nanotechnology from Penn State University and a B.S. in Chemistry from California University of Pennsylvania and has performed research for the National Science Foundation. He has been studying botanical and medicinal chemistry since 1993.
Based in the Eugene, OR area (“the Cambridge of extraction tech”), he’s 41 and is a donor to the American Kratom Association (civil rights and social action), The Eugene Center for Ethnobotanical Studies, and FOOD for Lane County.
Dillon and Nigel write and produce an upcoming podcast called “Beyond Bro Science” about all things extraction technology.
For both chemists and non-chemists, this whitepaper provides the framework for understanding the role of intermolecular forces and how they impact a solvent’s ability to selectively extract some plant chemicals and leave others behind.
This is the foundational white paper for entrepreneurs evaluating their options for manufacturing concentrates. It’s been read by over 7,500 professional extractors, including by the industry heavyweights in the U.S. and Canada.
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