DENICOTINIZING PROCESS

• US 3,612,066 A
• Filed: 02/05/1970
• Issued: 10/12/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Arjay Holdings Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Glenn Philip Moser, Grant M. Stewart, James Gilbert Ashburn, Samuel O. Jones
• Inventors: Jones, Samuel O., Stewart, Grant M., Ashburn, James Gilbert, Moser, Glenn Philip
• Primary Examiner(s): Rein, Melvin D.
• Application Number:
  US05/008,858
• Time in Patent Office: 614 Days
• Field of Search: 131/17,140-144
• US Class Current: 131/298
• CPC Class Codes: A24B 15/24 by extraction; Tobacco extracts
• CPC Class Codes: A24B 15/26 Use of organic solvents for extraction

Abstract

A process for denicotinizing tobacco is disclosed in which tobacco, in an impregnating zone, is subjected to the action of a pool of an organic fluid which is a nicotine solvent and has a boiling point less than that of water. The fluid treated tobacco is then conveyed into an upper portion of the impregnating zone where it is contacted with the organic solvent fluid from which some of the nicotine has been removed. This solvent then drains down to the solvent pool at the lower portion of the impregnating zone. The tobacco is then contacted with a stream of hot gas whereby the excess fluid is vaporized and the tobacco expanded.

Claims

2. The process of claim 1 wherein said liquid is essentially immiscible with water and wherein the nicotine separation step is effected by contacting the separately withdrawn liquid with an aqueous acid solution into which the nicotine selectively dissolves.

3. The process of claim 2 in which the organic fluid comprises a fluorohydrocarbon having a boiling point at atmospheric pressure of less than about 180* F.

4. The process of claim 3 wherein the organic fluid also contains an alcohol or a ketone having a boiling point at atmospheric pressure of less than about 212* F.

5. The process of claim 3 wherein said fluid is trichloromonofluoromethane.

6. The process of claim 2 wherein said tobacco is shredded tobacco.

7. A process of denicotinizing and increasing the filling capacity of tobacco which comprises maintaining a tobacco impregnating zone containing an organic fluid which in the liquid state is a solvent for nicotine, said fluid having a boiling point less than that of water at atmospheric pressure and forming a pool of liquid in a lower portion of said zone and an atmosphere of vapor in an upper portion thereof, introducing a stream of nicotine-containing tobacco beneath the surface of said pool, conveying said tobacco stream upwardly from said pool into the vapor atmosphere in said upper portion of said zone, withdrawing said tobacco stream impregnated with said fluid from said upper portion, contacting the withdrawn tobacco stream with a stream of hot gas whereby to vaporize the fluid and expand the tobacco, separately withdrawing a stream of liquid containing dissolved nicotine from said pool, separating nicotine from the separately withdrawn liquid, introducing a stream of the resulting nicotine-depleted liquid into contact with said tobacco stream moving upwardly in the upper portion of said zone, and flowing said introduced nicotine-depleted fluid stream downwardly in said zone to said pool in contact with the upwardly moving tobacco stream.