Back to results
US 5,018,540 AGranted
Process for removal of basic materials
AssigneePhilip Morris Incorporated
InventorsHarvey J. Grubbs, Ravi Prasad, Tony M. Howell
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
AssigneePhilip Morris Incorporated
InventorsHarvey J. Grubbs, Ravi Prasad, Tony M. Howell
Estimating the term…
A process is provided for the selective removal of basic materials from plant products, in particular, for removing nicotine from tobacco without materially affecting the content of the other components of the tobacco. Tobacco is traversed with a solvent at high pressure and in a physical state which is either a liquid at a pressure of from about 500-300 atmospheres or a supercritical fluid wherein nicotine and the other components dissolve in the solvent. As the single means of removing substances from the solvent, the solvent is then passed through an acid-containing trap where the solvent is essentially freed of nicotine. The solvent, depleted of nicotine and enriched in the other components, is then recycled to the tobacco to reextract nicotine. In addition, the tobacco may be pretreated with a chemical base which does not substantially react with the tobacco components under ambient conditions and which are not necessarily affected by the process conditions but are nonetheless effective in increasing the amount of nicotine which can be extracted by the process of this invention. Pretreatment of the tobacco with a chemical base neutralizes nicotine salts and permits the extraction process to be carried out under milder conditions.
A method for the selective removal of basic components from a solvent in an extraction process, which basic components are among a plurality of substances extracted from a material by the solvent during one or more cycles of the extraction process, which extraction process comprises contacting the material to be extracted with the solvent at high pressure and in a physical state which is either a liquid at a pressure of from about 50-300 atmospheres or a supercritical fluid at a temperature from the critical temperature of the solvent to about 120.degree. C. at a pressure of from about 70 to 1500 atmospheres, and a means of removing substances from the solvent, said method comprising a single means of removing substances from the solvent comprising contacting the solvent with a non-volatile acid which acid is not soluble in the extraction solvent, directly following the contact of the solvent with the material to be extracted, while maintaining the solvent in the same physical state it was in prior to contact with the acid.
In a method for the selective extraction of nicotine from tobacco, preserving aroma-producing components, using normally gaseous solvents at high pressure, said method characterized in that basic components are among a plurality of substances extracted from tobacco by a solvent during one or more cycles of an extraction process, said method further characterized in that the tobacco is extracted with the solvent at high pressure in the presence of at least 10% by weight of moisture, based on the weight of the tobacco, the solvent at high pressure being in a physical state which is either a liquid at a pressure of from 50 to 300 atmospheres or a supercritical fluid at a temperature from the critical temperature of the solvent to about 120.degree. C. at a pressure of from about 70 to 1500 atmospheres,
A method for the selective removal of basic components from plant products containing a plurality of substances including acid salt forms of said basic components, said method comprising first contacting a plant product with a chemical base which does not substantially react under ambient conditions with the acid salt forms of said basic components or with other plant components but are nonetheless effective in increasing the amount of nicotine which can be extracted, then contacting the plant product with an extraction solvent at high pressure, said solvent at high pressure being in a physical state which is either a liquid at a pressure of from about 50 to 300 atmospheres or a supercritical fluid at a temperature from the critical temperature of the solvent to about 112.degree. C. at a pressure of from about 70 to 1500 atmospheres.
In a method for the selective extraction of nicotine from tobacco, preserving aroma-producing components, using normally gaseous solvents at high pressure, said method characterized in that the tobacco is extracted with the solvent at high pressure in the presence of at least 10% by weight of moisture based on the weight of the tobacco, said solvent at high pressure being in a physical state which is either a liquid at a pressure of from about 50 to 300 atmospheres or a supercritical fluid at a temperature from the critical temperature of the solvent to about 112.degree. C. at a pressure of from about 70 to 1500 atmospheres,
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.