ES479547A1 - An improved method of expanding tobacco. (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding) - Google Patents

Abstract

An improved method of expanding tobacco comprising the steps of: (1) impregnating the tobacco with liquid carbon dioxide in a container under conditions such that substantially all of the liquid carbon dioxide is kept in liquid form to impregnate the tobacco with the dioxide liquid carbon, (2) subjecting the tobacco impregnated with liquid carbon dioxide to conditions such that the liquid carbon dioxide is converted to solid carbon dioxide, and (3) then subjecting the tobacco containing solid carbon dioxide to conditions in the that the solid carbon dioxide vaporizes causing tobacco expansion, wherein the improvement comprises (I) using as tobacco used in operation (1) a tobacco having an ve content of about 17 to about 30 %, (II) perform the first operation under pressure in the range of about 17.5 kg/cm2 absolute to about 36.7 kg/cm2 absolute, and (III) drain the carbon dioxide liquid bonus in excess of the operation vessel (1), while maintaining the carbon dioxide in liquid form, continuing to drain the liquid carbon dioxide from said vessel to a point where the continuous flow of liquid ceases, maintaining a period of subsequent drainage retention of at least 2 minutes to allow a subsequent separation of liquid carbon dioxide from the impregnated tobacco, and then drain fresh liquid carbon dioxide from said container until the additional liquid flow ceases, before beginning the operation (2). (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)