ABSTRACT
A process of reconstituting tobacco is disclosed, in ub for
the first time, the leaf part of the tobacco plant is used as a binlin a--:!-,t
and "washinall is avoided in any part of the process, the latter being of
importance in the drive against pollution of natural water resources. Tobacco
shorts are added to water and cooked with mechanical agitation. The resultant
mix is wet-ground. Stem material is disintegrated and wetted and the two
liquid Mixes are blended together aUd the resultant slurry is wet-ground ar.!
then cast and dried, re-humidified, cut to size and packaged in kmown ranne r.
The process eliminates the need for expensive homogenization equip.mc-it and
results in reconstituted sheets having good smoking qualities and very good
equilibrium moisture content.
BATCo document for Province of British Columbia 14 April 1999

This invention re iatcs to a process for reconstitutin.- tvLat%.v,
i.e. a proccss of manufacturing a coherent tobacco product adaptcd for sraol.lv@;
.from leaf typc and stem type tobacco materials normally rejectcd in the manu-
facture of cigarettes.
It has previously been proposed to make such a coherciit tobacco
product by preparing an aqueous binding agent from tobacco 3tcms by subjcctitiZ
the stcms to aqueous extraction Olwashingtl) to remove extractable compomits
and effecting pressurization and intensive shearing homogenization of the
residual stem material in the presence of water to yield a highly hydrated
10 pulp of cohesive properties, subsequently combining a quantity of dry-ground
tobacco with said pulp and drying the combined pulp and dry-ground tobacco
into coherent form. The "washing" step is undesirable from the point of vicur
of water pollution and the homogenization step involves the use of expensive
equipment.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a process which
does not involve a washing-step and which does not require the use of ex;cnsivc
homo-enization equipment and yet which yields a product suitable for smoking.
According to the invention, there is provided a process of manu-
factoring a coherent tobacco product adapted for smoking, from leaf type and
20 stem type tobacco materials normally rejected in the manufacture of cigarcttcs,
which process comprises cooking the tobacco leaf type material in water with
mechanical agitation and wet grinding the resultant mix to form a binding agent,
separately wet grinding stem type material, blending the wet ground leaf
material and the wet ground stem material, wet grinding the blend and subsequently
casting and drying it.
Preferably, the process includes the preliminary steps of re-
ducing the size of the leaf material to a maximum of three-3i.xteenths of an
inch in any dimension and reducing the size of the 3tCM material to a maxintm
of one quarter of an inch in any dimension.
30 In a preferred embodiment of the invention,.the leaf material is
cooked in water at a temperature in the range of about 200OF - 210OF for a
period of about 60 90 minutes and the stem material is wet ground in watcr __4
Ul
E..
BATCo document for Province of British Columbia 14 April 1999

at a temperature in the range of about 60 - 100"F.
An embodiment of the invention wiU now be described, by way of
-example, with reference to the accompanying flow sheet.
Tobacco shorts are fed from a feeder 10 to a dry milling =zchi rc
U to reduce any large flakes of lamina to less than 3/16 The shorts arc
derived mostly from the non-leaf supporting parts oi the tobacco plant rcjcctcd
from the cigarette making and leaf processing factories. The major portion
of the tobacco particles would be retained on a 60 mesh screen ASTIM and prcfcr-
ably the major portion would be retained on a 35 mesh screen ASTM. The machinz
10 1-1 may be a dry mill fitted with a 3/1611 basket or screen.
From the dry mill the shorts proceed to a digester or cooker 11
and water is fed in at 14 at a temperature of from 170-2100F, preferably above
0
200 F, one pound of tobacco being fed in to ten pounds of water. The mixture
in the cooker 12, which is an open vessel, is mechanical I agitated anJ heat
is added to maintain the temperature above 2000F. The cooking is carried cut
for a period of time of about one half to about three hours, pre at:ut
60 to 90 minutes.
The cooked mixture is wet ground at 13 in a wet grinder cr Reit:
machine or machines, starting with a screen of 0.01611 opening and proceeding
20 to a final pass through 0.012" openings (60 conidure).
In parallel with the processing of the shorts, tobacco stem or
vein type material about 1/81, to 11, long is fed from feeder 20 to a dry mill
21 with a basket or screen to reduce the size of the material to a maxj:-=
of t" long. From there the materLd proceeds to a wet mill, or Reitz disintc.crator
23 equipped with a 0.032" screen, to which water at 35-160aF, preferably about
60-1000F, is fed at 22. The mix from stage. 23 is blended at 24 in a tank
fitted with temperature and time controls. If the temperature in the taa- is
allowed to go too high the eventual sheet will be too dark and if the mix is
held too long in the tank leaching wil.1 occur. The holding time at stage 24
30 may be from a few seconds to 45 Minutes, preferably 10-15 Minutes.
C=)
The wet ground shorts and the wet ground stems are blended to- __@J
C7%
gethcr at SO in a tank or, preferably, a pump where the two liquids are wall ruxed
Qn
2 -
BATCo document for Province of British Columbia 14 April 1999

with any of the desircd additives 52 known in the tobacco art, c.G.
and plasticizers, such as glycerol, sorbitol, invert sugar and variou.;
=terials- The additives should usually not exceed 10% by weight and
ably not 71". The resulting mix is then wet ground at 51 in a wet mill c.-
21*
Reitz machine or machines 30 that the material receives at least one rass
a machine equipped with a 0.01211 screen or smaller.
The material leaving stage 51 is then processed as in the Tr
art. Thus, it may be de-aired as at 52, cast and dried on a stainless steel
band at 53, re-humidified and removed from the belt at 54 and cut to size an!
:10 packed at 55.
A specific example of the process according to the present in-
vention is set out below.
Example
220 pounds Of stem type material was dry milled 30 that time
average particle size was less than J" in the longest diMCD3iOn-
285 pounds of tobacco shorts were dry ail-led so that the
particle size was less than 3/16". This material was then added tc 2-:,'
of 206OF water arid cooked with agitation for 60 minutes. This material was
then passed through one Reitz machine equipped with a 0.012" screen. S:L:7j!-
20 tameoubly the aforementioned stem material was fed at a constant rate -with
cold water at 8.5 gpm through three Reitz machines equipped with 0.03.111, .0161,
and .01211 screens and mixed with the liquid binder from the lanina prtion
(shorts). The resultant combination was fed through two Reitz =chiles
with .00611 screens. Thirty-eight pounds of glycerine -was added during the
processing. The resultant slurry was de-aired and cast an a band dryer and
dried.
the reconstituted tobacco sheets produced by the process of the
present invention 3make well and have a very good equ:Mbrium moisture content
cciapared with reconstituted sheets prepared by price known processes. The
30 latter can be attributed to the absence of the prior art washing step. Sheets
made according to the above Example had, at 720F, an equilibrium moisture can-
tent of 12.8 at 30% FM and 17.6 at 60% RH (relative humidity).
C:)
CP%
3
BATCo document for Province of British Columbia 14 April 1999

1-1-1BODV-U--.VrS 01" 1111, INVI-NIRIN IN 101101 AN LXCUISIVY.
PROPLRTY Oil PIUVILNCE I@i CLARILD ARL DLYINLI) AS FOLLOWS:
1. The process of manufacturing a coherent tobacco product a--,: L,-.!
for smoking, from leaf typc and stem type: tobacco materials normally i
jected in the manufacture of cigarettes, uixich process compriscs
tobacco leaf type material in water with mechanical agitation and lot !-I-;-J-
in& the resultant mix to form a binding agent, separately wet -grilldill.,
time material, blending the net ground leaf material and the 6-ct orovi-
stem material, wet grinding the blend and subsequently casting. anJ
it.
2. The process of claim 1, which includes the preliminary stcrs c--
rcducinm the size of the leaf material to a ma.,cimum of thrcc-5ixL---CI1t'- C'
Q
an inch in any dimension and rcducin.- the size of the stem material t.-
cm-ximum of one quarter of art inch in any dimension.
3. The process of claim. 1, utercin tire %--ter in 6hich t,-..z lc.-.:
0
is cooked is maintained at a temperature in the range of 170
cooking with mechanical agitation is carried out for a period of tin.Q vf
about one half to 'about thrcc hours.
4. The process of claim 3, in which the temperature is r-aintain-:11
above 206OF and the time is about 60 to 90 minutes.
5. The process of claim 1, 2 or 3 -.remain water wItich is uscl in -..-,t
grinding the stem material is at a temperature in the' range of about
160"r,;
6. The process of claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein water which is usc! in
grinding the stem material is at a temperature in the ran.-e of about EQ'
1060F.
7. The process of claim 1, 2 or 3, in which the leaf material is
0%
cooked in water at a temperature in the range of about 200OF - 210 0F for a
-%a
period of about 60 - 90 minutc3 and the stem material is wet ground iii U1
at a temperature in the range of about 60 - 10F.
BATCo document for Province of BritiSh Columbia 14 April 1999

T-Toj7'-
ACCb--' -10 TOPACC6
SHCRTS ST) (TY1 Y
IIATERIAL
-1ECW -11 F.MHANICAL -21
.1 kNICAL
SIZING
I.A.TER
2;2
-12 -v,,Lr GRI',.10IT1Gj
LE T. 13 IrGj -24
BLEND
50 ADDITIVES
52
-51
-52
CAST an -5..,
DRIED
REHUMIDIFIED and -54
RDI.OVED FROM BELT
CUT TO SIZE ARD FACKED, 55
-A
Ln
BATCo document for Province of British Columbia 14 April 1999