PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR REORDERING EXPANDED TOBACCO

摘要

A process reorders tobacco that has been expanded by impregnating the tobacco under pressure with liquid carbon dioxide, forming a frozen mass of the tobacco and carbon dioxide and heating the frozen mass in an expansion zone to subliminate the carbon dioxide and thereby expand the tobacco. The expanded tobacco is discharged from the expansion zone and before the temperature of the expanded tobacco is below about 80 °F and preferably when the expanded tobacco is at an elevated temperature of between about 180 °F and about 212 °F, the tobacco is contacted with humidifying air having a temperature of about 80 °F to about 91 °F and a relative humidity of about 58 % to about 88 %.