公开(公告)号：US20160227834A1

公开(公告)日：2016-08-11

申请号：US15099971

申请日：2016-04-15

Applicant: R. J. REYNOLDS TOBACCO COMPANY

Inventor： Medwick Vaughan Byrd, JR. ,  Paul Stuart Chapman ,  Samuel Mark Debusk ,  Grady Lance Dooly ,  Anthony Richard Gerardi ,  David Neil McClanahan

IPC: A24B15/30 ,  D21C3/02 ,  D21H11/02 ,  D21H11/12 ,  A24B15/24 ,  A24B13/00

CPC classification number: A24B15/302 ,  A24B13/00 ,  A24B15/12 ,  A24B15/241 ,  C08H8/00 ,  C08L1/04 ,  C08L97/02 ,  C09J101/04 ,  D21C3/02 ,  D21H11/02 ,  D21H11/12

Abstract: Methods for producing dissolving grade pulp and microcrystalline cellulose from tobacco are provided. The methods include chemical pulping a tobacco input to form a tobacco pulp. Chemical pulping the tobacco input includes combining the tobacco input with a strong base defining a weight from about 5% to about 50% of the tobacco input, and heating the tobacco input and the strong base with an H-factor from about 500 to about 3,300. Further, the methods include bleaching the tobacco pulp to produce a dissolving grade pulp. Bleaching the tobacco pulp may include chlorination of the tobacco pulp with a chlorine dioxide solution, and caustic extraction of the tobacco pulp with a second strong base. A related tobacco-derived microcrystalline cellulose product is also provided, which can be used as a binder, a filler, and/or a texturizer in a tobacco product, such as a smokeless tobacco product.