Methods for removing heavy metals from aqueous extracts of tobacco

• Main Authors: ETTIREDDY, PADMANABHA REDDY, CHAN, W. GEOFFREY, KRAUSS, MARC, MISER, DONALD, COLASSACO, DARIN, LUAN, ZHAOHUA, DEEVI, SAROJINI
• Format: Patent
• Language: Chinese; English
• Published: 01.10.2011
• Subjects: CIGARETTES; CIGARS; FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; FOODS, FOODSTUFFS, OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, NOT COVERED BYSUBCLASSES A23B - A23J; HUMAN NECESSITIES; MANUFACTURE OR PREPARATION OF TOBACCO FOR SMOKING ORCHEWING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; PRESERVATION OF FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS, IN GENERAL; SEPARATION; SMOKERS' REQUISITES; SNUFF; THEIR PREPARATION OR TREATMENT, e.g. COOKING, MODIFICATION OFNUTRITIVE QUALITIES, PHYSICAL TREATMENT; THEIR TREATMENT, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES; TOBACCO; TRANSPORTING

Disclosed is a method for removing one or more heavy metals from an aqueous plant extract, comprising: contacting the aqueous plant extract with, and sorbing at least a portion of the one or more heavy metals on, at least one sorbent selected from the group consisting of: one or more surface activated titanium oxide particles, one or more chitosans, one or more calcium phosphates, one or more mercaptoalkyl-substituted silica gels, one or more mercaptoalkyl-substituted mesoporous molecular sieves, one or more finely ground -aluminas, one or more photocatalytic titanium dioxide particles, one or more Au-anatases, ceria, and combinations thereof, to form a mixture of sorbent and heavy metal-depleted aqueous plant extract; and separating the sorbent from the mixture to provide a heavy metal-depleted aqueous plant extract.