Rhone-poulenc Rhodia Aktiengesellschaft

Karsten Keller

Peter Scheer

A method and an apparatus for carrying out the method are described which are used for reprocessing waste material accumulating in the production of cigarettes and similar rod-form smoking items, wherein the waste material comprises paper material, tobacco and filter material, wherein the paper material is wrapped around the tobacco, and wherein essentially the following process steps are carried out: the waste material is subjected to a dry mechanical treatment in order to obtain waste material which is broken down and in which the material components of the waste material are separated one from the other, and in particular the paper material is detached from the tobacco or the other material components, and the tobacco is subsequently sifted out of the broken-down waste material. The paper material can be suctioned out of the broken-down waste material after the tobacco has been sifted out.

Method and arrangement for processing or reprocessing waste material

A method is described for processing waste materials in the form of filter rods, filter cigarettes and the like comprising filter material with inner hollow volumes accessible from the outside and at least one other material component, in particular paper and tobacco, wherein the following process steps are carried out: the waste material is distributed in a liquid in a pressure vessel. By increasing the pressure or decreasing the temperature an inert gas is dissolved in the liquid. Subsequently the temperature is increased or the pressure decreased so that fine gas bubbles develop within the filter material which permits the latter to float whereby a separation from the further material components to be separated is possible. With this method a separation of the waste material into its individual component parts is possible so that for example valuable filter material in the form of cellulose acetate is obtained in highly pure form and can be used again for the production of filter materials.

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Waldbronn, Germany

Karsten Keller