Decaffeination plant

Classical methods for caffeine extraction

• Dichloromethane or ethyl acetate
  Disadvantage: expensive removal of the solvent
• Water
  Disadvantage: loss of flavor, evaporation of the solvent required

Supercritical carbon dioxide extraction

• Supercritical processes for decaffeination of coffee and tea were one of first commercialised applications on large industrial scale
• There is no solvent residue in the extracted raw material or in the extract
• Caffeine can be recovered in high quality
• Weight loss is more or less limited to removed caffeine

Location