NRDC Technology offer-CAFFEINE FROM TEA WASTE

PLANT PARAMETERS
Capacity, TPA	30
Number of shifts	3
Working days / Yr.	300
Land Reqd., m2
Covered Area, m2	350
MANPOWER
Managerial	2
Skilled Worker	16
Unskilled Worker	27
RAW MATERIAL (Tonnes per tonne of Product)
Tea waste	54.0
Lime	10.8
Benzene	1
Activated charcoal
UTILITIES (Per Tonne of Product)
Power, KwH	20,000
Coal, Tonnes	25
PLANT & MACHINERY
Solvent Evaporator	Elevator
Desolventiser	Preheater
Evaporator cum Crystelliser	Conveyor
Condenser	Centrifuge
Pulveriser	Boiler

Caffeine is 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine, and is obtained from tea waste or coffee, or from the dried leaves of Cameelia sinensis. Caffeine occurs as an odourless white powder silky glistening needles, it has a bitter taste. Caffeine acts on the central nervous system, on muscle, including cardiac muscle, and on the kidneys. Caffeine facilitates the performance of muscular work and actually increases the total work which can be performed by muscle.

PROCESS

The caffeine is extracted on multi-stage counter-current extraction technique. The plant is broadly sub-divided into three sections, namely.

Pre-treatment section.
Extraction section.
Post-treatment section.

Pre Treatment Section

In the pre-treatment section, tea waste, lime and water are mixed at pre-fixed ratios and then cooked at elevated temperature in the cooker-cum-mixer. Cooking helps in the loosening of the tissues and in efficient extraction of caffeine in the extractor.

Extraction Section

In this section, caffeine is extracted from tea waste by a suitable solvent. Subsequently the solvent is recovered and recycled back to the system and crude caffeine is obtained. Complete operation in the section is carried out in a continuous mode. In the extractor, the waste comes in contact with the solvent in counter-current way and extraction is carried out in stage-wise manner.
Caffeine is recovered from the miscella stored in the balancing tank in the form of crude caffeine, by removing all the solvent from it. by evaporation. The solvent so recovered is recycled back to the extractor after separation of water in solvent-water separator. Crude caffeine is then subjected to the post-treatment.

Decaffeinated tea waste from the extractor moves to the desolventizer where the entrapped solvent in the tea waste is removed by heating. Solvent so recovered is recycled back to the system extractor.

Post Treatment.

In this section, crude caffeine obtained from extraction section is processed to obtain the final purified caffeine. Crude caffeine is first dissolved in hot water to separate it from wax. The coloured solution now is treated with activated charcoal and filtered. The decolourised caffeine solution is then concentrated by evaporation and allowed to crystallise. Caffeine crystals are then separated from mother liquor by centrifuging

The caffeine thus obtained is dried in a drier and pulverised to powder form before packing.

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