Nicotine extraction, from the leaf to 99.9% purity

The process

Five stages, one controlled line

Material moves in one direction through the plant. Each stage has its own equipment set, its own in-process checks, and a defined handover to the next — so a finished drum can be traced back to the tobacco lot it came from.

1

Tobacco powder

Graded leaf and stem arrive, are checked against the incoming lot record, and are reduced to a uniform fine powder. Consistent particle size is what makes the later stages predictable — coarse material extracts unevenly and costs yield.

Uniform, sieved tobacco powder, lot tagged

Machinery at this stage

• Bale breakerOpens and loosens compressed tobacco bales
• Conditioning cylinderBrings incoming material to a workable moisture level
• Hammer mill / pulveriserSize reduction to fine powder
• Vibratory sieve classifierGrades powder to the target mesh, oversize recirculated
• Metal detector and destonerRemoves tramp metal and foreign matter
• Cyclone and bag filterDust collection, keeps the milling area clean

2

Pretreatment

The powder is cleaned, dried to a controlled moisture level and conditioned in closed vessels so the nicotine is available to be separated in the next stage. Moisture is checked in process, because carrying water forward slows extraction and complicates purification.

Conditioned, moisture-controlled feedstock

Machinery at this stage

• Rotary / fluid bed dryerControlled drying with monitored inlet and outlet temperature
• Jacketed conditioning vesselSteam or thermic fluid jacket, closed and vented
• Ribbon blender with agitatorEven conditioning across the whole charge
• Dosing and metering systemAccurate, repeatable addition of process aids
• Screw and pneumatic conveyorsEnclosed transfer between vessels, no open handling
• Inline moisture analyserIn-process check before release to extraction

3

Extraction

Nicotine is separated from the conditioned biomass inside closed, temperature controlled equipment. The whole stage runs sealed, with recovery on the outlet so process media is captured and reused rather than lost. Spent biomass is collected separately for disposal or downstream use.

Crude nicotine stream, ready for refining

Machinery at this stage

• Counter-current extractorsStainless steel, jacketed, closed to atmosphere
• Anchor / turbine agitatorsKeeps the charge moving for even contact
• Plate heat exchangersHolds the vessel at its set temperature band
• Decanter centrifugeSeparates liquid stream from spent solids
• Filter press / sparkler filterClarifies the stream before refining
• Recovery condenser and receiverCaptures and returns process media to the loop
• Transfer pumps and SS holding tanksSealed movement to the purification block

4

Purification

The crude stream is refined in stages. Distillation under vacuum lifts nicotine away from heavier residues at gentle temperatures, polishing steps take out colour and trace impurities, and related alkaloids such as nornicotine and anatabine are driven down to specification. This is the stage that decides whether a batch is pharmaceutical grade.

Clear, colourless to pale yellow nicotine

Machinery at this stage

• Packed distillation columnStructured packing for high separation efficiency
• Thin film / wiped film evaporatorShort residence time, protects a heat sensitive product
• Vacuum systemLowers boiling point so the product is not thermally stressed
• Reflux condensers and receiversFraction cuts collected and held separately
• Carbon treatment vesselColour and trace impurity polishing
• Cartridge and 0.2 micron filtrationFinal clarity and particulate removal
• Nitrogen blanketing skidInert headspace, protects the product from oxidation

5

99.9% high purity nicotine

Nothing ships on appearance. Each batch is sampled, assayed in our laboratory and released against specification with a certificate of analysis before it is filled. Filling is done under nitrogen into light-protected packs, then held in controlled storage for despatch.

Batch released, CoA issued, packed for global supply

Machinery at this stage

• Gas chromatograph (GC)Assay and alkaloid profile
• HPLCRelated substances against the monograph
• Karl Fischer titratorWater content
• Refractometer and polarimeterIdentity and optical rotation checks
• Nitrogen purged filling lineAmber glass, HDPE and stainless drums
• Induction sealing and labellingTamper evidence, batch and hazard labelling
• Temperature controlled storeSegregated, access controlled quarantine and release areas

What leaves the plant

Typical finished specification

Tobacco extracted nicotine, supplied business to business for pharmaceutical, NRT and regulated product manufacturing. Nicotine salts including benzoate, salicylate and lactate are produced to order from the same released base.

Indicative values. The certificate of analysis issued with your batch is the governing document.

Parameter	Method	Specification
Assay, nicotine	GC	99.9% min
Appearance	Visual	Clear, colourless to pale yellow oily liquid
Identity	IR / GC	Conforms
Water content	Karl Fischer	Within monograph limit
Related alkaloids	HPLC / GC	Within monograph limit
Heavy metals	ICP-MS	Within ICH Q3D limits
Residual solvents	GC headspace	Within ICH Q3C limits
Packing	—	Amber glass, HDPE or stainless drums, nitrogen blanketed

Where it goes

Built for regulated manufacturing

Derived from nature, delivered to the world

Request a specification sheet or quotation

Tell us your grade, volume and destination market and we will come back with documentation, lead time and pricing.

Request COA & price Email info@mccoynic.com

Business to business supply only. Nicotine is a regulated substance and is toxic in concentrated form. We supply licensed manufacturers, formulators and research institutions against verified end use, import permits and applicable local law, and we do not sell to individuals or for consumer use. This page describes our process at an overview level; it is not a production method.