Regeneration Methods for Caffeine-Loaded CO2

Abstract
Supercritical gas extraction for the decaffeination of green coffee beans has become an established method in the last decade. However, because of the commercial aspects in this field, few research results on applications have been published. In this publication, three different methods for the regeneration of caffeineloaded CO2 are presented: depressurization, adsorption with activated carbon, and absorption with water. For all these methods, phase equilibrium experiments with pure caffeine were done. Furthermore, pilot-plant experiments were performed to decaffeinate green coffee beans.