Pretreated clay compositions for selective removal of planar molecules from solutions

By adsorbing non-caffeine molecules with pretreated clay compositions, selective removal of caffeine is solved, and the problem of affecting beverage quality during caffeine removal in the prior art is solved, and the decaffeine after decaffeine is improved drink quality.

CN116546884BActive Publication Date: 2025-02-18INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINE CORPORATION
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202180072018.0
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Patents(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Priority Date
2020-11-11
Filing Date
2021-10-15
Publication Date
2025-02-18
Estimated Expiration
2041-10-15

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

The prior art is difficult to selectively remove caffeine during the decaffeination process, resulting in other beneficial components such as chlorogenic lactones and their decomposition products, phenols, polyphenols, lactones, tannins and phenyl indans. Removal affects the quality of the beverage.

Method used

Using pretreated clay compositions, including absorbent clays such as bentonite, montmorillonite and chlorodeite, and hydrophilic polymers, non-caffeinated molecules are adsorbed onto the clay composition by contacting the pretreatment solution, to form a treated clay composition, and caffeine is preferentially extracted from the solution.

Benefits of technology

Selective removal of caffeine is achieved, other beneficial non-caffeine molecules are retained, and the quality of beverages after decaffeination is improved.

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Abstract

A method of forming a treated clay composition, a method of decaffeinating, and a treated clay composition are disclosed. The method of forming the treated clay composition includes providing a first solution of caffeine molecules and non-caffeine molecules, extracting the caffeine molecules to form a pretreatment solution, and contacting the clay composition with the pretreatment solution to form a treated clay composition, at least one non-caffeine molecule being adsorbed on the treated clay composition. The method of decaffeinating includes providing a solution of caffeine molecules and non-caffeine molecules, and contacting the solution with the treated clay composition. The treated clay composition includes organic molecules adsorbed on a mineral layer of the clay. The organic molecules are non-caffeine molecules from the pretreatment solution.
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Description

Background Art

[0001] The present disclosure relates to decaffeination, and more particularly, to selective decaffeination of solutions using pretreated clay compositions.

[0002] There are a variety of techniques for decaffeinating beverages such as coffee, tea (e.g., green tea, black tea, and white tea) and soft drinks. For example, caffeine can be extracted from coffee using solvents such as methylene chloride, ethyl acetate, chloroform, ethanol, acetone, etc. Other coffee decaffeination techniques include treatment with supercritical CO2, and Swiss water treatment, in which caffeine is captured by charcoal filtration. In addition, food-compatible clays and clay / polymer composites can be used to remove caffeine from beverages. For example, bentonite and its polymer composites can capture planar molecules, such as caffeine. Summary of the invention

[0003] Various embodiments relate to a method for forming a treated clay composition, comprising providing a first solution of caffeine molecules and non-caffeine molecules. Non-caffeine molecules may include chlorogenic acid lactones and decomposition products thereof, phenols, polyphenols, lactones, tannins, and phenylindanes. The method also includes extracting caffeine molecules from the first solution to form a pretreatment solution, and contacting the clay composition with the pretreatment solution to form a treated clay composition, at least one of the non-caffeine molecules being adsorbed on the treated clay composition. The pretreatment solution may include non-caffeine molecules. The clay composition may include clay (e.g., bentonite, montmorillonite, and / or nontronite), and in some embodiments, includes a hydrophilic polymer. The method may also include providing a second solution of caffeine molecules and non-caffeine molecules, and extracting caffeine molecules from the second solution by contacting it with the treated clay composition. The first solution and the second solution may be coffee, tea, or a soft drink.

[0004] Additional embodiments relate to methods of decaffeination comprising providing a solution of caffeine molecules and non-caffeine molecules (e.g., chlorogenic acid lactones, phenols, polyphenols, lactones, tannins, and phenylindanes), and selectively adsorbing the caffeine molecules onto a treated clay composition. The solution may be coffee, tea, or a soft drink. The treated clay composition comprises organic molecules (e.g., chlorogenic acid lactones, phenols, polyphenols, lactones, tannins, and phenylindanes) adsorbed onto a clay (e.g., bentonite, montmorillonite, and / or nontronite clay). The clay may be polymer coated.

[0005] Another embodiment relates to a treated clay composition comprising a clay having a mineral layer and organic molecules adsorbed on the mineral layer. The mineral layer may include a montmorillonite layer. The treated clay composition may also include a polymer (e.g., polyacrylic acid, polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene glycol, polyacrylamide, etc.). The organic molecules are non-caffeine molecules from the pretreatment solution. These molecules may include chlorogenic acid lactones, phenols, polyphenols, lactones, tannins, and phenylindanes. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] Figure 1 is a flow chart illustrating a decaffeination process according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0007] Figure 2A is a schematic diagram illustrating a method of forming a treated bentonite composition according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0008] Figure 2B is a schematic diagram illustrating a selective decaffeination process according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0009] Decaffeination of beverages made from natural caffeine sources, such as coffee beans and tea leaves, requires extraction of caffeine. Various techniques can be used to extract caffeine from green (unroasted) or roasted coffee beans. For example, in a technique known as the Swiss Water Process, green coffee beans are soaked in hot water and then passed through a charcoal filter with pores that can capture caffeine molecules. Caffeine can also be extracted from water-soaked coffee beans by treatment with supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2).

[0010] In addition, absorbent clays such as bentonite can be used to extract caffeine from solution. Bentonite is a clay composed primarily of montmorillonite, although other smectite minerals may also be present, such as nontronite, hectorite, saponite, and beidellite. Bentonite may also contain varying amounts of other minerals, such as quartz, feldspar, calcite, and gypsum. Bentonite has a nanoscale layered structure. For example, a bentonite layer may have a diameter of about 100 nm. 2 The layers are held together primarily by van der Waals and electrostatic forces.

[0011] Each of these layers may have an octahedral sheet between two tetrahedral sheets. The octahedral sheets may contain aluminum, magnesium and / or iron cations. Each cation is surrounded by oxygen atoms and hydroxide ions that are common to the octahedral unit cell. The tetrahedral sheets may be sheets of silicon oxide with a unit cell formula of Si2O5. The main component of bentonite (montmorillonite) has the formula (Al,Mg)8(Si4O 10)4(OH)8·12H2O. Water molecules and exchangeable cations (such as sodium and calcium cations) can move between the layers, causing the layers to separate and the particles to swell. Organic molecules can enter the spaces between the layers and adsorb on the large flat surfaces of the mineral flakes. Thus, caffeine can be extracted from a solution mixed with bentonite due to its adsorption on the surface of the layers.

[0012] However, other molecules may also adsorb onto the bentonite layer. This includes various planar and aromatic non-caffeine compounds. Therefore, when using bentonite to remove caffeine from coffee, compounds that provide other properties (such as flavor, color and aroma) may also be removed. This may include compounds such as chlorogenic acid lactones and their decomposition products (such as phenylindanes). In addition, there is evidence that phenylindanes and other compounds present in coffee can provide physiological benefits when ingested. Therefore, there is a need for a technology for more selectively removing caffeine from coffee to avoid adversely affecting its quality by removing other components during decaffeination.

[0013] Disclosed herein is a technique for selectively removing caffeine from a solution (e.g., a beverage) using a treated clay composition. The clay composition includes an absorbent clay, such as bentonite, montmorillonite, and / or nontronite. The clay composition may also be a clay / polymer composite material in which the absorbent clay is contained in a hydrophilic polymer, such as polyacrylic acid, polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene glycol, or polyacrylamide. The treatment method includes adding the clay composition to a pretreatment solution containing non-caffeine molecules that are typically present in a solution (such as coffee, tea, and soft drinks) to be decaffeinated. Examples of these compounds may include phenols, polyphenols, lactones, tannins, phenylindanes, and other aromatic hydrocarbons. The non-caffeine molecules in the solution may be adsorbed on a clay composition layer, thereby producing a clay composition with reduced affinity for the adsorbed non-caffeine compounds. The treated clay composition may be added to another solution containing both caffeine molecules and non-caffeine molecules to preferentially remove caffeine.

[0014] Figure 11 is a flow chart illustrating a decaffeination method 100 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. A pretreatment solution is prepared. This is shown as operation 110. The pretreatment solution can be prepared from a first solution comprising caffeine molecules and non-caffeine molecules. The first solution can be a beverage containing caffeine, such as coffee, tea, or a soft drink. For example, the first coffee solution can be prepared by extraction, wherein hot water is poured over roasted, ground coffee beans. In some embodiments, extraction of the coffee solution can also be performed using roasted whole beans or unroasted beans. These extraction techniques can also be used to prepare the first tea solution. The coffee solution can also be prepared by dissolving soluble ("instant") coffee in water. In some embodiments, the caffeine concentration in the first solution is about 20 kg / m 3 Up to 50kg / m 3 However, solutions with other caffeine concentrations (e.g., ~0.2 kg / m 3 Up to 5kg / m 3 、~5kg / m 3 Up to 20kg / m 3 、~50kg / m 3 Up to 100kg / m 3 wait).

[0015] A certain amount of the clay composition is contacted with the first solution. In some embodiments, the amount of the clay composition is about 100 kg / m 3 , however other amounts of clay composition may be used (e.g., about 50 kg / m 3 Up to 100kg / m 3 , about 100kg / m 3 Up to 150kg / m 3 Etc.). This can be done at room temperature, however other solution temperatures (e.g., about 50-200°C) can also be used. In some embodiments, the clay composition is bentonite or bentonite / polymer composite material (e.g., polyacrylic acid-bentonite, polyvinyl alcohol-bentonite, polyethylene glycol-bentonite, polyacrylamide-bentonite, etc.). However, other clay compositions, such as montmorillonite, nontronite or its clay / polymer composite material can be used. In some embodiments, the clay composition and the first solution are combined and kept in contact in a container for about 1 minute to 5 minutes. The first solution and the clay composition can be mixed by stirring, shaking or other agitation. For large volumes of solution (e.g., greater than about 1L), a longer contact time may be necessary. In other embodiments, the first solution can be passed through a filter column containing clay / polymer composite particles. Clay / polymer composite materials with non-granular structures (e.g., porous clay / polymer composite materials) can also be used.

[0016] The caffeine molecules and some of the non-caffeine molecules in the first solution are adsorbed onto the clay composition, thereby producing a decaffeinated solution. A portion (e.g., about 50-90%) of the non-caffeine molecules remain in the decaffeinated solution. The clay composition is then separated from the first decaffeinated solution. The remaining solution is referred to herein as a pre-treatment solution. For example, the clay composition can be filtered out of the solution by at least one filtering step. Centrifugation can also be used to remove the clay composition from the solution (e.g., before filtering). When filtering using a column with a clay / polymer composite material, the pre-treatment solution is collected from the column.

[0017] The removal of non-caffeine molecules from the first solution can be measured by observing chemical shift signatures of aromatic molecules other than caffeine through nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra (e.g., proton and / or carbon-13 NMR). In embodiments involving a first coffee solution and a corresponding pre-treatment solution, the proton NMR spectrum of the pre-treatment solution may show a decrease in signal intensity of a caffeine characteristic peak (e.g., at about 7.5 ppm) by about 97-98% and a decrease in signal intensity of a non-caffeine aromatic peak at about 8.01 ppm and / or ~4.0-4.2 ppm by about 50%. Other techniques (e.g., gas chromatography-mass spectrometry) for measuring the number of organic molecules in a solution may also be used. The removal of non-caffeine molecules may also be indicated by color changes. For example, when a non-caffeine molecule (e.g., from coffee or black tea) is adsorbed on a layer of a clay composition, the color of the clay composition may darken.

[0018] In other embodiments, the pretreatment solution may be prepared directly by dissolving the desired non-caffeine molecules in operation 110. This may include non-caffeine molecules known to be partially extracted from beverages during decaffeination of the clay composition. For example, the pretreatment solution may be prepared by providing a solution of molecules that are typically adsorbed on bentonite during decaffeination of coffee, such as phenols, polyphenols, lactones, tannins, phenylindanes, and / or other aromatic hydrocarbons.

[0019] Then prepare the treated clay composition. This is shown in operation 120. In some embodiments, a certain amount of untreated clay composition (e.g., bentonite, montmorillonite and / or nontronite) is mixed with the pretreatment solution. In other embodiments, the clay / polymer composite is merged with the pretreatment solution by mixing or column filtration. The addition and mixing of the untreated clay composition and the pretreatment solution can be carried out using techniques substantially similar to those used to mix the clay composition and the first solution in operation 110. The organic molecules from the pretreatment solution of decaffeination are adsorbed on the clay composition layer. Therefore, the treated clay composition obtained has a reduced affinity for the non-caffeine molecules adsorbed. Remove the treated clay composition from the pretreatment solution (e.g., by filtering and / or centrifuging). The treated clay composition can be optionally dried (e.g., by heating, evaporating under ambient conditions, evaporating under reduced pressure, adding a desiccant, etc.) after being removed from the pretreatment solution.

[0020] The treated clay composition is used for selective decaffeination of a second solution. This is shown in operation 130. The second solution can be a coffee solution (e.g., a coffee solution substantially similar to the first coffee solution before the untreated bentonite was added in operation 110). However, in some embodiments, other solutions (e.g., tea or soft drinks) can be decaffeinated by the treated bentonite. This is discussed in more detail above. Addition and mixing of the treated clay composition with the second solution can be performed using techniques substantially similar to those used to mix the untreated clay composition and the first solution.

[0021] The treated clay composition includes adsorbed non-caffeine molecules present in the first solution. These non-caffeine molecules include compounds that contribute to the qualitative characteristics of the first solution (e.g., taste, aroma, appearance, etc.). Examples of these compounds are discussed in more detail above. The treated clay composition has a reduced affinity for the already adsorbed compounds. Because the pretreatment solution is decaffeinated, the treated clay composition does not adsorb any more than trace amounts of caffeine molecules. Therefore, the treated clay composition and the untreated clay composition do not have significantly different affinities for caffeine. This allows the treated clay composition to preferentially remove caffeine from the second solution. Continuing with the above NMR example, by comparing the proton NMR spectra of the coffee solution and the coffee solution decaffeinated with the treated clay composition, selective decaffeination can be observed. The decaffeinated coffee solution can show a 97-98% reduction in the signal intensity of the caffeine peak at about 7.5ppm, and a reduction in the signal intensity of the aromatic peaks at 8.01ppm and about 4.0-4.2ppm by less than 50% (e.g., a 0-10% signal intensity reduction).

[0022] In some embodiments, operation 130 can be performed on an industrial scale, such as in the preparation of decaffeinated brewed coffee or decaffeinated instant coffee particles. In other embodiments, the treated clay composition can be provided to consumers, who can then decaffeinate a beverage of their choice by mixing the beverage with the treated clay composition and then filtering the mixture to remove the clay composition and adsorbed caffeine.

[0023] Figure 2A 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a method 200 for preparing a treated bentonite composition according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of illustrating the method 200, but not limiting the embodiments, Figure 1 The method 100 is described in the context of Figure 2A .when Figure 2A The components indicated in Figure 1 When the elements shown are identical, the same reference numerals are used in both figures.

[0024] A coffee solution 210 is provided and mixed with a first portion of untreated bentonite (B1) to form a decaffeinated mixture 220. Caffeine molecules are adsorbed on the surface of the bentonite in the mixture 220 to form a bentonite / caffeine composition (BCaf). For example, about 90-100% of the caffeine molecules in the decaffeinated mixture 220 may be adsorbed on the bentonite. A portion (e.g., about 10-50%) of the non-caffeine molecules in the mixture 220 may also be adsorbed on the surface of the BCaf.

[0025] B-Caf is removed from mixture 220 (e.g., by filtration) to form pretreatment solution 230. With respect to operation 110 of method 100 ( Figure 1 ) discusses techniques for preparing the pre-treatment solution 230 from the first coffee solution in more detail. Figure 2A 2, the color of the pretreatment solution 230 is lighter than the color of the coffee solution 210 and the decaffeinated mixture 220. This is to show the removal of the non-caffeine molecules that adsorbed on the B-CAF. However, this is for illustrative purposes, and in some embodiments, the appearance of the pretreatment solution 230 is substantially the same as the appearance of the coffee solution 210.

[0026] Provide the untreated bentonite (B2) of the second part. This untreated bentonite is added in the pretreatment solution 230 to form the treatment mixture 240. The non-caffeine molecules present in the treatment mixture 240 are adsorbed on the untreated bentonite. The number of non-caffeine molecules adsorbed on the bentonite can depend at least in part on the molecular concentration and the amount of bentonite in the treatment mixture 240. The adsorption amount can also depend on parameters such as mixing time and temperature. The bentonite adsorbed with non-caffeine molecules is referred to as treated bentonite (tB) in this article.

[0027] The treated bentonite is then separated from the mixture 240. After the treated bentonite is removed from the mixture 240, it may optionally be dried. Figure 1 ) discusses the preparation of treated bentonite in more detail. In some embodiments, the remaining solution 250 can be discarded. In other embodiments (not shown), the remaining solution can be mixed with the next portion of treated or untreated bentonite to extract additional non-caffeine molecules remaining in the solution 250.

[0028] Figure 2B 201 is a schematic diagram illustrating a method 201 for preparing a selectively decaffeinated coffee solution according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. To illustrate the method 201, but not to limit the embodiments, Figure 1 and 2A The context description of the methods 100 and 200 respectively described in Figure 2B .when Figure 2B The components indicated in Figure 1 and 2A When elements shown in FIG. 1 are identical, the same reference numerals are used in both figures.

[0029] A second coffee solution 260 is provided. The coffee solution 260 may be substantially similar to Figure 2A The coffee solution 210 shown in FIG. However, any type of coffee solution may be used. Treated bentonite (tB) is added to the coffee solution 260 to form a selectively decaffeinated mixture 270. Figure 2A and operation 120 of method 100( Figure 1 ) discusses the preparation of treated bentonite in more detail. The mixing conditions (e.g., time, temperature, amount of bentonite, etc.) of method 201 can be substantially similar to those of mixtures 220 and / or 240 (method 200). However, various mixing and / or column filtration conditions can be used in some embodiments. Figure 1 Discuss this in more detail.

[0030] Caffeine molecules are adsorbed on the surface of the treated bentonite in the selective decaffeination mixture 270 to form a treated bentonite / caffeine composition (tBCaf). For example, about 90-100% of the caffeine molecules in the selective decaffeination mixture 270 can be adsorbed on the treated bentonite. Although there may also be non-caffeine molecules adsorbed on tBCaf, under similar conditions (e.g., the concentration of the coffee solution 260, the ratio of bentonite to the solution, temperature, mixing time, etc.), the amount of non-caffeine molecules adsorbed on tBCaf is lower than the portion of non-caffeine molecules adsorbed on untreated bentonite. This is because the treated bentonite has a reduced affinity for non-caffeine molecules present in coffee relative to untreated bentonite. In some embodiments, about 0-10% of the non-caffeine molecules are adsorbed on the treated bentonite, but other amounts (e.g., about 0-5%, 10-15%, 15-20%, etc.) may also be adsorbed.

[0031] The tBCaf composition is removed from the selective decaffeination mixture 270 by filtration. In some embodiments, centrifugation may be used to separate tBCaf from the mixture 270. Filtration may be performed thereafter. Additionally, in some embodiments, more than one filtration step is performed to remove tBCaf from the mixture. Removing tBCaf from the mixture 270 produces a decaffeinated coffee solution 280, which may be consumed or dried to form soluble coffee particles. The decaffeinated coffee solution 280 may be more similar in quality to the coffee solution 260 than a decaffeinated coffee solution prepared using untreated bentonite. This is because the caffeine molecules are preferentially adsorbed on the treated bentonite, leaving behind the non-caffeine molecules that contribute to the characteristics of coffee, such as its taste, appearance, aroma, and other physiological effects. With respect to operation 130 ( Figure 1 ) discusses techniques for preparing selectively decaffeinated coffee solution 280 in more detail.

[0032] Methods 200 and 201 can be performed with beverages other than coffee and can involve treated bentonites or clay compositions other than bentonite / polymer composites. For example, in method 200, a tea pretreatment solution can be prepared and then tea-treated bentonite can be prepared. Then, in method 201, the tea solution can be selectively decaffeinated using tea-treated bentonite. Additionally, as an alternative or in addition to bentonite or bentonite / polymer composites, montmorillonite clays, nontronite, other smectite clays, and polymer composites thereof can be used in place of bentonite or bentonite / polymer composites. Figure 1 Solutions that can be decaffeinated and clay compositions that can be treated are discussed in more detail.

[0033] Unless otherwise stated, methods (such as mixing, filtering, etc.) are carried out under ambient conditions or under slight heating, without special atmosphere or head space, and standard procedures for solvent removal and purification are carried out. Room temperature can be between about 15 ℃ and 30 ℃. Unless otherwise stated, modified terms such as "about", "approximately" and "~" represent the + / -10% of the endpoints of the range of the numerical value, numerical range or one or more numerical values. Scopes described herein (such as, time, concentration, temperature, etc.) include all numbers between two endpoints and endpoints. Unless otherwise stated, the use of "about", "about" or tilde (~) related to a range is applicable to both ends of the range (for example, "about 1g to 5g" should be interpreted as "about 1g to about 5g"), and the use associated with a range list is applicable to each range in the list (for example, "about 1g to 5g, 5g to 10g, etc." should be interpreted as "about 1g to about 5g, about 5g to about 10g, etc.").

[0034] The methods discussed herein and their accompanying drawings should not be construed as limiting. Those skilled in the art will recognize that various techniques of variations in conditions, components, methods, etc., can be used, which ultimately produce a treated bentonite for selective decaffeination. In addition, conditions can be optionally changed during the method. In addition, in some embodiments, the method can be added, omitted, or performed in an alternative order while still remaining within the scope of the present disclosure, as will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art. It should also be noted that the method can be performed by a single entity or multiple entities. For example, a first entity can prepare a treated bentonite and a second entity can prepare a solution for selective decaffeination.

[0035] The molecular compounds described herein may contain one or more chiral centers. Unless otherwise indicated, the disclosed structures encompass all stereoisomers, conformers, rotational isomers, isomers and enantiomers of the compounds shown. In addition, polymers or other materials containing the disclosed compounds may also include racemic forms of the compounds in addition to their respective stereoisomers, as well as mixtures containing any of these. Substituents on the compounds described herein may participate in additional chemical reactions, conversions or interactions, which may include synthesis, decomposition, single displacement and / or double displacement, oxidation / reduction, acid / base, nucleophilic, electrophilic and free radical substitution, addition / elimination reactions, cross-linking reactions and polymerization reactions.

[0036] When there are isomers of the alkyl, alkenyl, alkoxy, aryl or other functional groups mentioned (e.g., n-butyl, isobutyl, sec-butyl and tert-butyl), reference to one of the groups without specifying a specific isomer (e.g., butyl) is intended to include all isomers in the group (e.g., n-butyl, isobutyl, sec-butyl and tert-butyl). In addition, reference to one member of the group (e.g., n-butyl) includes the remaining isomers in the group (e.g., isobutyl, sec-butyl and tert-butyl) unless otherwise specified.

Claims

1. A method of forming a treated clay composition, the method comprising: A first solution is provided, the first solution comprising: Caffeine molecule; and Non-caffeine molecules; extracting caffeine molecules from the first solution to form a pre-treatment solution; as well as The clay composition is contacted with a pretreatment solution to form a treated clay composition, wherein at least one non-caffeine molecule is adsorbed onto the treated clay composition.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the pretreatment solution comprises the non-caffeine molecule.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the clay composition comprises a clay selected from the group consisting of bentonite, montmorillonite and nontronite.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the clay composition further comprises a hydrophilic polymer.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-caffeine molecule comprises a decomposition product of chlorogenic acid lactone.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-caffeine molecule comprises at least one molecule selected from the group consisting of chlorogenic acid lactones, phenols, polyphenols, lactones, tannins, and phenylindanes.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Providing a second solution, the second solution comprising: Caffeine molecule; and Non-caffeine molecules; as well as Caffeine molecules are extracted from the second solution by contacting the second solution with the treated clay composition.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first solution and the second solution are selected from the group consisting of coffee, tea, and soft drinks.

9. A method for decaffeination, the method comprising: A solution is provided, the solution comprising: Caffeine molecule; and Non-caffeine molecules; as well as The solution is contacted with a treated clay composition comprising organic molecules adsorbed on the clay, wherein the organic molecules adsorbed on the clay include at least one molecule selected from the group consisting of chlorogenic acid lactones, phenols, polyphenols, lactones, tannins, and phenylindanes.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the solution is selected from the group consisting of coffee, tea and soft drinks.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the non-caffeine molecule comprises at least one molecule selected from the group consisting of chlorogenic acid lactones, phenols, polyphenols, lactones, tannins, and phenylindanes.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the clay is selected from the group consisting of bentonite, montmorillonite and nontronite.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the treated clay composition further comprises a polymer.

14. The method according to claim 9, wherein the clay has a layered structure.

15. A treated clay composition comprising: Clay containing mineral layers; and Organic molecules adsorbed on the mineral layer, wherein the organic molecules are non-caffeine molecules from the pretreatment solution.

16. The treated clay composition of claim 15, wherein the organic molecule comprises at least one molecule selected from the group consisting of chlorogenic acid lactones, phenols, polyphenols, lactones, tannins, and phenylindanes.

17. The treated clay composition of claim 15, wherein the mineral layer comprises a montmorillonite layer.

18. The treated clay composition of claim 15, further comprising a polymer.

19. The treated clay composition of claim 18, wherein the polymer is selected from the group consisting of polyacrylic acid, polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene glycol, and polyacrylamide.

Citation Information

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