PROCESSO E APARELHO PARA PROVER ROLO DE MATERIAL DE TABACO RECONSTITUIDO

A process for reclaiming tobacco comprises providing tobacco material including relatively large fibrous forming tobacco leaf stem material, passing the tobacco through a pressurized roller system, and forming reclaimed tobacco material under pressure. Tobacco stems, fines, dust and waste can be reconstituted in sheet-like form using this process which utilizes relatively low amounts of moisture. Apparatus for performing this process comprises a first pressurized roller system (10, 20) wherein at least one of the roller faces thereof comprises a series of circumferentially extending grooves, and a second pressurized roller system (10, 30) wherein the roller faces of the rollers are positioned in a spaced apart relationship in a region along the rollers.