Patent ID: 7998515

Claim:
A method of limiting the discharge and a resulting accumulation of caffeine when roasting coffee beans inside a room of a building comprising roasting fresh coffee beans at a roasting temperature by flowing heated air over the fresh coffee beans in a roasting chamber and thereby releasing gaseous caffeine; withdrawing exhaust air including the gaseous caffeine therein from the chamber; flowing the exhaust air with gaseous caffeine therein through a catalytic converter; heating the exhaust air sufficiently to combust combustible materials in the exhaust air and generate a hot exhaust air with the gaseous caffeine remaining in the hot exhaust air; thereafter cooling the hot exhaust air and the gaseous caffeine therein to a temperature of between about 100° F. and 155° F. to provide cool exhaust air; maintaining the gaseous caffeine in the cool exhaust air for a sufficient time to sublimate or condense the gaseous caffeine into caffeine particles entrained in the cool exhaust air; thereafter flowing the cool exhaust air through a filter capable of removing the caffeine particles from the cool exhaust air; and thereafter releasing substantially caffeine-free, clean and cool exhaust air into the room.