Abstract: A method for recovering concentrated nicotine from tobacco curing includes collecting a first aqueous solution including moisture released from tobacco during curing tobacco and including nicotine. The first aqueous solution is passed through a strong cation resin to sorb the nicotine. A second aqueous solution comprising ammonium hydroxide is passed through the resin to elute the nicotine and form a third aqueous solution comprising nicotine and ammonium hydroxide. The ammonium hydroxide is removed from the third aqueous solution to generate a fourth aqueous solution comprising nicotine. The fourth aqueous solution is incubated under conditions to cause the fourth aqueous solution to separate into a fifth aqueous solution comprising a first concentration of nicotine and a sixth aqueous solution comprising a second concentration of nicotine. The first concentration of nicotine is greater than the second concentration of nicotine.