KR20150035800A - Degradable filter for smoking articles - Google Patents

Abstract

The filter 14 for the smoking article 10 comprises a segment of the filtration material 16 and the filtration material 16 comprises regenerated cellulose-based fibers and cellulose acetate fibers that are randomly oriented. The filtration material 16 further comprises triacetin. The filter 14 also includes a wrapper 18 surrounding a segment of the filtration material 16.

Description

DEGRADABLE FILTER FOR SMOKING ARTICLES < RTI ID = 0.0 >

The present invention relates to a filter for a smoking article, the filter comprising a segment of filter material comprising regenerated cellulose-based fibers, cellulose acetate fibers and triacetin. The present invention also relates to a filter for a smoking article, wherein the filter consists of a segment of filter material consisting of regenerated cellulose-based fibers and a low molecular weight polyether. The present invention also extends to smoking articles comprising such filters.

The filter cigarettes typically comprise a cylindrical rod of cigarette cut filler surrounded by a paper wrapper and a cylindrical filter which is axially aligned adjacent to the packed cigarette rod in end-to-end relation. The cylindrical filter consists of a filter material, typically a cellulose acetate tow, surrounded by a paper plug wrap. Typically, the packaged tobacco rod and filter are connected by a band of tipping wrapper, typically formed of opaque paper material, and enclose the entire length of the filter and adjacent portions of the packaged tobacco rod.

Various smoking articles have been conventionally proposed in which cigarettes are heated rather than burned. In a heated smoking article, an aerosol is generated by heating a flavor-generating substrate such as a cigarette. Known heated smoking articles include, for example, electrically heated smoking articles and smoking articles produced by the heat transfer of aerosols from combustible fuel elements or heat sources to physically separate aerosol-forming materials. Upon smoking, volatile compounds are released from the aerosol forming substrate by heat transfer from the fuel member and are entrained in the air sucked through the smoking article. As the emitted compound cools, it can condense and form an aerosol that is inhaled by the consumer. Smoking articles are also known in which nicotine containing aerosols are generated from tobacco materials, tobacco extracts or other nicotine sources, without burning or heating.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a filter for a smoking article, the filter comprising a segment of a filtration material, the filtration material being composed of regenerated cellulose-based fibers and cellulose acetate fibers randomly oriented. The filtration material further comprises a triacetin, and the filter also includes a wrapper surrounding a segment of the filtration material.

After the smoking article has been smoked and the remainder of the smoking article has been discarded, it is desirable to disassemble the filter section as soon as possible. It would be desirable to provide a filter for a smoking article that facilitates this.

The invention will now be further illustrated by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
1 shows a smoking article according to an embodiment of the present invention; And
Figure 2 shows the smoking article of Figure 1 in which the filter is not packaged.

The term "regenerated cellulose-based fiber" is used herein to refer to cellulose-based fibers formed by treating a naturally occurring cellulosic material to provide cellulose-based fibers having the desired physical properties. Typical processes for forming regenerated cellulose-based fibers include pulping naturally-occurring cellulosic materials such as wood chips to form pulp; Sending the pulp to at least one processing stage to alter the physical properties of the cellulose; And spinning the cellulose-based fibers, for example by passing the pulp through a spinneret, to form regenerated cellulose-based fibers from the treated pulp.

Advantageously, the use of a filtration material consisting of regenerated cellulose that is randomly oriented improves degradation of the filtration material. This is because it is easier to disperse after the filter is discarded, especially when compared to a substantially continuous filament of a conventional cellulose acetate tow filter. Improved dispersion of fibers increases the exposure of each of the fibers to the environment, thereby increasing the rate at which the filter material is degraded.

In addition, despite the use of regenerated cellulose-based fibers in the filter material, the filter according to the present invention delivers a similar flavor to the consumer as compared to conventional cellulose acetate tow filters. A similar flavor sensation is due to the cellulose acetate fibers and triacetin binders present in the filter material of the filter according to the invention. In addition, while triacetin is bonded to the cellulose acetate fibers to improve the structural integrity of the filtration material, the triacetin is not bonded to the regenerated cellulose-based fibers, thus maintaining improved degradation of the filtration material.

The inventors have also recognized that filters made only from regenerated cellulose-based fibers do not exhibit the same level of selective phenolic retention when smoking a smoking article compared to traditional cellulose acetate filters. Thus, the filter according to the present invention solves this problem by incorporating cellulose acetate fibers and triacetin into a filter having regenerated cellulose-based fibers.

The triacetin preferably comprises from about 1% to about 15% by weight of the filtration material in the filter segment, more preferably from about 5% to about 10% by weight of the filtration material in the filter segment, From about 3% to about 5% by weight of the filtration material.

In some embodiments, the filtration material further comprises a low molecular weight polyether to further improve the ability of the filter to selectively retain phenol during smoking of the smoking article. A suitable polyether is polyethylene glycol. Preferably, the polyethylene glycol has a number average molecular weight of from about 200 to about 3600, preferably from about 400 to about 1600.

The use of low molecular weight polyethers to increase the selective phenol retention of the filtration material consisting of randomly oriented regenerated cellulose fibers is a novel and inventive arrangement in itself. Thus, according to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a filter for a smoking article, the filter comprising a segment of a filtration material, the filtration material comprising a regenerated cellulose fiber and a low molecular weight polyether . The filter further comprises a wrapper surrounding a segment of the filtration material.

As discussed above, incorporation of low molecular weight polyethers into the filtration material improves selective phenol retention of the filtration material. This may be important if the regenerated cellulose-based filter is used to replace a conventional cellulose acetate tow filter, for example, regenerated cellulose-based fibers show little or no selective phenolic retention as compared to conventional cellulose acetate. The use of low molecular weight polyethers for improving the selective phenol retention of the regenerated cellulose-based filters is illustrated by way of example in Table 1 below:

Table 1:

Comparison of different phenolic oils by conventional cellulose acetate filters, regenerated cellulose (lyocell) filters and regenerated cellulose (lyocell) + polyethylene glycol (PEG) filters. The data shows the amount of each phenol that passes through the filter when the article is smoked (i.e., the amount of phenol that is not retained by the filter). The data is normalized with respect to the amount of nicotine passing through the filter during smoking of the smoking article. ISO 4387: Determination of total and nicotine-free dry particulate matter using a routine An analytical smoking machine was used to collect smoke.

A suitable polyether is polyethylene glycol. Preferably, the polyethylene glycol has a number average molecular weight of between about 200 and about 3600, preferably between about 400 and about 1600.

In order to further improve the function of the filter for selectively removing phenol during smoking of the smoking article, the filtering material may comprise triacetin. Including triacetin also helps improve filter rigidity and reduces the likelihood of filter collapse during handling of smoking articles and during smoking. In an embodiment of the triacetin, the triacetin preferably comprises from about 1% to about 15% by weight of the filter material in the filter segment, more preferably from about 5% to about 10% by weight of the filter material in the filter segment %, Most preferably between about 3 wt% and about 5 wt% of the filtration material in the filter segment.

Preferably, the filtration material according to the two aspects of the present invention comprises the following test:

ISO 14855-2005, TEST1: aerobic biodegradation under controlled composting conditions

Preferably less than about 30 days, more than about 30%, more preferably more than about 40%, more preferably less than about 40%, more preferably less than about 40%, more preferably less than about 40% Will break up by about 50% or more.

A comparison of the decomposition of different filters under ISO 14851-2004, TEST2 is presented below in Graph 1 to illustrate the improved decomposition of filters comprising regenerated cellulose-based fibers as compared to traditional cellulose acetate filters:

Graph 1: Comparison of decomposition of various filters under the conditions of ISO 14851-2004. Test filters are 100% regenerated cellulose-based (lyocell) fibers and traditional cellulose acetate filters. For reference, decomposition of a pure cellulose sample under the same conditions is also shown.

The random orientation of the fibers in the filter according to the invention advantageously provides the required resistance to mechanical deformation of the filter material so that the filter can withstand when caught by the consumer during the combustion of the smoking article. The random orientation of the fibers also provides the required inhalation resistance so that the smoking experience using the filter according to the present invention is substantially identical to the smoking experience using a conventional cellulose acetate tow filter. The filter according to the two aspects of the present invention has a width of between about 75 mm WG and about 175 mm WG for a filter of between about 40 mm WG and 250 mm WG for a 27 mm length filter, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > WG < / RTI > to about 150 mm WG for a 27 mm length filter. Suction resistance is measured using the test procedure described in ISO 6565: 2002.

Preferably, the regenerated cellulose-based fibers are crimped staple fibers which reduce the mechanical degradation of the fibers during processing of the filter material and subsequent binding of the smoking article, thereby helping to form the filter. The fibers may be crimped using known methods for crimped textile fibers, such as the method described in US 2,647,285.

The crimped staple fibers are preferably between about 10 mm and about 30 mm in stretch length under tension between about 5 cN / denier and about 10 cN / denier. After the filter is discarded, it provides an optimum balance between the mechanical integrity of the filter and the rate of injection of the filtration material in use. The term "stretching length" is used herein to refer to the average length of the crimped regenerated cellulose staple fibers when stretched under a given stretchability load.

Preferably, the crimped staple fibers have a denier between about 0.5 and about 8.0, preferably between about 1.5 and about 5.5, and most preferably between about 2.0 and about 3.2.

Preferably the staple fibers are between about 3 curves and about 10 curves per 10 mm fiber length, more preferably between about 6 curves and about 8 curves per 10 mm fiber length.

The regenerated cellulose-based fiber may comprise a lyocell fiber. The lyocell fiber is defined as a regenerated cellulose-based fiber obtained by an organic solvent spinning process. Suitable lyocell fibers for use in the fibers according to the present invention are commercially available from Lenzing Aktiengesellschaft under the Tencel® trade name. Advantageously, the process of making the lyocell fibers is more environmentally friendly than when compared to traditional cellulose acetate, as well as other regenerated cellulose materials such as rayon, viscose, and the like.

In particular, the preparation of cellulose acetate uses a catalyst containing cobalt or manganese. The production of cellulose acetate also produces strong and unpleasant odors. Conversely, the cellulose or decolorized pulp used to form the lyocell is treated in a closed loop process in which the non-toxic solvent is recycled at a recovery rate of up to 99.5%. Bleaching agents are also not required for the production of lyocell fibers. The remaining effluent from the manufacture of the lyocell can be decayed in biological purification plants.

The filtration material may comprise regenerated cellulose-based fibers and other fibers. Such additional fibers may be incorporated into the filter by mixing the additional fibers with the regenerated cellulose-based fibers in the production of the filtration material. Additional fibers may be incorporated into the regenerated cellulose-based fibers using suitable water-soluble binders, such as those discussed above. For example, the filter material of the filter according to the second aspect of the present invention may comprise cellulose acetate fibers to increase the mechanical stiffness of the filter. Optionally or additionally, the filtration material may comprise additional fibers that alter the appearance of the filtration material. For example, the appearance of the filter material of the filter according to the two aspects of the present invention may be modified more similar to the appearance of a conventional cellulose acetate tow filter. The fibers for modifying the appearance of the filter material include, for example, silk, cotton, polyester, linen, nylon and wool.

To further improve the dispersion and decomposition rates of the filter after the filter has been discarded, the wrapper may include a fusible plug wrap. The term " soluble "is used herein to denote that the plug wrap is soluble in solution by water. Advantageously, after the filter is discarded, the fusible plug wrap ruptures when contacted with water, exposing the underlying filtration material to the environment and increasing the dispersion and disintegration rate of the filtration material. The plug wrap is not only soluble but also biodegradable.

In embodiments involving a soluble plug wrap, the plug wrap comprises or consists of a polymeric film sheet, wherein the polymeric film comprises one or more water soluble polymers. The use of a polymer film to form the plug wrap reduces cost and simplifies the manufacture of the plug wrap. Specifically, contrary to paper materials, the polymer film can be formed to have essentially the desired properties of the plug wrap, such as low gas permeability, without the need for any additional processing at the time of manufacture. Further, when it is desired to make the plug wrap transparent, it is easy to provide a transparent polymer film rather than a transparent paper.

Preferably, a 5 mm x 5 mm square sample of the polymer film will dissolve at less than 72 hours when in 25 ml of distilled water at a temperature of 22 ° C. The test is performed at the vessel size, so that the depth of the water is sufficient to completely immerse the square sample (even if the sample floats on the surface of the water during testing due to buoyancy of the sample). When the water-soluble material is not visible to the naked eye, the sample is considered to be dissolved.

Suitable polymeric materials for forming the polymeric film include, but are not limited to, polyvinyl alcohol, cellophane, starch, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC), carboxymethylcellulose, and combinations thereof.

Suitable polymeric films may comprise fully polymerizable, or dissolvable or non-soluble, additional polymers or inert inorganic fillers, such as one or more water soluble polymers. The polymer film may be a single layer or a multilayer. When the film is made of multiple layers, the layers may be formed of the same polymeric material, or may be formed of different polymeric materials. When the layers are formed of different polymeric materials, each polymeric material may comprise one or more water-soluble polymers.

According to the present invention, there is provided a smoking article comprising an aerosol forming substrate and a mouthpiece fixed in axial alignment with the aerosol forming substrate, wherein the mouthpiece comprises a filter according to any one of the aspects of the present invention.

The term " aerosol forming substrate " as used herein is used to describe a substrate capable of releasing a volatile compound upon heating, which can form an aerosol. The aerosols generated from the aerosol forming substrate of the smoking article described herein may or may not be visible and may include liquids such as vapors (e.g., liquid or solid but gaseous particulate substrates at room temperature) as well as gaseous and condensed vapor droplets .

The smoking article according to the present invention may be a filter cigarette or other smoking article comprising a tobacco material or other combustible material in which the aerosol forming substrate is burned to form smoke. On the other hand, the smoking article according to the present invention may be a smoking article comprising a material in which the aerosol forming substrate is heated rather than burned to produce an aerosol. In one type of heated smoking article, the tobacco material or other aerosol forming material is heated by one or more electrical heating elements to form an aerosol. In yet another type of heated smoking article, the aerosol is created by heat transfer from a combustible or chemical source of heat to a physically separate aerosol-forming material that can be located within, around, or downstream of the heat source. The present invention further comprises a smoking article wherein the nicotine containing aerosol is generated from a tobacco material, tobacco extract or other nicotine source without burning or heating.

Test procedure

ISO 14855-2005

Controlled composting The biodegradability test is an optimized simulation of an intensive aerobic composting process when determining the biodegradability of a test under dry aerobic conditions. The inoculum consists of a stable and aged mixture derived from the organic fraction of municipal solid waste. When the test items were intensively mixed under optimal oxygen, temperature and humidity conditions, the test items were mixed with the inoculum and introduced into a static reactor vessel. According to ISO 14855 (2005) method " Determination of the Ultimate Aerobic Biodegradability and Disintegration of Plastics under Controlled Composting Conditions" , the test was carried out twice, not three times.

ISO 14851-2004

This test determines aquatic, aerobic biodegradability under laboratory conditions. The test material was placed in a chemically defined liquid medium and spiked with microorganisms. During aerobic decomposition, oxygen is consumed and the carbonaceous material is converted to CO ₂ gas. The NaOH pellets trap the released CO ₂ and the induced pressure drop is directly related to the oxygen consumed and the biodegradability of the test material.

The filter cigarette 10 shown in Figs. 1 and 2 comprises a packed rod 12 of a cigarette cut filler according to the present invention, one end of which is coupled to an axis-aligned filter 14. The filter 14 comprises a single segment of the filtration material 16 and the filtration material 16 comprises recycled cellulose-based fibers, cellulose acetate fibers and triacetin, which are randomly oriented. The filtration material 16 may comprise other fibers that modify the appearance of the filtration material 16, such as silk fibers. The filtration material 16 may comprise one or more binders to improve selective phenolic retention and may include one or more additives. The segment of filter material 16 may be comprised of a sheet of polymeric phyllip that is surrounded by plug wrap 18 and is soluble or that comprises one or more water soluble polymers. The packaged tobacco rod 12 and the filter 14 are joined by a band 20 of tipping paper and encircle the entire length of the filter 14 and adjacent portions of the packaged tobacco rod 12.

It will be understood that the specific embodiment described above relates to a conventional smoking article comprising a filter and a tobacco rod, while a filter of a similar structure according to the present invention may also be used for heated smoking articles.

10: Smoking articles
12, 14: filter
16: Filter material
18: Wrapper
20: Band

Claims (13)

A filter for a smoking article, the filter comprising:
A segment of a filtration material, said filtration material being comprised of regenerated cellulose-based fibers and cellulose acetate fibers that are randomly oriented, said filtration material further comprising a triacetin; And
And a wrapper surrounding the segment of filter material. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the filtration material further comprises a low molecular weight polyether. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
Wherein the filtration material further comprises fibers selected from the group consisting of silk, cotton, polyester, linen, nylon, wool, and combinations thereof. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Wherein the triacetin is present in an amount of from 1% to 15% by weight of the filtration material. A filter for a smoking article, the filter comprising:
A segment of a filtration material, said filtration material comprising regenerated cellulose-based fibers randomly oriented and a low molecular weight polyether; And
And a wrapper surrounding the segment of filter material. 6. The method according to claim 2 or 5,
Wherein the low molecular weight polyether is polyethylene glycol. The method according to claim 6,
Wherein said polyethylene glycol has a number average molecular weight of between 200 and 3600. 8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
Wherein the regenerated cellulose-based fibers are crimped staple fibers. 9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the crimped staple fibers have a stretch length between 10 mm and 30 mm under tension between 5 cN / denier and 10 cN / denier. 10. The method according to claim 8 or 9,
Wherein the crimped staple fibers have a denier between 0.5 and 8.0 and a crimp ratio between 3 curves and 10 curves per fiber length of 10 mm. 11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
Wherein the regenerated cellulose-based fiber is a lyocell fiber. 12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
Wherein the wrapper comprises a degradable plug wrap comprised of a sheet of polymeric material, wherein the polymeric material comprises at least one water soluble polymer. An aerosol forming substrate; And
And a mouthpiece fixed in axial alignment with the aerosol forming substrate, wherein the mouthpiece comprises the filter according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

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