EP-4734779-A1 - SMOKING OR AEROSOL GENERATING PRODUCT

Abstract

The present invention regards a product which generates aerosols or smoke, in particular a product of the tobacco industry and/or intended for smokers, which contains or does not contain tobacco. Preferably, the product which generates smoke is a cigarette, a cigar or a cigarillo. The product which generates aerosols is preferably an electronic cigarette or a HNB cigarette (heat-not-burn), comprising a filter, wherein the filter consists of nanocellulose, obtained from cellulose subjected to oxidation with an opportune oxidising agent and in the presence of a nitroxide radical catalyst preferably 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine 1-oxyl, 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1- piperidinyloxy (TEMPO), and then subjected to cross-linking with at least one cross-linking agent selected between a polyamine and a linear or branched polyimine. The material obtained by oxidation and cross-linking is then subjected to freezing, lyophilization and baking to obtain a porous aerogel to be used for filtering the harmful substances present in the smoke generated by the combustion of the tobacco.

Inventors

• EUSEPI, IVAN
• DI LALLO, Valentina
• QUARELLI DI LESEGNO, Federico
• PUNTA, CARLO
• LIPPI, Martina
• Sacchetti, Alessandro

Assignees

• G.D S.p.A.

Dates

Publication Date

20260506

Application Date

20240626

Claims (15)

1. 1. A smoking or aerosol generating product comprising a filter, characterized in that the filter comprises or is constituted by oxidized nanocellulose cross-linked using at least one of the following cross-linking agents: a linear or branched polyamine or polyimine.
2. 2. The smoking or aerosol generating product according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one cross-linking agent is one of the following: branched polyethylenimine, chitosan, an amine derivative of polyethylene glycol (PEG), preferably chosen from one of the following: 4-arm amine PEG and 8-arm amine PEG, and a jeffamine, preferably Jeffamine EG-2003 and combinations thereof.
3. 3. The smoking or aerosol generating product according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a polycarboxylic acid, preferably citric acid, is used as an additional cross-linking agent, preferably in a quantity of between 10% and 30% in mmol compared to the primary amine groups of the cross-linking agent, more preferably between 15% and 20%.
4. 4. The smoking product according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the product is one of the following: a cigarette, a cigar or a cigarillo.
5. 5. The aerosol generating product according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the product is one of the following: an electronic cigarette or an HNB cigarette.
6. 6. The smoking or aerosol generating product according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the oxidized nanocellulose is obtained by treating the cellulose with one of the following oxidizing agents: HCIO, HCIO2 and salts thereof in the presence of a nitroxy radical catalyst, and one or more alkaline or earth-alkaline salts of HBr.
7. 7. The smoking or aerosol generating product according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the filter is in the form of a porous aerogel.
8. 8. The smoking or aerosol generating product according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the filter is obtained through a process comprising the following steps: a) oxidizing cellulose by treating it with one of the following oxidizing agents: HCIO, HCIO2 and salts thereof in the presence of a nitroxyl radical catalyst, and one or more alkaline or earth-alkaline salts of HBr; b) dispersing the oxidized cellulose in a basic solution and subjecting it to mechanical action, preferably by sonication, or homogenization until obtaining a homogeneous dispersion of cellulose nanofibres; c) adding at least one cross-linking agent selected from a linear or branched polyamine or polyimine to obtain a hydrogel; d) freezing the hydrogel at a temperature of between -20 °C and -210 °C followed by lyophilization to obtain a porous aerogel; e) heating the porous aerogel to a temperature of between 50°C and 1 10°C so as to cause cross-linking of the oxidized cellulose.
9. 9. The smoking or aerosol generating product according to claim 8, wherein at the end of step a), the oxidized cellulose has a degree of oxidation of between 0.8 mmol/g and 2 mmol/g, understood as millimoles of carboxyl groups per gramme of nanocellulose, preferably between 1 mmol/g and 1 .7 mmol/g.
10. 10. The smoking or aerosol generating product according to claim 8 or 9, wherein after step b), the dispersion of cellulose nanofibres is acidified and then subjected to filtration to remove the excess water (step b1)).
11. 1 1 . The smoking or aerosol generating product according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein before freezing and lyophilization, the hydrogel is placed in a mould to give it a shape suitable for use as a filter for a smoking product, preferably a cylindrical shape.
12. 12. A filter for a smoking or aerosol generating product, preferably for a cigarette, a cigar, a cigarillo, an electronic cigarette or an HNB cigarette, characterized in that it comprises or is constituted by oxidized cellulose cross-linked using at least one of the following cross-linking agents: a linear or branched polyamine or polyimine.
13. 13. A use of oxidized nanocellulose cross-linked using at least one of the following cross-linking agents: a linear polyamine or polyimine to prepare a filter for a smoking or aerosol generating product.
14. 14. The use of the filter according to claim 13 to filter and retain a plurality of harmful substances contained in the smoke generated by burning tobacco or contained in an aerosol generated by an aromatic or pharmaceutical mixture.
15. 15. A method for filtering the smoke generated by burning tobacco or to filter an aerosol generated by an aromatic or pharmaceutical mixture, comprising the following steps: a) providing a smoking or aerosol generating product comprising a filter according to any one of claims 1 to 12; b) generating the smoke by burning the tobacco or generating an aerosol by heating an aromatic or pharmaceutical mixture; c) inhaling the smoke or the aerosol through the filter.

Description

SMOKING OR AEROSOL GENERATING PRODUCT Technical field The invention relates to a product which generates aerosols or smoke preferably belonging to the tobacco industry and/or intended for smokers. In particular, the product which generates smoke is a cigarette comprising an oxidised cellulose cross-linked filter in the form of aerogel characterised by an appropriate porosity. Background art The cigarette filter, normally cylindrical in shape, is located at one end of the cigarette in order both to mechanically stop the inhalation of tobacco and the inhalation of the harmful agents produced by the combustion of the paper and the tobacco itself. An important secondary effect resulting from the use of cigarette filters is due to the disposal of these filters which are normally made of cellulose acetate, a compound characterised by a slow biodegradability. There is a strong need in the sector for filters made of material characterised by a better biodegradability compared with cellulose acetate and which at the same time have performance levels of filtration of the harmful components of smoke which are comparable or better than the prior art filters. Moreover, from a circular economic point of view, the filter should be made from waste materials. Aim of the invention The present invention relates to a product which generates aerosols or smoke provided with a filter at one end. The product which generates aerosols is preferably an electronic cigarette or a HNB cigarette (heat-not- burn). The product which generates smoke is preferably a cigarette with tobacco. Both the products comprise a filter. The filter comprises or is made of a composite material based on oxidised and cross-linked nanocellulose. According to an embodiment, the filter is in the form of aerogel obtained by oxidation and subsequent cross-linking of the nanocellulose. The filter is provided with micro and nano-porosity which allows an effective filtration of the harmful components of the smoke generated by the combustion of the tobacco and paper, or of the harmful components contained in the aerosol. The invention also relates to the use of a composite material based on oxidised and cross-linked nanocellulose to prepare a filter for a smoking product or aerosol, preferably a filter for a tobacco cigarette or an electronic cigarette or HNB cigarette, as well as the filter for a smoking product or aerosol which can be obtained by the oxidation and cross-linking reaction of the cellulose. The oxidised and cross-linked nanocellulose-based filter is used to filter and retain the harmful substances contained in the smoke generated by the combustion of the tobacco or to retain the harmful substances contained in the aerosol. According to an embodiment the invention also relates to a method for filtering the smoke generated by the combustion of the tobacco or by the generation of an aerosol which comprises: a) providing a smoking product or a product which generates aerosol comprising an oxidised and crosslinked nanocellulose-based filter and a tobacco-based mixture or an aerosol mixture; b) generating the smoke by burning the tobacco or generating an aerosol by heating a mixture suitable for generating an aerosol when heated; c) inhaling the smoke or the aerosol through the filter. Brief description of the drawings Figure 1 shows SEM photos which show the microporous morphology of the material resulting from Example 1 . Figure 2 shows SEM photos which show the microporous morphology of the material resulting from Example 5. Figure 3 shows SEM photos which show the microporous morphology of the material resulting from Example 6. Figure 4 shows SEM photos which show the microporous morphology of the material resulting from Example 7. Figure 5 shows SEM photos which show the microporous morphology of the material resulting from Example 8. Figure 6 shows SEM photos which show the microporous morphology of the material resulting from example 1 1 . Figure 7 shows SEM photos which show the microporous morphology of the material resulting from example 12. Detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention The term “smokers’ product provided with a filter” or “smokers’ product” is used to mean a product which comprises a filter at one end, in particular a cigarette, a cigar, a cigarillo or the like. The term “aerosol product” or “product which generates aerosol” is used to mean a product which comprises a mixture, for example an aromatic mixture or a pharmaceutical mixture, which if heated generates an aerosol. According to the invention, the smoking product or aerosol comprises an oxidised and cross-linked nanocellulose-based filter. In particular, the filter is obtained by subjecting the cellulose to an oxidation reaction which transforms the hydroxyl groups (-OH) in position C6 of the glucopyranose core into carboxyl groups (-COOH), available to a crosslinking reaction. The oxidation of hydroxyl groups to carboxyl groups promotes the nanodef