JP-7856243-B2 - Tobacco filters containing lyocelt

Inventors

• ヤン、ジン チュル
• フワン、イェオン ナム
• マ、キェン バエ
• アン、キ ジン
• チェオン、ボン ス
• ハ、スン フーン
• ジェオン、ジョン チョル
• ジン、サン ウー
• リー、ジェオン フン
• セオ、セウン ドン

Assignees

• ケーティー アンド ジー コーポレイション
• コロン インダストリーズ インコーポレイテッド

Dates

Publication Date

20260511

Application Date

20221103

Priority Date

20211207

Claims (10)

1. Lyocell toe, which consists of multiple lyocell fibers, The lyocell fibers are bound together by a binder, A cigarette filter having a hardness of 85% or more, The binder includes polyester, The polyester is a copolymer of an aromatic monomer and an aliphatic monomer. The hardness is calculated using the following formula 1: [Formula 1] Filter hardness (%) = [D - a] / D × 100 D is the filter diameter (mm), and a is the distance (mm) at which the cigarette filter is pressed by a 300g weight. Cigarette filter.
2. The tobacco filter according to claim 1, wherein the tobacco filter retains 80% or more of the hardness even 5 minutes after injecting 20 to 25 parts by weight of water based on 100 parts by weight of lyocell.
3. The aforementioned tobacco filter has a moisture disintegration degree of 7% or less. The degree of water decay mentioned above is calculated using the following formula 2: [Formula 2] Degree of water decay (%) = (1 - D² / D¹ ) × 100 The tobacco filter according to claim 2, wherein D1 represents the hardness (%) before water is added, and D2 represents the hardness (%) after water is added.
4. The tobacco filter according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the polyester has a weight-average molecular weight of 1,000 to 50,000.
5. The tobacco filter according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the polyester has a viscosity of less than 5 cps at 40°C in a 15% by weight aqueous solution of polyester.
6. The tobacco filter according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the aromatic monomer is a dicarboxylic acid having a C5 to C12 allylene group or a heteroalylene group.
7. The tobacco filter according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the aliphatic monomer is a diol having a C1-C4 alkylene group, a dicarboxylic acid having a C2-C12 alkylene group, or a combination thereof.
8. The tobacco filter according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the polyester comprises 0.1 to 5 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of lyocell.
9. The tobacco filter according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the binder further comprises hydroxypropyl methylcellulose or polyvinylpyrrolidone.
10. The tobacco filter according to claim 9 , wherein the weight ratio of polyester to hydroxypropyl methylcellulose or polyvinylpyrrolidone in the binder is 1:1 to 1:3.

Description

This invention relates to a tobacco filter containing lyocell tow. Specifically, the invention relates to a tobacco filter comprising lyocell tow consisting of a plurality of lyocell fibers and a binder that binds the lyocell fibers together, and having an excellent hardness of 85% or more. This application claims priority under Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0173488 dated December 7, 2021, and incorporates all the contents disclosed in the said Korean Patent Application as part of this Specification. Generally, to manufacture cigarettes, various types of leaf tobacco are first blended and processed to achieve the desired aroma and flavor. Next, the processed leaf tobacco is cut to produce cut tobacco leaves, which are then wrapped in cigarette paper to create unfiltered cigarettes. Finally, a filter is attached to the unfiltered cigarettes as needed. Cigarette papers can be manufactured from flax, wood pulp, etc., and are required to maintain flammability and tobacco flavor during combustion. Tobacco filters may contain activated carbon, flavoring agents, etc., and can consist of a single or multi-filter, wrapped in cigarette filter wrapping paper. The tobacco section and the tobacco filter are connected by tipping paper, which may contain fine pores. Conventional cigarette filters use cellulose acetate tow, which is made by extracting and acetylating cellulose from wood pulp. Recently, however, in order to protect the natural environment and reduce costs, efforts are being made to develop alternative materials that are more environmentally friendly. For example, tow is being developed using lyocell fibers, which are made by fibrousizing cellulose itself, unlike cellulose acetate. Hardness is an important indicator related to consumer needs and the workability of tobacco manufacturing in cigarette filters. When cigarette filters are manufactured using tows, which are bundles of fiber strands, the low hardness of the tow makes them unsuitable, and it is necessary to improve the hardness to a certain level in order to use them as cigarette filters. For example, there are two methods for improving the hardness of filters: using a hardening agent and using a plasticizer. The method using a hardening agent involves using a binder-like substance to bond the fiber strands together and impart hardness to the filter, making it stronger. The method using a plasticizer involves using a specific substance to partially dissolve or plasticize the fibers themselves to form joints between the fibers, and then plasticizing them. Conventional cellulose acetate filters utilize plasticizers (triacetin, triethyl citrate) to partially dissolve the fiber strands, thereby hardening them and imparting hardness to the tobacco filter. However, since there are currently no plasticizers available for lyocell fibers, developing a hardness enhancer suitable for lyocell fibers is essential. Unlike hydrophobic cellulose acetate, the aforementioned lyocell fibers are known to be hydrophilic. Therefore, even if their hardness is increased with a hardness enhancer and applied to cigarette filters, it is crucial to consider that their structure will not collapse due to moisture supplied by smokers during smoking. The inventors recognized the technical challenges with the aforementioned lyocell fiber material and, after continuous research into functional lyocell suitable for application in cigarette filters, completed the present invention. Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2015-0035800 This figure shows a schematic configuration of a smoking article according to one specific example of the present invention. The following provides a detailed explanation of specific examples based on illustrative drawings. Note that when assigning reference numerals to components in each drawing, we have tried to ensure that the same component has the same reference numeral whenever possible, even if it appears in different drawings. Furthermore, when explaining specific examples, if a detailed explanation of a related known configuration or function is deemed to hinder the understanding of the example, that detailed explanation will be omitted. Furthermore, when describing the components of a specific example, terms such as "First," "Second," "A," "B," (a), and (b) may be used. These terms are used to distinguish a component from other components, and do not limit its essence, order, or sequence. When it is stated that any component is "connected," "joined," or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that while that component may be directly connected or linked to other components, other components may also be "connected," "joined," or "connected" between each component. Components included in any one specific example and components sharing common functions shall be described using the same name in the other specific examples. Unless otherwise stated, the descriptions in any one specific example may apply to the other examples, and sp