WO2024162781A1 - Smoking product filter comprising lyocell tow, and smoking product comprising same - Google Patents

Abstract

A smoking product filter and a smoking product are provided. The smoking product filter comprises: a filter part, which includes lyocell tow comprising lyocell fiber, and a phenol-reducing material dispersed in the lyocell tow; and a filter part wrapper, which encompasses the filter part and has undergone oil-resistant treatment, wherein the filter part wrapper has a basis weight of 30-180 gsm.

Description

Filter for smoking article comprising lyocell tow, and smoking article comprising same

The present invention relates to a filter for a smoking article, comprising a filter part including lyocell tow having a phenol-reducing material dispersed therein, and a filter part wrapper formed of an oil-resistant paper (i.e., oil-resistant hard paper) having a range of a predetermined basis weight or more and surrounding the filter part, and a smoking article including the same.

A typical cigarette filter contains cellulose acetate tow, which is made by extracting cellulose from wood pulp and acetylating it. In addition, cigarette filters are assembled into cigarette products, distributed to consumers, provided for smoking, and ultimately discarded after smoking the cigarette. In addition, cigarette filters are also directly discarded as manufacturing residue from cigarette filter manufacturing plants. These cigarette filter wastes are collected as waste and landfilled for processing. In addition, in some cases, cigarettes are not collected as waste and are left in the natural environment.

Accordingly, research is being conducted recently to replace cellulose acetate tow with eco-friendly materials to protect the natural environment and reduce costs. For example, development of tow using lyocell fibers, which are fibers made from cellulose itself, is underway, unlike cellulose acetate.

In the manufacture of filters for smoking articles, a phenol-reducing substance capable of specifically reducing phenols generated during smoking is added to reduce the phenol smoke component in mainstream smoke. It is known that phenol-reducing substances such as polyethylene glycol (hereinafter referred to as "PEG"), triethyl citrate (hereinafter referred to as "TEC"), and triacetin (hereinafter referred to as "TA") are added to cellulose acetate tow. When a phenol-reducing substance composed of PEG, TEC, and TA is added to hydrophobic cellulose acetate, there is a problem in that the phenol-reducing substance also functions as a plasticizer for the cellulose acetate fibers, thereby bonding the hydrophobic cellulose acetate fibers together and reducing biodegradability.

Meanwhile, when phenol-reducing substances such as PEG, TEC, and TA are added to lyocell fibers, the lyocell fibers do not undergo plasticization. Accordingly, it was discovered that adding phenol-reducing substances such as PEG, TEC, and TA to lyocell fibers does not reduce biodegradability, but reduces the phenol smoke component in mainstream smoke.

Meanwhile, when phenol-reducing substances such as PEG, TEC, and TA are added to lyocell fibers to reduce the phenol smoke component in mainstream smoke, problems such as the hardness of the lyocell tow, which includes the lyocell fibers, being reduced due to lack of plasticization, resulting in filter collapse, etc. In order to supplement the problem of reduced hardness, a solution has been proposed to provide a predetermined hardness to the filter for smoking articles by wrapping the filter part wrapper covering the lyocell tow using a high basis weight paper referred to as hard paper when manufacturing a filter for smoking articles.

Meanwhile, hard paper has a higher basis weight than general paper and provides a certain hardness to the filter for smoking articles, but there is a problem in that the phenol reduction performance of the filter for smoking articles is reduced as the phenol reduction material dispersed in the lyocell tow is transferred and absorbed from the filter part including the lyocell tow to the filter paper (hereinafter, “filter part wrapper”).

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a filter for a smoking article, which can solve the hardness problem inherent in lyocell tow by configuring the filter part wrapper with a paper having a weight greater than a certain value and having an oil-resistant treatment on the surface (i.e., an oil-resistant hard paper).

In addition, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a filter for a smoking article, in which the filter part wrapper is composed of a paper having a weight equal to or greater than a certain value and having an oil-resistant treatment on the surface (i.e., an oil-resistant hard paper), thereby minimizing the amount of a phenol-reducing material transferred from a filter part including lyocell tow and a phenol-reducing material dispersed in the lyocell tow to the filter part wrapper, thereby more effectively removing components such as phenols present in cigarette smoke components during smoking and providing an excellent biodegradable filter for a smoking article.

In addition, another problem to be solved by the present invention is to solve the problem of hardness of lyocell tow by configuring the filter part wrapper that wraps the filter part including lyocell tow in a smoking article with a paper having a weight greater than a certain value and having an oil-resistant treatment on the surface (i.e., an oil-resistant hard paper), thereby minimizing the amount of a phenol-reducing substance transferred from lyocell tow to the filter part wrapper, thereby more effectively removing components such as phenols present in cigarette smoke components during smoking, and providing an excellent biodegradable smoking article.

The technical problems of the present invention are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs from the description below.

According to one embodiment of the present invention for solving the above problem, a filter for a smoking article comprises: a lyocell tow including lyocell fibers; a filter part including a phenol-reducing material dispersed in the lyocell tow; and a filter part wrapper surrounding the filter part and subjected to an oil-resistant treatment, wherein the filter part wrapper is characterized in that it has a basis weight of 30 gsm to 180 gsm.

Additionally, the phenol-reducing material may include at least one of triethyl citrate (TEC), polyethylene glycol (PEG), and triacetin (TA).

Additionally, the filter part wrapper may be characterized by having a basis weight of 40 gsm to 160 gsm.

Additionally, the filter part wrapper may be characterized by having a basis weight of 70 gsm to 150 gsm.

Additionally, the hardness of the filter portion may be characterized as being 93% to 99%.

Additionally, the filter part wrapper may have an induction resistance of 8 or higher based on the 3M KIT method.

In addition, the rate of transfer of the phenol-reducing material to the filter part wrapper is 1% to 13%,

In addition, the rate of transfer of the phenol-reducing material into the filter part wrapper is defined as a percentage of the weight of the phenol-reducing material included in the filter part wrapper with respect to the total weight of the phenol-reducing material included in the filter for smoking articles, and the total weight of the phenol-reducing material included in the filter for smoking articles may be the sum of the weight of the phenol-reducing material included in the filter part and the weight of the phenol-reducing material included in the filter part wrapper.

In addition, the rate of transfer of the phenol-reducing material to the filter part wrapper may be characterized as being 2% to 5%.

According to one embodiment of the present invention for solving the above-described other problem, a smoking article comprises: a smoking material portion; and a smoking article filter disposed upstream of the smoking material portion, wherein the smoking article filter comprises a filter portion comprising lyocell tow including lyocell fibers, and a phenol-reducing material dispersed in the lyocell tow; and a filter portion wrapper that surrounds the filter portion and is oil-resistant, wherein the filter portion wrapper is characterized in that it has a basis weight of 30 gsm to 180 gsm.

According to a filter for a smoking article according to one embodiment and a smoking article including the same, a filter part wrapper including lyocell tow having a phenol-reducing material dispersed therein is formed of a paper having a weight greater than a certain value and having an oil-resistant treatment on the surface (i.e., an oil-resistant hard paper), thereby solving the problem of hardness that lyocell tow fundamentally has.

In addition, according to a filter for a smoking article according to one embodiment and a smoking article including the same, by configuring a filter part wrapper that wraps lyocell tow having a phenol-reducing substance dispersed therein and a paper roll having a weight greater than a certain value and having an oil-resistant treatment on the surface (i.e., an oil-resistant hard paper roll), the amount of the phenol-reducing substance transferred from the filter part to the filter part wrapper is minimized, thereby optimizing the content of the phenol-reducing substance remaining in the filter part, thereby more effectively removing components such as phenols present in cigarette smoke components during smoking.

In addition, according to a filter for a smoking article according to one embodiment and a smoking article including the same, even though a phenol-reducing material such as PEG, TEC, or TA is added to lyocell tow, the phenol-reducing material does not act as a plasticizer for lyocell tow, so that a filter for a smoking article having excellent biodegradability and phenol-reducing performance can be provided, and a smoking article including the same.

The effects according to the technical idea of the present disclosure are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

FIG. 1 is a drawing showing a schematic configuration of a smoking article according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The advantages and features of the present disclosure and the methods for achieving them will become apparent with reference to the embodiments described in detail below together with the accompanying drawings. However, the technical idea of the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments but may be implemented in various different forms, and the following embodiments are provided only to make the technical idea of the present disclosure complete and to fully inform a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure belongs of the scope of the present disclosure, and the technical idea of the present disclosure is defined only by the scope of the claims.

When adding reference signs to components of each drawing, it should be noted that the same components are given the same signs as much as possible even if they are shown on different drawings. In addition, when describing the present disclosure, if it is determined that a specific description of a related known configuration or function may obscure the gist of the present disclosure, the detailed description is omitted.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used in this specification can be used in the meaning that can be commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. In addition, terms defined in commonly used dictionaries are not to be ideally or excessively interpreted unless explicitly specifically defined. The terminology used in this specification is for the purpose of describing embodiments and is not intended to limit this disclosure. In this specification, the singular also includes the plural unless specifically stated in the phrase.

Also, in describing components of the present disclosure, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. may be used. These terms are only intended to distinguish the components from other components, and the nature, order, or sequence of the components are not limited by the terms. When it is described that a component is "connected," "coupled," or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that the component may be directly connected or connected to the other component, but another component may also be "connected," "coupled," or "connected" between each component.

As used herein, the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising” do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other components, steps, operations and/or elements.

First, let us clarify some terms used in this specification.

As used herein, a "smoking article" may mean any smokeable product or any product capable of providing a smoking experience, whether based on tobacco, a tobacco derivative, expanded tobacco, reconstituted tobacco or a tobacco substitute. For example, smoking articles may include smokeable products such as cigarettes, cigars and cigarillos.

In this specification, “smoking material” may mean any type of material that can be used in a smoking article.

In this specification, “upstream” or “upstream direction” may mean a direction away from the smoker’s mouth, and “downstream” or “downstream direction” may mean a direction toward the smoker’s mouth.

In this specification, “longitudinal direction” may mean a direction corresponding to the longitudinal axis of the smoking article.

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

FIG. 1 is a drawing showing a schematic configuration of a smoking article according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Throughout the specification, a "smoking article" may mean an article capable of generating an aerosol, such as a cigarette (cigarette), a cigar, etc. The smoking article may include an aerosol generating material or an aerosol forming substrate. Additionally, the smoking article may include a solid material based on tobacco raw materials, such as leaf tobacco, tobacco ash, or reconstituted tobacco. The smoking material may include a volatile compound.

In addition, throughout the specification, 'upstream' or 'upstream direction' means a direction away from the mouth of a user smoking the smoking article (100), and 'downstream' or 'downstream direction' means a direction approaching the mouth of a user smoking the smoking article (100). For example, in the smoking article (100) illustrated in FIG. 1, the smoking material portion (10) is located upstream or in the upstream direction of the filter portion (20) included in the filter for the smoking article.

Furthermore, in this specification, the smoking article (100) is described as an example of a combustion-type cigarette, but is not limited thereto, and the smoking article (100) may correspond to a heated cigarette, etc. used with an aerosol generating device (not shown) such as an electronic cigarette device.

Referring to FIG. 1, a smoking article (100) includes a smoking material portion (10), a filter portion (20), a smoking material portion wrapper (30a), a filter portion wrapper (30b), and a tip paper (40). The filter for a smoking article may include a filter portion (20) and a filter portion wrapper (30b) surrounding the filter portion (20). In the smoking article (100), the smoking material portion (10) is located upstream compared to the filter portion (20).

The smoking material portion (10) can be filled with a smoking material such as raw tobacco leaf, a sheet leaf, or a mixture of leaf tobacco and a sheet leaf. The processed smoking material can be filled in the smoking material portion (10) in the form of a sheet or a piece of paper. The smoking material portion (10) can have an elongated rod shape, and its length, circumference, and diameter are not particularly limited, but can be adjusted to a size generally used in the relevant technical field in consideration of the amount of smoking material filled, the user's preference, etc.

The smoking material portion (10) may include at least one aerosol-generating material selected from the group consisting of glycerin, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol and oleyl alcohol. The smoking material portion (10) may contain other additives such as flavoring agents, humectants and/or acetate compounds. The aerosol-generating material and additives may be contained in the smoking material.

The above smoking material portion (10) may be wrapped by a smoking material portion wrapper (30a). Some of the cigarette smoke generated during the combustion process of a typical smoking material portion (10) is released into the atmosphere through the smoking material portion wrapper (30a) before passing through the cigarette filter, and the side smoke causes discomfort to passive smokers. Various attempts have been made to reduce such side smoke, such as adding fillers such as magnesium oxide, titanium oxide, cerium oxide, aluminum oxide, calcium carbonate, and zirconium carbonate to conventional cigarette paper. However, simply applying such fillers to reduce side smoke results in a decrease in the taste of smoking, combustion extinguishment, and decrease in burn-out stability, and it has been difficult to solve the above-mentioned problem through an appropriate combination of materials included in the fillers. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a smoking material wrapper (30a) uses a filler mixed with magnesium oxide (MgO and/or Mg(OH)2) and calcium carbonate (CaCO3) to reduce side smoke and prevent a decrease in smoking sensation, burning sensation, and burnout.

The filter for a smoking article may be arranged downstream of the smoking material portion (10). The filter portion (20) of the filter for a smoking article is arranged downstream of the smoking material portion (10) and functions as a filter through which aerosol material generated from the smoking material portion (10) passes immediately before the user inhales it. The filter portion (20) may be manufactured from various materials or shapes. The filter portion (20) according to one embodiment of the present invention may basically include lyocell tow in which a phenol-reducing material is dispersed in a plurality of lyocell fibers. The filter for a smoking article including the lyocell tow may replace all or part of the filter portion (20) of an existing smoking article, and when replacing part of it, a previously used filter material may be used together. Existing filter materials may include, for example, a cellulose acetate filter, a hollow tube filter, etc.

In Fig. 1, the filter unit (20) is illustrated as a mono filter consisting of a single filter, but is not limited thereto. For example, the filter unit (20) may be provided as a dual filter or triple filter having two or more filters to increase filter efficiency.

In some embodiments, when the filter unit (20) is provided as a dual filter or a triple filter, etc., one of the plurality of filters may be a filter (hereinafter, “Lyocell filter”) including Lyocell tow including the Lyocell fiber of the present invention and a filter including a phenol-reducing material dispersed in the Lyocell tow, and another filter of the plurality of filters may be a cellulose acetate filter and/or a paper filter. In this case, the length of the Lyocell filter of the present invention may have a length of 25% to 50% of the total length of the filter unit (20). In addition, although not shown, the inside of the filter unit (20) may further include a crushable capsule (not shown) having a structure in which a content liquid including a fragrance is wrapped with a film.

The filter part wrapper (30b) surrounds the filter part (20) and can package the filter part (20). The filter part wrapper (30b) can be made of a hard paper having oil resistance. A detailed description of the filter part wrapper (30b) will be described later. Although not limited thereto, the inner surface of the filter part wrapper (30b) facing the filter part (20) may further include aluminum foil.

The smoking material portion (10) wrapped by the smoking material portion wrapper (30a) and the filter portion (20) wrapped by the filter portion wrapper (30b) can be combined and wrapped by the tip paper (40). The tip paper (40) can be wrapped around at least a portion (for example, a downstream portion) of the smoking material portion wrapper (30a) and the periphery of the filter portion wrapper (30b) as illustrated in FIG. 1. In other words, at least a portion of the smoking material portion (10) and the filter portion (20) can be further wrapped and physically combined by the tip paper (40).

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the tip paper (40) may be made of nonporous paper that has not been oil-treated, but is not limited thereto. In addition, the tip paper (40) may prevent the filter part (20) from burning by including a non-combustible material, but is not limited thereto.

In addition, although not shown in the drawing, the smoking article (100) may further include a hollow tube structure, which is a tube-shaped structure including a hollow space inside. The hollow tube structure may be placed downstream of the lyocell filter.

In some embodiments, the hollow tube structure may have perforations formed therein, but is not limited thereto. The hollow tube structure may not have perforations formed therein. In some embodiments, when the hollow tube structure has perforations formed therein, the perforations may be formed at a position 10 mm to 15 mm upstream from the downstream end of the smoking article (100).

Hereinafter, a filter for a smoking article according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

The present invention relates to a filter for a smoking article included in a smoking article (100), and a filter for a smoking article according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a filter part (20) including lyocell tow including lyocell fibers and a phenol-reducing material dispersed in the lyocell tow, and a filter part wrapper (30b) surrounding the filter part (20).

The above lyocell fiber is an eco-friendly fiber made from cellulose extracted from wood pulp. The above lyocell tow refers to a bundle formed by cross-linking adjacent lyocell fibers.

In some embodiments, the lyocell fibers may have a non-circular cross-section. A non-circular cross-section is defined as a cross-section whose shape is not circular but includes a plurality of protrusions. For example, a cross-section having a shape in which a plurality of protrusions extend from a center may be referred to as a non-circular cross-section.

In some embodiments, the lyocell fibers may have, but are not limited to, a Y-shaped cross-section with three protrusions branching from the center, a cruciform cross-section with four protrusions, a star-shaped cross-section with five or more protrusions, or an O-shaped cross-section.

In one embodiment, the phenol reducing material corresponds to a material capable of specifically reducing phenols generated during smoking, and may include at least one of polyethylene glycol (hereinafter referred to as 'PEG'), triethyl citrate (hereinafter referred to as 'TEC'), and triacetin (hereinafter referred to as 'TA').

In some embodiments, the phenol-reducing material may include PEG, may include TEC, or may include both PEG and TEC. However, without limitation, the phenol-functional material additionally added to at least one of the PEG, TEC, and TA is not limited as long as it is a material capable of reducing phenols generated during smoking.

In some embodiments, the phenol-reducing material may be uniformly dispersed in the lyocell tow and distributed throughout the entire area of the lyocell tow constituting the filter member (20).

The above phenol reducing material may be applied on the surface of the lyocell fibers constituting the lyocell tow. Meanwhile, at least one of PEG, TEC, and TA, which are exemplary materials of the phenol reducing material according to one embodiment, may perform a plasticizer function for the cellulose acetate fibers but may not act as a plasticizer for the lyocell fibers. Accordingly, when at least one of PEG, TEC, and TA is included as the phenol reducing material, the lyocell fibers may not be plasticized by the phenol reducing material even though the phenol reducing material is applied on the surface of the lyocell fibers.

A filter for a smoking article to which lyocell tow according to the present invention is applied can have a superior effect in reducing phenols generated during smoking compared to a filter for a smoking article to which a phenol reducing substance is not added, by including at least one phenol reducing substance among PEG, TEC, or TA dispersed on the lyocell tow.

In some embodiments, the polyethylene glycol (PEG) included in the phenol-reducing material can have a weight average molecular weight (M.W) of 50 to 10,000, 50 to 2500, 200 to 2000, 500 to 700, or 600.

In some embodiments, when the phenol-reducing material comprises TEC and PEG, the ratio of the contents of TEC and PEG may be, but is not limited to, 9:1 to 7:3.

The filter for a smoking article may have different phenol reduction performance depending on the molecular weight of the polyethylene glycol (PEG) when the phenol reduction material dispersed in the lyocell tow includes polyethylene glycol (PEG). Specifically, when the polyethylene glycol (PEG) dispersed in the lyocell tow has a weight average molecular weight within the above range, the phenol reduction performance of the filter for a smoking article manufactured using the lyocell tow may be excellent. Preferably, when the polyethylene glycol (PEG) dispersed in the lyocell tow has a weight average molecular weight of 600, the phenol reduction performance of the filter for a smoking article manufactured using the lyocell tow may be the best, but the molecular weight of the polyethylene glycol (PEG) is not limited thereto.

The filter part wrapper (30b) can be arranged to surround the filter part (20). The filter part wrapper (30b) has a weight greater than a predetermined value and can be composed (manufactured) of an oil-resistant hard paper that has been oil-resistant treated.

Meanwhile, since the filter part wrapper (30b) is composed of a hard paper having a weight greater than a predetermined value, it not only functions as a packaging material surrounding the filter part (20) including lyocell tow, but also can perform the function of providing a certain level of hardness or greater to the filter for a smoking article according to the present invention.

Specifically, when the filter part (20) is composed of lyocell tow in which at least one phenol-reducing material among PEG, TEC, and TA is dispersed, the hardness of the lyocell tow may be reduced because the phenol-reducing material does not plasticize the lyocell fiber. Accordingly, the hardness of the filter for smoking articles may be supplemented by the filter part wrapper (30b) that wraps the filter part (20) being composed of a hard paper having a basis weight greater than a predetermined value.

In some embodiments, the filter portion wrapper (30b) may include a paper having a basis weight of 30 gsm to 180 gsm, 35 gsm to 170 gsm, 40 gsm to 160 gsm, 50 gsm to 158 gsm, 60 gsm to 155 gsm, 70 gsm to 150 gsm, or 75 gsm to 150 gsm. Since the filter portion wrapper (30b) is composed of a paper having a high basis weight, the hardness of the filter portion (20) including the lyocell tow having the phenol-reducing material dispersed therein is supplemented by the filter portion wrapper (30b), so that the hardness of the filter for smoking articles is at a certain level or higher, thereby solving the problem of reduced hardness of the filter for smoking articles.

In some embodiments, the filter portion wrapper (30b) may be made of an oil-resistant paper having been subjected to an oil-resistant treatment. The oil-resistant treatment may be performed by applying an oil-resistant coating material to a paper having a weight greater than a predetermined value by a size-press method to impart oil resistance to the filter portion wrapper (30b). In an exemplary embodiment, the oil-resistant coating material may include a Fluoracrylate Copolymer, but is not limited thereto, and the oil-resistant coating material is any material capable of imparting oil resistance to a hard paper and is not limited thereto.

The filter part wrapper (30b) may include a first surface (or inner surface) facing the filter part (20) and a second surface (or outer surface) opposite the first surface (inner surface), and at least one surface of the inner surface and outer surface of the filter part wrapper (30b) may be subjected to an oil treatment.

In an exemplary embodiment, the oil-resistant treatment may be performed only on the inner surface of the filter part wrapper (30b) so that only the inner surface of the filter part wrapper (30b) has oil resistance, the oil-resistant treatment may be performed only on the outer surface of the filter part wrapper (30b) so that only the outer surface of the filter part wrapper (30b) has oil resistance, or the oil-resistant treatment may be performed on both the inner and outer surfaces of the filter part wrapper (30b) so that both the inner and outer surfaces have oil resistance.

Since the filter part wrapper (30b) is manufactured from a paper having been oil-resistant treated, the rate of transfer of the phenol-reducing material from the lyocell tow in which the phenol-reducing material is dispersed to the filter part wrapper (30b) can be minimized compared to paper having not been oil-resistant treated (i.e., not oil-resistant). Specifically, since the filter part wrapper (30b) has oil resistance as a result of being oil-resistant treated, the phenol-reducing material dispersed in the lyocell tow, which moves from the lyocell tow to the filter part wrapper (30b), can be prevented from being transferred to the filter part wrapper (30b). Accordingly, the phenol-reducing material on the lyocell tow can be prevented from being absorbed into the filter part wrapper (30b). Accordingly, it is possible to solve the problem of the filter part wrapper (30b) becoming wet with the phenol-reducing material, thereby lowering the hardness of the filter for smoking articles, or the problem of the residual amount of the phenol-reducing material remaining on the lyocell tow decreasing.

In some embodiments, the filter part wrapper (30b) can have an oil resistance of 8 or more, 9 or more, 10 or more, or 11 or more based on the 3M KIT method. The oil resistance of the filter part wrapper (30b) can be a value obtained by measuring the oil resistance of at least one of the outer surface and the inner surface of the filter part wrapper (30b). In some embodiments, oil resistance treatment is performed on both the outer surface and the inner surface of the filter part wrapper (30b), and the oil resistances of the outer surface and the inner surface of the filter part wrapper (30b) can be 8 or more, 9 or more, 10 or more, or 11 or more, respectively. Since the filter part wrapper (30b) is composed of an oil resistant hard paper having the oil resistance, the amount of a phenol-reducing material transferred from the lyocell tow to the filter part wrapper (30b) can be reduced.

Meanwhile, the measurement of the induction resistance by the 3M KIT method was performed as follows. Specifically, in order to analyze the induction resistance of the paper, a solution for measuring the induction resistance was prepared using a method commonly used, and the solution was dropped onto the test piece. After a certain period of time, the induction resistance was judged as the highest solution number that did not leave oil marks on the test piece. The solution was prepared by mixing Castor oil, Toluene, and Heptane at a ratio determined by Kit Number as shown in [Table 1] below.

Kit number Castor oil (mL) Toluene (mL) Heptane (mL) 1 200 0 0 2 180 10 10 3 160 20 20 4 140 30 30 5 120 40 40 6 100 50 50 7 80 60 60 8 60 70 70 9 40 80 80 10 20 90 90 11 0 100 100 12 0 90 110

The test piece was tested starting with a reagent with a low Kit Number, and a drop of the manufactured reagent was dropped on the test piece. After 15 seconds, the dropped reagent was removed using a cotton swab or tissue, and then it was examined whether there was an oil stain. If no oil stain appeared, the experiment was continued while increasing the kit number until an oil stain appeared. The final kit number without an oil stain was applied to evaluate the oil resistance. As a result of evaluating the induction resistance of the aerosol-generating article according to the present disclosure based on the above-described 3M KIT method, it was confirmed that the filter wrapper (30b) according to the embodiment can have an induction resistance of 8 or more, 9 or more, 10 or more, or 11 or more based on the 3M KIT method.

In some embodiments, a smoking article filter including a filter member (20) and a filter member wrapper (30b) surrounding the filter member according to the present invention may have a hardness of 93% to 99%, 93.5% to 98.5%, 94% to 98%, 94.3% to 97.8%, or 93.4 to 97%. The hardness of the smoking article filter is a value that quantifies the degree to which the diameter of the smoking article filter is maintained when the smoking article filter is pressed with a certain level of force in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the smoking article filter, and may be a value that is a percentage value that is a ratio between the diameter of the smoking article filter before applying the force and the diameter of the smoking article filter after applying the force.

Specifically, the filter for a smoking article according to the present invention comprises a filter part wrapper (30b) surrounding the filter part (20) and composed of an oil-resistant hard paper having a weight greater than a predetermined value and oil resistance, thereby supplementing the hardness of the lyocell tow and preventing the phenol-reducing material dispersed in the lyocell tow from being transferred to the filter part wrapper (30b), thereby preventing the filter part wrapper (30b) from being wetted by the phenol-reducing material, so that the filter for a smoking article can have the hardness range described above.

In one embodiment, the rate of migration of the phenol-reducing material into the filter part wrapper (30b), which is defined as a percentage of the weight of the phenol-reducing material included in the filter part wrapper (30b) with respect to the total weight of the phenol-reducing material included in the filter for the smoking article, may be 1% to 13%, 1.2% to 10%, 1.4% to 8%, 1.6% to 7%, 1.8% to 6%, 2% to 5%, or 3% to 4.5%. Meanwhile, the total weight of the phenol-reducing material included in the filter for the smoking article may be calculated as the sum of the weight of the phenol-reducing material included in the filter part (20) and the weight of the phenol-reducing material included in the filter part wrapper (30b).

Hereinafter, the composition of the present invention and the effects thereof will be described in more detail through examples and comparative examples. However, these examples are intended to explain the present invention more specifically, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to these examples.

Example 1

Using a filter manufacturing equipment manufactured by TYM (the operating mechanism is the same as that of the filter manufacturing equipment for CA tow), a phenol-reducing material including TEC was added by spraying it at 50 mg/rod to lyocell tow, and then the lyocell tow in which TEC was dispersed was wrapped with an oil-resistant hard paper having a weight of 75 gsm and an inner and outer oil resistance of 11, thereby manufacturing a smoking article filter having a length of 126 mm. The oil resistance of the oil-resistant hard paper can be a value measured by the oil resistance measuring method described above.

Example 2

A filter for a smoking article was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1, except that PEG 600 was used as the phenol-reducing material dispersed on the lyocell tow.

Comparative Example 1

A filter for a smoking article was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the paper surrounding the lyocell tow was a general hard paper having a basis weight of 75 gsm and not subjected to an oil-proofing treatment.

Comparative Example 2

A filter for a smoking article was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 2, except that the paper surrounding the lyocell tow was a general hard paper having a basis weight of 75 gsm and not subjected to an oil-proofing treatment.

Experimental Example 1: Evaluation of the amount of phenol-reducing material transferred to the filter wrapper

In order to measure the transfer rate of the phenol-reducing substance into the filter wrapper of the above Examples 1-2 and Comparative Examples 1-2 (i.e., the transfer characteristics of the phenol-reducing substance into the filter wrapper), smoking article filters were randomly sampled, the weight of the smoking article filter samples was measured, and in order to measure the weight of the filter wrapper (i.e., the filter paper), the lyocell tow portion was removed from the smoking article filters sampled, and the weight of the filter wrapper (i.e., the filter paper) was measured. Next, 50 mL of the extraction solution included in the internal standard solution was added to each of the sampled filter samples, stirred for 60 min, and the TEC component was analyzed using GC-FID (DB-WAX column) and the PEG component was analyzed using an HPLD device to measure the residual amount of the phenol-reducing substance.

Next, the percentage of the weight of the phenol-reducing material included in the filter part wrapper with respect to the total weight of the phenol-reducing material included in the filter for smoking articles was calculated, and the value was rounded to the second decimal place to calculate the transfer rate to the filter part wrapper. The results of the measured residual amount of the phenol-reducing material and the transfer rate to the filter part wrapper are shown in Tables 2 and 3 below.

division Residual amount of phenol reducing substance (TEC) (mg/rod) TEC migration rate to filter wrapper (%) Filter wrapper Filter All Example 1 4.7 109.0 4.3 Comparative Example 1 32.8 123.8 26.5

division Residual amount of phenol-reducing agent (PEG 600) (mg/rod) Migration rate of PEG 600 into the filter wrapper (%) Filter wrapper Filter All Example 2 0.8 21.3 3.8 Comparative Example 2 3.6 25.1 14.3

As shown in Table 2 and Table 3 above, even though the filter part wrapper (30b) is manufactured with hard paper having the same basis weight, it can be confirmed that the amount of phenol-reducing material transferred from the filter part (20) to the filter part wrapper (30b) is reduced as the filter part wrapper (30b) has oil resistance. Specifically, in Example 1 including the same phenol-reducing material, TEC, the transfer rate of TEC from the filter part (20) to the filter part wrapper (30b) was significantly reduced from 26.5% to 4.3% compared to Comparative Example 1 due to the oil resistance of the filter part wrapper (30b), and in Example 2 including the same phenol-reducing material, PEG 600, the transfer rate of PEG 600 from the filter part (20) to the filter part wrapper (30b) was significantly reduced from 14.3% to 3.8% compared to Comparative Example 2 due to the oil resistance of the filter part wrapper (30b). Accordingly, it can be expected that the residual amount of the phenol-reducing material included in the filter part (20) composed of lyocell tow can be increased in oil-resistant hard paper compared to general hard paper, thereby improving the phenol-reducing performance of the filter for smoking articles.

Example 3

A filter for a smoking article was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the phenol-reducing agent including TEC was added by spraying it onto lyocell tow at 70 mg/rod instead of 50 mg/rod.

Comparative Example 3

A filter for smoking articles was manufactured in the same manner as in Comparative Example 1, except that the phenol-reducing material was not sprayed on the lyocell tow (i.e., the phenol-reducing material was not added to the filter section (20)).

Experimental Example 2: Evaluation of Phenol Reduction Performance of Filters for Smoking Articles According to Addition of Phenol Reduction Substance and Oil Treatment of Filter Part Wrapper

Smoking articles were manufactured using the smoking article filters of Comparative Examples 1-2 and Examples 1 and 3, and a cigarette smoking machine HAUNI LX20 manual (Linear type) was used as a smoking device, and smoke components smoked were captured using a Cambridge filter pad (CFP), and 30 mL of 1% acetic acid was added to the captured pad to extract substances, stirred, and filtered using a 0.45 μm PVDF syringe filter, and analyzed using an Alliance HPLC-FLD analyzer from Water Co. The results are shown in Table 4 below.

Smoke component transfer amount (ug/cig) Phenol m+p, o-cresols Comparative Example 3 50.5 39.4 Comparative Example 1 27.9 22.9 Example 1 23.6 19.7 Example 3 18.5 16.1

As shown in Table 4 above, it can be confirmed that the amount of phenol migration was significantly reduced in Comparative Example 1 and Example 1 in which a phenol reduction material (specifically, TEC) was dispersed in the lyocell tow, compared to Comparative Example 3 in which a phenol reduction material was not added to the lyocell tow. In addition, it can be confirmed that the amount of phenol migration was further reduced in Example 1 in which the filter part wrapper (30b) was made of an oil-resistant hard paper compared to Comparative Example 1 in which the filter part wrapper (30b) was made of a general hard paper. That is, it can be confirmed that when a phenol reduction material (specifically, TEC) is added to the filter part (20), the phenol reduction effect increases compared to when it is not added, and when the filter part (20) is wrapped with a filter part wrapper (30b) made of an oil-resistant hard paper, the phenol reduction effect is more excellent. In addition, it can be confirmed that Example 3, which has a larger amount of a phenol-reducing substance (specifically, TEC), has a better phenol-reducing effect than Example 1.

This means that when the filter wrapper (30b) is made of an oil-resistant hard paper, compared to when it is made of a general hard paper, the amount of phenol-reducing material transferred from the lyocell tow to the hard paper is reduced, so that the phenol-reducing material remaining on the lyocell tow becomes optimal, and it can be expected that the phenol-reducing effect is excellent.

Example 4

A filter for a smoking article was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the phenol-reducing material dispersed on the lyocell tow contained TEC and PEG in a ratio of 8:2.

Comparative Example 4

A filter for a smoking article was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 4, except that the paper surrounding the lyocell tow was a general hard paper having a basis weight of 75 gsm and not subjected to an oil treatment.

Experimental Example 3: Hardness Evaluation of Filters for Smoking Articles According to Addition of Phenol-Reducing Substance and Oil-Resistant Treatment of Filter Wrapper

Smoking articles were manufactured using the smoking article filters of Comparative Examples 3-4 and Example 4, and the hardness of the manufactured smoking article filters was measured, and the results are shown in Table 5 below.

[Calculation formula 1]

Filter hardness (%) = [D-a]/D×100

Here, D is the filter diameter (mm), and a represents the distance (mm) that a 300g weight descends (the filter is pressed). The measurement values necessary for calculating the hardness of the cigarette filter can be obtained using a device generally used in the relevant technical field, and for example, DHT 200 ^TM from Filtrona can be used. When measuring the hardness, the force applied takes into account the force applied when an actual smoker holds a cigarette. The hardness value of 85% or more obtained through the cigarette filter according to one specific example of the present invention has technical significance in that it can secure a hardness at a level that can replace a cigarette filter composed of conventional cellulose acetate by using lyocell tow, which is an environmentally friendly material.

Comparative Example 3 Comparative Example 4 Example 4 hardness(%) 94.2 92.5 94.5

As shown in Table 5 above, in the case of Example 4, in which the filter part wrapper (30b) is made of oil-resistant hard paper, it can be confirmed that the hardness of the filter for smoking articles is higher than in Comparative Example 4, in which the filter part wrapper (30b) is made of general hard paper. In addition, in the case of Example 4, in which a phenol-reducing substance is added to lyocell tow, it can be confirmed that the hardness is maintained similarly to that of Comparative Example 3, in which a phenol-reducing substance is not added to lyocell tow.

Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described with reference to the attached drawings, those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains will understand that the present disclosure can be implemented in other specific forms without changing the technical ideas or essential features thereof. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are exemplary and not restrictive in all respects. The protection scope of the present disclosure should be interpreted by the following claims, and all technical ideas within a scope equivalent thereto should be interpreted as being included in the scope of rights of the technical ideas defined by the present disclosure.

Claims (9)

A filter part comprising a lyocell tow comprising lyocell fibers, and a phenol-reducing material dispersed in the lyocell tow; and Surrounding the above filter part, including a filter part wrapper that has been treated with oil, The above filter part wrapper is characterized by having a basis weight of 30 gsm to 180 gsm. Filters for smoking articles. In the first paragraph, The above phenol reducing material comprises at least one of triethyl citrate (TEC), polyethylene glycol (PEG), and triacetin (TA). Filters for smoking articles. In the first paragraph, The above filter part wrapper is characterized by having a basis weight of 40 gsm to 160 gsm. Filters for smoking articles. In the third paragraph, The above filter part wrapper is characterized by having a basis weight of 70 gsm to 150 gsm. Filters for smoking articles. In the first paragraph, The hardness of the above filter part is characterized by being 93% to 99%. Filters for smoking articles. In the first paragraph, The above filter part wrapper has an induction resistance of 8 or higher based on the 3M KIT method. Filters for smoking articles. In the first paragraph, The rate of transfer of the phenol-reducing material to the above filter part wrapper is 1% to 13%, The rate of migration of the phenol-reducing material into the filter part wrapper is defined as the percentage of the weight of the phenol-reducing material included in the filter part wrapper to the total weight of the phenol-reducing material included in the filter for the smoking article. The total weight of the phenol-reducing material included in the filter for the smoking article is the sum of the weight of the phenol-reducing material included in the filter part and the weight of the phenol-reducing material included in the filter part wrapper. Filters for smoking articles. In Article 7, The rate of transfer of the phenol-reducing material to the filter part wrapper is characterized by being 2% to 5%. Filters for smoking articles. Smoking substance section; and Including a filter for smoking articles arranged downstream of the above smoking material section, The above filter for smoking articles is, A filter part comprising a lyocell tow including lyocell fibers, and a phenol-reducing material dispersed in the lyocell tow; and a filter part wrapper that surrounds the filter part and is oil-resistant, The above filter part wrapper is characterized by having a basis weight of 30 gsm to 180 gsm. Smoking items.

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