WO2025110415A1 - Method for manufacturing reconstituted tobacco sheet for reducing loose ends of cigarettes, and cigarette including reconstituted tobacco sheet manufactured thereby - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided are a method for manufacturing a reconstituted tobacco sheet, and a cigarette including the reconstituted tobacco sheet manufactured thereby, the method including a drying step of applying hot air of 80-150℃ to a slurry of reconstituted tobacco leaves. The reconstituted tobacco sheet manufactured by means of the manufacturing method, according to one specific embodiment of the present invention, has an increased ratio of thickness to basis weight. In the manufacturing method, adjusting the pressure that applies hot air or adjusting viscosity by changing the composition of the slurry of reconstituted tobacco leaves assists in improving the material properties of the manufactured reconstituted tobacco sheet.

Description

Method for manufacturing a plate-shaped sheet for reducing the end of a cigarette and a cigarette comprising a plate-shaped sheet manufactured thereby

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a flat sheet of tobacco for reducing the end of tobacco, and to a tobacco comprising the flat sheet manufactured thereby. Specifically, the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a flat sheet of tobacco for reducing the end of tobacco by increasing the ratio of thickness to basis weight, and to a tobacco comprising the flat sheet manufactured thereby.

Today, in the manufacture of tobacco products, in addition to tobacco leaves, various tobacco materials are added. These tobacco materials are usually manufactured from parts of the tobacco plant that are less suitable for the manufacture of cut fillers, such as tobacco stems or tobacco dust. In addition, tobacco dust is produced as a by-product during the handling of tobacco leaves during manufacture.

The most commonly used form of tobacco material is the reconstituted tobacco leaves. Reconstituted tobacco leaves refer to a type of tobacco material that has been reprocessed into paper form (i.e. sheet form) through a certain process based on low particle tobacco materials generated from leaf tobacco processing or cigarette manufacturing plants.

The manufacturing method of such flat leaf sheets can be largely divided into papermaking, rolling, and slurry methods. Among these, the slurry method may include a raw material receiving and loading step, a raw material weighing and inputting step according to the mixing ratio of each product, a raw material crushing step according to a predetermined size, a raw material mixing step with process water, a step of extracting and separating cellulose and extract, a step of mixing cellulose with dilution water, a step of mixing auxiliary materials suitable for the characteristics of the flat leaf, a step of mixing the mixture and the raw material to manufacture a slurry, a step of converting the manufactured slurry into a fine shape easy for injection, a step of injecting the slurry, a step of drying the slurry, a step of cutting to a predetermined size, and a step of packaging the cut flat leaf.

Specifically, the flat leaf sheet in the manufacturing step will be described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 (a) shows the raw material of the flat leaf, FIG. 1 (b) shows the shape of the middle sheet of the flat leaf, and FIG. 1 (c) shows the flat leaf sheet as a final finished product. The raw material in FIG. 1 (a) may be main stems, leaf stalks, leaf buds, and cut buds produced during the tobacco manufacturing process, and the middle flat leaf sheet in FIG. 1 (b) is manufactured by drying a slurry manufactured by mixing the raw material with a mixture solution, and the finished product in FIG. 1 (c) is manufactured by cutting the dried flat leaf sheet.

The flat leaf contributes to cost reduction due to its bulky breakfast characteristics, reduces harmful substances such as tar, and has the advantage of improving combustibility as the pores in the tissue structure increase. It also has the advantage of maintaining consistent product quality.

As previously discussed, the flat leaf is an important raw material that determines the taste and ingredients of tobacco along with leaf tobacco and flavoring in the tobacco industry. Accordingly, research and development are actively being conducted to manufacture high-quality flat leaf. The inventor of the present invention confirmed that it is possible to manufacture a flat leaf sheet having various physical properties by controlling the manufacturing process of the flat leaf sheet, and that the flat leaf sheet manufactured through this can prevent the end of the tobacco from falling off when applied to the tobacco, thereby completing the present invention.

[Prior art literature]

[Patent Document]

(Patent Document 1) Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2019-0011237

The present invention aims to provide a method for manufacturing a flat leaf sheet that reduces tobacco end breakage by increasing the ratio of thickness to basis weight, and a tobacco product comprising the flat leaf sheet manufactured thereby.

According to the first aspect of the present invention,

The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a sheet of flat leaf, which comprises a drying step of applying hot air of 80°C to a slurry of flat leaf.

In one specific example of the present invention, in the drying step, hot air is applied at a pressure of 1.5 bar to 3.0 bar.

In one specific embodiment of the present invention, the plate-shaped leaf slurry contains tobacco raw material having a particle size of 20 μm to 150 μm.

In one specific example of the present invention, the proportion of particles having a particle size of 80 μm or less based on the total number of particles in the tobacco raw material is 70% to 95%.

In one specific embodiment of the present invention, the sheet-shaped leaf slurry contains 50 to 70 wt% of tobacco raw material and 1 to 20 wt% of a moisturizer based on the total weight of the sheet-shaped leaf slurry excluding the solvent.

In one specific example of the present invention, through the drying step, the flat leaf sheet has a basis weight of 140 g/m2 to 180 g/m2 and a thickness of 240 μm to 280 μm.

In one specific embodiment of the present invention, the plate-shaped leaf slurry further comprises 0.1 wt% to 10 wt% of a binder based on the total weight of the plate-shaped leaf slurry excluding the solvent.

In one specific embodiment of the present invention, the plate-shaped leaf slurry contains a solid content of 15 wt% to 30 wt% based on the total weight of the plate-shaped leaf slurry.

In one specific example of the present invention, the plate-shaped leaf slurry has a viscosity of 32,000 cPs to 45,000 cPs at 25°C.

In one specific embodiment of the present invention, the sheet-shaped leaf slurry further comprises 0.1 wt% to 10 wt% of pulp and 0.1 wt% to 25 wt% of a flavoring agent based on the total weight of the sheet-shaped leaf slurry excluding the solvent.

In one specific embodiment of the present invention, through the drying step, the plate-like leaf sheet has a thickness (㎛)/basis weight (g/㎡) ratio of 1.35 to 1.75.

In one specific embodiment of the present invention, prior to the drying step, a pre-drying step is further included in which the plate-shaped leaf slurry is exposed to an atmosphere having a temperature 20°C to 35°C lower than the hot air temperature of the drying step.

In one specific embodiment of the present invention, after the pre-drying step, the plate-shaped leaf slurry further includes a separation step of peeling it off from the bottom surface supporting it.

According to the second aspect of the present invention,

The present invention provides a tobacco comprising a plate-shaped leaf sheet manufactured according to the manufacturing method described above.

According to one specific example of the present invention, a method for manufacturing a plate-shaped sheet can increase the ratio of thickness to basis weight by drying the plate-shaped sheet slurry by applying hot air to the plate-shaped sheet slurry when drying the plate-shaped sheet slurry. At this time, adjusting the pressure at which the hot air is applied or changing the composition of the plate-shaped sheet slurry to adjust the viscosity can help improve the effect.

Fig. 1 (a) is a drawing showing the raw material of the plate-shaped leaf, Fig. 1 (b) is a drawing showing the middle shape of the plate-shaped leaf sheet, and Fig. 1 (C) is a drawing showing the plate-shaped leaf sheet as a final finished product.

FIG. 2 is a drawing showing a process of drying a plate-shaped leaf slurry through a drying step in a method for manufacturing a plate-shaped leaf sheet according to one specific example of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a drawing showing a process of drying a plate-shaped leaf slurry through a pre-drying step, a separation step, and a drying step in a method for manufacturing a plate-shaped leaf sheet according to one specific example of the present invention.

Hereinafter, specific examples will be described in detail with exemplary drawings. When adding reference signs to components in each drawing, it should be noted that the same components are given the same signs as much as possible even if they are shown in different drawings. In addition, when describing specific examples, if it is determined that a specific description of a related known configuration or function hinders understanding of the specific example, the detailed description will be omitted.

Also, in describing components of a specific example, 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.

The term "unit" or "module" as used in the specification means a software or hardware component, such as an FPGA or an ASIC, and the "unit" or "module" performs certain functions. However, the "unit" or "module" is not limited to software or hardware. The "unit" or "module" may be configured to reside in an addressable storage medium and may be configured to execute one or more processors. Thus, by way of example, the "unit" or "module" includes components such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components, and task components, and processes, functions, attributes, procedures, subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuitry, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables. The functionality provided within the components and “units” or “modules” may be combined into a smaller number of components and “units” or “modules” or further separated into additional components and “units” or “modules”.

The spatially relative terms "below," "beneath," "lower," "above," "upper," and the like can be used to easily describe the relationship between one component and other components as depicted in the drawings. The spatially relative terms should be understood to include different orientations of the components when used or operated in addition to the orientations depicted in the drawings. For example, if a component depicted in the drawings is flipped over, a component described as "below" or "beneath" another component may be placed "above" the other component. Thus, the exemplary term "below" can include both the above and below orientations. The components may also be oriented in other directions, and the spatially relative terms may be interpreted accordingly.

Also, in this specification, the term "sheet" may mean a thin layer element having a width and length substantially greater than its thickness. In the relevant technical field, the term sheet may be used interchangeably with terms such as web, film, etc. Here, "adjacent" and "near" a certain point mean not only a position that is in complete contact with a certain point, but also a position that does not particularly deteriorate the functionality of a specific means even if separated by a certain distance.

Components included in one specific example and components that include common functions will be described using the same name in other specific examples. Unless otherwise stated, the description described in one specific example can be applied to other specific examples, and specific descriptions will be omitted to the extent of overlap.

The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a plate-shaped sheet for reducing the tip of a cigarette, and a cigarette comprising the plate-shaped sheet manufactured thereby. According to a specific example of the method for manufacturing a plate-shaped sheet according to the present invention, the manufactured plate-shaped sheet has an increased thickness or a decreased basis weight, so that the ratio of the thickness to the basis weight increases. When the ratio of the thickness to the basis weight increases, the distance between particles can be reduced when the plate-shaped sheet filler is filled into a cigarette, so that the filler can be filled more densely. This can prevent the filler of the plate-shaped sheet located at the end of the cigarette from coming off, thereby reducing the tip of the cigarette. In addition, since an increase in the ratio of the thickness to the basis weight means that the distance between particles can be narrowed, but the voids inside the particles relatively increase, there may be no significant difference in the basic performance of the cigarette, such as the weight of the smoking material portion, the suction resistance, and the smoking components.

According to one specific example of the present invention, the method for manufacturing a sheet of planar leaves includes a drying step of applying hot air of 80°C to 150°C to a slurry of planar leaves. Basically, the hot air can be an effective drying means in that it can evaporate a solvent present in the slurry of planar leaves and effectively move the evaporated solvent. It is preferable that the temperature of the hot air is controlled to a degree that can increase the drying efficiency without damaging the planar leaves. For example, the temperature of the hot air can be 80°C to 150°C, 85°C to 140°C, 90°C to 130°C, 95°C to 125°C, or 100°C to 120°C.

The hot air may have a function other than drying depending on the position to which it is applied. In one specific embodiment of the present invention, the hot air is applied to the upper or lower portion of the plate-shaped slurry, specifically, to the upper portion. Applying the hot air to the upper portion of the plate-shaped slurry means that the hot air is applied in the direction of gravity. Applying the hot air to the lower portion of the plate-shaped slurry means that the hot air is applied in the direction opposite to the direction of gravity. To help understand the position to which the hot air is applied, FIG. 2 provides a drawing showing the process of drying the plate-shaped slurry through the drying step in the method for manufacturing a plate-shaped sheet according to one specific embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the plate-shaped slurry (1) is positioned on a moving support (10) and passes through a drying device (30) by a roller (20). At this time, hot air is supplied from the upper drying device toward the plate-shaped slurry (1). The plate-shaped leaf slurry (1) that has passed through the drying device (30) can be dried by evaporation of the solvent, but in this specification, the plate-shaped leaf positioned on the moving support (10) is referred to as plate-shaped leaf slurry (1) without distinction.

The hot air may be applied at a pressure higher than a certain level in order to dry and expand the plate-shaped leaf slurry (1) at the same time. According to one specific example of the present invention, the hot air is applied at a pressure of 1.5 bar to 3.0 bar in the drying step. Specifically, the pressure of the hot air is 1.5 bar or more, 1.6 bar or more, 1.7 bar or more, 1.8 bar or more, 1.9 bar or more, 2.0 bar or more, and 3.0 bar or less, 2.9 bar or less, 2.8 bar or less, 2.7 bar or less, 2.6 bar or less, 2.5 bar or less, and may be 1.5 to 3.0 bar, 1.7 to 2.8 bar, 2.0 to 2.5 bar. In the pressure range of the hot air, the plate-shaped leaf slurry (1) can be appropriately expanded without damaging the plate-shaped leaf slurry (1).

The moving support (10) at the position where the hot air is supplied may have a porous structure such as a mesh shape so that the hot air or steam can directly reach the lower part of the plate-shaped slurry (1). If the plate-shaped slurry (1) on the porous moving support (10) is too thin, the plate-shaped slurry (1) may flow through the holes of the moving support (10), so it is preferable that the plate-shaped slurry (1) have an appropriate viscosity. In order to adjust the viscosity of the plate-shaped slurry (1) before passing through the section, a pre-drying step may be performed. The appropriate viscosity of the plate-shaped slurry (1) and the pre-drying step will be described in detail below.

As shown in Fig. 2, steam can be supplied from the upper drying device. Although the steam can also have a certain amount of airflow, this is for maintaining the temperature around the drying device at a certain level or higher, and has little effect in pressurizing the plate-shaped slurry (1). In the drying device (30), steam can be supplied at the same temperature as hot air. Since the steam has little effect in pressurizing the plate-shaped slurry (1), in an environment where only steam is supplied without hot air, the temperature of the steam can be expressed as an atmosphere.

In the present invention, the plate-shaped leaf slurry (1) to be dried is basically a tobacco raw material uniformly dispersed in a solvent. However, in order to provide additional functionality, the plate-shaped leaf slurry (1) includes additional functional materials as well as the tobacco raw material. The tobacco raw material may be a tobacco leaf fragment, a tobacco stem, or a major side strip of a tobacco leaf, etc., ground into fine particles. At this time, the type of tobacco is not particularly limited, and not only a single type but also two or more types may be used in combination. For example, cigar leaf or Burley type tobacco raw material may be used. The tobacco raw material ground into fine particles may have a particle size of 20 ㎛ to 150 ㎛. Specifically, the particle size may be 20 ㎛ to 150 ㎛, 25 ㎛ to 100 ㎛, or 30 ㎛ to 50 ㎛. In the present specification, the particle size means the volume moment mean, which is the size of fine particles occupying most of the volume of the tobacco raw material.

According to one specific example of the present invention, the proportion of particles having a particle size of 80 μm or less based on the total number of particles in the tobacco raw material is 70 to 95%. Specifically, the proportion of the particles may be 70 to 95%, 75 to 94%, or 80 to 95%. As the proportion of the particles exceeds 50% and increases further, the average value of the particle size may be formed at 80 μm or less. When the distribution of the particle size follows the above-described range, it may be advantageous to expand the sheet-shaped leaf slurry by hot air applied to the sheet-shaped leaf slurry.

The content of the components in the above-mentioned sheet leaf slurry (1) can be appropriately adjusted in consideration of functionality. According to one specific example of the present invention, the sheet leaf slurry contains 50 wt% to 70 wt% of tobacco raw material based on the total weight of the sheet leaf slurry excluding the solvent. Specifically, the content of the tobacco raw material can be 50 wt% to 70 wt%, 55 wt% to 70 wt%, or 55 wt% to 65 wt%. Since the tobacco raw material is the most important component in the sheet leaf slurry (1), it is contained in a larger amount than other components.

The above-mentioned sheet-shaped leaf slurry (1) may contain a moisturizer as an additional functional material in addition to the tobacco raw material. The moisturizer is a liquid component separate from the solvent and serves to make the tobacco raw material softer. The moisturizer may be, for example, glycerin (GLY), propylene glycol (PG), ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, and oleyl alcohol, but is not necessarily limited thereto. According to one specific example of the present invention, the sheet-shaped leaf slurry contains 1 wt% to 20 wt% of the moisturizer based on the total weight of the sheet-shaped leaf slurry excluding the solvent. Specifically, the content of the moisturizer may be 1 wt% to 20 wt%, 5 wt% to 20 wt%, or 5 wt% to 15 wt%. When applied in the above-mentioned range, functionality can be effectively imparted to the sheet-shaped leaf slurry.

The above-mentioned sheet leaf slurry (1) may contain a binder as an additional functional material in addition to the tobacco raw material. The binder serves to bind the tobacco raw material, and the addition of the binder can increase the viscosity of the sheet leaf slurry. The binder may be, for example, guar gum, gum arabic, etc., but is not necessarily limited thereto. According to one specific example of the present invention, the sheet leaf slurry further contains 0.1 wt% to 10 wt% of a binder based on the total weight of the sheet leaf slurry excluding the solvent. Specifically, the content of the binder may be 0.1 wt% to 10 wt%, 1 wt% to 9 wt%, or 2 wt% to 8 wt%. When applied in the above-mentioned range, functionality can be effectively imparted to the sheet leaf slurry.

The above-mentioned sheet-shaped leaf slurry (1) may further include pulp. The pulp serves to cross-link the tobacco raw material so that the sheet-shaped leaf can be manufactured in a sheet form. The pulp may be, for example, cellulose-based pulp, but is not necessarily limited thereto. According to one specific example of the present invention, the sheet-shaped leaf slurry further includes 0.1 wt% to 10 wt% of pulp based on the total weight of the sheet-shaped leaf slurry excluding the solvent. Specifically, the content of the pulp may be 0.1 wt% to 10 wt%, 1 wt% to 9 wt%, or 2 wt% to 8 wt%. When applied in the above-mentioned range, functionality can be effectively imparted within the sheet-shaped leaf slurry.

The above-mentioned sheet-shaped slurry (1) may further include a flavoring agent. The flavoring agent serves to add various flavors or tastes to the sheet-shaped leaf sheet according to the user's preference. The flavoring agent may include, but is not limited to, vanillin, ethyl vanillin, cream, tea, coffee, fruit (for example, banana, berry, apple, cherry, strawberry, peach, and citrus flavoring agent including lime and lemon), maple, menthol, chocolate, mint, peppermint, spearmint, wintergreen, nutmeg, clove, lavender, cardamom, ginger, honey, anise, sage, cinnamon, sandalwood, jasmine, cascarilla, cocoa, licorice, and tobacco strand, and flavoring agents of various forms and properties may be included to provide a specific flavor to the user. According to one specific example of the present invention, the plate-shaped leaf slurry further comprises 0.1 wt% to 25 wt% of a fragrance based on the total weight of the plate-shaped leaf slurry excluding the solvent. Specifically, the content of the fragrance may be 0.1 wt% to 25 wt%, 1 wt% to 22 wt%, or 2 wt% to 20 wt%. When applied in the above-described range, functionality can be effectively imparted within the plate-shaped leaf slurry.

In order to effectively expand the plate-shaped leaf slurry (1) according to a specific embodiment of the present invention, the content of solids included in the plate-shaped leaf slurry can be controlled. According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, the plate-shaped leaf slurry contains 15 wt% to 30 wt% of solids based on the total weight of the plate-shaped leaf slurry. Specifically, the content of solids may be 15 wt% to 30 wt%, 20 wt% to 30 wt%, or 20 wt% to 25 wt%. When applied in the above-described range, the plate-shaped leaf slurry can be effectively expanded.

Controlling the viscosity of the above-described plate slurry (1) can help to expand the plate slurry. According to one specific example of the present invention, the plate slurry has a viscosity of 32,000 cPs to 45,000 cPs at 25°C. Specifically, the viscosity of the plate slurry can be 32,000 cPs to 45,000 cPs, 35,000 cPs to 44,000 cPs, 38,000 cPs to 43,000 cPs. The viscosity can be measured using a viscosity meter generally used in the relevant technical field, for example, a digital rotational viscometer (DV2TLV), BROOKFIELD). When applied in the above-described range, the plate slurry can be effectively expanded.

The plate-shaped sheet manufactured by the manufacturing method according to one specific example of the present invention may have a basis weight of, for example, 140 g/m2 to 180 g/m2. Specifically, the basis weight of the plate-shaped sheet may be 140 g/m2 to 180 g/m2, 145 g/m2 to 175 g/m2, or 150 g/m2 to 170 g/m2. In addition, the plate-shaped sheet may have a thickness of, for example, 240 µm to 280 µm. Specifically, the thickness of the plate-shaped sheet may be 240 µm to 280 µm, 245 µm to 275 µm, or 250 µm to 270 µm.

According to a manufacturing method according to one specific example of the present invention, the basis weight of the plate-shaped sheet is similar to that of a plate-shaped sheet manufactured by a conventional manufacturing method, but the thickness of the plate-shaped sheet can be significantly increased. In order to confirm the degree of expansion of the plate-shaped sheet, a thickness/basis weight ratio is defined in this specification. At this time, the unit of thickness can be ㎛, and the unit of basis weight can be g/㎡. Since the thickness/basis weight ratio is a value obtained by dividing the thickness by the basis weight, it can have a unit of ㎛·㎡/g, but the unit is omitted and expressed in this specification. According to one specific example of the present invention, the plate-shaped sheet has a thickness (㎛)/basis weight (g/㎡) ratio of 1.35 to 1.75. Specifically, the thickness/basis weight ratio of the plate-shaped sheet can be 1.35 to 1.75, 1.40 to 1.70, or 1.45 to 1.65. This is a significantly higher value compared to conventional flat leaf sheets, and a flat leaf sheet with this thickness/weight ratio can significantly reduce the end breakage of cigarettes when applied to cigarettes.

The method for manufacturing a plate-shaped sheet according to one embodiment of the present invention may further include a pre-drying step and a separation step prior to the drying step, together with the drying step. To help understand the pre-drying step, the separation step, and the drying step, FIG. 3 provides a drawing showing a process in which a plate-shaped sheet slurry is dried through the pre-drying step, the separation step, and the drying step in the method for manufacturing a plate-shaped sheet according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the plate-shaped sheet slurry (1) is positioned on a moving support (10) and sequentially passes through a pre-drying device (40) and a drying device (30) by a roller (20). The plate-shaped sheet slurry (1) that has passed through the pre-drying device (40) is supplied to the drying device (30) after separating the plate-shaped sheet slurry (1) and the moving support (10) by a peeling means (50).

The above-described pre-drying device (40) primarily dries the plate-shaped leaf slurry (1) to a state in which the plate-shaped leaf slurry (1) is preferably supplied to the drying device (30) before finally drying the plate-shaped leaf slurry (1) in the drying device (30). In the above-described pre-drying device (40), unlike the drying device (30), hot air is not applied to the plate-shaped leaf slurry (1), but the plate-shaped leaf slurry (1) is dried in a high-temperature atmosphere using steam. According to one specific example of the present invention, in the pre-drying step, before the drying step, the plate-shaped leaf slurry is exposed to an atmosphere having a temperature 20°C to 35°C lower than the hot air temperature of the drying step. Specifically, the temperature in the pre-drying step may be 20°C to 35°C, 20°C to 30°C, or 25°C to 30°C lower than that in the drying step. Since hot air is not applied in the above-described preliminary drying step, a moving support (10) having a porous structure such as a mesh shape is not required. The plate-shaped leaf slurry (1) supplied to the preliminary drying device (40) may be relatively thin and may not be suitable for the moving support (10) having a mesh structure, and the plate-shaped leaf slurry that is primarily dried in the preliminary drying step may have properties suitable for supply to the drying device (30).

The plate-shaped leaf slurry (1) dried in the above-described pre-drying device (40) may be damaged when hot air is applied from the moving support (10) and the drying device (30). To prevent this, after the above-described pre-drying step, the plate-shaped leaf slurry (1) may further include a separation step for peeling off the plate-shaped leaf slurry (1) from the bottom surface supporting it, i.e., the moving support (10). The peeling off of the plate-shaped leaf slurry (1) from the moving support (10) may be performed by a knife-shaped peeling means (50) as shown in FIG. 3. The peeling means (50) may be formed in a plate-shaped shape, and one side in the longitudinal direction of the plate-shaped shape may scrape the plate-shaped leaf slurry (1) moving through the moving support (10). Accordingly, the plate-shaped leaf slurry (1) passing over the moving support (10) may be peeled off by the peeling means (50).

In addition, an edge-shaped edge can be formed by making an angle acute in the cross-section of one side of the peeling means (50). That is, when the peeling means (50) is viewed from the side, it can have a trapezoidal shape. Since the edge-shaped edge can scratch the upper surface of the moving support body (10), the plate-shaped slurry (1) can be peeled off from the moving support body (11) more effectively.

A drying device for a sheet-shaped leaf slurry for implementing a manufacturing method according to one embodiment of the present invention may further include a first sensor module (61) for measuring the moisture content of the sheet-shaped leaf slurry. The first sensor module (61) may be positioned to measure the moisture content prior to the peeling means (50) in the drying device. The drying device may be controlled by controlling the vibration of the peeling means (50) according to the measurement result of the first sensor module (61). In one embodiment, when the measured moisture content is equal to or higher than a preset threshold, the vibration intensity of the peeling means (50) may be increased or the frequency may be increased to effectively peel the slurry. Conversely, when the measured moisture content is lower than the preset threshold, the vibration intensity of the peeling means (50) may be lowered or the frequency may be decreased so as not to excessively scrape or damage the slurry. Through this control mechanism, a uniform thickness and moisture content of the slurry may be maintained. In another embodiment, the angle of the peeling means (50) may be variably controlled according to the measured moisture content. For example, when the measured moisture content is equal to or greater than a preset threshold, the vertical angle of the peeling means (50) of the peeling means (50) may be increased to peel the slurry. Conversely, when the measured moisture content is less than a preset threshold, the vertical angle of the peeling means (50) may be decreased. It goes without saying that the vibration and angle control of the peeling means (50) are possible simultaneously. Meanwhile, the first sensor module (61) may be, for example, an infrared sensor module, and the infrared sensor module may measure the thickness of the plate-shaped slurry in addition to the moisture of the plate-shaped slurry.

The drying device may further include a second sensor module (62) for detecting the presence or absence of the plate-shaped leaf slurry (1) between the pre-drying device (40) and the peeling means (50). The second sensor module (62) may be, for example, a laser sensor module, and may irradiate a laser to determine whether or not the plate-shaped leaf slurry exists. Depending on the result value of the second sensor module (62), the subsequent operation of the peeling means (50) and the drying device (30) may be controlled. For example, when it is detected that the plate-shaped leaf slurry (1) does not exist, the operation of the peeling means (50) may be stopped or switched to minimum vibration to reduce energy consumption and equipment wear, and the operation of the drying device (30) may be stopped to prevent energy consumption and overheating of the device. The plate-shaped leaf sheet manufactured by the manufacturing method according to one specific example of the present invention may be cut and applied to a cigarette. The cut sheet from which the plate-shaped leaf sheet is cut may be applied to the smoking material portion of the cigarette. Except for the fact that the above-mentioned plate-shaped sheet filler has a large thickness-to-basis weight ratio, there is no significant difference in the basic performance of the cigarette, such as the weight of the smoking material portion, suction resistance, and smoking components, when compared to when the existing plate-shaped sheet filler is applied, and therefore, the existing plate-shaped sheet filler can be replaced. When the plate-shaped sheet filler having a large thickness-to-basis weight ratio is applied, the distance per particle is reduced so that it can be packed more densely, thereby reducing the end of the cigarette. Since the plate-shaped sheet filler according to one specific example of the present invention can directly replace the plate-shaped sheet filler used in the existing cigarette, the remaining composition of the cigarette can be applied in the same manner as that well known in the art.

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

Example 1

A composition for preparing a sheet slurry was prepared by mixing 60 wt% of tobacco raw material, 10 wt% of glycerin, 5 wt% of guar gum, 5 wt% of LBKP pulp (broadleaf bleached pulp, moisture content 13% or less, tensile index 55 or more), and 20 wt% of invert sugar and ethyl maltol. The composition and water were mixed in a ratio of 1:2 to prepare a sheet slurry having a solid to liquid ratio of 23:77. Here, the tobacco raw material was prepared by pulverizing a mixture of tobacco leaf pieces, tobacco stems, and major lateral strips of tobacco leaves to have a particle size of 20 to 150 μm. At this time, the average particle size of the pear raw material was 31 μm, and the proportion of particle sizes of 80 μm or less based on the total number of tobacco particles was 93%.

The manufactured sheet slurry was supplied onto a moving support, and the sheet slurry was dried with a pre-drying device and a drying device, thereby manufacturing a sheet. The pre-drying device primarily dried the sheet slurry under a high-temperature atmosphere via steam (upper and lower) at 85°C, and the drying device secondarily dried the sheet slurry under a high-temperature atmosphere via hot air (upper) and steam (lower) at 110°C. After the primary drying, the sheet slurry was peeled off with a knife so that it did not stick to the moving support, and then secondary drying was performed. In the secondary drying, the steam was allowed to directly reach the lower part of the sheet slurry through the mesh-structured moving support. In the drying device, hot air was applied to the sheet slurry at a pressure of 2.0 bar.

Comparative Example 1

The average particle size of the tobacco raw material was 33 μm, the proportion of particles having a size of 80 μm or less based on the total number of tobacco particles was 97%, and a plate-shaped leaf sheet was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1, except that hot air was applied to the plate-shaped leaf slurry at a pressure of 1.1 bar in a drying device.

Example 2

In preparing the plate-shaped leaf slurry, the plate-shaped leaf sheet was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the solid-to-liquid ratio was adjusted to 22:78. The plate-shaped leaf slurry in Example 2 was measured to have a viscosity of 39,773 cPs at 25°C.

Example 3

In preparing the sheet-shaped leaf slurry, the sheet-shaped leaf sheet was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, except that guar gum was not used and the solid-to-liquid ratio was adjusted to 21:79. The sheet-shaped leaf slurry in Example 2 was measured to have a viscosity of 33,237 cPs at 25°C.

Experimental example

Experimental Example 1: Comparison of physical properties of plate-shaped sheets according to Example 1 and Comparative Example 1

The thickness and basis weight of the plate-shaped sheets manufactured according to Example 1 and Comparative Example 1 were measured using a property measuring device (Manufacturer: FRANK-PTI, Product Name: Micrometer S16502), and the results are shown in Table 1 below.

Plate-shaped leaf sheet Thickness (㎛) Weight (g/㎡) Thickness (㎛)/Basis weight (g/㎡) ratio Example 1 260 160 1.63 Comparative Example 1 200 155 1.29

According to Table 1 above, Comparative Example 1 had a condition where the tobacco raw material was similar to that of Example 1, or rather, the average particle size of the tobacco raw material was larger and the proportion of particles with a size of 80㎛ or less was higher compared to Example 1, which could result in a thicker sheet, but the thickness of the flat leaf sheet was measured to be significantly lower than that of Example 1. This shows that the pressure of the hot air in the drying device greatly affects the thickness of the flat leaf sheet. Example 1 applied the hot air at a pressure of 2 bar, and thus a flat leaf sheet having a much thicker thickness and a larger thickness/basis weight ratio could be obtained than Comparative Example 1 in which the hot air was applied at a pressure of 1.1 bar.

Experimental Example 2: Performance Evaluation of Tobacco Using Plate-shaped Leaf Sheets According to Example 1 and Comparative Example 1

Based on the sample cigarette products, the flat leaf sheet fillers of Example 1 and Comparative Example 1 were each filled under the same conditions so as to have a suction resistance of 110 _mmH2O in the smoking material portion to manufacture cigarettes. For the cigarettes of Example 1 and Comparative Example 1, the tip pulling and smoking components were measured and shown in Table 2 below. The tip pulling was measured using an E44 device from Korber according to the KS H ISO 3550-2 method. In addition, the smoking components were measured using an LX20 20-port smoking machine from Korber according to the Coresta recommended method 81 (CRM 81) method.

Tobacco applied to sheet-shaped leaf Tobacco road Smoking ingredients weight
(mg) End
(mg/cm2) Medium weight
(mg) nicotine
(mg/stick) glycerin
(mg/stick) Example 1 1710(△10%) 9.8 270 0.58 8.50 Comparative Example 1 1720 43.6 272 0.55 8.76

According to Table 2 above, the plate-shaped leaf sheet manufactured according to Example 1 did not have a significant difference in the content filled in a tobacco rod and the smoking components when smoking compared to the plate-shaped leaf sheet manufactured according to Comparative Example 1. However, the plate-shaped leaf sheet manufactured according to Example 1 showed a significant improvement in the phenomenon of the end of the cigarette being pulled off when filled in a cigarette compared to the plate-shaped leaf sheet manufactured according to Comparative Example 1.

Experimental Example 3: Comparison of physical properties of plate-shaped sheets according to Examples 2 and 3

The thickness and basis weight of the plate-shaped sheets manufactured according to Examples 2 and 3 were measured using a physical property measuring device, and the results are shown in Table 3 below.

Plate-shaped leaf sheet Thickness (㎛) Weight (g/㎡) Thickness (㎛)/Basis weight (g/㎡) ratio Example 2 254 163 1.56 Example 3 244 175 1.39

According to the above Table 3, it can be seen that the viscosity of the plate-shaped slurry affects the thickness and basis weight of the plate-shaped sheet. Example 2, in which the plate-shaped slurry has a relatively high viscosity, has a thicker thickness and a smaller basis weight compared to Example 3, in which the plate-shaped slurry has a relatively low viscosity, and thus a plate-shaped sheet with a large thickness/basis weight ratio can be obtained.

Although the specific examples have been described above by way of limited specific examples and drawings, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and variations may be made from the above teachings. For example, appropriate results may be achieved even if the described techniques are performed in a different order than the described method, and/or components of the described systems, structures, devices, circuits, etc. are combined or combined in a different form than the described method, or are replaced or substituted by other components or equivalents.

[Explanation of symbols]

1: Plate-shaped leaf slurry

10: Moving support

20: Roller

30: Drying device

40: Pre-drying device

50: Peeling means

61: 1st sensor module

62: Second sensor module

Claims (13)

A method for manufacturing a sheet of flat leaf, comprising a drying step of applying hot air of 80°C to a slurry of flat leaf. In claim 1, A method for manufacturing a plate-shaped leaf sheet, characterized in that in the above drying step, hot air is applied at a pressure of 1.5 bar to 3.0 bar. In claim 1, The above-mentioned plate-shaped leaf slurry contains tobacco raw material having a particle size of 20 μm to 150 μm, A method for manufacturing a plate-shaped leaf sheet, characterized in that the proportion of particles having a particle size of 80㎛ or less based on the total number of particles in the above tobacco raw material is 70% to 95%. In claim 1, A method for producing a sheet of flat leaf, characterized in that the flat leaf slurry contains 50 to 70 wt% of tobacco raw material and 1 to 20 wt% of moisturizing agent based on the total weight of the flat leaf slurry excluding the solvent. In claim 1, A method for manufacturing a plate-shaped sheet, characterized in that through the above drying step, the plate-shaped sheet has a basis weight of 140 g/m2 to 180 g/m2 and a thickness of 240 ㎛ to 280 ㎛. In claim 4, A method for manufacturing a plate-shaped sheet, characterized in that the plate-shaped sheet slurry further contains 0.1 wt% to 10 wt% of a binder based on the total weight of the plate-shaped sheet slurry excluding the solvent. In claim 1, A method for producing a plate-shaped leaf sheet, characterized in that the plate-shaped leaf slurry contains a solid content of 15 wt% to 30 wt% based on the total weight of the plate-shaped leaf slurry. In claim 1, A method for manufacturing a plate-shaped sheet, characterized in that the plate-shaped sheet slurry has a viscosity of 32,000 cPs to 45,000 cPs at 25°C. In claim 6, A method for producing a sheet of planar leaf, characterized in that the planar leaf slurry further comprises 0.1 to 10 wt% of pulp and 0.1 to 25 wt% of a flavoring agent based on the total weight of the planar leaf slurry excluding the solvent. In claim 1, A method for manufacturing a plate-shaped sheet, wherein through the above drying step, the plate-shaped sheet has a thickness (㎛)/basis weight (g/㎡) ratio of 1.35 to 1.75. In claim 1, A method for producing a sheet of flat leaf, characterized in that it further comprises a pre-drying step of exposing the flat leaf slurry to an atmosphere having a temperature of 20°C to 35°C lower than the hot air temperature of the drying step before the drying step. In claim 11, A method for producing a sheet of flat leaf, characterized in that after the above-mentioned preliminary drying step, the sheet of flat leaf slurry further comprises a separation step of peeling the sheet of flat leaf slurry from the bottom surface supporting it. Tobacco comprising a plate-shaped leaf sheet manufactured according to the manufacturing method of claim 1.

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