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    • 专利摘要:
    filter element, filter, smoking article and use of polyethylene glycol, tec and/or triacetin. The present invention relates to the inclusion of additives in a filter element comprising a laminated non-woven material or paper as the filter material to enhance selective removal of semi-volatile compounds and to improve the taste characteristics of smoke drawn through the filter element. . selectively enhanced removal of semi-volatile compounds from the smoke being drawn through the filter element is provided by polyethylene glycol. tec and/or triacetin are additives that have been found to improve the flavor characteristics of smoke drawn through the filter element.
    公开号:BR112012015131B1
    申请号:R112012015131-2
    申请日:2010-12-21
    公开日:2021-06-29
    发明作者:David Rushforth；John Sampson
    申请人:British American Tobacco (Investments) Limited；
    IPC主号:
    专利说明:

    Description
    [0001] The present invention relates to a tobacco smoke filter element, a filter comprising the same and smoking articles comprising a filter and/or a filter element. More specifically, the invention relates to filter elements and/or filters comprising a non-woven laminated material or paper as the filter material, and including additives to improve both filter filtration characteristics and smoke flavor characteristics. . Suitable filter materials for use in the invention include, for example, paper, polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) or polylactic acid (PLA).
    [0002] As used herein, "smoking article" includes smokable products such as cigarettes, cigars and cigarillos whether based on tobacco, tobacco derivatives, expanded tobacco, reconstituted tobacco or tobacco substitutes and also heated-and-unburned products .
    [0003] A wide variety of fibrous materials have been suggested as filters for cigarette smoke. Cellulose acetate pad is the most commonly used filter material. A disadvantage associated with this filter material is, however, that it is slow to degrade. Although most components of a spent smoking article dissociate into their individual constituent parts and degrade within a relatively short period of time when exposed to moisture and/or mechanical abrasion, cellulose acetate filter material is slow to degrade because the cellulose acetate fibers themselves are effectively insoluble in water and therefore poorly biodegradable.
    [0004] Laminated non-woven materials and paper and can also be used as filter materials, in smoking articles. For example, crepe paper (also referred to as crimped or crumpled paper) has been used as a filter material.
    [0005] Laminated non-woven materials and paper and are more readily biodegradable than cellulose acetate. However, they currently have drawbacks when used as filter materials. In order to achieve the desired structural rigidity when constructing a filter element from laminated non-woven materials and paper, the filter material must be densely packed and this means that these filter elements have very different properties from those made of acetate. of cellulose. They exhibit greater resistance to smoke flow, resulting in a pressure drop that is greater than that of a conventional cellulose acetate filter, requiring the user to draw stronger suction on the smoking article. Perhaps most significantly, it has been observed that smoke drawn through such a filter material has different flavor characteristics compared to smoke drawn through conventional cellulose acetate filter material. Furthermore, filter elements comprising laminated non-woven materials or paper as the filter material showed significantly less selective removal of semi-volatile compounds than conventional cellulose acetate pad filter materials.
    [0006] In view of the above, at least one embodiment of the present invention provides a filter element that is more easily degradable than filter elements comprising a conventional cellulose acetate filter material, which shows good removal selective selection of semi-volatile compounds and that provides smoke with flavor characteristics similar to those provided by conventional cellulose acetate filters.
    [0007] It is known to use additives such as triacetin (glycerin triacetate), TEC (triethyl citrate) and PEG 400 (low molecular weight polyethylene glycol) in conventional cellulose acetate (CA) filters. These additives are plasticizers and they are used in AC filters to bond adjacent fibers to give the filter rods sufficient hardness for cigarette making and use. Plasticized cellulose acetate pad is also known to improve the selective removal of semi-volatile compounds found in smoke (eg, phenol, o-cresol, p-cresol and m-cresol). For this purpose, it appears necessary that the plasticizer be present on the surface of the CA fibers.
    [0008] Due to the effect of fiber binding plasticizers, AC filters are generally disclosed as including less than 10% plasticizer. The inclusion of more plasticizer has been found to have a detrimental effect on the cellulose acetate wad, causing holes to be formed.
    [0009] Although the inclusion of plasticizers such as triacetin, TEC or PEG 400 in CA filters is relatively common, their inclusion in laminated non-woven filter materials and paper is less attractive. Firstly, plasticizers are used in CA filters to bond the fibers and the plasticizer clearly would not have this advantageous effect when added to laminated non-woven materials or paper (in which the fibers are already bonded within the laminated structure). Second, it has been suggested that triacetin and TEC do not particularly improve the selective removal of semi-volatile compounds when used in filter paper materials. Third, these commonly used plasticizers are liquids and their application to laminated non-woven filter materials and paper will be limited as they will cause these materials to become soggy and lose their structural integrity. Invention Summary
    [0010] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a filter element is provided comprising filter material which is a laminated non-woven material or paper, and: (i) polyethylene glycol in sufficient quantity to enhance selective removal of semi-volatile compounds of smoke being drawn through the filter element; (ii)TEC in an amount sufficient to improve the flavor characteristics of the smoke drawn through the filter element; and/or (iii) triacetin, in an amount sufficient to improve the flavor characteristics of the smoke drawn through the filter element.
    [0011] In a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a filter comprising one or more filter elements according to the first aspect.
    [0012] In a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a smoking article comprising a filter element according to the first aspect and/or a filter according to the second aspect, connected to a rod of smokable material. The smoking article can be a cigarette.
    [0013] In a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the use of polyethylene glycol, TEC and/or triacetin to improve the selective removal of semi-volatile compounds by a filter element comprising laminated non-woven filter material or paper to improve the characteristics of flavor of smoke pulled through said filter element. Detailed Description
    [0014] The present invention relates to the inclusion of additives in a filter element comprising laminated non-woven filter material or paper to enhance selective removal of semi-volatile compounds from smoke being drawn through the filter element, and to improve the characteristics flavor of smoke pulled through the filter element.
    [0015] The selective removal of semi-volatile compounds is provided by the polyethylene glycol additive. TEC and/or triacetin are additives which have been found to improve the taste characteristics of smoke drawn through the filter element.
    [0016] These additives allow the use of laminated non-woven filter material or paper to be adjusted so that the filter element performance can be more like that of a cellulose acetate filter element. Additives also give the use of these alternative filter materials much greater flexibility, increasing the range of their applicability while maintaining the beneficial biodegradable properties.
    [0017] It has also surprisingly been found that the inclusion of the additives to the non-woven laminated material or paper has the additional advantage of increasing the biodegradation of the filter element. Filter elements according to the present invention, which included one of the three additives, PEG, TEC or triacetin, show significantly faster biodegradation when exposed to environmental conditions than an equivalent filter element without an additive.
    [0018] Paper filter material generally comprises crumpled, pleated, crimped, crepe or even torn paper. Paper filter materials tend to have a low air permeability, exhibit a basic pH, and can be easily crushed or shaped to form the filter element.
    [0019] A preferred filter material for filter elements of the present invention is a crumpled or pleated paper. Examples of suitable papers are PuracelTM and MyriaTM papers (from Filtrona plc, UK).
    [0020] Other laminated non-woven materials can be used as filter materials. Nonwoven materials are broadly defined as laminated or networked structures joined by intertwining fibers or filaments, mechanically, thermally or chemically, or by a combination of two or more of these. They tend to be flat, porous sheets that are made directly from separate fibers. They are not made by weaving or knitting and do not require the conversion of fibers to yarn. The laminated non-woven materials used in the present invention are preferably those that are readily biodegradable. Examples of materials include polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH), polylactic acid or polylactide (PLA), poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL), poly (1-4 butanediol succinate) (PBS) and poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT). Other suitable filter materials include starch fibers and calcium alginate.
    [0021] In a preferred embodiment, the filter material of the present invention includes PEG and triacetin or includes PEG and TEC. More preferably, the filter material includes PEG, triacetin and TEC.
    [0022] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the polyethylene glycol is a high molecular weight polyethylene glycol, preferably one that is solid at room temperature. Polyethylene glycols such include PEG 600 and above, and preferably PEG 1000 and above. These particular polyethylene glycols are favored as they are solid (or semi-solid) at room temperature and so their addition will not compromise the structural integrity of the laminated non-woven filter material or paper. Additives that are liquid at room temperature can adversely affect the structural integrity and strength of a filter element, where the filter material is paper or laminated non-woven material and, for that reason, there will be a limit to the amount of such additives that can be included while still maintaining the required rigidity and strength of the filter element.
    [0023] In fact, rather than weakening the laminated non-woven filter material or paper, the use of a high molecular weight polyethylene glycol has the additional advantage that it can effectively increase the structural integrity and rigidity of the filter material, from so that it may be possible to use less of the filter material in the filter element. This provides even more flexibility when shaping the filter element with respect to the amount of filter material needed to achieve the desired hardness and stiffness. This, in turn, would allow the manufacturer to adjust the pressure drop of the filter element. This would allow a filter element in accordance with the present invention to be designed having properties that resemble those of conventional AC filter elements.
    [0024] Furthermore, the selective removal of semi-volatile compounds provided by the addition of PEG to the filter element is proportional to the amount of PEG included. The flexibility to add larger amounts of PEG, especially high molecular weight PEG, means that the filter element's ability to selectively remove semi-volatile compounds can be easily adjusted to a desirable level.
    [0025] As PEG is water soluble, its inclusion in filter elements should not adversely affect the biodegradation of the product. Indeed, it has surprisingly been found that the addition of PEG to a filter element comprising a laminated non-woven material or paper as the filter material actually increases biodegradation. This phenomenon is discussed in more detail below.
    [0026] In one embodiment of the present invention, PEG is included in or on the filter material of the filter element in an amount of up to 30%, preferably up to 20%, and more preferably 5-10% by weight of the element filter. These values are determined by comparing the dry weight of the filter element without the PEG (comprising the filter material and paper wrapper) with the weight of the filter element including the PEG additive.
    [0027] The addition of TEC and/or triacetin has a different effect on the filter material of the filter elements of the present invention. It has been found that these additives surprisingly have a beneficial effect on the taste and odor of smoke that is drawn through the filter element. A common criticism of paper filter elements is that they tend to produce poor-tasting smoke. Triacetin and TEC have different effects on smoke flavor characteristics and the two additives can be added in different amounts to produce a desirable smoke flavor profile.
    [0028] In conventional cellulose acetate filter material, the amount of triacetin or TEC that can be included is limited by the effect these additives have on the fiber bonding of the fibrous material, with amounts of triacetin greater than about 7% causing holes to be formed in the cellulose acetate material. In contrast, the amount of TEC and triacetin that can be included in or on the filter material of the present invention is not limited. In fact, where PEG is included, which is also solid at room temperature, the effect of these liquid additives in making the filter material soggy is minimized and up to 30% by weight of TEC and/or triacetin can be included, although amounts of up to 20% or up to about 12% by weight of the filter element are preferred. These values are determined by comparing the dry weight of the filter element without the additive (comprising the filter material and paper wrapper) and the weight of the filter element including the additive.
    [0029] According to an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the filter element comprises a combination of both TEC and triacetin.
    [0030] In a preferred embodiment, the laminated filter material is not coated with cellulose acetate fibers. Preferably, the filter material and/or the filter element does not include any cellulose acetate.
    [0031] If desired, other additives can be incorporated in or on the filter material, including tobacco extracts, glycerin, menthol, carbon fibers, carbon particles, and the like. Such additives can be incorporated into the laminated material during its fabrication, or applied to the material after fabrication is complete.
    [0032] Preferred filter materials comprise paper or laminated non-woven materials having a thickness greater than about 0.05 mm, preferably from about 0.06 mm to about 0.08 mm. Paper filter materials can comprise paper having a basis weight of from about 15 g/m2 to about 40 g/m2 , preferably from about 20 g/m2 to about 35 g/m2 .
    [0033] In one embodiment of the present invention, the filter element has a longitudinally extending core comprising the filter material, and a housing surrounding the core. The filter element casing is preferably a paper casing. In one embodiment, the wrapper is the conventional plugwrap.
    [0034] The casing for use in the filter element of the present invention may be porous or non-porous. The housing for use on the filter element can be ventilated or not.
    [0035] In one embodiment, the casing may be a conventional filter casing covering 360° from the core, in which case the filter casing has a superimposed and secured joint securing the casing around the core. Where an adhesive is used to hold the wrapper in place, the adhesive is preferably one that is water-dispersible.
    [0036] In another embodiment of the casing (in particular, plugwrap), preferably does not extend 360° around the core. In other words, in one embodiment, the casing is preferably a split casing. A split shell is one that extends circumferentially over the core, but extends less than 360° around the circumference of the core. In such an embodiment, there is no superimposed and secured seam holding the casing around the core. Instead, the split casing can be held in place by other known means, such as by gluing the casing directly to the core, for example.
    [0037] In one embodiment, the filter element according to the present invention further comprises particulate material. Preferably, the particulate material includes sorbents (eg selected from activated carbon, charcoal, silica gel, sepiolite, alumina, ion exchange material etc.), pH modifiers (eg alkaline materials such as Na2CO3, acidic materials ), flavorings, other solid additives and mixtures thereof.
    [0038] Advantageously, the particulate material is selected from a group of materials of relatively high surface area, capable of adsorbing smoke constituents without a high degree of specificity. Suitable general adsorbents can be selected from the group consisting of carbon, activated carbon, activated carbon, coconut activated carbon, activated carbon based on coal or charcoal, zeolite, silica gel, sea foam, aluminum oxide ( activated or not), carbonaceous resin or combinations thereof.
    [0039] In one embodiment, the particulate material used here is carbon, for example activated carbon, or charcoal or other absorbent material. In one embodiment, preferably the activated carbon is coconut activated carbon.
    [0040] Any particulate material used may be a single substance or a mixture, and/or may be in admixture with another material.
    [0041] The particulate material may be interspersed throughout the core of filter material. Alternatively, the particulate material may be interspersed with some (but not all) parts of the core. Parts can be distributed evenly or unevenly.
    [0042] The particulate material can extend along the entire longitudinal length of the core. Alternatively, the particulate material can extend from one end of the core to a section that is close to the other end. Alternatively, the particulate material may be present in discrete areas that do not need to extend from - or be present at - any end of the core. Different areas can have different loads of particulate material and/or different types of particulate material.
    [0043] Another option for including particulate material in a filter element is to adhere the particles to a casing around the filter element. GB2260477 and GB2261152 describe various additive adhesion configurations. In one embodiment of the present invention, the filter element housing comprises a particulate material adhered to one or more portions of said housing. Preferably, the particulate material is adhered to two or more portions of the casing, the portions being circumferentially spaced from one another and at least one of said two or more portions extending over the entire longitudinal length of said casing.
    [0044] In some embodiments, in addition to having adsorbent particulate material adhered to the casing, the core may further comprise particulate material interspersed in the filter paper material. The particulate material of the core can be the same as the particulate material adhered to the shell. Alternatively, the particulate material of the core may be different from the particulate material adhered to the shell.
    [0045] The particulate material in the core may be homogeneous - in the sense that it is made up of substantially the same component (for some embodiments, preferably all of the same). Alternatively, the particulate material in the core can be heterogeneous - in the sense that it is made up of two or more different components.
    [0046] The particulate material can be adhered to the wrapper and/or the filter paper material by means of a hot melt adhesive (e.g. various polyester adhesives), high melting polyethylene glycol, or an adhesive of the type emulsion, such as PVA.
    [0047] The particulate material can be directly or indirectly adhered to the casing and/or laminated filter material. An example of direct adhesion is where the particulate material is attached to the laminated filter material and/or wrapper (such as the inner surface thereof) by means of an appropriate adhesive. An example of indirect adhesion is where the particulate material is adhered to an intermediate layer (which may be made of paper or other suitable support matrix material - such as a textile material or combinations thereof) by means of a suitable adhesive and wherein the intermediate layer is affixed to the filter and/or wrapping material (such as the inner surface thereof) by means of a suitable adhesive.
    [0048] Some filter elements according to the invention may exhibit a pressure drop greater than about 40 mm of water at an air flow rate of 17.5 cm 3 /s per 0.1 g of filter material. They also preferably exhibit a filtration efficiency for mainstream tobacco smoke particles of less than about 15% per 0.1 g of filter material.
    [0049] Filters according to the present invention comprise one or more of the filter elements according to the first aspect of the invention.
    [0050] In one embodiment the filter element may be the only filter element in the filter when formed into a smoking article rod.
    [0051] In another embodiment the filter element may be part of a larger filter. In other words, the filter element can be part of a composite or multi-component filter. Suitably, the filter elements of the composite filter are arranged longitudinally with respect to one another with the end of each filter element next to the next. Suitably, the composite filter can have 2, 3, 4 or more distinct or discrete sections. However, filters according to the present invention may be of integral construction, but have the general appearance of a composite filter. In one embodiment, the filter is a triple filter with three sections. In another embodiment, the filter is a double filter with two sections.
    [0052] In the composite filter suitably there may be one or more filter elements according to the present invention. Where there is more than one filter element according to the present invention in the composite filter, suitably the filter elements can be positioned longitudinally next to each other or be separated by another filter element.
    [0053] When the filter element is used in a composite filter, suitably one or more other sections of the composite filter may comprise a biodegradable filter material such as crepe, crimped or crumpled paper material. The one or more other sections may optionally comprise one or more additives, such as adsorbent or flavoring materials.
    [0054] In yet another alternative, the composite filter may comprise a section constituting a cavity containing granular material.
    Suitably, filter elements having particular pressure drop characteristics, such as the filter sold by Filtrona and known as the Ratio Filter, may also be used.
    [0056] In addition, the pressure drop and/or mechanical filtration efficiency of the filter plug sections can be selected to achieve desired smoking mechanics and filtration characteristics as may be required with the specific design of the desired product.
    [0057] In a composite filter arrangement the pressure drop of the plugs/filter material sections can be varied.
    [0058] A portion of the filter element and/or the composite filter comprising said filter element may comprise a catalyst. Advantageously, the catalyst facilitates the conversion of carbon monoxide (CO) to carbon dioxide (CO2) in the vapor phase of smoke. It is very much preferred that the catalyst is highly selective for carbon monoxide. Preferably, the catalyst may be one of the group consisting of transition metal oxides, silica, alumina, zeolites, impregnated carbon, for example carbon impregnated with metals.
    [0059] In some embodiments of the invention, the tobacco rod end portion of the composite filter may be a cavity containing an adsorbent and/or catalyst, or alternatively may comprise a smoke filtration material having an adsorbent and/or catalyst dispersed therein. Advantageously, the adsorbent is capable of retaining at least a portion of the vapor phase of the smoke.
    [0060] Smoking articles of the present invention comprise a filter element according to the first aspect and/or a filter according to the second aspect connected to a rod comprising a smokable filling material (tobacco, for example). The smoking article can be a cigarette.
    [0061] The filter element and/or filter comprising said filter element may be connected to a rod of wrapped smokable filling material (i.e., a wrapped tobacco rod, for example) by conventional tip outer casing for form a smoking article. The high end outer casing can be either vent or non-vent.
    Suitably, the smokable filler material may be tobacco material or a tobacco substitute material. Preferably, the smokable material is a tobacco material. Suitably, the tobacco material comprises one or more of rod, blade, and tobacco powder. It is preferred that the tobacco material comprises one or more of the following types: Virginia or burn-cured tobacco, Burley tobacco, Oriental tobacco, reconstituted tobacco. It is very much preferred that the smokable material comprises a blend (blend) of tobacco material. Advantageously the smokable material comprises 10-80% Virginia tobacco, 10-60% Burley tobacco, 0-20% Oriental tobacco, 0120% reconstituted tobacco and 0-30% expanded tobacco.
    [0063] The smoking material of smoking articles comprising a filter element according to the present invention and/or filter comprising a filter element according to the present invention preferably comprises or consists of cut tobacco, a proportion of which tobacco can be expanded tobacco. The smoking material may comprise reconstituted tobacco or tobacco substitute material.
    The smokable filler material may also comprise one or more of the following: burn additive, ash enhancer, inorganic filler material, organic filler, aerosol generating means, binder, flavoring agents and/or coloring agents. Example 1
    [0065] The purpose of this experiment was to determine whether there are sensory differences between a cellulose acetate control filter and four test samples.
    [0066] Control: cellulose acetate filter Test 1: PuracelTM without additive Test 2: PuracelTM with 5% PEG400 Test 3: PuracelTM with 6% Triacetin Test 4: PuracelTM with 6% TEC Methodology
    [0067] The products used in this test were smoked between 28 and 29 September 2009. Two Descriptive Paired Comparison Tests were performed by 15-16 tasters for each sample. Coded cigarettes were used and the significance of any difference was assessed using the Binominal test.
    [0068] The attributes that were considered during the test were: 1) Pulling Effort, 2) Puff of Smoke, 3) Impact, 4) Irritation, 5) Dryness of the Mouth and 6) Intensity of Taste. Results
    [0069] CA (Control) vs. PuracelTM without additive (Test 1) - see Figure 1A. It was found that for Impact and Flavor Intensity there was a statistically significant difference between the control and the test sample (with a significance level of 5%). The Test 1 sample was considered to perform worse than the control in relation to these two attributes.
    [0070] CA (Control) vs. Puracel™ with 5% PEG 400 (Test 2) - see Figure 1B. It was found that for Impact, Mouth Dryness and Flavor Intensity, there is a statistically significant difference at a significance level of 5% between the control and the Test 2 sample. The Test 2 sample was considered to have a worse performance than the control in relation to these three attributes.
    [0071] CA (Control) vs. Puracel™ with 6% Triacetin (Test 3) - see Figure 1C. It was found that for Impact and Flavor Intensity there was a statistically significant difference between the control and the test sample (with a significance level of 5%). The Test 3 sample was considered to perform worse than the control in relation to these two attributes.
    [0072] CA (Control) vs. PuracelTM with 6% TEC (Test 4) - see Figure 1D. The results did not show a statistically significant difference at a significance level of 5% for any of the attributes tested. Conclusion
    [0073] The results show that there were statistically significant differences between the CA control filter and three of the four PuracelTM paper-based filters tested.
    Assay samples including PuracelTM without additive and PuracelTM with 6% triacetin exhibited very similar differences to the CA control. Both samples were rated as being significantly lower in Impact and Flavor Intensity. The test sample including PuracelTM with 5% PEG 400 had a similar difference, with Impact and Taste Intensity being significantly less than the control, but also suffered from significantly greater Mouth Dryness than the control.
    [0075] PuracelTM with 6% TEC appears to be the sample that has the most similar sensory characteristics to the control CA filter. Example 2
    [0076] The purpose of this set of experiments was to determine if there are sensory differences between a control cellulose acetate filter called “Parisienne” and 7 other test samples.
    [0077] Control: CA Test 1 PuracelTM with 0% plasticizer Test 2 PuracelTM with 9% TEC Test 3 PuracelTM with 9% TA Test 4 PuracelTM with 4.5% TEC, 4.5% PEG Test 5 PuracelTM with 4.5% TEC, 4.5% TA Test 6 Puracel™ with 4.5% TA, 4.5% PEG 400 Test 7 Puracel™ with 3% TEC, 3% PEG 400, 3% TA Methodology
    [0078] The products used in this test were smoked between June 29 and July 1, and on July 6, 2010. A Descriptive Paired Comparison Test was performed by 20 panelists for each sample. Coded cigarettes were used and the significance of any differences was assessed using the Binominal test.
    [0079] The attributes used during the test were: 1) Pull Effort, 2) Smoke Puff, 3) Impact, 4) Irritation, 5) Mouth Dryness and 6) Flavor Intensity. Results
    [0080] AC Control (Control 1) vs. Puracel™ with 0% plasticizer (Test 1) - see Figure 2A. It was found that there was not enough evidence to show a statistically significant difference between the control and the test sample (with a 5% significance level) for any of the 6 attributes.
    [0081] CA Control (Control 1) vs. Puracel™ with 9% TEC (Test 2) - see Figure 2B. There was not enough evidence to show a statistically significant difference between the control and the test sample in terms of Pull Effort (at a 5% significance level), although there was some evidence at a 10% significance level.
    [0082] AC Control (Control 1) vs. Puracel™ with 9% TA (Test 3) - see Figure 2C. There was a statistically significant difference between the control and the test sample in terms of Puff of Smoke, Impact and Intensity of Taste (at a 5% significance level).
    [0083] CA Control (Control 1) vs. Puracel™ with 4.5% TEC, 4.5% PEG (Test 4) - see Figure 2D. There was a statistically significant difference between the control and the test sample in terms of Pulling Effort, Puff of Smoke, Impact, Irritation and Intensity of Taste (at a 5% significance level).
    [0084] AC Control (Control 1) vs. Puracel™ with 4.5% TEC, 4.5% TA (Test 5) - see Figure 2E. There was not enough evidence to show a statistically significant difference between the control and the test sample in terms of Pull Effort at a 5% significance level, although there was some evidence at a 10% significance level.
    [0085] AC Control (Control 1) vs. Puracel™ with 4.5% TA, 4.5% PEG 400 (Test 6) - see Figure 2F. There was not enough evidence to show a statistically significant difference between the control and the test sample at a 5% significance level.
    [0086] CA Control (Control 1) vs. Puracel™ with 3% TEC, 3% PEG 400, 3% TA (Test 7) - see Figure 2G. There was not enough evidence to show a statistically significant difference between the control and the test sample at a 5% significance level. Conclusions
    [0087] Based on the objective there were no significant differences between the CA control and three of the seven test samples, namely Test 1, Test 6 and Test 7.
    [0088] Two samples showed that there were directional trends without being significantly different from the CA control, namely Test 2 and Test 5, both of which were shown to be the Pull Effort directionally greater than the control.
    [0089] Test 3 showed significant differences in relation to the AC control on the mechanics with Puff of Smoke being inferior to the control, resulting in greater Pull Effort, with the Impact force attribute and the flavor attribute Flavor Intensity also being smaller than control.
    [0090] Finally, Test 4 showed the greatest sensory differences statistically on mechanics with Effort of Pull being greater than the control, resulting in Puff of Smoke significantly lower than the control. Test 4 also exhibited the Impact, Irritation and Taste Intensity strength attributes lower than the control. Example 3
    [0091] The purpose of this experiment was to determine the effect on biodegradability of using a paper filter material in place of conventional cellulose acetate. To do this, degradation under ambient conditions was evaluated for a control cellulose acetate filter and for three test samples.
    [0092] Control: cellulose acetate filter Test 1: PuracelTM (7mg) without additive Test 2: PuracelTM with 7% Triacetin Test 3: PuracelTM with 7% PEG 400 Methodology
    [0093] The following protocol was used to measure the disintegration of smoked cigarette butts into non-recognizable component parts that are readily dispersible.
    [0094] Tests were conducted on grass and the tips were placed inside stainless steel cages (45 cm x 30 cm) with 6 sub-compartments per cage. When the grass was periodically mowed, care was taken not to disturb the samples.
    [0095] The test site was located in an open, well-drained area, away from tall buildings and trees. Interference from humans and animal activity was kept to a minimum by a fence around the perimeter of the test area.
    [0096] For each sample a total of 100 cigarette butts were smoked with the ISO standard (35 mL puff volume/2 seconds/every 60 seconds). After smoking, each end was removed from the machine and the remaining section of tobacco and paper was removed by cutting to the filter using a razor blade. This left the filter, filter wrap and tip intact. The tips were then conditioned for 48 hours at 22°C +/- 1°C and 60% +/- 2% RH. 20 tips from each sample are weighed and the average weight calculated.
    [0097] After a period of 3 months the sample tips should be removed from each section of the cage. These tips were dried, reconditioned, weighed and photographed. Cigarette ends were dried in an oven at 105°C for 3 hours, the dried ends were gently wiped with soft tissue to remove dirt and plant material. Clean tips were then conditioned for 48 hours at 22°C +/- 1°C and 60% +/- 2% RH. Five tips were weighed for each replica. These weights are compared to the average weight of five undegraded tips as calculated at the start of the test.
    [0098]
    Results
    [0099] The results are shown in Table 1 below and illustrated in the graph in Figure 3. Table 1

    [0100] Unexpectedly, when the sample tips came to be evaluated after 3 months, the test 2 and test 3 butts had disintegrated. Its weight was therefore 0% of the average weight of the undegraded tips. In contrast, the remaining weight of the test 1 butt was a little more than 35%, and the remaining weight of the cellulose acetate control butts was a little more than 70% of the average starting weight. Conclusions
    [0101] The results show that the use of a paper filter material (PuracelTM) instead of conventional cellulose acetate had a significant effect on the rate of degradation under the test conditions, which was to be expected given the fact that paper filter material is more readily biodegradable than plasticized cellulose acetate pad.
    [0102] More surprisingly, the results also indicate that the addition of triacetin and PEG additives to a filter paper material significantly increased the rate of biodegradation of butts on a grass surface. It is speculated that this may have been due to the presence of microorganisms, insects and the like, which fed on the tips and the presence of additives made test butts 2 and 3 more attractive. PEG, for example, is a grease that may have been recognized as providing the tips with enhanced nutritional value. Example 4
    [0103] Four smoked samples were subjected to outdoor surface tests on three substrates: soil, concrete and grass. The identification of the samples were as follows:
    [0104] PuracelTM 7mg PuracelTM + 7% Triacetin 7mg PuracelTM + 7% PEG 400 7mg CA Control
    [0105] This method is for measuring the disintegration of smoked cigarette filters under “real” external test conditions. At least 100 smoke filters per machine per sample were required for each test surface. Each filter had the tobacco removed and the tip paper cut back to the filter rod. The filters were conditioned to ISO 3402 standard and weighed and the average of five filters was calculated. At least twenty filters were placed in each section of the cage (5 replicates x 20 filters for each sample). Five filters per replica were removed at times specified in the application. Filters were dried, conditioned, cleaned, weighed and photographed at each time period. Sample weights were then compared to the original unexposed (unweathered) samples. Results Table 2






    [0106] Where 0% is entered, this means that no recognizable filter material could be found on the substrate. Any apparent weight increase may be attributable to dirt particles being trapped in the filters that could not be removed by cleaning. Example 5
    [0107] Various characteristics of sample filters according to the present invention have been evaluated and the data are shown in Tables 5 to 18 below. The filter samples are the same as those used in Example 2, with the control being a conventional “Parisienne” CA filter, Test 1 being filter material comprising PuracelTM with 0% plasticizer, Test 2 being PuracelTM with 9% plasticizer TEC, Test 3 being PuracelTM with 9% TA, Test 4 being PuracelTM with 4.5% TEC, 4.5% PEG, Test 5 being PuracelTM with 4.5% TEC, 4.5% of TA, Test 6 being Puracel™ with 4.5% TA, 4.5% PEG 400 and Test 7 being Puracel™ with 3% TEC, 3% PEG 400, 3% TA.
    [0108] Routine physical and smoke data are presented in Tables 5 to 8. Smoke analyte data for the test and control filter material is presented in Tables 9 to 13. The standard deviation (SD) for these Measured analytes are shown in Tables 14 to 18.
    [0109] Cigarettes were smoked according to the ISO standard smoking regimen (35 mL puff volume/2 seconds/every 60 seconds). Table 5







    [0110] The examples demonstrate that at least some of the test filters according to the present invention are more easily degradable than filter elements comprising a conventional cellulose acetate filter material, they show good selective removal of semi-volatile compounds and provide smoke having flavor characteristics similar to those provided by conventional cellulose acetate filters.
    [0111] All publications mentioned in the above descriptive report are hereby incorporated by reference. Various modifications and variations of the described methods and system of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention. While the present invention has been described in relation to specific preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention as claimed should not be unduly limited to such specific embodiments. Indeed, various modifications of the described modes for carrying out the invention which are apparent to those skilled in the art are to be understood as falling within the scope of the claims which follow.
    权利要求:
    Claims (12)
    [0001]
    1. Filter element for use in a smoking article, characterized in that it comprises a filter material which is a laminated non-woven material or paper, and: (i) polyethylene glycol in an amount of up to 30% by weight of the filter element for increasing selective removal of semi-volatile compounds from smoke that is drawn through the filter element; (ii) TEC in an amount of up to 30% by weight of the filter element to improve the flavor characteristics of smoke drawn through the filter element; and/or (iii) triacetin in an amount of up to 30% by weight of the filter element to improve the taste characteristics of smoke drawn through the filter element, wherein the laminated non-woven material or paper does not comprise cellulose acetate.
    [0002]
    2. Filter element according to claim 1, characterized in that the filter material is a crumpled or pleated paper, or non-woven laminated material comprising PVOH, PLA, PCL, PBS, PBAT, starch fibers and alginate of calcium.
    [0003]
    3. Filter element according to any one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that polyethylene glycol is a high molecular weight polyethylene glycol that is solid at room temperature.
    [0004]
    4. Filter element according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that polyethylene glycol is PEG 1000.
    [0005]
    5. Filter element according to claim 1, characterized in that triacetin and/or TEC are included in the filter element in an amount of up to 20% by weight of the filter element.
    [0006]
    Filter element according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it additionally comprises at least one adsorbent material.
    [0007]
    A filter element according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it further comprises one or more additives including tobacco extracts, glycerin, flavorings, carbon particles and carbon fibers.
    [0008]
    8. Filter characterized in that it comprises a filter element as defined in any one of claims 1 to 7.
    [0009]
    A smoking article characterized in that it comprises a filter element as defined in any one of claims 1 to 7 and/or a filter as defined in claim 8 and a rod of smokable filler material.
    [0010]
    10. A smoking article according to claim 9, characterized in that the smokable filling material comprises tobacco.
    [0011]
    11. Use of polyethylene glycol, TEC and/or triacetin characterized in that it is to improve the selective removal of semi-volatile compounds by a filter element comprising a laminated non-woven filter material or paper and to improve the taste characteristics of smoke drawn through said filter element, wherein the laminated non-woven material or paper does not comprise cellulose acetate.
    [0012]
    12. Use according to claim 11, characterized in that the biodegradability of the filter element is also improved by the presence of PEG, TEC and/or triacetin.
    类似技术:
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    同族专利:
    公开号 | 公开日
    JP2013514801A|2013-05-02|
    PL2515689T3|2014-07-31|
    JP5719380B2|2015-05-20|
    RU2016113760A3|2018-11-28|
    RU2012131055A|2014-01-27|
    RU2612998C2|2017-03-14|
    US9107454B2|2015-08-18|
    HK1225582A1|2017-09-15|
    US20130025611A1|2013-01-31|
    AR081054A1|2012-06-06|
    KR101789227B1|2017-10-23|
    AU2010334631A1|2012-07-19|
    UA105943C2|2014-07-10|
    RU2612998C9|2017-05-19|
    KR20120095483A|2012-08-28|
    RU2016113760A|2018-11-28|
    BR112012015131A2|2020-09-01|
    CN105661639A|2016-06-15|
    CA2784216A1|2011-06-30|
    MX2012006586A|2012-06-28|
    CL2012001700A1|2013-04-05|
    WO2011077138A1|2011-06-30|
    MY162716A|2017-07-14|
    EP2515689A1|2012-10-31|
    ES2462971T3|2014-05-27|
    AU2010334631B2|2014-09-18|
    CN102811632A|2012-12-05|
    CA2784216C|2017-03-07|
    GB0922253D0|2010-02-03|
    EP2515689B1|2014-02-12|
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    法律状态:
    2020-09-15| B06F| Objections, documents and/or translations needed after an examination request according [chapter 6.6 patent gazette]|
    2020-09-24| B06U| Preliminary requirement: requests with searches performed by other patent offices: procedure suspended [chapter 6.21 patent gazette]|
    2021-01-26| B06A| Notification to applicant to reply to the report for non-patentability or inadequacy of the application [chapter 6.1 patent gazette]|
    2021-05-18| B09A| Decision: intention to grant [chapter 9.1 patent gazette]|
    2021-06-29| B16A| Patent or certificate of addition of invention granted|Free format text: PRAZO DE VALIDADE: 20 (VINTE) ANOS CONTADOS A PARTIR DE 21/12/2010, OBSERVADAS AS CONDICOES LEGAIS. PATENTE CONCEDIDA CONFORME ADI 5.529/DF, , QUE DETERMINA A ALTERACAO DO PRAZO DE CONCESSAO. |
    优先权:
    申请号 | 申请日 | 专利标题
    GBGB0922253.0A|GB0922253D0|2009-12-21|2009-12-21|Sheet filter materials with additives|
    GB0922253.0|2009-12-21|
    PCT/GB2010/052169|WO2011077138A1|2009-12-21|2010-12-21|Sheet filter materials with additives|
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