Smoking article filter and smoking article including the same

Abstract

A smoking article filter and a smoking article including the same are provided. The smoking article filter includes a filter portion including regenerated cellulose tow including regenerated cellulose-based fibers and a monomolecular additive dispersed in the regenerated cellulose tow.

Description

BACKGROUND1. Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a smoking article filter including regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow) and a monomolecular additive dispersed as a phenol reducing material in the regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow) and a smoking article including the same.2. Discussion of Related Art

[0002] In recent years, with a growing interest in environmental protection, it has become important for materials used in cigarette filters to also have biodegradability. In particular, since the existing cellulose acetate-based cigarette filters have a problem that a long period of time is required for natural decomposition, research on biodegradable materials for replacing cellulose acetate is actively underway.

[0003] Attempts to use regenerated cellulose-based fibers, such as lyocell fibers, having excellent biodegradability as filter materials in order to meet such demand are gaining attention. The regenerated cellulose-based fibers such as lyocell fibers are manufactured based on cellulose and are known as eco-friendly materials that decompose rapidly under various conditions including marine conditions.

[0004] Meanwhile, since phenolic compounds, which are one of harmful materials generated during smoking, may adversely affect not only the user's health but also the environment, technology for effectively reducing such components in filters is also required. Accordingly, conventionally, technology in which a polymer additive, such as triethyl citrate (TEC), triacetin (TA), and polyethylene glycol (PEG), is added to a cigarette filter to reduce phenolic compounds has been proposed.

[0005] However, when an additive containing one or more of triethyl citrate (TEC) and triacetin (TA) is applied as a phenol reducing material to regenerated cellulose tow including regenerated cellulose-based fibers, such as lyocell tow including lyocell fibers or viscose tow including viscose fibers, there is a problem that ink on the tipping paper spreads. It has been confirmed that spread of the ink occurs because it is difficult for the additive to be present between the fibers and the additive leaks toward the tipping paper on the outside because the regenerated cellulose-based fibers such as lyocell fibers or viscose fibers are hydrophilic while the additive is hydrophobic.

[0006] When polyethylene glycol (PEG) is applied as a phenol reducing material to regenerated cellulose tow including regenerated cellulose-based fibers, such as lyocell tow including lyocell fibers, although polyethylene glycol (PEG) is an amphoteric additive and thus has excellent performance in reducing phenols in mainstream smoke and does not cause spread of ink, polyethylene glycol (PEG) is classified as a synthetic polymer under the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA)'s standards, and there is a concern that a regenerated cellulose filter such as a lyocell filter, in which polyethylene glycol (PEG) is added to regenerated cellulose tow such as lyocell tow, may be classified as a disposable plastic product.

[0007] Therefore, when a synthetic polymer is applied to a regenerated cellulose filter such as a lyocell filter and the regenerated cellulose filter is classified as a disposable plastic product, it may be disadvantageous in terms of biodegradability certification or response to regulations, and there may be a negative influence on the judgment of whether the biodegradability of a filter product is suitable or not. Therefore, a need has arisen for a new additive applied to regenerated cellulose tow such as lyocell tow or viscose tow that is not classified as a disposable plastic product due to not decreasing the biodegradability of a filter while maintaining phenol reducing performance and not causing the problem of ink spreading on tipping paper.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The present invention is directed to providing a smoking article filter including a monomolecular additive, instead of a polymer additive, as a phenol reducing material, thereby maintaining excellent phenol reducing performance and an excellent amount of transferred nicotine, minimizing the possibility that the smoking article filter would be classified as a disposable plastic product, and minimizing the spread of ink on tipping paper, and a smoking article including the same.

[0009] Objectives of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned objectives should be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains based on the description below.

[0010] One embodiment for achieving the above objective provides a smoking article filter including a filter portion including regenerated cellulose tow including regenerated cellulose-based fibers and a monomolecular additive dispersed in the regenerated cellulose tow.

[0011] In some embodiments, the regenerated cellulose-based fibers may include at least one or more of viscose fibers and lyocell fibers.

[0012] In some embodiments, the regenerated cellulose-based fibers may include lyocell fibers, and the regenerated cellulose tow may be lyocell tow.

[0013] In some embodiments, the lyocell tow may include only the lyocell fibers as fibers.

[0014] In some embodiments, the monomolecular additive may be a phenol reducing material.

[0015] In some embodiments, the monomolecular additive may be a polyhydric alcohol.

[0016] In some embodiments, the monomolecular additive may be an oligomer in which two or more polyhydric alcohols of the same structure are repeated and combined or an ether derivative of the oligomer.

[0017] In some embodiments, the polyhydric alcohol may be one of ethylene glycol (EG) and propylene glycol (PG).

[0018] In some embodiments, the monomolecular additive may include one or more selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol oligomers, ethylene glycol oligomer ether derivatives which are ether derivatives of the ethylene glycol oligomers, propylene glycol oligomers, and propylene glycol oligomer ether derivatives which are ether derivatives of the propylene glycol oligomers.

[0019] In some embodiments, the monomolecular additive may include at least one or more of diethylene glycol (DEG), triethylene glycol (TEG), tetraethylene glycol (TetraEG), and pentaethylene glycol (PentaEG) as the ethylene glycol oligomer.

[0020] In some embodiments, the monomolecular additive may include at least one or more of dipropylene glycol (DPG), tripropylene glycol (TPG), tetrapropylene glycol (TetraPG), and pentapropylene glycol (PentaPG) as the propylene glycol oligomer.

[0021] In some embodiments, the monomolecular additive may include at least one or more of triethylene glycol (TEG), tetraethylene glycol (TetraEG), and tripropylene glycol (TPG).

[0022] In some embodiments, the monomolecular additive may be triethylene glycol (TEG).

[0023] In some embodiments, the monomolecular additive may be tetraethylene glycol (TetraEG).

[0024] In some embodiments, the monomolecular additive may be dipropylene glycol (DPG).

[0025] In some emboidments, the monomolecular additive may be tripropylene glycol (TPG).

[0026] In some embodiments, the monomolecular additive may be dipropylene glycol monomethyl ether.

[0027] In some embodiments, the monomolecular additive may be tripropylene glycol butyl ether.

[0028] In some embodiments, the smoking article filter may further include a filter portion wrapper surounding the filter portion, and the filter portion wrapper may include porous general wrapping paper.

[0029] Another embodiment for achieving the above objective provides a smoking article including a smoking material portion, a smoking article filter disposed downstream of the smoking material portion, and tipping paper surrounding at least some portions of the smoking material portion and the smoking article filter, wherein the smoking article filter includes a filter portion including regenerated cellulose tow including regenerated cellulose-based fibers and a monomolecular additive dispersed in the regenerated cellulose tow and a filter portion wrapper surrounding the filter portion.

[0030] In some embodiments, the regenerated cellulose tow may be lyocell tow including a plurality of lyocell fibers.

[0031] In some embodiments, the regenerated cellulose tow may be viscose tow including a plurality of viscose fibers.

[0032] In some embodiments, the regenerated cellulose tow may include lyocell tow including a plurality of lyocell fibers and viscose tow including a plurality of viscose fibers.

[0033] In some embodiments, the monomolecular additive may be a phenol reducing material.

[0034] In some embodiments, the monomolecular additive may include one or more selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol oligomers, ethylene glycol oligomer ether derivatives which are ether derivatives of the ethylene glycol oligomers, propylene glycol oligomers, and propylene glycol oligomer ether derivatives which are ether derivatives of the propylene glycol oligomers.EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION

[0035] According to a smoking article filter and a smoking article according to one embodiment, since a filter portion of the smoking article filter includes regenerated cellulose tow including regenerated cellulose-based fibers having excellent biodegradability, and a monomolecular additive is added as a phenol reducing material to the regenerated cellulose tow, excellent phenol reducing performance and an excellent nicotine transfer amount can be provided, the possibility that the smoking article filter would be classified as a disposable plastic product can be minimized because a monomolecular material is added instead of a polymer material (or a polymer), and the spread of ink on tipping paper can be minimized.

[0036] Advantageous effects according to the technical spirit of the present disclosure are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned advantageous effects can be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art from the description above.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a schematic configuration of a smoking article according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 shows images captured for each period that show whether the spread of ink occurred in a smoking article filter of Example 1 of the present invention; FIG. 3 shows images captured for each period that show whether the spread of ink occurred in a smoking article filter of Example 4 of the present invention; FIG. 4 shows captured images that show whether the spread of ink occurred in a smoking article filter of Example 6 of the present invention; FIG. 5 shows images captured for each period that show whether the spread of ink occurred in a smoking article filter of Comparative Example 5 of the present invention; and FIG. 6 shows images captured for each period that show whether the spread of ink occurred in a smoking article filter of Comparative Example 6 of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

[0038] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Advantages and features of the present disclosure and methods of achieving the same should become clear with embodiments described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the technical spirit of the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments and may be implemented in various different forms. The following embodiments are only provided to make the technical spirit of the present disclosure complete and completely inform those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains of the scope of the present disclosure. The technical spirit of the present disclosure is defined only by the scope of the claims.

[0039] In assigning reference numerals to components of each drawing, it should be noted that the same reference numerals are assigned to the same components wherever possible even when the components are illustrated in different drawings. Also, in describing the present disclosure, when it is determined that the detailed description of a known related configuration or function may obscure the gist of the present disclosure, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0040] Unless otherwise defined, all terms including technical or scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein. Terms used herein are for describing the embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. In the specification, a singular expression includes a plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0041] Also, in describing components of the present disclosure, terms such as "first," "second," "A," "B," "(a)," and "(b)" may be used. Such terms are only used for distinguishing one component from another component, and the essence, order, sequence, or the like of the corresponding components is not limited by the terms. In a case in which a certain component is described as being "connected," "coupled," or "linked" to another component, it should be understood that, although the component may be directly connected or linked to the other component, still another component may also be "connected," "coupled," or "linked" between the two components.

[0042] The terms "comprises" and / or "comprising" used herein do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more components, steps, operations, and / or devices other than those mentioned.

[0043] First, some terms used herein will be clarified.

[0044] In the present specification, "smoking article" may refer to any product that can be smoked or any product that can provide a smoking experience, regardless of whether the product is based on tobacco, tobacco derivatives, expanded tobacco, reconstituted tobacco, or tobacco substitutes. For example, smoking articles may include products that can be smoked, such as cigarettes, cigars, and cigarillos.

[0045] In the present specification, "smoking material" may refer to any type of material that may be used in a smoking article.

[0046] In the present specification, "user" may be interchangeably used with "consumer."

[0047] In the present specification, "upstream" or "upstream direction" may refer to a direction away from an oral region of a smoker, and "downstream" or "downstream direction" may refer to a direction toward the oral region of the smoker.

[0048] In the present specification, "longitudinal direction" may refer to a direction corresponding to a longitudinal axis of a smoking article. The "longitudinal axis" of a smoking article may refer to a virtual line extending in the main longitudinal direction of the smoking article. This axis usually continues from one side end (e.g., a mouthpiece or filter end) of a smoking article to the other side end (e.g., a combustion or heat source end).

[0049] In the present specification, "regenerated cellulose filter" refers to a filter including regenerated cellulose tow or made of regenerated cellulose tow.

[0050] In the present specification, "lyocell filter" refers to a filter including lyocell tow or made of lyocell tow.

[0051] In the present specification, "viscose filter" refers to a filter including viscose tow or made of viscose tow.

[0052] In the present specification, "regenerated cellulose tow" includes a plurality of regenerated cellulose-based fibers or is made of a plurality of regenerated cellulose-based fibers. In some embodiments, regenerated cellulose tow may refer to a bundle formed by cross-linking adjacent regenerated cellulose-based fibers.

[0053] In the present specification, "lyocell tow" includes a plurality of lyocell fibers or is made of a plurality of lyocell fibers. In some embodiments, lyocell tow may refer to a bundle formed by cross-linking adjacent lyocell fibers.

[0054] In the present specification, "viscose tow" includes a plurality of viscose fibers or is made of a plurality of viscose fibers. In some embodiments, viscose tow may refer to a bundle formed by cross-linking adjacent viscose fibers.

[0055] In the present specification, "regenerated cellulose-based fibers" may refer to cellulose-based fibers formed by processing a naturally-generated cellulose-based material.

[0056] In the present specification, "lyocell fibers" may refer to fibers made of lyocell cellulose. In particular, lyocell fibers and viscose fibers may be fibers made of cellulose derived, or mainly derived, from wood pulp, in particular, semi-synthetic fibers.

[0057] In the present specification, "non-circular cross-section" is defined as a cross-section having a shape including a plurality of protrusions instead of having a circular shape. For example, a cross-section having a shape in which a plurality of protrusions branch and / or extend from a center and / or the center of the cross-section may be referred to as "non-circular cross-section." Here, "protrusions" may refer to distinct, extended segments or arms extending outward from a central core or a joining point of a cross-section of a regenerated cellulose-based fiber (preferably, a lyocell fiber and / or a viscose fiber).

[0058] In some embodiments, a regenerated cellulose-based fiber (preferably, a lyocell fiber and / or a viscose fiber) may have a Y-shaped cross-section with three protrusions branching and / or extending from the center and / or the center of the cross-section, a cross-shaped cross-section with four protrusions, a star-shaped cross-section with five or more protrusions, or an O-shaped cross-section, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0059] In the present specification, a regenerated cellulose-based fiber (preferably, a lyocell fiber and / or a viscose fiber) may include three or more protrusions branching and / or extending from the center and / or the center of the cross-section.

[0060] In some embodiments, a regenerated cellulose-based fiber (preferably, a lyocell fiber and / or a viscose fiber) included in regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow) may have a Y-shaped cross-section in terms of its intended use for application to cigarette filters.

[0061] In the present specification, "hollow" may refer to a channel extending in the longitudinal direction.

[0062] In the present specification, "consisting of" a certain component may mean including the component or being made of the corresponding component.

[0063] In the present specification, a wrapper (for example, wrapping paper) may wrap around at least a portion of a surface around a longitudinal axis of each portion and / or structure of a smoking article.

[0064] In the present specification, "monomolecular additive" is a single compound rather than a mixture and may refer to a low molecular weight compound with a relatively low molecular weight, for example, a low molecular weight compound having a molecular weight of less than 1,000, preferably less than 800, more preferably less than 700, even more preferably less than 600, and still more preferably less than 500, rather than a high molecular weight polymer. The molecular weight may be a number average molecular weight.

[0065] In the present specification, "basis weight" refers to a mass per unit area of wrapping paper and / or a wrapper. A basis weight of wrapping paper and / or a wrapper may be determined by measuring the mass and area of the wrapping paper and / or wrapper and dividing the mass of the wrapping paper and / or wrapper by the area thereof. The unit of the basis weight may be grams per square meter (gsm), i.e., g / m 2< .

[0066] In the present specification, "hard wrapping paper" refers to wrapping paper having a basis weight of a predetermined value or more.

[0067] In some embodiments, "grease-resistant wrapping paper" may refer to wrapping paper whose surface is treated to be grease-resistant, and "grease-resistant hard wrapping paper" may refer to hard wrapping paper whose surface is treated to be grease-resistant.

[0068] In some embodiments, "general wrapping paper" may refer to wrapping paper whose surface is not treated to be grease-resistant, and "general hard wrapping paper" may refer to hard wrapping paper whose surface is not treated to be grease-resistant.

[0069] In the present specification, the "mono denier" of regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow) refers to the denier of one strand of monofilament separated from a multifilament of regenerated cellulose-based fibers (preferably, lyocell fibers and / or viscose fibers) constituting the regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow).

[0070] In the present specification, the "total denier" of regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow) refers to the denier of a multifilament of regenerated cellulose-based fibers (preferably, lyocell fibers and / or viscose fibers) constituting the regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow).

[0071] In the present specification, "phenols" refers to materials in which hydrogen bonded to a functional group of an aromatic hydrocarbon ring is partially substituted with a hydroxyl group (-OH).

[0072] In some embodiments, phenols may include a material selected from the group consisting of phenol, m-cresol, p-cresol, o-cresol, catechol, hydroquinone, resorcinol, and combinations thereof.

[0073] In some embodiments, phenols may include one or more of m-cresol, p-cresol, o-cresol, and phenol.

[0074] A filter of a smoking article may collect at least some of the components of smoke generated during smoking of the smoking article. In some embodiments, the smoking article filter may collect at least some of the phenols contained in components of smoke generated during smoking of the smoking article.

[0075] The smoking article filter according to one aspect of the present invention may collect at least some of the components of smoke generated during smoking of the smoking article. In some embodiments, the smoking article filter may collect one or more of nicotine (hereinafter may be abbreviated as "Nic"), phenol, and water (H 2 O) contained in the components of smoke generated during smoking of the smoking article.

[0076] In the present specification, "resistance to draw" refers to a static pressure difference between both ends of a sample when an airflow passes through the sample. For example, resistance to draw may be measured using the method specified in ISO Standard 6565:2015. According to ISO Standard 6565:2015, resistance to draw may refer to a static pressure difference between both ends of a sample when an airflow passes through the sample under normal conditions where a volumetric flow rate is 17.5 mm / s at a discharge end (a temperature of 22±2 °C and a relative humidity of about 60±5%).

[0077] In the present specification, unless a separate temperature is indicated, the corresponding temperature is room temperature.

[0078] In some embodiments, room temperature may be a temperature ranging from 20 °C to 25 °C.

[0079] In the present specification, unless a separate physical quantity is indicated, percentages (%) of components and ratios of the components indicate wt% of components and weight ratios of the components, respectively.

[0080] In the present specification, "puff" refers to the action of inhaling or drawing air through a smoking article to produce and inhale smoke or vapor. "Puff count" may refer to the total number of inhalating or drawing actions during use of the smoking article. Alternatively, or in addition, the puff count may represent the maximum number of inhalating or drawing actions that the smoking article can provide before it is completely consumed or ceases to function.

[0081] In the present specification, Health Canada (HC) conditions may be conditions in which a puff volume is 55 ml, a puff frequency is every 30 seconds, and a puff duration is 2 seconds. In particular, the HC conditions may be in a state in which the perforations of the filter are blocked. When measurement is performed under the HC conditions, the puff count may be 9.

[0082] The content of smoke components such as phenol among captured smoke components may be measured by collecting smoke generated using a cigarette smoking machine, for example, Korber's linear type cigarette smoking machine, for example, LX20 in particular, on a Cambridge filter pad (CFP), adding 30 mL of 1% acetic acid solution and then stirring in order to extract components such as phenol from the pad on which the components of smoke are collected, filtering the components using a 0.45 µm polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) syringe filter, and using an Alliance HPLC-FLD analysis device of Waters Corporation and an LC Column (15 × 4.6 mm, Luna 3 µm) of Phenomenex.

[0083] The content of general smoke components such as nicotine and water (H 2 O) in the collected smoke may be analyzed through gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC / MS). For example, for tar and / or nicotine, content of each component may be measured by immersing a Cambridge filter pad (CFP), on which the components of smoke are collected, in isopropyl alcohol (IPA) for a predetermined amount of time (for example 20 minutes to 16 hours) and using a GC / MS device. For example, the content of components such as nicotine in the collected smoke may be measured through GC / MS using a DB-WAX column (30 m × 0.320 mm, 0.50 µm). The GC / MS device may be, for example, Agilent's measurement device, for example, GC 8890.

[0084] In the present specification, the unit "mmWG" is a unit of pressure and means "mmH 2 O."

[0085] In the present specification, the unit "CU" is a Cooperation Center for Scientific Research Relative to Tobacco (CORESTA) unit and indicates a volumetric flow rate of an airflow passing through a sample of a substrate having an area of 1 cm 2< under a pressure difference of 1 kPa.

[0086] Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0087] FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a schematic configuration of a smoking article according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0088] Throughout the specification, "smoking article" may refer to anything capable of generating an aerosol, such as tobacco (cigarettes) and cigars. The smoking article may include an aerosol-generating material and / or an aerosol-forming substrate. Also, the smoking article may include a solid material based on tobacco raw materials, such as reconstituted tobacco leaves, shredded tobacco, and reconstituted tobacco. A smoking material may include volatile compounds.

[0089] Also, throughout the specification, "upstream" or "upstream direction" refers to a direction away from an oral region of a user (consumer) smoking a smoking article 100, and "downstream" or "downstream direction" refers to a direction toward the oral region of the user (consumer) smoking the smoking article 100. For example, in the smoking article 100 illustrated in FIG. 1, a smoking material portion 10 is disposed upstream or in an upstream direction of a filter portion 20 included in a smoking article filter.

[0090] Further, in the present specification, a case where the smoking article 100 is a combustion-type cigarette is described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the smoking article 100 may also be a heating-type cigarette or the like that is used together with an aerosol generation device such as an electronic cigarette device.

[0091] Referring to FIG. 1, the smoking article 100 may include the smoking material portion 10, the filter portion 20, a smoking material portion wrapper 30a, a filter portion wrapper 30b, and tipping paper 40. A smoking article filter according to the present invention may include the filter portion 20 and the filter portion wrapper 30b surrounding the filter portion 20. The smoking material portion wrapper 30a and / or the filter portion wrapper 30b may each be located at an outermost side of the smoking article 100 and may each be a single wrapper or a combination of a plurality of wrappers. In the smoking article 100, the smoking material portion 10 is disposed upstream of the filter portion 20.

[0092] The smoking material portion 10 may be filled with a smoking material such as raw tobacco leaves, reconstituted tobacco leaves, or a mixture of tobacco leaves and reconstituted tobacco leaves. A processed smoking material may be filled in the smoking material portion 10 in the form of a sheet or shredded tobacco. The smoking material portion 10 may have the form of a longitudinally extending rod whose length, circumference, and diameter are not particularly limited, but the length, circumference, and diameter may be adjusted to sizes generally used in the art in consideration of the amount of smoking material filled therein, user (consumer) preferences, or the like.

[0093] The smoking material portion 10 may include at least one aerosol-generating material among 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 a flavoring agent, a humectant, and / or an acetate compound. The aerosol-generating material and / or the additive may be contained in the smoking material.

[0094] The smoking material portion 10 may be wrapped with the smoking material portion wrapper 30a.

[0095] The smoking article filter may be disposed downstream of the smoking material portion 10. The filter portion 20 of the smoking article filter is disposed downstream of the smoking material portion 10 and serves as a filter through which an aerosol material generated in the smoking material portion 10 passes right before being inhaled by the user (consumer or smoker). The filter portion 20 may be manufactured using various materials or manufactured in various forms.

[0096] The smoking article filter according to one embodiment of the present invention may include the filter portion 20 and the filter portion wrapper 30b surrounding the filter portion 20.

[0097] The filter portion 20 according to one embodiment of the present invention may include regenerated cellulose tow including a plurality of regenerated cellulose-based fibers and a monomolecular additive dispersed in the regenerated cellulose tow.

[0098] In some embodiments, the regenerated cellulose-based fibers may include at least one or more of viscose fibers and lyocell fibers, and preferably, the regenerated cellulose-based fibers may be lyocell fibers.

[0099] In one embodiment, the regenerated cellulose tow including a plurality of regenerated cellulose-based fibers may be lyocell tow including a plurality of lyocell fibers.

[0100] In some embodiments, the lyocell tow may include only the plurality of lyocell fibers as fibers and may not include other fibers in addition to the lyocell fibers. That is, the lyocell tow may be made of a plurality of lyocell fibers. Since the lyocell tow includes only the lyocell fibers as fibers, the biodegradability of the smoking article filter including the filter portion including the lyocell tow may be excellent.

[0101] In one embodiment, the filter portion 20 may include lyocell tow including a plurality of lyocell fibers and a monomolecular additive dispersed in the lyocell tow.

[0102] In one embodiment, the filter portion 20 may include viscose tow including a plurality of viscose fibers and a monomolecular additive dispersed in the viscose tow.

[0103] In one embodiment, the filter portion 20 may include lyocell tow including a plurality of lyocell fibers, viscose tow including a plurality of viscose fibers, and a monomolecular additive dispersed in the lyocell tow and the viscose tow.

[0104] The smoking article filter including the regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow) may replace all or part of the filter portion 20 of existing smoking articles, and when the smoking article filter replaces part of the filter portion 20, a filter material that is used conventionally may be used together. For example, a cellulose acetate filter, a hollow tube filter, or the like may be used as the conventional filter material.

[0105] The filter portion 20 is illustrated as a mono filter formed of a single filter in FIG. 1, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the filter portion 20 may be provided as a dual filter, a triple filter, or the like, which includes two or more filters, in order to increase filter efficiency.

[0106] In some embodiments, when the filter portion 20 is provided as a dual filter, a triple filter, or the like, the filter (hereinafter, regenerated cellulose filter (preferably, lyocell filter and / or viscose filter) of the present invention that includes regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow) including regenerated cellulose-based fibers (preferably, lyocell fibers and / or viscose fibers) and a monomolecular additive dispersed in the regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow) may be applied as any one filter of the plurality of filters, and a cellulose acetate filter and / or a paper filter may be applied as another of the plurality of filters. In this case, a length of the regenerated cellulose filter of the present invention may be 25% to 50% of the overall length of the filter portion 20. Also, although not illustrated, a crushable capsule (not illustrated) having a structure in which a liquid including a flavoring is wrapped with a film may be further included in the filter portion 20.

[0107] The filter portion wrapper 30b may surround the filter portion 20 to wrap the filter portion 20.

[0108] In some embodiments, the filter portion wrapper 30b may include wrapping paper. The filter portion wrapper 30b may include general wrapping paper or hard wrapping paper.

[0109] In some embodiments, the filter portion wrapper 30b may include porous general wrapping paper. In some embodiments, the filter portion wrapper 30b may include porous general wrapping paper having a porosity ranging from 20 kCU to 50 kCU, preferably 22 kCU to 46 kCU, more preferably 23 kCU to 25 kCU, 34 kCU to 36 kCU, 44 kCU to 46 kCU, or 35 kCU to 45 kCU. In some embodiments, the filter portion wrapper 30b may include porous general wrapping paper having a porosity of 24 kCU. Due to including general wrapping paper instead of grease-resistant general wrapping paper or hard wrapping paper, the smoking article filter according to some embodiments of the present invention may have further improved biodegradability.

[0110] However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the filter portion wrapper 30b may include hard wrapping paper. Hereinafter, in the present specification, "hard wrapping paper" may refer to wrapping paper having a basis weight within or beyond a predetermined numerical range. In particular, hard wrapping paper may be wrapping paper having a basis weight of 40 gsm or more, preferably 50 gsm or more, more preferably 60 gsm or more, even more preferably 70 gsm or more, and still more preferably 75 gsm or more. "General wrapping paper" may refer to wrapping paper having a basis weight of less than 40 gsm, preferably less than 38 gsm, and more preferably less than 36 gsm.

[0111] In addition, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the filter portion wrapper 30b may include grease-resistant general wrapping paper or hard wrapping paper.

[0112] The smoking material portion 10 wrapped with the smoking material portion wrapper 30a and the filter portion 20 wrapped with the filter portion wrapper 30b may be combined and wrapped with the tipping paper 40. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the tipping paper 40 may be wrapped around at least a portion (for example, a partial downstream region) of the smoking material portion wrapper 30a and an outer periphery of the filter portion wrapper 30b. In other words, at least a portion of the smoking material portion 10 and the filter portion 20 may be further wrapped and physically combined with the tipping paper 40.

[0113] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the tipping paper 40 may be made of nonporous wrapping paper that has not been treated to be grease-resistant, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Also, the tipping paper 40 may include an incombustible material to prevent a phenomenon in which the filter portion 20 burns, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0114] The filter portion 20 of the smoking article filter according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below.

[0115] The present invention relates to a smoking article filter included in the smoking article 100, and the smoking article filter according to one embodiment of the present invention includes the filter portion 20 including regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow) including regenerated cellulose-based fibers (preferably, lyocell fibers and / or viscose fibers) and a monomolecular additive dispersed in the regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow) and including a monomolecular material. The smoking article filter further includes the filter portion wrapper 30b surrounding the filter portion 20.

[0116] The lyocell fibers may be eco-friendly fibers made of cellulose extracted from wood pulp. The regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow) may refer to a bundle formed by cross-linking adjacent regenerated cellulose-based fibers (preferably, lyocell fibers and / or viscose fibers).

[0117] In some embodiments, the regenerated cellulose-based fibers (preferably, lyocell fibers and / or viscose fibers) may have a non-circular cross-section. The non-circular cross-section is defined as a cross-section having a shape including a plurality of protrusions instead of having a circular shape. For example, a cross-section having a shape in which a plurality of protrusions extend from the center may be referred to as "non-circular cross-section."

[0118] In some embodiments, the regenerated cellulose-based fibers (preferably, lyocell fibers and / or viscose fibers) may have a Y-shaped cross-section with three protrusions branching from the center, a cross-shaped cross-section with four protrusions, a star-shaped cross-section with five or more protrusions, or an O-shaped cross-section, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The terms mentioned here have the same meanings as described above.

[0119] In one embodiment, the monomolecular additive consists of a monomolecular material and may be dispersed in the regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow). In some embodiments, the monomolecular additive may be distributed throughout the entire area of the regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow). In some embodiments, the monomolecular additive may be dispersed on surfaces of the regenerated cellulose-based fibers (preferably, lyocell fibers and / or viscose fibers) constituting the regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow).

[0120] Specifically, the monomolecular additive may be an oligomer that is a short-chain structure made by combining a few or a small number of polyhydric alcohols which are monomer units having the same structure, or may be an ether derivative of the oligomer. In other words, the monomolecular additive may be a low molecular weight polymer in which two or more polyhydric alcohols of the same structure are repeated and combined and / or a polymer in which one or more hydroxyl groups (-OH) of the polymer are substituted with ethers. Meanwhile, since an oligomer consists of individual molecules having a specific number of monomers unlike a polymer, the oligomer may be distinguished from the polymer.

[0121] Although the present invention is not limited thereto, the number of repeating units of polyhydric alcohols in the monomolecular additive may be 2 or more and 10 or less, preferably 2 or more and 9 or less, more preferably 2 or more and 8 or less, even more preferably 2 or more and 7 or less, still more preferably 2 or more and 6 or less, yet more preferably 2 or more and 5 or less, and yet more preferably 2 or more and 4 or less. Since the number of repeating units in the monomolecular additive is selected within the above range, the possibility that the smoking article filter including the regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow) in which the monomolecular additive is dispersed would be classified as a disposable plastic product according to regulations and standards due to including a synthetic molecule may be minimized.

[0122] In some embodiments, the monomolecular additive may be a phenol reducing material that is dispersed in the regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow) to specifically reduce phenols in mainstream smoke generated during smoking.

[0123] In the smoking article filter according to one embodiment of the present invention including the regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow) and the monomolecular additive including the monomolecular phenol reducing material, since the phenol reducing material reducing phenols is a monomolecular material, even when the corresponding material (that is, the monomolecular additive performing the phenol reducing function) is dispersed in the regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow), a monomolecular phenol reducing material, instead of a polymer phenol reducing material, is added, and thus risk that the smoking article filter would be classified as non-biodegradable plastic can be prevented while maintaining phenol reducing performance. Accordingly, it is possible to provide a biodegradable smoking article filter that is more stable in complying with the non-biodegradable plastic classification standards.

[0124] The smoking article filter according to the present invention to which the regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow) is applied includes, as a phenol reducing material dispersed on the surfaces of the regenerated cellulose-based fibers (preferably, lyocell fibers and / or viscose fibers) and / or the regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow), the monomolecular additive including one or more materials selected from the group consisting of oligomers in which a small number of (for example, 2 or more and 10 or less) polyhydric alcohols are combined or the group consisting of ether derivatives thereof, and thus the smoking article filter may have a better effect of reducing phenols generated during smoking than smoking article filters not including a phenol reducing material and may not be classified as a disposable plastic product because a polymer material is not applied thereto. Further, as will be described below, since the monomolecular additive is stably present in the regenerated cellulose-based fibers (preferably, lyocell fibers and / or viscose fibers) constituting the regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow), the occurrence of the spread of ink on tipping paper can also be minimized.

[0125] In some embodiments, the monomolecular additive may be a polyhydric alcohol.

[0126] In some embodiments, the polyhydric alcohol, which is a unit material of the polymer or oligomer thereof, included in the monomolecular additive may include one of ethylene glycol (EG) and propylene glycol (PG).

[0127] Specifically, the monomolecular additive may include one or more selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol oligomers in which a small number of (for example, 2 or more and 10 or less) ethylene glycols (EGs) are combined, one or more selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol oligomer ether derivatives which are ether derivatives of the ethylene glycol oligomers, one or more selected from the group consisting of propylene glycol oligomers in which a small number of (for example, 2 or more and less than 10) propylene glycols (PGs) are combined, or one or more selected from the group consisting of propylene glycol oligomer ether derivatives which are ether derivatives of the propylene glycol oligomers.

[0128] Specifically, the monomolecular additive may include any one or more among one or more selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol oligomers in which a small number of (for example, 2 or more and 10 or less) ethylene glycols (EGs) are combined, one or more selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol oligomer ether derivatives which are ether derivatives of the ethylene glycol oligomers, one or more selected from the group consisting of propylene glycol oligomers in which a small number of (for example, 2 or more and less than 10) propylene glycols (PGs) are combined, and one or more selected from the group consisting of propylene glycol oligomer ether derivatives which are ether derivatives of the propylene glycol oligomers.

[0129] In some embodiments, the ethylene glycol oligomer may include diethylene glycol (DEG), triethylene glycol (TEG), tetraethylene glycol (TetraEG), pentaethylene glycol (PentaEG), and the like.

[0130] The ethylene glycol oligomer may include one or more of diethylene glycol (DEG), triethylene glycol (TEG), tetraethylene glycol (TetraEG), and pentaethylene glycol (PentaEG).

[0131] When the monomolecular additive includes the ethylene glycol oligomer, the monomolecular additive may include one or more selected from the group consisting of diethylene glycol (DEG), triethylene glycol (TEG), tetraethylene glycol (TetraEG), and pentaethylene glycol (PentaEG). However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the ethylene glycol oligomer may also include an oligomer in which six or more ethylene glycols (EGs) are combined.

[0132] In some embodiments, the ethylene glycol oligomer ether derivative may include a material in which one or more hydroxyl groups of a material selected from the above group of ethylene glycol oligomers are substituted with ethers. In some embodiments, the ethylene glycol oligomer ether derivative may include diethylene glycol monomethyl ether (DEGME), diethylene glycol monoethyl ether (DEGEE), diethylene glycol monobutyl ether (DEGBE), diethylene glycol dimethyl ether (DEGDME), diethylene glycol diethyl ether (DEGDEE), triethylene glycol monomethyl ether (TEGME), triethylene glycol monoethyl ether (TEGEE), triethylene glycol dimethyl ether (TEGDME), triethylene glycol diethyl ether (TEGDEE), tetraethylene glycol monomethyl ether (TetraEGME), tetraethylene glycol monoethyl ether (TetraEGEE), and the like. When the monomolecular additive includes an ethylene glycol oligomer ether derivative, the monomolecular additive may include one or more of the materials listed above.

[0133] In some embodiments, the propylene glycol oligomer may include dipropylene glycol (DPG), tripropylene glycol (TPG), tetrapropylene glycol (TetraPG), pentapropylene glycol (PentaPG), and the like. When the monomolecular additive includes a propylene glycol oligomer, the monomolecular additive may include one or more selected from the group consisting of dipropylene glycol (DPG), tripropylene glycol (TPG), tetrapropylene glycol (TetraPG), and pentapropylene glycol (PentaPG). However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the propylene glycol oligomer may also include an oligomer in which six or more propylene glycols (PGs) are combined.

[0134] In some embodiments, the propylene glycol oligomer ether derivative may include a material in which one or more hydroxyl groups of a material selected from the above group of propylene glycol oligomers are substituted with ethers. In some embodiments, the propylene glycol oligomer ether derivative may include dipropylene glycol monomethyl ether (DPGME), dipropylene glycol monoethyl ether (DPGEE), dipropylene glycol monopropyl ether (DPGPE), dipropylene glycol monobutyl ether (DPGBE), dipropylene glycol dimethyl ether (DPGDME), tripropylene glycol monomethyl ether (TPGME), tripropylene glycol monoethyl ether (TPGEE), tripropylene glycol monobutyl ether (TPGBE), propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate (PGMEA), dipropylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate (DPGMEA), and the like. When the monomolecular additive includes a propylene glycol oligomer ether derivative, the monomolecular additive may include one or more of the materials listed above.

[0135] In some embodiments, the mono denier of the regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow) may range from 0.3333 to 1.556 tex (3.0 to 14.0 denier), preferably from 0.3389 to 1.5 tex (3.05 to 13.5 denier), more preferably from 0.3444 to 1.444 tex (3.10 to 13 denier), even more preferably from 0.35 to 1.389 tex (3.15 to 12.5 denier), and still more preferably from 0.3556 to 1.333 tex (3.2 to 12 denier), but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0136] In some embodiments, the total denier of the regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow) may range from 0.3333 to 1.556 tex (3.0 to 14.0 denier), preferably from 0.3389 to 1.5 tex (3.05 to 13.5 denier), more preferably from 0.3444 to 1.444 tex (3.10 to 13 denier), even more preferably from 0.35 to 1.389 tex (3.15 to 12.5 denier), and still more preferably from 0.3556 to 1.333 tex (3.2 to 12 denier), but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0137] In the present specification, the mono denier may be the denier of fibers expressed by a weight (g) of one strand of fiber per unit length of 9,000 m, and the total denier may be the denier of fibers expressed by a weight (g) of tow per unit length of 9,000 m.

[0138] In some embodiments, the monomolecular additive may be added at an amount of 30 mg / rod to 300 mg / rod, preferably 40 mg / rod to 280 mg / rod, and more preferably 50 mg / rod to 260 mg / rod based on a regenerated cellulose filter (preferably, lyocell filter and / or viscose filter) having a length of 108 mm and a circumference of 24.2 mm. In other words, the monomolecular additive may be added at an amount of 7.5 mg / rod to 75 mg / rod, preferably 10 mg / rod to 70 mg / rod, and more preferably 12.5 mg / rod to 65 mg / rod based on a regenerated cellulose filter (preferably, lyocell filter and / or viscose filter) having a length of 27 mm and a circumference of 24.2 mm.

[0139] In some embodiments, the monomolecular additive may include one or more selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol oligomers, ethylene glycol oligomer ether derivatives, propylene glycol oligomers, or propylene glycol oligomer ether derivatives having a molecular weight of less than 1,000, preferably less than 800, more preferably less than 700, even more preferably less than 600, and still more preferably less than 500. The molecular weight may be a number average molecular weight.

[0140] Hereinafter, the configurations of the present invention and the advantageous effects according thereto will be described in more detail using examples and comparative examples. However, the examples are merely for describing the present invention in more detail, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to these examples.Example 1

[0141] Based on a lyocell filter having a length of 108 mm and a circumference of 24.2 mm, triethylene glycol (TEG), which is a monomolecular additive, was added as a phenol reducing material at an amount of 60 mg / rod to lyocell tow having a mono denier of 0.3778 tex (3.4 denier) and a total denier of 433.3 tex (3,900 denier), and then the lyocell tow was wrapped with porous general wrapping paper having a width of 26.5 mm, a porosity of 24 kCU, and a basis weight of 21 gsm to manufacture a lyocell filter (smoking article filter) having a length of 108 mm, a circumference of 24.2 mm, and a resistance to draw of 405 mm WG.Example 2

[0142] A lyocell filter (smoking article filter) was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the monomolecular additive added as the phenol reducing material to the lyocell tow was tetraethylene glycol (TetraEG) instead of triethylene glycol (TEG).Example 3

[0143] A lyocell filter (smoking article filter) was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the monomolecular additive added as the phenol reducing material to the lyocell tow was dipropylene glycol (DPG) instead of triethylene glycol (TEG).Example 4

[0144] A lyocell filter (smoking article filter) was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the monomolecular additive added as the phenol reducing material to the lyocell tow was tripropylene glycol (TPG) instead of triethylene glycol (TEG).Example 5

[0145] A lyocell filter (smoking article filter) was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the monomolecular additive added as the phenol reducing material to the lyocell tow was dipropylene glycol monomethyl ether (DPGME) instead of triethylene glycol (TEG).Example 6

[0146] A lyocell filter (smoking article filter) was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the monomolecular additive added as the phenol reducing material to the lyocell tow was tripropylene glycol monobutyl ether (TPGBE) instead of triethylene glycol (TEG).Comparative Example 1

[0147] A lyocell filter (smoking article filter) was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that an additive as a phenol reducing material was not added to the lyocell tow.Comparative Example 2

[0148] A lyocell filter (smoking article filter) was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that polyethylene glycol 600 (PEG 600), which is a polymer material rather than a monomolecular material among ethylene glycol-based derivatives, was added as the phenol reducing material to the lyocell tow.Comparative Example 3

[0149] A lyocell filter (smoking article filter) was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that diglycerol (DGL) was added as the phenol reducing material to the lyocell tow.Comparative Example 4

[0150] A lyocell filter (smoking article filter) was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that triglycerol (TGL) was added as the phenol reducing material to the lyocell tow.Experimental Example 1: Analysis of performance of reducing phenols in smoke according to additives including phenol reducing material- harsh conditions

[0151] Smoking articles were manufactured by combining smoking article filters, each formed to have a length of 27 mm by dividing the smoking article filters of Examples 1 to 6 and Comparative Examples 1 to 4, each having a length of 108 mm, into four pieces, and a smoking material portion having 3 mg of tar applied thereto and having a length of 57 mm using tipping paper, and for the manufactured smoking articles including the smoking article filters of the examples and comparative examples, smoke generated using Korber's linear type cigarette smoking machine LX20 under Health Canada (HC) conditions (puff volume: 55 ml / puff frequency: every 30 s / puff duration: 2 s / puff count: 9 puffs) as smoking conditions was collected using a Cambridge filter pad (CFP) and analyzed. Specifically, in order to extract materials from the pad on which the smoke is collected, 30 mL of 1% acetic acid solution was added and then stirred, the materials were filtered using a 0.45 µm polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) syringe filter, amounts of phenol were measured using an Alliance HPLC-FLD analysis device of Waters Corporation and an LC Column (15 × 4.6 mm, Luna 3 µm) of Phenomenex, the results of measuring the amounts of phenol were substituted in Equation 1 below to calculate a phenol removal capacity of the filters, and the results thereof are shown in Table 1 below. [Table 1] Classification Phenol (µg) Removal capacity (%) Comparative Example 1 (BLANK) 45.5-Comparative Example 2 (PEG 600) 16.863.1Comparative Example 3 (DGL) 42.66.3Comparative Example 4 (TGL) 38.814.7Example 1 (TEG) 25.943.1Example 2 (TetraEG) 22.351.0Example 3 (DPG) 35.322.4Example 4 (TPG) 26.641.5Example 5 (DPGME) 40.311.4Example 6 (TPGBE) 27.539.5

[0152] Referring to Table 1 above, it can be confirmed that the phenol removal capacity of Examples 1 to 6 was higher than the phenol removal capacity of Comparative Examples 3 and 4 in which DGL and TGL selected from the group of glycerol-based oligomers were respectively added as a monomolecular additive which is a polyhydric alcohol material. That is, it can be confirmed that ethylene glycol-based oligomers (for example, TEG, TetraEG) or ether derivatives thereof and propylene glycol-based oligomers (for example, DPG, TPG) or ether derivatives thereof (for example, DPGME, TPGBE) have a higher phenol removal capacity than glycerol-based oligomer materials (DGL, TGL).

[0153] In addition, it can be confirmed that the phenol removal capacity of Comparative Example 2 in which PEG 600, a polymer material, was added as the phenol reducing material was 63.1%, and the phenol removal capacity of Example 1 in which TEG, a monomolecular material, was added, the phenol removal capacity of Example 2 in which TetraEG, a monomolecular material, was added, the phenol removal capacity of Example 4 in which TPG, a monomolecular material, was added, and the phenol removal capacity of Example 6 in which TPGBE, a monomolecular material, was added were 43.1%, 51.0%, 41.5%, and 39.5%, respectively, which showed that excellent phenol removal capacity was maintained despite being slightly lower compared to when the polymer material, PEG 600, was added. Accordingly, it can be confirmed that phenol reducing performance can be maintained even with a monomolecular material rather than a polymer material.

[0154] In particular, it can be confirmed that the phenol removal capacity was higher in Example 2 in which an ethylene glycol oligomer with a higher molecular weight was added compared to Example 1 in which an ethylene glycol oligomer with a lower molecular weight was added, and it can be confirmed that the phenol removal capacity was higher in Example 4 in which a propylene glycol oligomer with a higher molecular weight was added compared to Example 3 in which a propylene glycol oligomer with a lower molecular weight was added.Experimental Example 2: Analysis of smoke components according to additives including phenol reducing material- harsh conditions

[0155] In order to measure the phenol component in smoke, in a manner substantially identical to Experimental Example 1, smoking articles were manufactured by combining smoking article filters, each formed to have a length of 27 mm by dividing the smoking article filters of Examples 1 and 4 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2, each having a length of 108 mm, into four pieces, and a smoking material portion having 3 mg of tar applied thereto and having a length of 57 mm using tipping paper, and for the manufactured smoking articles including the smoking article filters of the examples and comparative examples, smoke generated using Korber's linear type cigarette smoking machine LX20 under Health Canada (HC) conditions (puff volume: 55 ml / puff frequency: every 30 s / puff duration: 2 s / puff count: 9 puffs) as smoking conditions was collected using a Cambridge filter pad (CFP), and in order to extract phenol materials from the pad on which the smoke is collected, 30 mL of 1% acetic acid solution was added and then stirred, the phenol materials were filtered using a 0.45 µm polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) syringe filter, amounts of phenol in the pad were measured using an Alliance HPLC-FLD analysis device of Waters Corporation and an LC Column (15 × 4.6 mm, Luna 3 µm) of Phenomenex, and the results of measuring the amounts of phenol are shown in Table 2 below.

[0156] In addition, in order to measure the nicotine component in smoke, in a manner substantially identical to Experimental Example 1, smoking articles were manufactured by combining smoking article filters, each formed to have a length of 27 mm by dividing the smoking article filters of Examples 1 and 4 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2, each having a length of 108 mm, into four pieces, and a smoking material portion having 3 mg of tar applied thereto and having a length of 57 mm using tipping paper, and for the manufactured smoking articles including the smoking article filters of the examples and comparative examples, cigarette smoke generated using Borgwaldt's rotating smoking device RM20H under Health Canada (HC) conditions (puff volume: 55 ml / puff frequency: every 30 s / puff duration: 2 s / puff count: 9 puffs) as smoking conditions was collected and then analyzed using a GC / MS device (GC 8890, Agilent). Here, a DB-WAX column (30 m × 0.320 mm, 0.50 µm) was used to separate nicotine, the content of nicotine was quantified according to the ISO 22253 standard, and the results of measuring the content of nicotine are shown in Table 2 below. [Table 2] Classification Phenol (µg) Nicotine (mg) Comparative Example 1 (BLANK) 39.91.30Comparative Example 2 (PEG 600) 21.61.26Example 1 (TEG) 29.31.18Example 4 (TPG) 25.91.24

[0157] Referring to Table 2 above, it can be confirmed that the amount of phenol in smoke was 21.6 µg in Comparative Example 2 in which PEG 600, a polymer material, was added as the phenol reducing material, and the amounts of phenol in smoke in Example 1 and Example 4 were 29.3 µg and 25.9 µg, respectively, which showed that the phenol removal capacity was similar to that in Comparative Example 2 despite an increase in the amount of phenol in smoke.

[0158] In addition, it can be confirmed that the amount of transferred nicotine in Comparative Example 2 was 1.26 mg, and the amounts of transferred nicotine in Example 1 and Example 4 were 1.18 mg and 1.24 mg, respectively, which showed that the nicotine transfer performance was similar to that in Comparative Example 2.

[0159] In summary, it can be confirmed that phenol reducing performance and nicotine transferring performance similar to PEG 600, which is a polymer additive, can be provided even though a monomolecular additive is applied to lyocell tow.Example 7

[0160] A lyocell filter (smoking article filter) was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 4 except that tripropylene glycol (TPG) was added at an amount of 120 mg / rod to the lyocell tow (based on the lyocell filter (smoking article filter) having a length of 108 mm and a circumference of 24.2 mm). (The added amount was 30 mg / rod based on the lyocell filter (smoking article filter) having a length of 27 mm and a circumference of 24.2 mm)Example 8

[0161] A lyocell filter (smoking article filter) was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 4 except that tripropylene glycol (TPG) was added at an amount of 180 mg / rod to the lyocell tow (based on the lyocell filter (smoking article filter) having a length of 108 mm and a circumference of 24.2 mm). (The added amount was 45 mg / rod based on the lyocell filter (smoking article filter) having a length of 27 mm and a circumference of 24.2 mm)Example 9

[0162] A lyocell filter (smoking article filter) was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 4 except that tripropylene glycol (TPG) was added at an amount of 240 mg / rod to the lyocell tow (based on the lyocell filter (smoking article filter) having a length of 108 mm and a circumference of 24.2 mm). (The added amount was 60 mg / rod based on the lyocell filter (smoking article filter) having a length of 27 mm and a circumference of 24.2 mm)Example 10

[0163] A lyocell filter (smoking article filter) was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 6 except that tripropylene glycol monobutyl ether (TPGBE) was added at an amount of 120 mg / rod to the lyocell tow (based on the lyocell filter (smoking article filter) having a length of 108 mm and a circumference of 24.2 mm). (The added amount was 30 mg / rod based on the lyocell filter (smoking article filter) having a length of 27 mm and a circumference of 24.2 mm)Example 11

[0164] A lyocell filter (smoking article filter) was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 6 except that tripropylene glycol monobutyl ether (TPGBE) was added at an amount of 180 mg / rod to the lyocell tow (based on the lyocell filter (smoking article filter) having a length of 108 mm and a circumference of 24.2 mm). (The added amount was 45 mg / rod based on the lyocell filter (smoking article filter) having a length of 27 mm and a circumference of 24.2 mm)Example 12

[0165] A lyocell filter (smoking article filter) was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 6 except that tripropylene glycol monobutyl ether (TPGBE) was added at an amount of 240 mg / rod to the lyocell tow (based on the lyocell filter (smoking article filter) having a length of 108 mm and a circumference of 24.2 mm). (The added amount was 60 mg / rod based on the lyocell filter (smoking article filter) having a length of 27 mm and a circumference of 24.2 mm)Experimental Example 3: Analysis of performance in reducing phenols in smoke according to amounts of added additives including phenol reducing material- harsh conditions

[0166] Smoking articles were manufactured by combining smoking article filters, each formed to have a length of 27 mm by dividing the smoking article filters of Examples 7 to 12 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2, each having a length of 108 mm, into four pieces, and a smoking material portion having 3 mg of tar applied thereto and having a length of 57 mm using tipping paper, and for the manufactured smoking articles including the smoking article filters of the examples and comparative examples, the amounts of phenol were measured and the phenol removal capacity of the filters were calculated using the same smoking conditions and analysis methods as in Experimental Example 1, and the results thereof are shown in Table 3 below. [Table 3] Classification Tar (µg) Removal capacity (%) Comparative Example 1 (BLANK) 47.7-Comparative Example 2 (PEG 600) 26.644.2Example 4 (TPG)- 15 26.644.2Example 7 (TPG)- 30 22.353.2Example 8 (TPG)- 45 20.058.1Example 9 (TPG)- 60 16.964.6Example 6 (TPGBE)- 15 29.338.6Example 10 (TPGBE)-30 21.554.9Example 11 (TPGBE)-45 21.954.1Example 12 (TPGBE)-60 19.658.9

[0167] Referring to Table 3 above, it can be confirmed that the removal capacity was higher or similar to the removal capacity of PEG 600, which is a polymer additive, in all of Example 4 and Examples 7 to 9 in which TPG, which is one of the propylene glycol oligomers, was added as a monomolecular additive and Example 6 and Examples 10 to 12 in which TPGBE, which is one of the propylene glycol oligomer ether derivatives, was added as a monomolecular additive. In particular, it can be confirmed that the phenol reducing performance was better as the amount of monomolecular additive added into the filter increased. Further, it can be confirmed that the phenol reducing performance was better in Example 4 and Examples 7 to 9 in which TPG was added compared to when TPGBE was added when similar added amounts were applied.

[0168] FIG. 2 shows images captured for each period that show whether the spread of ink occurred in a smoking article filer of Example 1 of the present invention, FIG. 3 shows images captured for each period that show whether the spread of ink occurred in a smoking article filter of Example 4 of the present invention, FIG. 4 shows captured images that show whether the spread of ink occurred in a smoking article filter of Example 6 of the present invention, FIG. 5 shows images captured for each period that show whether the spread of ink occurred in a smoking article filter of Comparative Example 5 of the present invention, and FIG. 6 shows images captured for each period that show whether the spread of ink occurred in a smoking article filter of Comparative Example 6 of the present invention.Comparative Example 5

[0169] A lyocell filter (smoking article filter) was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that an additive in which PEG 600 and triethyl citrate (TEC) were mixed at a ratio of 7:3 was added as the phenol reducing material to the lyocell tow.Comparative Example 6

[0170] A lyocell filter (smoking article filter) was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that polypropylene glycol 1000 (PPG 1000) was added as the phenol reducing material to the lyocell tow.Experimental Example 4: Evaluation of the occurrence of the spread of ink on tipping paper according to additives including phenol reducing material

[0171] The smoking article filters of Examples 1, 4, and 6 and Comparative Examples 5 and 6, each having a length of 108 mm, were divided into two halves, and tipping paper (no coating) made of paper having a cork shape printed on a front surface was tightly wrapped around and adhered to the smoking article filters each having a length of 54 mm to manufacture filters wrapped with the tipping paper having the cork shape printed thereon. Then, the manufactured filters wrapped with the tipping paper were stored for different periods (2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks) in a chamber under harsh conditions including a temperature of 45±5 °C and a relative humidity of 75±5%, and whether the spread of ink occurred on the tipping paper was checked. In order to check whether the spread of ink occurred on the tipping paper, the filters wrapped with the tipping paper were each placed on A4 paper and repeatedly rolled to the left and right in the longitudinal direction and rubbed against the A4 paper 10 times to check whether the spread of ink occurs, and results thereof are shown in FIGS. 2 to 6.

[0172] Specifically, FIG. 2 shows results of the spread of ink of the filter of Example 1, and (a), (b), and (c) of FIG. 2 are images of the results of the spread of ink on the tipping paper that were captured after the filter was stored 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks, respectively. FIG. 3 shows results of the spread of ink of the filter of Example 4, and (a), (b), and (c) of FIG. 3 are images of the results of the spread of ink on the tipping paper that were captured after the filter was stored 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks, respectively. FIG. 4 shows results of the spread of ink of the filter of Example 6, and (a) of FIG. 4 are images of the results of the spread of ink on the tipping paper that were captured after the filter was stored 2 weeks. FIG. 5 shows results of the spread of ink of the filter of Comparative Example 5, and (a), (b), and (c) of FIG. 5 are images of the results of the spread of ink on the tipping paper that were captured after the filter was stored 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks, respectively. FIG. 6 shows results of the spread of ink of the filter of Comparative Example 6, and (a) and (b) of FIG. 6 are images of the results of the spread of ink on the tipping paper that were captured after the filter was stored 2 weeks and 4 weeks, respectively.

[0173] It can be confirmed that the spread of ink hardly occurred in (a) and (b) of FIGS. 2, 3, and 5, and a small amount of ink spread very slightly in (c) of FIGS. 2, 3, and 5. Accordingly, it can be confirmed that when TEG or TPG, which is a monomolecular additive, is applied as a phenol reducing material (Examples 1 and 4), the degree of ink spreading is similar to when PEG 600, which is an amphoteric additive, is included in the phenol reducing material to minimize the spread of ink (Comparative Example 5), and the monomolecular additive is stably present in the lyocell fibers constituting the lyocell tow and does not leak toward the tipping paper.

[0174] It can be confirmed that a very large amount of ink spread in (a) of FIG. 4. Accordingly, it can be confirmed that, despite having excellent phenol reducing performance, TPGBE is not stably present in the lyocell fibers constituting the lyocell tow and leaks to the outside, causing a decrease in appearance quality.

[0175] It can be confirmed that the spread of ink occurred in (a) and (b) of FIG. 6. Accordingly, it can be confirmed that TPG or TEG, which is a monomolecular material, of the present invention can provide excellent quality in terms of minimizing the spread of ink compared to when PPG 1000 is added.

[0176] Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains should understand that the present disclosure may be embodied in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features thereof. Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood as being illustrative, instead of limiting, in all aspects. The scope of protection of the present disclosure should be interpreted based on the claims below, and all technical ideas within the scope equivalent to the claims should be interpreted as falling within the scope of rights of the technical spirit defined by the present disclosure.

Examples

example 1

Example 1

[0141]Based on a lyocell filter having a length of 108 mm and a circumference of 24.2 mm, triethylene glycol (TEG), which is a monomolecular additive, was added as a phenol reducing material at an amount of 60 mg / rod to lyocell tow having a mono denier of 0.3778 tex (3.4 denier) and a total denier of 433.3 tex (3,900 denier), and then the lyocell tow was wrapped with porous general wrapping paper having a width of 26.5 mm, a porosity of 24 kCU, and a basis weight of 21 gsm to manufacture a lyocell filter (smoking article filter) having a length of 108 mm, a circumference of 24.2 mm, and a resistance to draw of 405 mm WG.

example 2

Example 2

[0142]A lyocell filter (smoking article filter) was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the monomolecular additive added as the phenol reducing material to the lyocell tow was tetraethylene glycol (TetraEG) instead of triethylene glycol (TEG).

example 3

Example 3

[0143]A lyocell filter (smoking article filter) was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the monomolecular additive added as the phenol reducing material to the lyocell tow was dipropylene glycol (DPG) instead of triethylene glycol (TEG).

BACKGROUND1. Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a smoking article filter including regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow) and a monomolecular additive dispersed as a phenol reducing material in the regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow) and a smoking article including the same.2. Discussion of Related Art

[0002] In recent years, with a growing interest in environmental protection, it has become important for materials used in cigarette filters to also have biodegradability. In particular, since the existing cellulose acetate-based cigarette filters have a problem that a long period of time is required for natural decomposition, research on biodegradable materials for replacing cellulose acetate is actively underway.

[0003] Attempts to use regenerated cellulose-based fibers, such as lyocell fibers, having excellent biodegradability as filter materials in order to meet such demand are gaining attention. The regenerated cellulose-based fibers such as lyocell fibers are manufactured based on cellulose and are known as eco-friendly materials that decompose rapidly under various conditions including marine conditions.

[0004] Meanwhile, since phenolic compounds, which are one of harmful materials generated during smoking, may adversely affect not only the user's health but also the environment, technology for effectively reducing such components in filters is also required. Accordingly, conventionally, technology in which a polymer additive, such as triethyl citrate (TEC), triacetin (TA), and polyethylene glycol (PEG), is added to a cigarette filter to reduce phenolic compounds has been proposed.

[0005] However, when an additive containing one or more of triethyl citrate (TEC) and triacetin (TA) is applied as a phenol reducing material to regenerated cellulose tow including regenerated cellulose-based fibers, such as lyocell tow including lyocell fibers or viscose tow including viscose fibers, there is a problem that ink on the tipping paper spreads. It has been confirmed that spread of the ink occurs because it is difficult for the additive to be present between the fibers and the additive leaks toward the tipping paper on the outside because the regenerated cellulose-based fibers such as lyocell fibers or viscose fibers are hydrophilic while the additive is hydrophobic.

[0006] When polyethylene glycol (PEG) is applied as a phenol reducing material to regenerated cellulose tow including regenerated cellulose-based fibers, such as lyocell tow including lyocell fibers, although polyethylene glycol (PEG) is an amphoteric additive and thus has excellent performance in reducing phenols in mainstream smoke and does not cause spread of ink, polyethylene glycol (PEG) is classified as a synthetic polymer under the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA)'s standards, and there is a concern that a regenerated cellulose filter such as a lyocell filter, in which polyethylene glycol (PEG) is added to regenerated cellulose tow such as lyocell tow, may be classified as a disposable plastic product.

[0007] Therefore, when a synthetic polymer is applied to a regenerated cellulose filter such as a lyocell filter and the regenerated cellulose filter is classified as a disposable plastic product, it may be disadvantageous in terms of biodegradability certification or response to regulations, and there may be a negative influence on the judgment of whether the biodegradability of a filter product is suitable or not. Therefore, a need has arisen for a new additive applied to regenerated cellulose tow such as lyocell tow or viscose tow that is not classified as a disposable plastic product due to not decreasing the biodegradability of a filter while maintaining phenol reducing performance and not causing the problem of ink spreading on tipping paper.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The present invention is directed to providing a smoking article filter including a monomolecular additive, instead of a polymer additive, as a phenol reducing material, thereby maintaining excellent phenol reducing performance and an excellent amount of transferred nicotine, minimizing the possibility that the smoking article filter would be classified as a disposable plastic product, and minimizing the spread of ink on tipping paper, and a smoking article including the same.

[0009] Objectives of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned objectives should be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains based on the description below.

[0010] One embodiment for achieving the above objective provides a smoking article filter including a filter portion including regenerated cellulose tow including regenerated cellulose-based fibers and a monomolecular additive dispersed in the regenerated cellulose tow.

[0011] In some embodiments, the regenerated cellulose-based fibers may include at least one or more of viscose fibers and lyocell fibers.

[0012] In some embodiments, the regenerated cellulose-based fibers may include lyocell fibers, and the regenerated cellulose tow may be lyocell tow.

[0013] In some embodiments, the lyocell tow may include only the lyocell fibers as fibers.

[0014] In some embodiments, the monomolecular additive may be a phenol reducing material.

[0015] In some embodiments, the monomolecular additive may be a polyhydric alcohol.

[0016] In some embodiments, the monomolecular additive may be an oligomer in which two or more polyhydric alcohols of the same structure are repeated and combined or an ether derivative of the oligomer.

[0017] In some embodiments, the polyhydric alcohol may be one of ethylene glycol (EG) and propylene glycol (PG).

[0018] In some embodiments, the monomolecular additive may include one or more selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol oligomers, ethylene glycol oligomer ether derivatives which are ether derivatives of the ethylene glycol oligomers, propylene glycol oligomers, and propylene glycol oligomer ether derivatives which are ether derivatives of the propylene glycol oligomers.

[0019] In some embodiments, the monomolecular additive may include at least one or more of diethylene glycol (DEG), triethylene glycol (TEG), tetraethylene glycol (TetraEG), and pentaethylene glycol (PentaEG) as the ethylene glycol oligomer.

[0020] In some embodiments, the monomolecular additive may include at least one or more of dipropylene glycol (DPG), tripropylene glycol (TPG), tetrapropylene glycol (TetraPG), and pentapropylene glycol (PentaPG) as the propylene glycol oligomer.

[0021] In some embodiments, the monomolecular additive may include at least one or more of triethylene glycol (TEG), tetraethylene glycol (TetraEG), and tripropylene glycol (TPG).

[0022] In some embodiments, the monomolecular additive may be triethylene glycol (TEG).

[0023] In some embodiments, the monomolecular additive may be tetraethylene glycol (TetraEG).

[0024] In some embodiments, the monomolecular additive may be dipropylene glycol (DPG).

[0025] In some emboidments, the monomolecular additive may be tripropylene glycol (TPG).

[0026] In some embodiments, the monomolecular additive may be dipropylene glycol monomethyl ether.

[0027] In some embodiments, the monomolecular additive may be tripropylene glycol butyl ether.

[0028] In some embodiments, the smoking article filter may further include a filter portion wrapper surounding the filter portion, and the filter portion wrapper may include porous general wrapping paper.

[0029] Another embodiment for achieving the above objective provides a smoking article including a smoking material portion, a smoking article filter disposed downstream of the smoking material portion, and tipping paper surrounding at least some portions of the smoking material portion and the smoking article filter, wherein the smoking article filter includes a filter portion including regenerated cellulose tow including regenerated cellulose-based fibers and a monomolecular additive dispersed in the regenerated cellulose tow and a filter portion wrapper surrounding the filter portion.

[0030] In some embodiments, the regenerated cellulose tow may be lyocell tow including a plurality of lyocell fibers.

[0031] In some embodiments, the regenerated cellulose tow may be viscose tow including a plurality of viscose fibers.

[0032] In some embodiments, the regenerated cellulose tow may include lyocell tow including a plurality of lyocell fibers and viscose tow including a plurality of viscose fibers.

[0033] In some embodiments, the monomolecular additive may be a phenol reducing material.

[0034] In some embodiments, the monomolecular additive may include one or more selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol oligomers, ethylene glycol oligomer ether derivatives which are ether derivatives of the ethylene glycol oligomers, propylene glycol oligomers, and propylene glycol oligomer ether derivatives which are ether derivatives of the propylene glycol oligomers.EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION

[0035] According to a smoking article filter and a smoking article according to one embodiment, since a filter portion of the smoking article filter includes regenerated cellulose tow including regenerated cellulose-based fibers having excellent biodegradability, and a monomolecular additive is added as a phenol reducing material to the regenerated cellulose tow, excellent phenol reducing performance and an excellent nicotine transfer amount can be provided, the possibility that the smoking article filter would be classified as a disposable plastic product can be minimized because a monomolecular material is added instead of a polymer material (or a polymer), and the spread of ink on tipping paper can be minimized.

[0036] Advantageous effects according to the technical spirit of the present disclosure are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned advantageous effects can be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art from the description above.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a schematic configuration of a smoking article according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 shows images captured for each period that show whether the spread of ink occurred in a smoking article filter of Example 1 of the present invention; FIG. 3 shows images captured for each period that show whether the spread of ink occurred in a smoking article filter of Example 4 of the present invention; FIG. 4 shows captured images that show whether the spread of ink occurred in a smoking article filter of Example 6 of the present invention; FIG. 5 shows images captured for each period that show whether the spread of ink occurred in a smoking article filter of Comparative Example 5 of the present invention; and FIG. 6 shows images captured for each period that show whether the spread of ink occurred in a smoking article filter of Comparative Example 6 of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

[0038] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Advantages and features of the present disclosure and methods of achieving the same should become clear with embodiments described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the technical spirit of the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments and may be implemented in various different forms. The following embodiments are only provided to make the technical spirit of the present disclosure complete and completely inform those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains of the scope of the present disclosure. The technical spirit of the present disclosure is defined only by the scope of the claims.

[0039] In assigning reference numerals to components of each drawing, it should be noted that the same reference numerals are assigned to the same components wherever possible even when the components are illustrated in different drawings. Also, in describing the present disclosure, when it is determined that the detailed description of a known related configuration or function may obscure the gist of the present disclosure, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0040] Unless otherwise defined, all terms including technical or scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein. Terms used herein are for describing the embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. In the specification, a singular expression includes a plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0041] Also, in describing components of the present disclosure, terms such as "first," "second," "A," "B," "(a)," and "(b)" may be used. Such terms are only used for distinguishing one component from another component, and the essence, order, sequence, or the like of the corresponding components is not limited by the terms. In a case in which a certain component is described as being "connected," "coupled," or "linked" to another component, it should be understood that, although the component may be directly connected or linked to the other component, still another component may also be "connected," "coupled," or "linked" between the two components.

[0042] The terms "comprises" and / or "comprising" used herein do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more components, steps, operations, and / or devices other than those mentioned.

[0043] First, some terms used herein will be clarified.

[0044] In the present specification, "smoking article" may refer to any product that can be smoked or any product that can provide a smoking experience, regardless of whether the product is based on tobacco, tobacco derivatives, expanded tobacco, reconstituted tobacco, or tobacco substitutes. For example, smoking articles may include products that can be smoked, such as cigarettes, cigars, and cigarillos.

[0045] In the present specification, "smoking material" may refer to any type of material that may be used in a smoking article.

[0046] In the present specification, "user" may be interchangeably used with "consumer."

[0047] In the present specification, "upstream" or "upstream direction" may refer to a direction away from an oral region of a smoker, and "downstream" or "downstream direction" may refer to a direction toward the oral region of the smoker.

[0048] In the present specification, "longitudinal direction" may refer to a direction corresponding to a longitudinal axis of a smoking article. The "longitudinal axis" of a smoking article may refer to a virtual line extending in the main longitudinal direction of the smoking article. This axis usually continues from one side end (e.g., a mouthpiece or filter end) of a smoking article to the other side end (e.g., a combustion or heat source end).

[0049] In the present specification, "regenerated cellulose filter" refers to a filter including regenerated cellulose tow or made of regenerated cellulose tow.

[0050] In the present specification, "lyocell filter" refers to a filter including lyocell tow or made of lyocell tow.

[0051] In the present specification, "viscose filter" refers to a filter including viscose tow or made of viscose tow.

[0052] In the present specification, "regenerated cellulose tow" includes a plurality of regenerated cellulose-based fibers or is made of a plurality of regenerated cellulose-based fibers. In some embodiments, regenerated cellulose tow may refer to a bundle formed by cross-linking adjacent regenerated cellulose-based fibers.

[0053] In the present specification, "lyocell tow" includes a plurality of lyocell fibers or is made of a plurality of lyocell fibers. In some embodiments, lyocell tow may refer to a bundle formed by cross-linking adjacent lyocell fibers.

[0054] In the present specification, "viscose tow" includes a plurality of viscose fibers or is made of a plurality of viscose fibers. In some embodiments, viscose tow may refer to a bundle formed by cross-linking adjacent viscose fibers.

[0055] In the present specification, "regenerated cellulose-based fibers" may refer to cellulose-based fibers formed by processing a naturally-generated cellulose-based material.

[0056] In the present specification, "lyocell fibers" may refer to fibers made of lyocell cellulose. In particular, lyocell fibers and viscose fibers may be fibers made of cellulose derived, or mainly derived, from wood pulp, in particular, semi-synthetic fibers.

[0057] In the present specification, "non-circular cross-section" is defined as a cross-section having a shape including a plurality of protrusions instead of having a circular shape. For example, a cross-section having a shape in which a plurality of protrusions branch and / or extend from a center and / or the center of the cross-section may be referred to as "non-circular cross-section." Here, "protrusions" may refer to distinct, extended segments or arms extending outward from a central core or a joining point of a cross-section of a regenerated cellulose-based fiber (preferably, a lyocell fiber and / or a viscose fiber).

[0058] In some embodiments, a regenerated cellulose-based fiber (preferably, a lyocell fiber and / or a viscose fiber) may have a Y-shaped cross-section with three protrusions branching and / or extending from the center and / or the center of the cross-section, a cross-shaped cross-section with four protrusions, a star-shaped cross-section with five or more protrusions, or an O-shaped cross-section, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0059] In the present specification, a regenerated cellulose-based fiber (preferably, a lyocell fiber and / or a viscose fiber) may include three or more protrusions branching and / or extending from the center and / or the center of the cross-section.

[0060] In some embodiments, a regenerated cellulose-based fiber (preferably, a lyocell fiber and / or a viscose fiber) included in regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow) may have a Y-shaped cross-section in terms of its intended use for application to cigarette filters.

[0061] In the present specification, "hollow" may refer to a channel extending in the longitudinal direction.

[0062] In the present specification, "consisting of" a certain component may mean including the component or being made of the corresponding component.

[0063] In the present specification, a wrapper (for example, wrapping paper) may wrap around at least a portion of a surface around a longitudinal axis of each portion and / or structure of a smoking article.

[0064] In the present specification, "monomolecular additive" is a single compound rather than a mixture and may refer to a low molecular weight compound with a relatively low molecular weight, for example, a low molecular weight compound having a molecular weight of less than 1,000, preferably less than 800, more preferably less than 700, even more preferably less than 600, and still more preferably less than 500, rather than a high molecular weight polymer. The molecular weight may be a number average molecular weight.

[0065] In the present specification, "basis weight" refers to a mass per unit area of wrapping paper and / or a wrapper. A basis weight of wrapping paper and / or a wrapper may be determined by measuring the mass and area of the wrapping paper and / or wrapper and dividing the mass of the wrapping paper and / or wrapper by the area thereof. The unit of the basis weight may be grams per square meter (gsm), i.e., g / m 2< .

[0066] In the present specification, "hard wrapping paper" refers to wrapping paper having a basis weight of a predetermined value or more.

[0067] In some embodiments, "grease-resistant wrapping paper" may refer to wrapping paper whose surface is treated to be grease-resistant, and "grease-resistant hard wrapping paper" may refer to hard wrapping paper whose surface is treated to be grease-resistant.

[0068] In some embodiments, "general wrapping paper" may refer to wrapping paper whose surface is not treated to be grease-resistant, and "general hard wrapping paper" may refer to hard wrapping paper whose surface is not treated to be grease-resistant.

[0069] In the present specification, the "mono denier" of regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow) refers to the denier of one strand of monofilament separated from a multifilament of regenerated cellulose-based fibers (preferably, lyocell fibers and / or viscose fibers) constituting the regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow).

[0070] In the present specification, the "total denier" of regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow) refers to the denier of a multifilament of regenerated cellulose-based fibers (preferably, lyocell fibers and / or viscose fibers) constituting the regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow).

[0071] In the present specification, "phenols" refers to materials in which hydrogen bonded to a functional group of an aromatic hydrocarbon ring is partially substituted with a hydroxyl group (-OH).

[0072] In some embodiments, phenols may include a material selected from the group consisting of phenol, m-cresol, p-cresol, o-cresol, catechol, hydroquinone, resorcinol, and combinations thereof.

[0073] In some embodiments, phenols may include one or more of m-cresol, p-cresol, o-cresol, and phenol.

[0074] A filter of a smoking article may collect at least some of the components of smoke generated during smoking of the smoking article. In some embodiments, the smoking article filter may collect at least some of the phenols contained in components of smoke generated during smoking of the smoking article.

[0075] The smoking article filter according to one aspect of the present invention may collect at least some of the components of smoke generated during smoking of the smoking article. In some embodiments, the smoking article filter may collect one or more of nicotine (hereinafter may be abbreviated as "Nic"), phenol, and water (H 2 O) contained in the components of smoke generated during smoking of the smoking article.

[0076] In the present specification, "resistance to draw" refers to a static pressure difference between both ends of a sample when an airflow passes through the sample. For example, resistance to draw may be measured using the method specified in ISO Standard 6565:2015. According to ISO Standard 6565:2015, resistance to draw may refer to a static pressure difference between both ends of a sample when an airflow passes through the sample under normal conditions where a volumetric flow rate is 17.5 mm / s at a discharge end (a temperature of 22±2 °C and a relative humidity of about 60±5%).

[0077] In the present specification, unless a separate temperature is indicated, the corresponding temperature is room temperature.

[0078] In some embodiments, room temperature may be a temperature ranging from 20 °C to 25 °C.

[0079] In the present specification, unless a separate physical quantity is indicated, percentages (%) of components and ratios of the components indicate wt% of components and weight ratios of the components, respectively.

[0080] In the present specification, "puff" refers to the action of inhaling or drawing air through a smoking article to produce and inhale smoke or vapor. "Puff count" may refer to the total number of inhalating or drawing actions during use of the smoking article. Alternatively, or in addition, the puff count may represent the maximum number of inhalating or drawing actions that the smoking article can provide before it is completely consumed or ceases to function.

[0081] In the present specification, Health Canada (HC) conditions may be conditions in which a puff volume is 55 ml, a puff frequency is every 30 seconds, and a puff duration is 2 seconds. In particular, the HC conditions may be in a state in which the perforations of the filter are blocked. When measurement is performed under the HC conditions, the puff count may be 9.

[0082] The content of smoke components such as phenol among captured smoke components may be measured by collecting smoke generated using a cigarette smoking machine, for example, Korber's linear type cigarette smoking machine, for example, LX20 in particular, on a Cambridge filter pad (CFP), adding 30 mL of 1% acetic acid solution and then stirring in order to extract components such as phenol from the pad on which the components of smoke are collected, filtering the components using a 0.45 µm polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) syringe filter, and using an Alliance HPLC-FLD analysis device of Waters Corporation and an LC Column (15 × 4.6 mm, Luna 3 µm) of Phenomenex.

[0083] The content of general smoke components such as nicotine and water (H 2 O) in the collected smoke may be analyzed through gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC / MS). For example, for tar and / or nicotine, content of each component may be measured by immersing a Cambridge filter pad (CFP), on which the components of smoke are collected, in isopropyl alcohol (IPA) for a predetermined amount of time (for example 20 minutes to 16 hours) and using a GC / MS device. For example, the content of components such as nicotine in the collected smoke may be measured through GC / MS using a DB-WAX column (30 m × 0.320 mm, 0.50 µm). The GC / MS device may be, for example, Agilent's measurement device, for example, GC 8890.

[0084] In the present specification, the unit "mmWG" is a unit of pressure and means "mmH 2 O."

[0085] In the present specification, the unit "CU" is a Cooperation Center for Scientific Research Relative to Tobacco (CORESTA) unit and indicates a volumetric flow rate of an airflow passing through a sample of a substrate having an area of 1 cm 2< under a pressure difference of 1 kPa.

[0086] Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0087] FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a schematic configuration of a smoking article according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0088] Throughout the specification, "smoking article" may refer to anything capable of generating an aerosol, such as tobacco (cigarettes) and cigars. The smoking article may include an aerosol-generating material and / or an aerosol-forming substrate. Also, the smoking article may include a solid material based on tobacco raw materials, such as reconstituted tobacco leaves, shredded tobacco, and reconstituted tobacco. A smoking material may include volatile compounds.

[0089] Also, throughout the specification, "upstream" or "upstream direction" refers to a direction away from an oral region of a user (consumer) smoking a smoking article 100, and "downstream" or "downstream direction" refers to a direction toward the oral region of the user (consumer) smoking the smoking article 100. For example, in the smoking article 100 illustrated in FIG. 1, a smoking material portion 10 is disposed upstream or in an upstream direction of a filter portion 20 included in a smoking article filter.

[0090] Further, in the present specification, a case where the smoking article 100 is a combustion-type cigarette is described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the smoking article 100 may also be a heating-type cigarette or the like that is used together with an aerosol generation device such as an electronic cigarette device.

[0091] Referring to FIG. 1, the smoking article 100 may include the smoking material portion 10, the filter portion 20, a smoking material portion wrapper 30a, a filter portion wrapper 30b, and tipping paper 40. A smoking article filter according to the present invention may include the filter portion 20 and the filter portion wrapper 30b surrounding the filter portion 20. The smoking material portion wrapper 30a and / or the filter portion wrapper 30b may each be located at an outermost side of the smoking article 100 and may each be a single wrapper or a combination of a plurality of wrappers. In the smoking article 100, the smoking material portion 10 is disposed upstream of the filter portion 20.

[0092] The smoking material portion 10 may be filled with a smoking material such as raw tobacco leaves, reconstituted tobacco leaves, or a mixture of tobacco leaves and reconstituted tobacco leaves. A processed smoking material may be filled in the smoking material portion 10 in the form of a sheet or shredded tobacco. The smoking material portion 10 may have the form of a longitudinally extending rod whose length, circumference, and diameter are not particularly limited, but the length, circumference, and diameter may be adjusted to sizes generally used in the art in consideration of the amount of smoking material filled therein, user (consumer) preferences, or the like.

[0093] The smoking material portion 10 may include at least one aerosol-generating material among 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 a flavoring agent, a humectant, and / or an acetate compound. The aerosol-generating material and / or the additive may be contained in the smoking material.

[0094] The smoking material portion 10 may be wrapped with the smoking material portion wrapper 30a.

[0095] The smoking article filter may be disposed downstream of the smoking material portion 10. The filter portion 20 of the smoking article filter is disposed downstream of the smoking material portion 10 and serves as a filter through which an aerosol material generated in the smoking material portion 10 passes right before being inhaled by the user (consumer or smoker). The filter portion 20 may be manufactured using various materials or manufactured in various forms.

[0096] The smoking article filter according to one embodiment of the present invention may include the filter portion 20 and the filter portion wrapper 30b surrounding the filter portion 20.

[0097] The filter portion 20 according to one embodiment of the present invention may include regenerated cellulose tow including a plurality of regenerated cellulose-based fibers and a monomolecular additive dispersed in the regenerated cellulose tow.

[0098] In some embodiments, the regenerated cellulose-based fibers may include at least one or more of viscose fibers and lyocell fibers, and preferably, the regenerated cellulose-based fibers may be lyocell fibers.

[0099] In one embodiment, the regenerated cellulose tow including a plurality of regenerated cellulose-based fibers may be lyocell tow including a plurality of lyocell fibers.

[0100] In some embodiments, the lyocell tow may include only the plurality of lyocell fibers as fibers and may not include other fibers in addition to the lyocell fibers. That is, the lyocell tow may be made of a plurality of lyocell fibers. Since the lyocell tow includes only the lyocell fibers as fibers, the biodegradability of the smoking article filter including the filter portion including the lyocell tow may be excellent.

[0101] In one embodiment, the filter portion 20 may include lyocell tow including a plurality of lyocell fibers and a monomolecular additive dispersed in the lyocell tow.

[0102] In one embodiment, the filter portion 20 may include viscose tow including a plurality of viscose fibers and a monomolecular additive dispersed in the viscose tow.

[0103] In one embodiment, the filter portion 20 may include lyocell tow including a plurality of lyocell fibers, viscose tow including a plurality of viscose fibers, and a monomolecular additive dispersed in the lyocell tow and the viscose tow.

[0104] The smoking article filter including the regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow) may replace all or part of the filter portion 20 of existing smoking articles, and when the smoking article filter replaces part of the filter portion 20, a filter material that is used conventionally may be used together. For example, a cellulose acetate filter, a hollow tube filter, or the like may be used as the conventional filter material.

[0105] The filter portion 20 is illustrated as a mono filter formed of a single filter in FIG. 1, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the filter portion 20 may be provided as a dual filter, a triple filter, or the like, which includes two or more filters, in order to increase filter efficiency.

[0106] In some embodiments, when the filter portion 20 is provided as a dual filter, a triple filter, or the like, the filter (hereinafter, regenerated cellulose filter (preferably, lyocell filter and / or viscose filter) of the present invention that includes regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow) including regenerated cellulose-based fibers (preferably, lyocell fibers and / or viscose fibers) and a monomolecular additive dispersed in the regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow) may be applied as any one filter of the plurality of filters, and a cellulose acetate filter and / or a paper filter may be applied as another of the plurality of filters. In this case, a length of the regenerated cellulose filter of the present invention may be 25% to 50% of the overall length of the filter portion 20. Also, although not illustrated, a crushable capsule (not illustrated) having a structure in which a liquid including a flavoring is wrapped with a film may be further included in the filter portion 20.

[0107] The filter portion wrapper 30b may surround the filter portion 20 to wrap the filter portion 20.

[0108] In some embodiments, the filter portion wrapper 30b may include wrapping paper. The filter portion wrapper 30b may include general wrapping paper or hard wrapping paper.

[0109] In some embodiments, the filter portion wrapper 30b may include porous general wrapping paper. In some embodiments, the filter portion wrapper 30b may include porous general wrapping paper having a porosity ranging from 20 kCU to 50 kCU, preferably 22 kCU to 46 kCU, more preferably 23 kCU to 25 kCU, 34 kCU to 36 kCU, 44 kCU to 46 kCU, or 35 kCU to 45 kCU. In some embodiments, the filter portion wrapper 30b may include porous general wrapping paper having a porosity of 24 kCU. Due to including general wrapping paper instead of grease-resistant general wrapping paper or hard wrapping paper, the smoking article filter according to some embodiments of the present invention may have further improved biodegradability.

[0110] However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the filter portion wrapper 30b may include hard wrapping paper. Hereinafter, in the present specification, "hard wrapping paper" may refer to wrapping paper having a basis weight within or beyond a predetermined numerical range. In particular, hard wrapping paper may be wrapping paper having a basis weight of 40 gsm or more, preferably 50 gsm or more, more preferably 60 gsm or more, even more preferably 70 gsm or more, and still more preferably 75 gsm or more. "General wrapping paper" may refer to wrapping paper having a basis weight of less than 40 gsm, preferably less than 38 gsm, and more preferably less than 36 gsm.

[0111] In addition, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the filter portion wrapper 30b may include grease-resistant general wrapping paper or hard wrapping paper.

[0112] The smoking material portion 10 wrapped with the smoking material portion wrapper 30a and the filter portion 20 wrapped with the filter portion wrapper 30b may be combined and wrapped with the tipping paper 40. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the tipping paper 40 may be wrapped around at least a portion (for example, a partial downstream region) of the smoking material portion wrapper 30a and an outer periphery of the filter portion wrapper 30b. In other words, at least a portion of the smoking material portion 10 and the filter portion 20 may be further wrapped and physically combined with the tipping paper 40.

[0113] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the tipping paper 40 may be made of nonporous wrapping paper that has not been treated to be grease-resistant, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Also, the tipping paper 40 may include an incombustible material to prevent a phenomenon in which the filter portion 20 burns, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0114] The filter portion 20 of the smoking article filter according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below.

[0115] The present invention relates to a smoking article filter included in the smoking article 100, and the smoking article filter according to one embodiment of the present invention includes the filter portion 20 including regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow) including regenerated cellulose-based fibers (preferably, lyocell fibers and / or viscose fibers) and a monomolecular additive dispersed in the regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow) and including a monomolecular material. The smoking article filter further includes the filter portion wrapper 30b surrounding the filter portion 20.

[0116] The lyocell fibers may be eco-friendly fibers made of cellulose extracted from wood pulp. The regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow) may refer to a bundle formed by cross-linking adjacent regenerated cellulose-based fibers (preferably, lyocell fibers and / or viscose fibers).

[0117] In some embodiments, the regenerated cellulose-based fibers (preferably, lyocell fibers and / or viscose fibers) may have a non-circular cross-section. The non-circular cross-section is defined as a cross-section having a shape including a plurality of protrusions instead of having a circular shape. For example, a cross-section having a shape in which a plurality of protrusions extend from the center may be referred to as "non-circular cross-section."

[0118] In some embodiments, the regenerated cellulose-based fibers (preferably, lyocell fibers and / or viscose fibers) may have a Y-shaped cross-section with three protrusions branching from the center, a cross-shaped cross-section with four protrusions, a star-shaped cross-section with five or more protrusions, or an O-shaped cross-section, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The terms mentioned here have the same meanings as described above.

[0119] In one embodiment, the monomolecular additive consists of a monomolecular material and may be dispersed in the regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow). In some embodiments, the monomolecular additive may be distributed throughout the entire area of the regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow). In some embodiments, the monomolecular additive may be dispersed on surfaces of the regenerated cellulose-based fibers (preferably, lyocell fibers and / or viscose fibers) constituting the regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow).

[0120] Specifically, the monomolecular additive may be an oligomer that is a short-chain structure made by combining a few or a small number of polyhydric alcohols which are monomer units having the same structure, or may be an ether derivative of the oligomer. In other words, the monomolecular additive may be a low molecular weight polymer in which two or more polyhydric alcohols of the same structure are repeated and combined and / or a polymer in which one or more hydroxyl groups (-OH) of the polymer are substituted with ethers. Meanwhile, since an oligomer consists of individual molecules having a specific number of monomers unlike a polymer, the oligomer may be distinguished from the polymer.

[0121] Although the present invention is not limited thereto, the number of repeating units of polyhydric alcohols in the monomolecular additive may be 2 or more and 10 or less, preferably 2 or more and 9 or less, more preferably 2 or more and 8 or less, even more preferably 2 or more and 7 or less, still more preferably 2 or more and 6 or less, yet more preferably 2 or more and 5 or less, and yet more preferably 2 or more and 4 or less. Since the number of repeating units in the monomolecular additive is selected within the above range, the possibility that the smoking article filter including the regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow) in which the monomolecular additive is dispersed would be classified as a disposable plastic product according to regulations and standards due to including a synthetic molecule may be minimized.

[0122] In some embodiments, the monomolecular additive may be a phenol reducing material that is dispersed in the regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow) to specifically reduce phenols in mainstream smoke generated during smoking.

[0123] In the smoking article filter according to one embodiment of the present invention including the regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow) and the monomolecular additive including the monomolecular phenol reducing material, since the phenol reducing material reducing phenols is a monomolecular material, even when the corresponding material (that is, the monomolecular additive performing the phenol reducing function) is dispersed in the regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow), a monomolecular phenol reducing material, instead of a polymer phenol reducing material, is added, and thus risk that the smoking article filter would be classified as non-biodegradable plastic can be prevented while maintaining phenol reducing performance. Accordingly, it is possible to provide a biodegradable smoking article filter that is more stable in complying with the non-biodegradable plastic classification standards.

[0124] The smoking article filter according to the present invention to which the regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow) is applied includes, as a phenol reducing material dispersed on the surfaces of the regenerated cellulose-based fibers (preferably, lyocell fibers and / or viscose fibers) and / or the regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow), the monomolecular additive including one or more materials selected from the group consisting of oligomers in which a small number of (for example, 2 or more and 10 or less) polyhydric alcohols are combined or the group consisting of ether derivatives thereof, and thus the smoking article filter may have a better effect of reducing phenols generated during smoking than smoking article filters not including a phenol reducing material and may not be classified as a disposable plastic product because a polymer material is not applied thereto. Further, as will be described below, since the monomolecular additive is stably present in the regenerated cellulose-based fibers (preferably, lyocell fibers and / or viscose fibers) constituting the regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow), the occurrence of the spread of ink on tipping paper can also be minimized.

[0125] In some embodiments, the monomolecular additive may be a polyhydric alcohol.

[0126] In some embodiments, the polyhydric alcohol, which is a unit material of the polymer or oligomer thereof, included in the monomolecular additive may include one of ethylene glycol (EG) and propylene glycol (PG).

[0127] Specifically, the monomolecular additive may include one or more selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol oligomers in which a small number of (for example, 2 or more and 10 or less) ethylene glycols (EGs) are combined, one or more selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol oligomer ether derivatives which are ether derivatives of the ethylene glycol oligomers, one or more selected from the group consisting of propylene glycol oligomers in which a small number of (for example, 2 or more and less than 10) propylene glycols (PGs) are combined, or one or more selected from the group consisting of propylene glycol oligomer ether derivatives which are ether derivatives of the propylene glycol oligomers.

[0128] Specifically, the monomolecular additive may include any one or more among one or more selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol oligomers in which a small number of (for example, 2 or more and 10 or less) ethylene glycols (EGs) are combined, one or more selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol oligomer ether derivatives which are ether derivatives of the ethylene glycol oligomers, one or more selected from the group consisting of propylene glycol oligomers in which a small number of (for example, 2 or more and less than 10) propylene glycols (PGs) are combined, and one or more selected from the group consisting of propylene glycol oligomer ether derivatives which are ether derivatives of the propylene glycol oligomers.

[0129] In some embodiments, the ethylene glycol oligomer may include diethylene glycol (DEG), triethylene glycol (TEG), tetraethylene glycol (TetraEG), pentaethylene glycol (PentaEG), and the like.

[0130] The ethylene glycol oligomer may include one or more of diethylene glycol (DEG), triethylene glycol (TEG), tetraethylene glycol (TetraEG), and pentaethylene glycol (PentaEG).

[0131] When the monomolecular additive includes the ethylene glycol oligomer, the monomolecular additive may include one or more selected from the group consisting of diethylene glycol (DEG), triethylene glycol (TEG), tetraethylene glycol (TetraEG), and pentaethylene glycol (PentaEG). However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the ethylene glycol oligomer may also include an oligomer in which six or more ethylene glycols (EGs) are combined.

[0132] In some embodiments, the ethylene glycol oligomer ether derivative may include a material in which one or more hydroxyl groups of a material selected from the above group of ethylene glycol oligomers are substituted with ethers. In some embodiments, the ethylene glycol oligomer ether derivative may include diethylene glycol monomethyl ether (DEGME), diethylene glycol monoethyl ether (DEGEE), diethylene glycol monobutyl ether (DEGBE), diethylene glycol dimethyl ether (DEGDME), diethylene glycol diethyl ether (DEGDEE), triethylene glycol monomethyl ether (TEGME), triethylene glycol monoethyl ether (TEGEE), triethylene glycol dimethyl ether (TEGDME), triethylene glycol diethyl ether (TEGDEE), tetraethylene glycol monomethyl ether (TetraEGME), tetraethylene glycol monoethyl ether (TetraEGEE), and the like. When the monomolecular additive includes an ethylene glycol oligomer ether derivative, the monomolecular additive may include one or more of the materials listed above.

[0133] In some embodiments, the propylene glycol oligomer may include dipropylene glycol (DPG), tripropylene glycol (TPG), tetrapropylene glycol (TetraPG), pentapropylene glycol (PentaPG), and the like. When the monomolecular additive includes a propylene glycol oligomer, the monomolecular additive may include one or more selected from the group consisting of dipropylene glycol (DPG), tripropylene glycol (TPG), tetrapropylene glycol (TetraPG), and pentapropylene glycol (PentaPG). However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the propylene glycol oligomer may also include an oligomer in which six or more propylene glycols (PGs) are combined.

[0134] In some embodiments, the propylene glycol oligomer ether derivative may include a material in which one or more hydroxyl groups of a material selected from the above group of propylene glycol oligomers are substituted with ethers. In some embodiments, the propylene glycol oligomer ether derivative may include dipropylene glycol monomethyl ether (DPGME), dipropylene glycol monoethyl ether (DPGEE), dipropylene glycol monopropyl ether (DPGPE), dipropylene glycol monobutyl ether (DPGBE), dipropylene glycol dimethyl ether (DPGDME), tripropylene glycol monomethyl ether (TPGME), tripropylene glycol monoethyl ether (TPGEE), tripropylene glycol monobutyl ether (TPGBE), propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate (PGMEA), dipropylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate (DPGMEA), and the like. When the monomolecular additive includes a propylene glycol oligomer ether derivative, the monomolecular additive may include one or more of the materials listed above.

[0135] In some embodiments, the mono denier of the regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow) may range from 0.3333 to 1.556 tex (3.0 to 14.0 denier), preferably from 0.3389 to 1.5 tex (3.05 to 13.5 denier), more preferably from 0.3444 to 1.444 tex (3.10 to 13 denier), even more preferably from 0.35 to 1.389 tex (3.15 to 12.5 denier), and still more preferably from 0.3556 to 1.333 tex (3.2 to 12 denier), but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0136] In some embodiments, the total denier of the regenerated cellulose tow (preferably, lyocell tow and / or viscose tow) may range from 0.3333 to 1.556 tex (3.0 to 14.0 denier), preferably from 0.3389 to 1.5 tex (3.05 to 13.5 denier), more preferably from 0.3444 to 1.444 tex (3.10 to 13 denier), even more preferably from 0.35 to 1.389 tex (3.15 to 12.5 denier), and still more preferably from 0.3556 to 1.333 tex (3.2 to 12 denier), but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0137] In the present specification, the mono denier may be the denier of fibers expressed by a weight (g) of one strand of fiber per unit length of 9,000 m, and the total denier may be the denier of fibers expressed by a weight (g) of tow per unit length of 9,000 m.

[0138] In some embodiments, the monomolecular additive may be added at an amount of 30 mg / rod to 300 mg / rod, preferably 40 mg / rod to 280 mg / rod, and more preferably 50 mg / rod to 260 mg / rod based on a regenerated cellulose filter (preferably, lyocell filter and / or viscose filter) having a length of 108 mm and a circumference of 24.2 mm. In other words, the monomolecular additive may be added at an amount of 7.5 mg / rod to 75 mg / rod, preferably 10 mg / rod to 70 mg / rod, and more preferably 12.5 mg / rod to 65 mg / rod based on a regenerated cellulose filter (preferably, lyocell filter and / or viscose filter) having a length of 27 mm and a circumference of 24.2 mm.

[0139] In some embodiments, the monomolecular additive may include one or more selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol oligomers, ethylene glycol oligomer ether derivatives, propylene glycol oligomers, or propylene glycol oligomer ether derivatives having a molecular weight of less than 1,000, preferably less than 800, more preferably less than 700, even more preferably less than 600, and still more preferably less than 500. The molecular weight may be a number average molecular weight.

[0140] Hereinafter, the configurations of the present invention and the advantageous effects according thereto will be described in more detail using examples and comparative examples. However, the examples are merely for describing the present invention in more detail, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to these examples.Example 1

[0141] Based on a lyocell filter having a length of 108 mm and a circumference of 24.2 mm, triethylene glycol (TEG), which is a monomolecular additive, was added as a phenol reducing material at an amount of 60 mg / rod to lyocell tow having a mono denier of 0.3778 tex (3.4 denier) and a total denier of 433.3 tex (3,900 denier), and then the lyocell tow was wrapped with porous general wrapping paper having a width of 26.5 mm, a porosity of 24 kCU, and a basis weight of 21 gsm to manufacture a lyocell filter (smoking article filter) having a length of 108 mm, a circumference of 24.2 mm, and a resistance to draw of 405 mm WG.Example 2

[0142] A lyocell filter (smoking article filter) was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the monomolecular additive added as the phenol reducing material to the lyocell tow was tetraethylene glycol (TetraEG) instead of triethylene glycol (TEG).Example 3

[0143] A lyocell filter (smoking article filter) was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the monomolecular additive added as the phenol reducing material to the lyocell tow was dipropylene glycol (DPG) instead of triethylene glycol (TEG).Example 4

[0144] A lyocell filter (smoking article filter) was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the monomolecular additive added as the phenol reducing material to the lyocell tow was tripropylene glycol (TPG) instead of triethylene glycol (TEG).Example 5

[0145] A lyocell filter (smoking article filter) was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the monomolecular additive added as the phenol reducing material to the lyocell tow was dipropylene glycol monomethyl ether (DPGME) instead of triethylene glycol (TEG).Example 6

[0146] A lyocell filter (smoking article filter) was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the monomolecular additive added as the phenol reducing material to the lyocell tow was tripropylene glycol monobutyl ether (TPGBE) instead of triethylene glycol (TEG).Comparative Example 1

[0147] A lyocell filter (smoking article filter) was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that an additive as a phenol reducing material was not added to the lyocell tow.Comparative Example 2

[0148] A lyocell filter (smoking article filter) was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that polyethylene glycol 600 (PEG 600), which is a polymer material rather than a monomolecular material among ethylene glycol-based derivatives, was added as the phenol reducing material to the lyocell tow.Comparative Example 3

[0149] A lyocell filter (smoking article filter) was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that diglycerol (DGL) was added as the phenol reducing material to the lyocell tow.Comparative Example 4

[0150] A lyocell filter (smoking article filter) was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that triglycerol (TGL) was added as the phenol reducing material to the lyocell tow.Experimental Example 1: Analysis of performance of reducing phenols in smoke according to additives including phenol reducing material- harsh conditions

[0151] Smoking articles were manufactured by combining smoking article filters, each formed to have a length of 27 mm by dividing the smoking article filters of Examples 1 to 6 and Comparative Examples 1 to 4, each having a length of 108 mm, into four pieces, and a smoking material portion having 3 mg of tar applied thereto and having a length of 57 mm using tipping paper, and for the manufactured smoking articles including the smoking article filters of the examples and comparative examples, smoke generated using Korber's linear type cigarette smoking machine LX20 under Health Canada (HC) conditions (puff volume: 55 ml / puff frequency: every 30 s / puff duration: 2 s / puff count: 9 puffs) as smoking conditions was collected using a Cambridge filter pad (CFP) and analyzed. Specifically, in order to extract materials from the pad on which the smoke is collected, 30 mL of 1% acetic acid solution was added and then stirred, the materials were filtered using a 0.45 µm polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) syringe filter, amounts of phenol were measured using an Alliance HPLC-FLD analysis device of Waters Corporation and an LC Column (15 × 4.6 mm, Luna 3 µm) of Phenomenex, the results of measuring the amounts of phenol were substituted in Equation 1 below to calculate a phenol removal capacity of the filters, and the results thereof are shown in Table 1 below. [Table 1] Classification Phenol (µg) Removal capacity (%) Comparative Example 1 (BLANK) 45.5-Comparative Example 2 (PEG 600) 16.863.1Comparative Example 3 (DGL) 42.66.3Comparative Example 4 (TGL) 38.814.7Example 1 (TEG) 25.943.1Example 2 (TetraEG) 22.351.0Example 3 (DPG) 35.322.4Example 4 (TPG) 26.641.5Example 5 (DPGME) 40.311.4Example 6 (TPGBE) 27.539.5

[0152] Referring to Table 1 above, it can be confirmed that the phenol removal capacity of Examples 1 to 6 was higher than the phenol removal capacity of Comparative Examples 3 and 4 in which DGL and TGL selected from the group of glycerol-based oligomers were respectively added as a monomolecular additive which is a polyhydric alcohol material. That is, it can be confirmed that ethylene glycol-based oligomers (for example, TEG, TetraEG) or ether derivatives thereof and propylene glycol-based oligomers (for example, DPG, TPG) or ether derivatives thereof (for example, DPGME, TPGBE) have a higher phenol removal capacity than glycerol-based oligomer materials (DGL, TGL).

[0153] In addition, it can be confirmed that the phenol removal capacity of Comparative Example 2 in which PEG 600, a polymer material, was added as the phenol reducing material was 63.1%, and the phenol removal capacity of Example 1 in which TEG, a monomolecular material, was added, the phenol removal capacity of Example 2 in which TetraEG, a monomolecular material, was added, the phenol removal capacity of Example 4 in which TPG, a monomolecular material, was added, and the phenol removal capacity of Example 6 in which TPGBE, a monomolecular material, was added were 43.1%, 51.0%, 41.5%, and 39.5%, respectively, which showed that excellent phenol removal capacity was maintained despite being slightly lower compared to when the polymer material, PEG 600, was added. Accordingly, it can be confirmed that phenol reducing performance can be maintained even with a monomolecular material rather than a polymer material.

[0154] In particular, it can be confirmed that the phenol removal capacity was higher in Example 2 in which an ethylene glycol oligomer with a higher molecular weight was added compared to Example 1 in which an ethylene glycol oligomer with a lower molecular weight was added, and it can be confirmed that the phenol removal capacity was higher in Example 4 in which a propylene glycol oligomer with a higher molecular weight was added compared to Example 3 in which a propylene glycol oligomer with a lower molecular weight was added.Experimental Example 2: Analysis of smoke components according to additives including phenol reducing material- harsh conditions

[0155] In order to measure the phenol component in smoke, in a manner substantially identical to Experimental Example 1, smoking articles were manufactured by combining smoking article filters, each formed to have a length of 27 mm by dividing the smoking article filters of Examples 1 and 4 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2, each having a length of 108 mm, into four pieces, and a smoking material portion having 3 mg of tar applied thereto and having a length of 57 mm using tipping paper, and for the manufactured smoking articles including the smoking article filters of the examples and comparative examples, smoke generated using Korber's linear type cigarette smoking machine LX20 under Health Canada (HC) conditions (puff volume: 55 ml / puff frequency: every 30 s / puff duration: 2 s / puff count: 9 puffs) as smoking conditions was collected using a Cambridge filter pad (CFP), and in order to extract phenol materials from the pad on which the smoke is collected, 30 mL of 1% acetic acid solution was added and then stirred, the phenol materials were filtered using a 0.45 µm polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) syringe filter, amounts of phenol in the pad were measured using an Alliance HPLC-FLD analysis device of Waters Corporation and an LC Column (15 × 4.6 mm, Luna 3 µm) of Phenomenex, and the results of measuring the amounts of phenol are shown in Table 2 below.

[0156] In addition, in order to measure the nicotine component in smoke, in a manner substantially identical to Experimental Example 1, smoking articles were manufactured by combining smoking article filters, each formed to have a length of 27 mm by dividing the smoking article filters of Examples 1 and 4 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2, each having a length of 108 mm, into four pieces, and a smoking material portion having 3 mg of tar applied thereto and having a length of 57 mm using tipping paper, and for the manufactured smoking articles including the smoking article filters of the examples and comparative examples, cigarette smoke generated using Borgwaldt's rotating smoking device RM20H under Health Canada (HC) conditions (puff volume: 55 ml / puff frequency: every 30 s / puff duration: 2 s / puff count: 9 puffs) as smoking conditions was collected and then analyzed using a GC / MS device (GC 8890, Agilent). Here, a DB-WAX column (30 m × 0.320 mm, 0.50 µm) was used to separate nicotine, the content of nicotine was quantified according to the ISO 22253 standard, and the results of measuring the content of nicotine are shown in Table 2 below. [Table 2] Classification Phenol (µg) Nicotine (mg) Comparative Example 1 (BLANK) 39.91.30Comparative Example 2 (PEG 600) 21.61.26Example 1 (TEG) 29.31.18Example 4 (TPG) 25.91.24

[0157] Referring to Table 2 above, it can be confirmed that the amount of phenol in smoke was 21.6 µg in Comparative Example 2 in which PEG 600, a polymer material, was added as the phenol reducing material, and the amounts of phenol in smoke in Example 1 and Example 4 were 29.3 µg and 25.9 µg, respectively, which showed that the phenol removal capacity was similar to that in Comparative Example 2 despite an increase in the amount of phenol in smoke.

[0158] In addition, it can be confirmed that the amount of transferred nicotine in Comparative Example 2 was 1.26 mg, and the amounts of transferred nicotine in Example 1 and Example 4 were 1.18 mg and 1.24 mg, respectively, which showed that the nicotine transfer performance was similar to that in Comparative Example 2.

[0159] In summary, it can be confirmed that phenol reducing performance and nicotine transferring performance similar to PEG 600, which is a polymer additive, can be provided even though a monomolecular additive is applied to lyocell tow.Example 7

[0160] A lyocell filter (smoking article filter) was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 4 except that tripropylene glycol (TPG) was added at an amount of 120 mg / rod to the lyocell tow (based on the lyocell filter (smoking article filter) having a length of 108 mm and a circumference of 24.2 mm). (The added amount was 30 mg / rod based on the lyocell filter (smoking article filter) having a length of 27 mm and a circumference of 24.2 mm)Example 8

[0161] A lyocell filter (smoking article filter) was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 4 except that tripropylene glycol (TPG) was added at an amount of 180 mg / rod to the lyocell tow (based on the lyocell filter (smoking article filter) having a length of 108 mm and a circumference of 24.2 mm). (The added amount was 45 mg / rod based on the lyocell filter (smoking article filter) having a length of 27 mm and a circumference of 24.2 mm)Example 9

[0162] A lyocell filter (smoking article filter) was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 4 except that tripropylene glycol (TPG) was added at an amount of 240 mg / rod to the lyocell tow (based on the lyocell filter (smoking article filter) having a length of 108 mm and a circumference of 24.2 mm). (The added amount was 60 mg / rod based on the lyocell filter (smoking article filter) having a length of 27 mm and a circumference of 24.2 mm)Example 10

[0163] A lyocell filter (smoking article filter) was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 6 except that tripropylene glycol monobutyl ether (TPGBE) was added at an amount of 120 mg / rod to the lyocell tow (based on the lyocell filter (smoking article filter) having a length of 108 mm and a circumference of 24.2 mm). (The added amount was 30 mg / rod based on the lyocell filter (smoking article filter) having a length of 27 mm and a circumference of 24.2 mm)Example 11

[0164] A lyocell filter (smoking article filter) was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 6 except that tripropylene glycol monobutyl ether (TPGBE) was added at an amount of 180 mg / rod to the lyocell tow (based on the lyocell filter (smoking article filter) having a length of 108 mm and a circumference of 24.2 mm). (The added amount was 45 mg / rod based on the lyocell filter (smoking article filter) having a length of 27 mm and a circumference of 24.2 mm)Example 12

[0165] A lyocell filter (smoking article filter) was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 6 except that tripropylene glycol monobutyl ether (TPGBE) was added at an amount of 240 mg / rod to the lyocell tow (based on the lyocell filter (smoking article filter) having a length of 108 mm and a circumference of 24.2 mm). (The added amount was 60 mg / rod based on the lyocell filter (smoking article filter) having a length of 27 mm and a circumference of 24.2 mm)Experimental Example 3: Analysis of performance in reducing phenols in smoke according to amounts of added additives including phenol reducing material- harsh conditions

[0166] Smoking articles were manufactured by combining smoking article filters, each formed to have a length of 27 mm by dividing the smoking article filters of Examples 7 to 12 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2, each having a length of 108 mm, into four pieces, and a smoking material portion having 3 mg of tar applied thereto and having a length of 57 mm using tipping paper, and for the manufactured smoking articles including the smoking article filters of the examples and comparative examples, the amounts of phenol were measured and the phenol removal capacity of the filters were calculated using the same smoking conditions and analysis methods as in Experimental Example 1, and the results thereof are shown in Table 3 below. [Table 3] Classification Tar (µg) Removal capacity (%) Comparative Example 1 (BLANK) 47.7-Comparative Example 2 (PEG 600) 26.644.2Example 4 (TPG)- 15 26.644.2Example 7 (TPG)- 30 22.353.2Example 8 (TPG)- 45 20.058.1Example 9 (TPG)- 60 16.964.6Example 6 (TPGBE)- 15 29.338.6Example 10 (TPGBE)-30 21.554.9Example 11 (TPGBE)-45 21.954.1Example 12 (TPGBE)-60 19.658.9

[0167] Referring to Table 3 above, it can be confirmed that the removal capacity was higher or similar to the removal capacity of PEG 600, which is a polymer additive, in all of Example 4 and Examples 7 to 9 in which TPG, which is one of the propylene glycol oligomers, was added as a monomolecular additive and Example 6 and Examples 10 to 12 in which TPGBE, which is one of the propylene glycol oligomer ether derivatives, was added as a monomolecular additive. In particular, it can be confirmed that the phenol reducing performance was better as the amount of monomolecular additive added into the filter increased. Further, it can be confirmed that the phenol reducing performance was better in Example 4 and Examples 7 to 9 in which TPG was added compared to when TPGBE was added when similar added amounts were applied.

[0168] FIG. 2 shows images captured for each period that show whether the spread of ink occurred in a smoking article filer of Example 1 of the present invention, FIG. 3 shows images captured for each period that show whether the spread of ink occurred in a smoking article filter of Example 4 of the present invention, FIG. 4 shows captured images that show whether the spread of ink occurred in a smoking article filter of Example 6 of the present invention, FIG. 5 shows images captured for each period that show whether the spread of ink occurred in a smoking article filter of Comparative Example 5 of the present invention, and FIG. 6 shows images captured for each period that show whether the spread of ink occurred in a smoking article filter of Comparative Example 6 of the present invention.Comparative Example 5

[0169] A lyocell filter (smoking article filter) was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that an additive in which PEG 600 and triethyl citrate (TEC) were mixed at a ratio of 7:3 was added as the phenol reducing material to the lyocell tow.Comparative Example 6

[0170] A lyocell filter (smoking article filter) was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that polypropylene glycol 1000 (PPG 1000) was added as the phenol reducing material to the lyocell tow.Experimental Example 4: Evaluation of the occurrence of the spread of ink on tipping paper according to additives including phenol reducing material

[0171] The smoking article filters of Examples 1, 4, and 6 and Comparative Examples 5 and 6, each having a length of 108 mm, were divided into two halves, and tipping paper (no coating) made of paper having a cork shape printed on a front surface was tightly wrapped around and adhered to the smoking article filters each having a length of 54 mm to manufacture filters wrapped with the tipping paper having the cork shape printed thereon. Then, the manufactured filters wrapped with the tipping paper were stored for different periods (2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks) in a chamber under harsh conditions including a temperature of 45±5 °C and a relative humidity of 75±5%, and whether the spread of ink occurred on the tipping paper was checked. In order to check whether the spread of ink occurred on the tipping paper, the filters wrapped with the tipping paper were each placed on A4 paper and repeatedly rolled to the left and right in the longitudinal direction and rubbed against the A4 paper 10 times to check whether the spread of ink occurs, and results thereof are shown in FIGS. 2 to 6.

[0172] Specifically, FIG. 2 shows results of the spread of ink of the filter of Example 1, and (a), (b), and (c) of FIG. 2 are images of the results of the spread of ink on the tipping paper that were captured after the filter was stored 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks, respectively. FIG. 3 shows results of the spread of ink of the filter of Example 4, and (a), (b), and (c) of FIG. 3 are images of the results of the spread of ink on the tipping paper that were captured after the filter was stored 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks, respectively. FIG. 4 shows results of the spread of ink of the filter of Example 6, and (a) of FIG. 4 are images of the results of the spread of ink on the tipping paper that were captured after the filter was stored 2 weeks. FIG. 5 shows results of the spread of ink of the filter of Comparative Example 5, and (a), (b), and (c) of FIG. 5 are images of the results of the spread of ink on the tipping paper that were captured after the filter was stored 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks, respectively. FIG. 6 shows results of the spread of ink of the filter of Comparative Example 6, and (a) and (b) of FIG. 6 are images of the results of the spread of ink on the tipping paper that were captured after the filter was stored 2 weeks and 4 weeks, respectively.

[0173] It can be confirmed that the spread of ink hardly occurred in (a) and (b) of FIGS. 2, 3, and 5, and a small amount of ink spread very slightly in (c) of FIGS. 2, 3, and 5. Accordingly, it can be confirmed that when TEG or TPG, which is a monomolecular additive, is applied as a phenol reducing material (Examples 1 and 4), the degree of ink spreading is similar to when PEG 600, which is an amphoteric additive, is included in the phenol reducing material to minimize the spread of ink (Comparative Example 5), and the monomolecular additive is stably present in the lyocell fibers constituting the lyocell tow and does not leak toward the tipping paper.

[0174] It can be confirmed that a very large amount of ink spread in (a) of FIG. 4. Accordingly, it can be confirmed that, despite having excellent phenol reducing performance, TPGBE is not stably present in the lyocell fibers constituting the lyocell tow and leaks to the outside, causing a decrease in appearance quality.

[0175] It can be confirmed that the spread of ink occurred in (a) and (b) of FIG. 6. Accordingly, it can be confirmed that TPG or TEG, which is a monomolecular material, of the present invention can provide excellent quality in terms of minimizing the spread of ink compared to when PPG 1000 is added.

[0176] Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains should understand that the present disclosure may be embodied in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features thereof. Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood as being illustrative, instead of limiting, in all aspects. The scope of protection of the present disclosure should be interpreted based on the claims below, and all technical ideas within the scope equivalent to the claims should be interpreted as falling within the scope of rights of the technical spirit defined by the present disclosure.

Examples

example 1

Example 1

[0141]Based on a lyocell filter having a length of 108 mm and a circumference of 24.2 mm, triethylene glycol (TEG), which is a monomolecular additive, was added as a phenol reducing material at an amount of 60 mg / rod to lyocell tow having a mono denier of 0.3778 tex (3.4 denier) and a total denier of 433.3 tex (3,900 denier), and then the lyocell tow was wrapped with porous general wrapping paper having a width of 26.5 mm, a porosity of 24 kCU, and a basis weight of 21 gsm to manufacture a lyocell filter (smoking article filter) having a length of 108 mm, a circumference of 24.2 mm, and a resistance to draw of 405 mm WG.

example 2

Example 2

[0142]A lyocell filter (smoking article filter) was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the monomolecular additive added as the phenol reducing material to the lyocell tow was tetraethylene glycol (TetraEG) instead of triethylene glycol (TEG).

example 3

Example 3

[0143]A lyocell filter (smoking article filter) was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the monomolecular additive added as the phenol reducing material to the lyocell tow was dipropylene glycol (DPG) instead of triethylene glycol (TEG).

Claims

1. A smoking article filter comprising a filter portion including regenerated cellulose tow including regenerated cellulose-based fibers and a monomolecular additive dispersed in the regenerated cellulose tow.

2. The smoking article filter of claim 1, wherein the regenerated cellulose-based fibers include at least one or more of viscose fibers and lyocell fibers.

3. The smoking article filter of claim 1, wherein: the regenerated cellulose-based fibers include lyocell fibers; and the regenerated cellulose tow is lyocell tow.

4. The smoking article filter of claim 3, wherein the lyocell tow includes only the lyocell fibers as fibers.

5. The smoking article filter of claim 1, wherein the monomolecular additive is a phenol reducing material.

6. The smoking article filter of claim 1, wherein the monomolecular additive is a polyhydric alcohol.

7. The smoking article filter of claim 1, wherein the monomolecular additive includes one or more selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol oligomers, ethylene glycol oligomer ether derivatives which are ether derivatives of the ethylene glycol oligomers, propylene glycol oligomers, and propylene glycol oligomer ether derivatives which are ether derivatives of the propylene glycol oligomers.

8. The smoking article filter of claim 7, wherein: the ethylene glycol oligomer includes at least one or more of diethylene glycol (DEG), triethylene glycol (TEG), tetraethylene glycol (TetraEG), and pentaethylene glycol (PentaEG); and the propylene glycol oligomer includes at least one or more of dipropylene glycol (DPG), tripropylene glycol (TPG), tetrapropylene glycol (TetraPG), and pentapropylene glycol (PentaPG).

9. The smoking article filter of claim 8, wherein the monomolecular additive includes at least one or more of triethylene glycol (TEG), tetraethylene glycol (TetraEG), and tripropylene glycol (TPG).

10. The smoking article filter of claim 1, wherein the monomolecular additive is an oligomer in which two or more polyhydric alcohols of the same structure are repeated and combined or an ether derivative of the oligomer.

11. The smoking article filter of claim 10, wherein the polyhydric alcohol is one of ethylene glycol (EG) and propylene glycol (PG).

12. The smoking article filter of claim 1, further comprising a filter portion wrapper surrounding the filter portion, wherein the filter portion wrapper includes porous general wrapping paper.

13. A smoking article comprising: a smoking material portion; a smoking article filter disposed downstream of the smoking material portion; and tipping paper surrounding at least some portions of the smoking material portion and the smoking article filter, wherein the smoking article filter includes a filter portion including regenerated cellulose tow including regenerated cellulose-based fibers and a monomolecular additive dispersed in the regenerated cellulose tow and a filter portion wrapper surrounding the filter portion.

14. The smoking article of claim 13, wherein: the regenerated cellulose tow is lyocell tow including a plurality of lyocell fibers; and the monomolecular additive is a phenol reducing material.

15. The smoking article of claim 13, wherein the monomolecular additive includes one or more selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol oligomers, ethylene glycol oligomer ether derivatives which are ether derivatives of the ethylene glycol oligomers, propylene glycol oligomers, and propylene glycol oligomer ether derivatives which are ether derivatives of the propylene glycol oligomers.

Images