Sustainable smoking article elements

Abstract

The present invention provides an element for use in a smoking article, the element comprising a longitudinally extending core, the longitudinally extending core comprising a filtering material, the filtering material comprising paper and / or other biodegradable material, the filtering material further comprising a hydrophobic material.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention provides sustainable elements for use in smoking articles, such as tobacco heating products or non-combustion heating products. [Background technology]

[0002] Tobacco heating products or heat-not-burn (HNB) products are well known. The concept of a tobacco heating product is that tobacco is heated to a specific temperature (such as 350°C) without combustion. This is believed to deliver a vapour containing nicotine and, by heating without burning, avoids the production of combustion products that are harmful to the consumer.

[0003] Tobacco heating products or HNB products may comprise a plug of improved tobacco and other mouthpiece elements wrapped in a paper plugwrap to provide a cigarette-like appearance. In one such product, a reconstituted tobacco plug, a wrapped hollow acetate tube, a PLA [poly(lactic acid)] wrapped plug, and a conventional wrapped acetate segment are wrapped in white paper. The product is then inserted into a heating element that heats the tobacco, thereby allowing the consumer to "smoke" the product. The function of the "filter" in these products is very different from that of a cigarette filter, whose main function is to provide the look and feel of a cigarette, and also to cool the vapor to a temperature acceptable to the consumer. In the above-mentioned products, it is the PLA portion that performs the important cooling function, and therefore may be considered a cooling element.

[0004] The use of materials such as PLA in cooling elements is well known, and more recently, as discussed in WO 2021 / 074222, the use of cellulose acetate in cooling elements has become known.

[0005] However, cellulose acetate and PLA are not readily biodegradable. As a result, smoking article elements such as cellulose acetate, including filter elements and cooling elements, can persist in the environment for many years. This, and in light of new EU regulations coming into force in 2021 (aimed at reducing the use of single-use plastics such as cellulose acetate filters), has led to increased interest in smoking elements (such as cooling elements) that do not contain single-use plastics and are readily biodegradable.

[0006] Thus, there is a need for a smoking article element that provides acceptable cooling and filtering properties of vapor in HNB products while having improved biodegradability over conventional materials such as cellulose acetate. Summary of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention there is provided an element for use in a smoking article (e.g. a cooling element for a tobacco heating product and / or HNB product), the element comprising a longitudinally extending (e.g. cylindrical, e.g. tubular) core, the longitudinally extending (e.g. cylindrical, e.g. tubular) core comprising a filtering material, the filtering material comprising paper and / or other biodegradable material (e.g. a non-cellulose acetate containing material) and further comprising a hydrophobic material. Preferably the element is a cooling element.

[0008] As used herein, the term "element" refers to any discrete segment that may be used in a smoking article. An element may be a cooling element or a filtering element.

[0009] As used herein, the term "cooling element" will be understood to refer to a discrete segment that provides a significant cooling function, i.e., the function of reducing the temperature of steam as it passes along the length of the cooling element.

[0010] The term "biodegradable" refers to filtering materials and elements that are capable of exhibiting at least 90% biodegradability after 6 months under controlled composting conditions (see ISO14855-1 Determination of the ultimate aerobic biodegradability of plastic materials under controlled composting conditions-Method by analysis of evolved carbon dioxide).

[0011] Preferably, the paper and / or other biodegradable materials (e.g., non-cellulose acetate-containing materials) used in the filtering material of the element of the present invention are "readily biodegradable" and have enhanced biodegradability compared to cellulose acetate. Thus, the present invention provides an element with enhanced biodegradability, and therefore more environmentally friendly and more compliant with EU regulations.

[0012] The phrase "readily biodegradable" refers to the filtering material and element being capable of quickly disintegrating and completely biodegrading when immersed in water. Preferably, the element has a "Ready Biodegradability" level of biodegradability as measured according to the OECD 301B "Ready Biodegradability" method (modified Sturm test), which is well known in the art. The phrase "readily biodegradable" is understood herein to mean a "readily biodegradable" level of biodegradability.

[0013] Applicants have surprisingly found that by including a hydrophobic material in the filtering material along with paper and / or other biodegradable materials (e.g., non-cellulose acetate containing materials), the element can provide cooling and filtering performance comparable to conventional PLA and cellulose acetate elements, while also providing improved biodegradability as described above. This is illustrated in the examples of the present application.

[0014] Without being bound by theory, it is believed that the hydrophobic material within the filtering material causes water vapor within the element (e.g., cooling element) to condense within the element (e.g., cooling element), which provides the beneficial effect of cooling the vapor as it passes through the element.

[0015] Preferably, the hydrophobic material is distributed throughout the longitudinally extending (e.g. cylindrical, e.g. tubular) core of the element, which applicants have found to provide optimal levels of vapor cooling and filtering for use in tobacco heating or HNB products.

[0016] Preferably, the filtering material is a paper and / or other biodegradable material (e.g., a non-cellulose acetate containing material) coated with a hydrophobic material. Preferably, the coated paper and / or other biodegradable material (e.g., a non-cellulose containing material) is disposed within a longitudinally extending (e.g., cylindrical, e.g., tubular) core such that the hydrophobic material is distributed (e.g., substantially uniformly) throughout the longitudinally extending core of the element.

[0017] Applicants have found that by forming the elements of the present invention using paper and / or other biodegradable materials (e.g., non-cellulose acetate materials) coated with a hydrophobic material, it is possible to produce elements in which the hydrophobic material is uniformly distributed throughout the element, which, as discussed above, provides optimal levels of vapor cooling and filtering for use in tobacco heating or HNB products.

[0018] The paper and / or other biodegradable materials (e.g., non-cellulose acetate-containing filtering materials) are preferably readily biodegradable. The paper and / or other biodegradable materials (e.g., non-cellulose acetate-containing filtering materials) may be composed of any paper (in any form) conventionally used in filters or filter elements. The paper may be, for example, various grades of filter paper, aperture paper, crepe paper, airlaid paper or machine-glazed paper. The fibers of the paper and / or other biodegradable materials (e.g., non-cellulose acetate-containing filtering materials) may be natural fibers (e.g., flax, hemp, sisal, jute, manila, cotton, coconut fiber, bamboo fiber, starch (e.g., from corn) or tobacco) or any roll material. The paper may be woven or nonwoven and may be in the form of a coherent web of paper or in the form of a web of longitudinally corrugated and / or fibrillated paper, for example laterally collected and held in the form of a plug. The paper and / or other biodegradable material (e.g., non-cellulose acetate-containing filtering material) may be in the form of a coherent web including a first paper and / or other biodegradable material (e.g., non-cellulose acetate-containing filtering material) and a second paper and / or other biodegradable material (e.g., non-cellulose acetate-containing filtering material). The paper and / or other biodegradable material (e.g., non-cellulose acetate-containing filtering material) may be in the form of a blend of different paper materials and / or other biodegradable materials (e.g., non-cellulose acetate-containing filtering materials). The paper filtering material may have the same or similar structure as the paper sold under the trademarks Myria® or Puracel®. The paper may be coated with a hydrophobic coating or material.

[0019] Preferably, the paper has a basis weight of 20 gsm to 200 gsm. For example, the paper may have a basis weight of 40 gsm to 180 gsm, such as 60 gsm to 160 gsm, for example 80 gsm to 140 gsm, such as 100 gsm to 120 gsm, for example 20 gsm to 60 gsm, for example 30 gsm to 40 gsm.

[0020] The hydrophobic coating / material may be any suitable hydrophobic material. For example, the hydrophobic coating / material may be a polymer or blend of polymers. Preferably, the hydrophobic coating / material is a starch such as a modified starch, e.g., oxidized starch (E1404). Starches such as modified starches are preferred as they are inert and provide a non-plasticizing hydrophobic coating. The hydrophobic coating / material may be present in an amount of 0.01% to 50% by weight (w / w) of the hydrophobic coating / material, such as 0.01% to 20% w / w, e.g., 0.1% to 20% w / w, e.g., 5% to 20% w / w, e.g., 10% to 20% w / w, e.g., 0.1% to 10% w / w, e.g., 0.1% to 5% w / w, e.g., 0.5% to 2.5% w / w, based on the weight (w / w) of the element.

[0021] The elements according to the invention are manufactured by methods known in the art, for example, a paper element may be manufactured by embossing a sheet of paper and then forming the embossed paper into a cylindrical core by tooling commonly used in the art.

[0022] The coated paper according to the invention is manufactured by methods known in the art. The hydrophobic coating can be applied to the paper by any of the standard coating methods known in the art.

[0023] Preferably, the length of the element is from 5 to 50 mm (eg, from 10 to 30 mm, such as from 8 to 24 mm, for example, from 15 to 20 mm, for example, 18 mm).

[0024] Preferably, the circumference of the element is from 12 to 30 mm (eg 15 to 28 mm), more preferably from 17 to 25 mm (eg 18 to 25 mm, such as 20 to 24 mm, such as 22 to 24 mm, such as 23 mm, such as 22 mm).

[0025] Preferably, the longitudinally extending (eg cylindrical, eg tubular) core is of uniform axial cross-section (eg circular, eg annular).

[0026] Preferably, the elements (e.g., cooling elements for tobacco heating products and / or HNB products) have a substantially circular cross-section, meaning that the shape of the element is substantially cylindrical. However, the elements of the present invention may be of any shape. For example, the elements may have a circular or elliptical cross-section, or a square or rectangular cross-section.

[0027] The element (e.g. a cooling element for a tobacco heating product and / or HNB product) may further comprise an outer wrapper engaged about the longitudinally extending (e.g. cylindrical, e.g. tubular) core. The outer wrapper may be a paper (e.g. plug wrap), preferably a paper (e.g. plug wrap) having a basis weight of 20 to 160 gsm, for example a paper (e.g. plug wrap) having a basis weight of 24 to 150 gsm, for example a paper (e.g. plug wrap) having a basis weight of 70 to 150 gsm, for example a paper (e.g. plug wrap) having a basis weight of 70 to 140 gsm.

[0028] A longitudinally extending (e.g., cylindrical, e.g., tubular) core may have one or more longitudinally extending bores (or holes) that may extend longitudinally through the entire length of the longitudinally extending core (and may be open at one or both ends of the core).

[0029] A longitudinally extending (e.g., cylindrical, e.g., tubular) core may have a contoured outer surface including a plurality of (e.g., longitudinally extending) (e.g., C- or U-shaped) grooves or channels. The plurality of (e.g., longitudinally extending) (e.g., C- or U-shaped) grooves or channels may extend over the entire length of (the outer surface of) the longitudinally extending core. The plurality of (e.g., longitudinally extending) (e.g., C- or U-shaped) grooves or channels may not extend over the entire length of (the outer surface of) the longitudinally extending core.

[0030] The longitudinally extending (e.g., cylindrical, e.g., tubular) core may have one or more longitudinally extending bores (or holes) and may have a contoured outer surface including a plurality of (e.g., longitudinally extending) (e.g., C- or U-shaped) grooves or channels.

[0031] According to the present invention, in a further aspect, there is provided an element for a tobacco heating product and / or HNB product, the element comprising a longitudinally extending (e.g. cylindrical, e.g. tubular) core, the longitudinally extending (e.g. cylindrical, e.g. tubular) core comprising a filtering material, the filtering material comprising paper and / or other biodegradable material (e.g. non-cellulose acetate containing material), the filtering material further comprising a hydrophobic material. Preferably, the element is a cooling element.

[0032] According to the present invention, in a further aspect, there is provided a smoking article (e.g. tobacco heating product, HNB product) comprising an element. The element comprises a longitudinally extending (e.g. cylindrical, e.g. tubular) core, the longitudinally extending (e.g. cylindrical, e.g. tubular) core comprising a filtering material, the filtering material comprising paper and / or other biodegradable material (e.g. non-cellulose acetate containing material), the filtering material further comprising a hydrophobic material. Preferably, the element is a cooling element. Optionally, the smoking article may comprise one or more separate further segments.

[0033] According to the present invention, there is provided a tobacco heating product and / or HNB product comprising an element. The element comprises a longitudinally extending (e.g. cylindrical, e.g. tubular) core, the longitudinally extending (e.g. cylindrical, e.g. tubular) core comprising a filtering material, the filtering material comprising paper and / or other biodegradable material (e.g. non-cellulose acetate containing material), the filtering material further comprising a hydrophobic material. Preferably, the element is a cooling element. Optionally, the tobacco heating product and / or HNB product may comprise one or more separate further segments.

[0034] According to the present invention, there is provided the use of an element in a tobacco heating product and / or HNB product. The element comprises a longitudinally extending (e.g. cylindrical, e.g. tubular) core, the longitudinally extending (e.g. cylindrical, e.g. tubular) core comprising a filtering material, the filtering material comprising paper and / or other biodegradable material (e.g. non-cellulose acetate containing material), the filtering material further comprising a hydrophobic material. Preferably, the element is a cooling element. Optionally, the tobacco heating product and / or HNB product may comprise one or more separate further segments.

[0035] Preferably, the paper and / or other biodegradable materials (e.g., non-cellulose acetate-containing materials) used in the filtering material of the element for smoking articles (e.g., tobacco heating products, HNB products) according to the present invention are readily biodegradable and have improved biodegradability compared to cellulose acetate. Thus, the present invention provides an element with improved biodegradability, and therefore more environmentally friendly and more compliant with EU regulations.

[0036] The phrase "readily biodegradable" refers to the ability of the element to disintegrate quickly and completely biodegrade when immersed in water. Preferably, the element has a "Ready Biodegradability" level of biodegradability measured according to the OECD 301B "Ready Biodegradability" method (modified Sturm test), which is well known in the art. The phrase "readily biodegradable" is understood herein to mean a "readily biodegradable" level of biodegradability.

[0037] Applicants have surprisingly found that by including a hydrophobic material in the filtering material along with paper and / or other biodegradable materials (e.g., non-cellulose acetate containing materials), the element can provide cooling and filtering performance comparable to conventional PLA and cellulose acetate elements, while also providing improved biodegradability as described above. This is illustrated in the examples of the present application.

[0038] Without being bound by theory, it is believed that the hydrophobic material within the filtering material causes water vapor within the element (e.g., cooling element) to condense within the element (e.g., cooling element), which provides the beneficial effect of cooling the vapor as it passes through the element.

[0039] Preferably, the hydrophobic material is distributed throughout the longitudinally extending (e.g. cylindrical, e.g. tubular) core of the element, which applicants have found to provide optimal levels of vapor cooling and filtering for use in tobacco heating or HNB products.

[0040] Preferably, the filtering material is a paper and / or other biodegradable material (e.g., a non-cellulose acetate containing material) coated with a hydrophobic material. Preferably, the coated paper and / or other biodegradable material (e.g., a non-cellulose containing material) is disposed within a longitudinally extending (e.g., cylindrical, e.g., tubular) core such that the hydrophobic material is distributed (e.g., substantially uniformly) throughout the longitudinally extending core of the element.

[0041] Applicants have found that by forming the elements of the present invention using paper and / or other biodegradable materials (e.g., non-cellulose acetate materials) coated with a hydrophobic material, it is possible to produce elements in which the hydrophobic material is uniformly distributed throughout the element, which, as discussed above, provides optimal levels of vapor cooling and filtering for use in tobacco heating or HNB products.

[0042] Preferably, a tobacco heating product and / or HNB product according to the present invention may further comprise one or more separate further segments (e.g. of an HNB mouthpiece), which may be a (e.g. cylindrical) plug of tobacco smoke filtering material (e.g. cellulose acetate tow), a (e.g. cylindrical) rod of tobacco (e.g. tobacco of any form (including reconstituted tobacco)), a hollow (e.g. acetate) tube, etc.

[0043] It will be understood that the elements may be used in any multi-segment filter or consumable. The filter structure may be two, three, four or more separate segments. The separate additional segments may be (e.g., cylindrical) plugs of tobacco smoke filtering material (e.g., cellulose acetate tow) and / or hollow (e.g., acetate) tube filters. The multi-segment filter may be attached to a tobacco rod (which may be made from any form of tobacco, including reconstituted). The multi-segment filter may include other filter segments, including capsule-containing filters, carbon-containing filters, CPS filters, tube filters, acetate filters, paper filters, menthol-containing filters, etc.

[0044] According to the present invention there is further provided a smoking article (e.g. tobacco heating product, HNB product) comprising a multi-segment filter attached to a tobacco rod. The multi-segment filter may comprise a cooling element according to the present invention. The multi-segment filter may further comprise a plug filter including a longitudinally extending core of cellulose acetate tow. The multi-segment filter may further comprise a hollow acetate tube filter. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0045] The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Figure 1] 1 shows a schematic diagram of an HNB product according to the invention, comprising a cooling element according to an embodiment of the invention; [Diagram 2] 1 is a graphical representation of how the temperature at the mouth end of an HNB product changes as a puff is taken when the HNB product is equipped with a cooling element A according to the present invention, compared to a benchmark HNB product, Amber HEETS.

[0046] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a cylindrical HNB product 100. The HNB product 100 comprises four segments: a cylindrical plug of reconstituted tobacco 101, a hollow acetate tube 102, a cylindrical cooling element 103 according to one embodiment of the invention, and a cylindrical plug of cellulose acetate tow 104. The plug of reconstituted tobacco 101 is 12 mm long and has a circumference of 22 mm and forms one end of the HNB product 100. This is the end that is inserted into an HNB device. Such plugs of reconstituted tobacco are well known in the art. The plug is heated in use by a heating device (HNB device) to generate vapour, as is well known in the art. The plug of reconstituted tobacco 101 abuts one end of a hollow acetate tube 102 of 8 mm length, which also has a circumference of 22 mm and a wall thickness of 1.3 mm. The end of the hollow acetate tube 102 opposite the plug of reconstituted tobacco 101 abuts a cylindrical cooling element 103 of 18 mm length according to an embodiment of the invention. The cylindrical cooling element 103 has a circumference of 22 mm. The cylindrical cooling element 103 is made of paper coated with oxidized starch R1404. The paper contains the following ingredients: [Table 1]

[0047] A cylindrical plug of cellulose acetate tow 104 having a length of 7 mm and a circumference of 22 mm is abutted against the opposite end of the cooling element 103 such that the cooling element 103 is positioned between the cylindrical plug of cellulose acetate tow 104 and the hollow acetate tube 102.

[0048] The cylindrical plug of reconstituted tobacco 101, hollow acetate tube 102, cylindrical cooling element 103, and cylindrical plug of cellulose acetate tow 104 are further wrapped in a plug wrap (not shown) of conventional plug wrap paper (known in the art), which gives the cigarette an appearance similar to that of a conventional cigarette.

[0049] In use, the cylindrical plug of reconstituted tobacco 101 of the HNB product 100 is inserted into the HNB device. The HNB device heats the reconstituted tobacco in the conventional manner for HNB devices. This produces hot vapour which is drawn first through the hollow acetate tube 102, then through the cylindrical cooling element 103 and then finally through the cylindrical plug of cellulose acetate tow 104 into the smoker's mouth (i.e. mouth end). Drawing this hot vapour through the cooling element 103 is believed to cool the vapour to a temperature acceptable to the user. Applicants have found that the inclusion of a hydrophobic material such as oxidized starch in the paper means that the cooling element provides equivalent cooling and filtering performance to conventional cellulose acetate cooling elements whilst also providing improved biodegradability. Example 1

[0050] In Figure 1, a cylindrical cooling element 103 of length 18 mm and circumference 22 mm is made of paper coated with oxidized starch R1404. The paper cooling element 103 is made according to methods known in the art. This is cooling element A according to the present invention.

[0051] experiment For testing, an HNB product according to Figure 1 was constructed comprising a cooling element A according to the invention. Cooling element A was used with a hollow acetate tube (102 in Figure 1) of 22 mm circumference and 1.3 mm wall thickness, and a cylindrical plug of cellulose acetate tow (104 in Figure 1). The reference HNB product, Amber HEETS, comprises a plug of reconstituted tobacco, a hollow acetate tube, a PLA cooling element, referred to herein as a "conventional cooling element", and a cylindrical plug of cellulose acetate tow in a configuration similar to that shown in Figure 1.

[0052] The HNB product with cooling element A and the reference HNB product, Amber HEETS, were tested in a conventional heating device (HNB device).

[0053] Each HNB product was inserted into a heating device. The mouth-end of the HNB product was inserted into a smoking machine configured to smoke the HNB product. An IR camera was used to analyze the temperature of the mouth-end of the HNB product during smoking. The smoking machine was configured to puff the HNB product every 30 seconds, with each puff lasting 2 seconds. The temperature at the mouth-end of the HNB product was measured for each puff. The experiment was performed at standard room temperature and humidity. The experiment was repeated for each HNB product, i.e. the product with the cooling element A according to the invention and the reference product with the PLA cooling element.

[0054] Figure 2 shows the mouth-end temperature for each puff for the HNB product with cooling element A compared to the benchmark HNB product, Amber HEETS. This figure shows that the paper-based cooling element A of the present invention can provide a cooling effect comparable to that of a conventional cooling element, while offering the significant advantage of being readily biodegradable.

[0055] The temperature change and nicotine yield of the HNB product with cooling element A in a conventional heating device (HNB device) and the reference HNB product Amber HEETS were measured by methods known in the art (ISO 3308:2012 Routine analytical cigarette-smoking machine-Definitions and standard conditions), and the results are shown in Table 1. [Table 2]

[0056] Table 1 shows that the paper cooling element A according to the present invention provides cooling and filtering performance comparable to conventional cooling elements while also providing improved biodegradability.

Claims

1. 1. An element for use in a smoking article, comprising: the element comprises a longitudinally extending core; the longitudinally extending core includes a filtering material; the filtering material comprises paper and / or other biodegradable materials; The filtering material further comprises a hydrophobic material.

2. The element of claim 1 , wherein the element is a cooling element.

3. 10. The element of claim 1, wherein the paper and / or other biodegradable material is readily biodegradable.

4. 10. The element of claim 1, wherein the hydrophobic material is distributed throughout the longitudinally extending core of the element.

5. 10. The element of claim 1, wherein the filtering material is paper and / or other biodegradable material coated with the hydrophobic material.

6. 6. The element of claim 5, wherein the coated paper and / or other biodegradable material is disposed within the longitudinally extending core such that the hydrophobic material is distributed throughout the longitudinally extending core of the element.

7. 7. An element according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein said longitudinally extending core has one or more longitudinally extending bores.

8. 7. An element according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the length of the element is from 5 to 50 mm, such as from 10 to 30 mm, for example from 8 to 24 mm, such as from 15 to 20 mm, for example 18 mm.

9. 7. An element according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the circumference of the element is from 12 mm to 30 mm, such as from 15 mm to 28 mm, for example from 17 mm to 25 mm.

10. An element according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the longitudinally extending core has a contoured outer surface comprising a plurality of grooves or channels.

11. 7. An element according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the longitudinally extending core has a contoured outer surface including a plurality of grooves or channels and has one or more longitudinally extending bores.

12. A smoking article (eg tobacco heating product, HNB product) comprising an element according to any one of claims 1 to 6 and optionally one or more separate further segments.

13. A tobacco heating product and / or HNB product comprising an element according to any one of claims 1 to 6 and optionally one or more separate further segments.

14. Use of an element according to any one of claims 1 to 6 in tobacco heating products and / or HNB products.

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