Filters containing paper substrates modified with native starch - Patent Application 20070122997

Abstract

The present invention relates to a filter comprising a paper substrate modified with native starch.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention provides a filter comprising a paper substrate modified with native starch, which can be used as a filter for smoking products or e-cigarette products. [Background technology]

[0002] A filter for a smoking product or an e-cigarette product has a cylindrical shape and generally consists of a substrate and an outer cover of plug wrap paper. The substrate prevents the user from inhaling tobacco particles, and the filter for a smoking product or an e-cigarette product can capture harmful particulate matter such as tar contained in smoke or aerosol.

[0003] Conventional filters contain cellulose acetate tow. These conventional filters are also known as cellulose acetate filters. However, cellulose acetate filters decompose very slowly, causing adverse effects on the environment. In fact, cellulose acetate filters are often not consumed during the use of smoking or e-cigarette products and remain in the environment. Therefore, cellulose acetate filters have a significant impact on the environment.

[0004] To reduce the environmental impact of cellulose acetate filters, it has been proposed to use a paper substrate manufactured using a wet-laid or wet-laced process instead of cellulose acetate tow. Because paper substrates are biodegradable, filters containing paper substrates decompose quickly. However, filters made from paper substrates have lower hardness than cellulose acetate filters. Therefore, filters made from paper substrates may collapse during use due to their lower hardness. Therefore, the user experience provided by filters made from paper substrates is less satisfactory than that provided by cellulose acetate filters. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Therefore, there is a need for a substrate that allows for the production of filters that have satisfactory mechanical properties and provide a satisfactory user experience.

[0006] The present inventors have discovered that the above problems can be solved by using a paper substrate modified with native starch. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, there is provided a filter comprising a paper substrate, The paper substrate is a substrate web; Native starch, There is provided a filter in which the native starch is contained in the base web in an amount of 1.2 to 3.8% by weight, preferably 1.3 to 2% by weight, more preferably 1.35 to 1.5% by weight.

[0008] The filters of the present invention have very satisfactory mechanical properties compared to standard paper filters, in particular the filters of the present disclosure are stiffer and therefore less prone to crushing compared to filters constructed from standard paper substrates.

[0009] Without wishing to be bound by any theory, the inventors believe that the mechanical properties of the filters of the present invention are due to the native starch, which in fact allows the density of the paper substrate to be higher than that of a standard paper substrate, thereby resulting in a filter of the present invention with a higher density than a filter constructed from a standard paper substrate at the same pressure drop.

[0010] Furthermore, the inventors discovered that filters could not be produced if the amount of native starch contained in the base web exceeded 3.8% by weight, and in fact, base webs containing more than 3.8% by weight of native starch were crushed when subjected to crimping, making it impossible to produce filters.

[0011] Furthermore, in contrast to cellulose acetate filters, the composition of the filters of the present invention allows them to degrade very quickly in the environment, which is particularly advantageous as it means that the environmental impact of the filters of the present invention is less than that of cellulose acetate filters.

[0012] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method of manufacturing a filter for a smoking or e-cigarette product, comprising: (a) producing a substrate web by a wet-laid or wet-laced process; (b) applying native starch to a substrate web to produce a paper substrate; (c) forming a rod from the paper substrate produced in step (b) above; (d) wrapping the rod in plug wrap paper; (e) bonding the two ends of the plug wrap paper together to form a filter media rod; (f) cutting the rod of filter material to produce a filter. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] According to the present disclosure, there is provided a filter comprising a paper substrate, The paper substrate is a substrate web; Native starch, There is provided a filter in which the native starch is contained in the base web in an amount of 1.2 to 3.8% by weight, preferably 1.3 to 2% by weight, more preferably 1.35 to 1.5% by weight.

[0014] As used herein, the term "substrate web" refers to a fibrous sheet.

[0015] Substrate webs have traditionally been used in the manufacture of filters for smoking or e-cigarette products. Therefore, those skilled in the art will understand how to obtain a substrate web with the necessary properties to manufacture a paper substrate with desired properties. Furthermore, the substrate web can be manufactured by a wet-laid or wet-lace process, particularly a wet-laid process. Therefore, the paper substrate in the filter of the present invention can be manufactured by a wet-laid or wet-lace process, particularly a wet-laid process.

[0016] Typically, the substrate web contains more than 50% by weight of wood fibers, especially 100% by weight of wood fibers.

[0017] Wood fibers include hardwood pulp, bleached hardwood pulp, softwood pulp, bleached softwood pulp, softwood fluff pulp, lyocell fibers (cellulose fibers that are ground and dissolved in N-methylmorpholine N-oxide monohydrate to obtain fibers with various cross-section shapes (round, oval, cross-shaped, circular, lamellar cross-sections) whose lengths and mass per unit length can be selected as needed by a person skilled in the art), viscose fibers (cellulose fibers that are ground and dissolved in N-methylmorpholine N-oxide monohydrate to obtain fibers with various cross-section shapes (round, oval, cross-shaped, circular, lamellar cross-sections) whose lengths and mass per unit length can be selected as needed by a person skilled in the art), and viscose fibers (cellulose fibers that are ground and dissolved in N-methylmorpholine N-oxide monohydrate to obtain fibers with various cross-section shapes (round, oval, cross-shaped, circular, lamellar cross-sections) whose lengths and mass per unit length can be selected as needed by a person skilled in the art). The fibers may be selected from: fibers obtained by modifying the hydroxyl groups of cellulose with carbon disulfide (CS2) to dissolve the cellulose, followed by precipitation in the presence of sulfuric acid (H2SO4), in order to obtain fibers with a cross section (round, oval, cruciform, circular, lamellar), and any combination thereof, in particular hardwood pulp, softwood pulp, softwood fluff pulp, lyocell fibers, viscose fibers, and any combination thereof, especially softwood pulp, softwood fluff pulp, lyocell fibers, and any combination thereof.

[0018] The substrate web may further contain natural fibers such as leaf fibers, fruit fibers, seed fibers, bast fibers, stem fibers, reed fibers, or any combination thereof, particularly leaf fibers, seed fibers, bast fibers, or any combination thereof, especially bast fibers.

[0019] In this application, "bast fiber" refers to plant fiber contained in the bast of a plant.

[0020] The bast fibers may be abaca fibers, hemp fibers, Indian hemp fibers, jute fibers, kenaf fibers, kudzu fibers, coin vine fibers, flax fibers, okra fibers, nettle fibers, papyrus fibers, ramie fibers, sisal fibers, esparto fibers, or any combination thereof, in particular hemp fibers, flax fibers, sisal fibers, or any combination thereof, especially flax fibers, sisal fibers, or combinations thereof.

[0021] As used herein, "seed fiber" refers to fiber obtained from the seeds of a plant. The seed fiber may be cotton fiber, kapok fiber, loofah fiber, milkweed fiber, or any combination thereof.

[0022] In this application, the term "native starch" is used to mean starch derived from plants.

[0023] The native starch may be native starch derived from cereals, tubers, roots, legumes, and fruits. Starch sources include corn, pea, potato, banana, barley, wheat, rice, sago, amaranth, tapioca, arrowroot, canna, sorghum, oats, cassava, amioca, and waxy or high amylase varieties thereof.

[0024] Native starch may also be modified starch or a mixture of native and modified starches. As used herein, the term "modified starch" refers to native starch that has been modified using modification methods known in the art. Modified starches include physically modified starches, chemically modified starches, conversion products obtained from any starch, pregelatinized starches, and any combination thereof.

[0025] The physically modified starch can be a sheared starch or a thermally inhibited starch.

[0026] Chemically modified starches can be crosslinked, acetylated, organically esterified, hydroxyethylated, hydroxypropylated, phosphorylated, inorganically esterified, cationic, anionic, nonionic, amphoteric, or zwitterionic starches, and their succinic or substituted succinic derivatives.

[0027] The conversion products obtained from starch can be fluidity or thin boiling starches that have been oxidized, enzymatically converted, acid hydrolyzed, or thermally or acid dextrinized. Heat-treated or shear-treated starches can also be useful.

[0028] Examples of modified starches include hydroxyethyl starch and oxidized waxy dipotato starch.

[0029] The native starch can be applied to the substrate web using a variety of impregnation or saturation techniques, which are described in more detail below. Thus, the native starch can be applied to one or more sides of the substrate web to form a layer of native starch, partially penetrate the substrate web, fully penetrate the substrate web, or any combination thereof, preferably a combination thereof.

[0030] The terms "saturated" and "impregnated" refer to the meanings known to those skilled in the art and may be used synonymously. These terms refer to the process of applying native starch to a substrate web. Thus, the native starch may be applied to one or more sides of the substrate web to form a layer of native starch, partially penetrate the substrate web, or completely penetrate the substrate web, or any combination thereof, preferably a combination thereof.

[0031] The paper substrate may further contain additives commonly used in filters for smoking or e-cigarette products.

[0032] The density of the paper substrate is, for example, 431 mg / cm 3 Higher densities, e.g., 431 mg / cm 3 ~600mg / cm 3 range, or 433 mg / cm 3 ~500mg / cm 3 range, or 435 mg / cm 3 ~465mg / cm 3 It is recommended to set the density in the range of

[0033] The above density range is based on the density of the paper substrate used in standard paper filters, i.e., approximately 429 mg / cm 3 The filters of the present invention comprising a paper substrate having the above density range have superior mechanical properties, particularly hardness and crush resistance, to filters comprising a standard paper substrate. The inventors believe that a higher density of the paper substrate results in a higher density filter, which in turn improves the hardness of the filter.

[0034] The density of the paper substrate is calculated by dividing the basis weight of the paper substrate by the thickness of the paper substrate.

[0035] The basis weight of a paper substrate can be measured according to the ISO 536:2012 standard. It is recommended that the paper substrate be conditioned for at least 30 minutes at 23°C and 50% humidity before measurement.

[0036] The thickness of the paper substrate can be measured according to the ISO 534:2011 standard. The thickness measurement of the paper substrate was carried out in a single layer. It is recommended that the paper substrate be conditioned for at least 30 minutes at 23°C and 50% humidity before measurement.

[0037] Those skilled in the art will know how to adjust the basis weight and thickness of the paper substrate to obtain the desired density.

[0038] For example, the basis weight of the paper substrate is 10 g / m 2 ~60g / m 2 range, e.g., 20 g / m 2 ~50g / m 2 range, or 26 g / m 2 ~40g / m 2 It is recommended to set it in the range of

[0039] The thickness of the paper substrate is preferably in the range of 30 μm to 250 μm, for example, in the range of 37 μm to 150 μm, or in the range of 40 μm to 100 μm.

[0040] The breathability of the paper substrate may be in the range of 350 CORESTA units (CU) to 3550 CU, for example, in the range of 1000 CU to 10000 CU, or in the range of 2000 CU to 3000 CU.

[0041] The air permeability of paper substrates can be measured according to the ISO 2965: 2009 standard. Before measurement, the paper substrate should be conditioned at 23°C and 50% humidity for at least 30 minutes.

[0042] In some embodiments, the paper substrate has a coating weight of 445 mg / cm 3 ~465mg / cm 3 Density in the range of 2000CU~3000CU, air permeability in the range of 26g / m 2 ~40g / m 2 and a thickness in the range of 80 μm to 100 μm. In this case, the natural starch may be pectin, guar gum, or a combination thereof.

[0043] The paper substrate used in the filter of the present invention may be processed. In particular, the paper substrate may be crimped, embossed, folded, compressed, etc. Such processing can modify the properties of the paper substrate, and thereby the properties of the filter of the present invention. For example, crimping can adjust the density of the paper substrate, thereby increasing or decreasing the pressure drop without changing the weight of the filter.

[0044] The filter of the present invention can be a filter for a smoking product or an e-cigarette product.

[0045] As used herein, "smoking product" refers to a product containing tobacco and / or any other plant material intended for smoking. For example, a smoking product may be a machine-made cigarette, a hand-rolled cigarette, or a homemade cigarette.

[0046] Generally, a filter for a smoking product has a true cylindrical shape and includes an outer wrapper comprising plug wrap paper for a smoking product, particularly a cigarette, and a paper substrate as defined above that is wrapped in the outer wrapper.

[0047] As used herein, "e-cigarette product" refers to an article containing tobacco and / or other plant material intended for inhalation, which is inserted into a device that heats the tobacco / plant material without burning it, allowing for the delivery of an aerosol to the user. For example, an e-cigarette article may be a tobacco stick.

[0048] Generally, the filter of an electronic cigarette product has a true cylindrical shape and includes an outer wrapper of plug wrap paper for electronic cigarette articles, particularly tobacco sticks, and a paper substrate as defined above that is wrapped in the outer wrapper.

[0049] The filter of the present invention has a density of 135 mg / cm 3 ~350mg / cm 3Density in the range of, e.g., 200 mg / cm 3 ~280mg / cm 3 , or 220 mg / cm 3 ~265mg / cm 3 The density may range from 0.01 to 0.01.

[0050] Generally, the density of a filter is measured after its manufacture by dividing the mass of the filter by its volume. For a cylindrical filter, the volume of the filter (V filter ) is calculated using the following formula: V filter =π×L×r 2 where r is the radius of the filter and L is the length of the filter.

[0051] The density of the filters of the present invention is higher than that of standard paper filters, and without wishing to be bound by any theory, the inventors believe that the mechanical properties of the filters, in particular their crush resistance, are due to the higher density of the filters of the present invention.

[0052] The filter of the present invention comprises: a plug wrap paper envelope for a filter for a smoking product or an e-cigarette product; and a paper substrate enclosed in an outer envelope.

[0053] The filter of the present invention may have a true cylindrical shape.

[0054] In another aspect, the present invention relates to a smoking article comprising a filter as defined above.

[0055] In another aspect, the present invention relates to an electronic cigarette product comprising a filter as defined above.

[0056] In another aspect, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a filter as defined above for a smoking or e-cigarette product, comprising the steps of: (a) producing a substrate web by a wet-laid or wet-laced process; (b) applying native starch to a substrate web to produce a paper substrate; (c) forming a rod from the paper substrate produced in step (b); (d) wrapping the rod in plug wrap paper; (e) bonding the two ends of the plug wrap paper together to form a filter media rod; (f) cutting the rod of filter material to produce a filter.

[0057] The paper substrate, the substrate web, and the native starch are as defined above.

[0058] Wet-laid and wet-laced processes for producing paper substrates are conventional processes known to those skilled in the art, and those skilled in the art will understand how to adjust the parameters of the wet-laid and wet-laced processes to produce the substrate web in step (a) above.

[0059] In step (b) above, the native starch is applied to the substrate web using various saturation or impregnation methods (described in more detail below). Thus, the native starch can be applied to one or more sides of the substrate web to form a layer of native starch, partially penetrate the substrate web, fully penetrate the substrate web, or any combination thereof, preferably a combination thereof.

[0060] The application of the native starch in step (b) above can be carried out by a size press, a film press, a saturator, dip coating, bar coating, knife coating, flexography, spraying, or any combination thereof, in particular a film press, spray, a size press, or any combination thereof, especially a size press.

[0061] These methods of application of native starch are known to those skilled in the art, and therefore, they will know how to adjust the parameters of these application methods to produce a paper substrate.

[0062] The substrate web produced in step (a) above, the paper substrate produced in step (b) above, or both may be subjected to a processing treatment.

[0063] Therefore, the method may include a step of crimping, embossing, folding, compressing, or any combination thereof, the substrate web between steps (a) and (b). The inventors believe that applying native starch to the substrate web after crimping the substrate web can reduce the amount of fiber fuzzing that occurs in the substrate web during crimping.

[0064] Alternatively or additionally, the method may include the step of crimping, embossing, folding, compressing, or any combination thereof, the paper substrate between steps (b) and (c).The inventors believe that applying native starch to the substrate web before crimping bonds the fibers of the substrate web together, thereby reducing the fuzzing of the fibers of the substrate web that occurs during crimping.

[0065] The above steps (c) to (e) are known to those skilled in the art, and therefore, those skilled in the art will understand how to adjust the parameters of these steps to fabricate the filter of the present invention.

[0066] Example

[0067] Example 1: Preparation of paper substrate

[0068] A substrate web was produced from bleached softwood fibers using the wet-laid method. The produced substrate web was cut into two pieces. One part of the substrate web was impregnated with oxidized starch using a film press to produce a paper substrate. The other part of the substrate web was impregnated with hydroxyethyl starch using a size press to produce a paper substrate. The properties of the substrate web and the two paper substrates are shown in Table 1 as Example 1.1 and Example 1.2.

[0069] [Table 1]

[0070] Example 2: Filter Fabrication

[0071] Filters for smoking articles were manufactured using the substrate web, the paper substrate of Example 1.1, or the paper substrate of Example 1.2 by a standard method for filter manufacturing (crimping). 2 A non-porous plug wrapper having a basis weight of

[0072] The properties of the three filters were compared with those of a commercially available cellulose acetate filter for Marlboro Red France® cigarettes.

[0073] Filter hardness was measured using standard methods with a Filtrona DHT200 instrument and the results are expressed as the percentage of crushed filter relative to its initial diameter.

[0074] The filter characteristics are shown in Table 2.

[0075] Table 2 shows that the filter of the present invention It is harder than conventional paper filters, and This indicates that the hardness is equal to or greater than that of commercially available cellulose acetate filters.

[0076] [Table 2]

[0077] Comparative Example

[0078] A base web was produced in the same manner as in Example 1. The produced base web was cut into two pieces.

[0079] One portion of the base web was impregnated with hydroxyethyl starch in an amount of 4% by weight of the base web using a size press to produce a paper substrate, and the other portion of the base web was impregnated with hydroxyethyl starch in an amount of 8% by weight of the base web using a size press to produce a paper substrate.

[0080] When the above two paper substrates were subjected to crimping, they were crushed, making it impossible to manufacture filters.

[0081] Therefore, this comparative example shows that when the amount of starch impregnated into the substrate web exceeded 3.8% by weight of the substrate web, a filter could not be produced.

Claims

1. 1. A filter comprising a paper substrate, The paper substrate is a substrate web; Native starch, The filter, wherein the native starch is contained in the base web in an amount of 1.2% to 3.8% by weight.

2. 10. The filter of claim 1, wherein the native starch is hydroxyethyl starch, oxidized waxy potato starch, or a combination thereof.

3. The paper substrate has a density of 431 mg / cm ３ 3. The filter of claim 1, having a density greater than .

4. The paper substrate is 10 g / m ２ ~60g / m ２ The filter of any one of claims 1 to 3, having a basis weight of

5. The filter according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the paper substrate is obtained by a wet-laid or wet-laced process.

6. A filter according to any one of claims 1 to 5 for a smoking or e-cigarette product.

7. A smoking product comprising the filter of claim 6.

8. An electronic cigarette product comprising the filter of claim 6.

9. 7. A method of manufacturing a filter for a smoking or e-cigarette product according to claim 6, comprising: (a) producing a substrate web by a wet-laid or wet-laced process; (b) applying native starch to the substrate web to produce a paper substrate; (c) forming a rod from the paper substrate produced in step (b); (d) wrapping the rod in plug wrap paper; (e) bonding the two ends of the plug wrap paper together to form a filter material rod; (f) cutting the rod of filter material to produce the filter.

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