Method for recovering flavor sheet and method for producing flavor sheet

Abstract

This method for recovering a flavor sheet comprises a step A for rolling a flavor sheet raw material through use of two or more rollers to form a sheet, a step B for separating both end parts perpendicular to the conveyance direction from the sheet to obtain a shaped first material and a second material derived from both end parts, and a step C for recovering the second material.

Description

Method for recovering flavor sheets and method for manufacturing flavor sheets

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for recovering a flavor sheet and a method for producing a flavor sheet.

[0002] As a method for producing a tobacco sheet, a method in which a sheet material is rolled between a pair of rollers is known (for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-125834

[0004] The method described in the cited document separates both end portions of a rolled sheet perpendicular to the conveying direction to produce a shaped sheet and materials derived from both end portions. Traditionally, materials derived from both end portions have been discarded. Recently, however, there has been a demand for a shift to environmentally friendly materials for smoking articles. In light of this situation, an objective of the present invention is to provide a material for smoking articles that reduces the environmental impact.

[0005] The above-mentioned problems are solved by the following inventions. Aspect 1: A method for recovering a flavor sheet, comprising: Step A: rolling a flavor sheet raw material with two or more rollers to form a sheet; Step B: separating both end portions perpendicular to the conveyance direction from the sheet to obtain a shaped sheet-like first material and a second material derived from the both end portions; and Step C: recovering the second material. Aspect 2: A method for recovering a flavor sheet, comprising: Step A: rolling a flavor sheet raw material with two or more rollers to form a sheet; and Step D: recovering a third material produced until the quality of the sheet is stable. Aspect 3: The recovery method according to Aspect 1, wherein Step A comprises forming a sheet on the circumferential surface of the roller; and Step B comprises bringing a blade into sliding contact with the circumferential surface of the roller to peel the sheet from the roller while leaving both end portions perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the sheet as excess portions, thereby obtaining the first material and the second material. Aspect 4: The recovery method according to any of Aspects 1 to 3, wherein the flavor sheet raw material is for use in smoking articles. Aspect 5: The recovery method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 4, wherein the flavor sheet raw material comprises a tobacco raw material. Aspect 6: A method for producing a flavor sheet, comprising: a mixing step of preparing a mixture comprising the second material or the third material according to any one of Aspects 1 to 5, a flavor raw material, and a binder; and a sheeting step of forming the mixture into a sheet. Aspect 7: The production method according to Aspect 6, wherein the moisture content of the second material or the third material is 15 to 50% by weight. Aspect 8: The production method according to Aspect 6 or 7, wherein the flavor raw material comprises a tobacco raw material.

[0006] The present invention can provide a material for a smoking article that reduces the environmental impact.

[0007] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing one embodiment of a method for recovering a second material; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing another embodiment of a method for recovering a second material;

[0008] In this disclosure, "X to Y" includes the end values, i.e., X and Y. In this disclosure, weights are dry weights unless otherwise specified. 1. First Aspect A method for recovering a flavor sheet according to the first aspect includes step A: rolling a flavor sheet raw material with two or more rollers to form a sheet; step B: separating both end portions perpendicular to the conveying direction from the sheet to obtain a shaped sheet and a second material derived from the both end portions; and step C: recovering the second material. The second material is the material to be recovered. The flavor sheet includes a tobacco raw material, a plant raw material other than tobacco, or a combination thereof. The tobacco raw material is a material derived from a Nicotiana plant. Examples of plant raw materials other than tobacco include tea leaves or vegetables. Therefore, the flavor sheet may be a tobacco sheet, a tea leaf sheet, a vegetable sheet, or a composite sheet containing multiple types of the above raw materials. For simplicity of explanation, the following description will be given using an example in which the flavor sheet is a tobacco sheet.

[0009] (1) Step A FIG. 1 shows one embodiment of a tobacco sheet recovery method. In the figure, 10 and 12 are rollers, 14 is a raw material supply port, 20 is a doctor blade, S0 is a tobacco sheet, S is a shaped tobacco sheet, and Se are both end portions of the tobacco sheet perpendicular to the conveying direction. In this step, tobacco sheet raw material is rolled into a sheet using two or more rollers. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment with two rollers. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, tobacco sheet raw material is supplied to the raw material supply port 14. The raw material is rolled between the rollers to form a tobacco sheet S0. The width of the tobacco sheet S0 is wider than the width of the doctor blade 20. Due to the difference in peripheral speed between the rolling rollers 10 and 12, the tobacco sheet S0 is output in a state where it is stuck to the outer periphery of roller 12. The peripheral speed of each roller and the gap between the two rollers may be within known ranges.

[0010] Figure 2 shows another embodiment of the method for recovering the second material. In Figure 2, the symbols are defined the same as in Figure 1. However, the raw material supply port 14 is not shown because it is located on the back side of the paper. Roller 10 is arranged vertically relative to roller 12.

[0011] In addition to the above, an apparatus using three or more rollers may be used. For example, an apparatus in which multiple sets of rollers, each consisting of two rollers, are arranged side by side in the sheet conveying direction may be used. In this case, in step A, the flavor sheet raw material is rolled two or more times by each set of rollers.

[0012] (2) Step B In one embodiment of this step, a doctor blade 20 is brought into sliding contact with the surface of the roller 12 to separate the tobacco sheet S0 from the surface of the roller 12. As a result, a shaped sheet S and both end portions Se perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction are formed. A shaped sheet is a sheet from which irregular or unnecessary portions have been removed, and is also called a trimmed sheet. In step A, when the flavor sheet raw material is rolled multiple times, step B may be performed during at least one rolling operation, or may be performed during all rolling operations. When rolling multiple times, performing step B during a relatively upstream rolling operation is preferable because the second material can be recovered with reduced moisture evaporation. Furthermore, performing step B during a relatively downstream rolling operation is preferable because it reduces process losses.

[0013] (3) Step C In this step, the end portions Se are recovered as the second material. The recovery method is not limited. For example, the end portions Se can be recovered as the second material by applying a separately prepared knife to the surface of the roller 12. If the moisture content of the second material is too low, the affinity of the second material with other materials decreases when the second material is mixed with other materials for reuse. On the other hand, if the moisture content of the second material is too high, the handleability decreases. From this perspective, the moisture content of the second material is preferably 15 to 50 wt %, more preferably 20 to 45 wt %.

[0014] (4) Tobacco Sheet Raw Material Tobacco sheet raw material is a raw material for tobacco sheet, and is formed into tobacco sheet. In one aspect, the tobacco sheet raw material is a wet powder or dough-like composition. The wet powder is a powder obtained by mixing a powder raw material and a liquid raw material, and its solid content is preferably about 50 to 90% by weight. The dough-like composition is a composition obtained by kneading the wet powder. The tobacco sheet raw material is preferably for use in smoking articles. Specifically, the tobacco sheet raw material is useful as a flavor source for combustion smoking articles or non-combustion heating smoking articles.

[0015] 1) Tobacco Raw Materials Tobacco sheet raw materials include tobacco raw materials. Tobacco raw materials are materials derived from plants of the genus Nicotiana. Specific tobacco raw materials include tobacco shreds, tobacco powder, tobacco sheets, and strands, which are commonly used in the field. These may be used alone or in combination.

[0016] Suitable tobacco leaf materials for use in tobacco raw materials include those of the Nicotiana genus, such as Tabacum and Rustica. While the variety is not limited, known varieties such as burley and flue-cured tobacco can be used. One or more of these leaf tobaccos can be mixed and used. A suitable blend of the aforementioned varieties can be used to achieve the desired flavor. The amount of tobacco raw material in the tobacco sheet raw material is preferably 5 to 90% by weight, more preferably 10 to 85% by weight. When the flavor sheet is a tea leaf sheet, vegetable sheet, or composite sheet, the total amount of tea leaf raw material, vegetable raw material, and tobacco raw material in the flavor sheet raw material is preferably 5 to 90% by weight, more preferably 10 to 85% by weight.

[0017] 2) Aerosol Source The aerosol source is a material that generates an aerosol by vaporizing through heating and cooling, or by atomizing. When the tobacco sheet raw material contains an aerosol source, a sufficient amount of smoke can be achieved. Known aerosol sources can be used, including, for example, glycerin, vegetable glycerin, polyhydric alcohols such as propylene glycol (PG), triethyl citrate (TEC), triacetin, etc. The amount of the aerosol source in the tobacco sheet raw material is preferably 3 to 30 wt %, more preferably 10 to 15 wt %. If the amount of the aerosol source exceeds the upper limit, stains may occur on the tobacco segments, while if it is below the lower limit, the perceived smoke intensity may be reduced.

[0018] 3) Binder The binder is an adhesive that binds tobacco materials together or between the tobacco material and other components. In this embodiment, known binders can be used. Examples of such binders include polysaccharides such as guar gum and xanthan gum, cellulose derivatives such as CMC (carboxymethyl cellulose), CMC-Na (sodium salt of carboxymethyl cellulose), and HPC (hydroxypropyl cellulose), proteins, and synthetic polymers. The upper limit of the binder content in the tobacco sheet material is preferably 6% by weight or less. The lower limit is preferably 1% by weight or more, more preferably 3% by weight or more. If the amount of binder exceeds the upper limit or is less than the lower limit, the above-mentioned effects may not be fully achieved.

[0019] 4) Non-Tobacco Flavoring Agents The tobacco sheet raw material may further contain a non-tobacco flavoring agent. A non-tobacco flavoring agent is a flavoring agent that is not derived from tobacco. Examples of non-tobacco flavoring agents include flavoring agents, cooling agents, and combinations thereof. Known flavoring agents and cooling agents may be used.

[0020] In particular, the following fragrances can be used alone or in combination: acetanisole, acetophenone, acetylpyrazine, 2-acetylthiazole, alfalfa extract, amyl alcohol, amyl butyrate, trans-anethole, star anise oil, apple juice, Peru balsam oil, beeswax absolute, benzaldehyde, benzoin resinoid, benzyl alcohol, benzyl benzoate, benzyl phenylacetate, benzyl propionate, 2,3-butanedione, 2-butanol, butyl butyrate, butyric acid, caramel, cardamom oil, carob absolute, β-carotene, carrot juice, L-carvone, β-caryophyllene, cassia bark oil, cedarwood oil, celery seed oil, chamomile oil, cinnamaldehyde, cinnamic acid, cinnamyl alcohol, cinnamyl cinnamate, citronella oil, DL-citronellol, and clary sage extract. Lacto, cocoa, coffee, konjac oil, coriander oil, cumin aldehyde, davana oil, δ-decalactone, γ-decalactone, decanoic acid, dill herb oil, 3,4-dimethyl-1,2-cyclopentanedione, 4,5-dimethyl-3-hydroxy-2,5-dihydrofuran-2-one, 3,7-dimethyl-6-octenoic acid, 2,3-dimethylpyrazine, 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, 2,6-dimethylpyrazine, ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, ethyl acetate, ethyl butyrate, ethyl hexanoate, ethyl isovalerate, ethyl lactate, ethyl laurate, ethyl levulinate, ethyl maltol, ethyl octanoate, ethyl oleate, ethyl palmitate, ethyl phenylacetate, ethyl propionate, ethyl stearate, ethyl valerate, ethyl vanillin, ethyl vanillin glucoside, 2-ethyl-3,(5 or 6)-dimethylpyrazine, 5-ethyl-3-hydroxy-4-methyl-2(5H)-furanone, 2-ethyl-3-methylpyrazine, eucalyptol, fenugreek absolute, gene absolute, gentian root infusion, geraniol, geranyl acetate, grape juice, guaiacol, guava extract, gamma-heptalactone, gamma-hexalactone, hexanoic acid, cis-3-hexen-1-ol, hexyl acetate, hexyl alcohol, phenylhexyl acetate, honey, 4-hydroxy-3-pentenoic acid, lauryl methylpropional Ingredients: methicone, 4-hydroxy-4-(3-hydroxy-1-butenyl)-3,5,5-trimethyl-2-cyclohexen-1-one, 4-(para-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butanone, sodium 4-hydroxyundecanoate, immortelle absolute, beta-ionone, isoamyl acetate, isoamyl butyrate, isoamyl phenylacetate, isobutyl acetate, isobutyl phenylacetate, jasmine absolute, cola nut tincture, labdanum oil, lemon terpeneless oil, licorice extract, linalool, linalyl acetate, robertia jasmine Orris root oil, maltol, maple syrup, menthol, menthone, L-menthyl acetate, para-methoxybenzaldehyde, methyl 2-pyrrolyl ketone, methyl anthranilate, methyl phenylacetate, methyl salicylate, 4'-methylacetophenone, methylcyclopentenolone, 3-methylvaleric acid, mimosa absolute, honey, myristic acid, nerol, nerolidol, gamma-nonalactone, nutmeg oil, delta-octalactone, octanal, octanoic acid, orange flower oil, orange oil, orris root oil, palmitic acid, omega-pentadeca Calactone, peppermint oil, petitgrain Paraguay oil, phenethyl alcohol, phenethyl phenylacetate, phenylacetic acid, piperonal, plum extract, propenylguaethol, propyl acetate, 3-propylidenephthalide, prune juice, pyruvic acid, raisin extract, rose oil, rum, sage oil, sandalwood oil, spearmint oil, styrax absolute, marigold oil, tea distillate, α-terpineol, terpinyl acetate, 5,6,7,8-tetrahydroquinoxaline, 1,5,5,9-tetramethyl-13-oxacyclo(8.3.0.0(4.9))tridecane, 2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine, thyme oil, tomato extract, 2-tridecanone, triethyl citrate, 4-(2,6,6-trimethyl-1-cyclohexenyl)2-buten-4-one, 2,6,6-trimethyl-2-cyclohexene-1,4-dione, 4-(2,6,6-trimethyl (1,3-cyclohexadienyl)2-buten-4-one, 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine, γ-undecalactone, γ-valerolactone, vanilla extract, vanillin, veratraldehyde, violet leaf absolute, N-ethyl-p-menthane-3-carboxamide (WS-3), ethyl-2-(p-menthane-3-carboxamide)acetate (WS-5).

[0021] 2. Second Aspect Hereinafter, for the sake of simplicity, an aspect will be described in which the flavor sheet is a tobacco sheet. The tobacco sheet recovery method according to the second aspect includes a step A of rolling a tobacco sheet raw material with two or more rollers to form a sheet, and a step D of recovering a third material that has been produced until the quality of the sheet has stabilized. The third material is the material to be recovered.

[0022] (1) Step A This step is as described in the first embodiment.

[0023] (2) Step D In the early stages of tobacco sheet production, the quality is not stable due to factors such as uneven kneading. Therefore, in this step, material derived from the sheet formed before the quality stabilizes is collected as the third material. For example, in the early stages of production, the tobacco sheet S0 is separated from the roller 12 in the same manner as in step B, and this is collected as the third material. At this time, if both end portions Se perpendicular to the conveying direction are formed, these are also collected as the third material. The period until the quality of the sheet stabilizes depends on the production conditions, but for example, if the total production time is 100, it refers to a period from 0 to 5. The moisture content of the third material is as described in the first embodiment.

[0024] (3) Tobacco Sheet Raw Material The tobacco sheet raw material used in this embodiment is as described in the first embodiment.

[0025] The first and second aspects can also be combined, i.e., the third material can be collected until the quality is stabilized, and the second material can be collected after the quality is stabilized.

[0026] 3. Tobacco Sheet Manufacturing Method The tobacco sheet manufacturing method includes at least a mixing step of preparing a mixture of the second or third material, and separately preparing a tobacco raw material, a binder, and an aerosol source, and forming the mixture into a sheet. Alternatively, in another aspect, the tobacco sheet manufacturing method includes a mixing step of preparing a tobacco raw material, a binder, and an aerosol source, and forming a mixture thereof, and a sheeting step of mixing the mixture with a material to be recovered selected from the group consisting of the second material, the third material, and combinations thereof, and forming a sheet. In this alternative aspect, if the sheeting step includes using an extruder, the mixture and the material to be recovered may be mixed in the extruder. In addition, in this alternative aspect, if the sheeting step includes rolling using rollers, the material to be recovered may be supplied upstream of the rollers, and the mixture and the material to be recovered may be mixed. The upstream of the rollers refers to the upstream in the sheet conveying direction. A flavor sheet containing the second or third material may also be referred to as a recycled flavor sheet for convenience.

[0027] (1) Mixing Step This step can be carried out using a known device. From the viewpoint of increasing the affinity with other materials, the material to be recovered is preferably in powder form. The material to be recovered by the above-mentioned method is preferably pulverized by a known method and then subjected to this mixing step. The amount of the material to be recovered in the mixture may be up to about 30% by weight. The moisture content of the material to be recovered is as described above.

[0028] The tobacco raw material, binder, and aerosol source may be the same as those described above. In addition, the non-tobacco flavoring agent and known additives (fibers, etc.) may also be mixed.

[0029] In one embodiment, the mixture obtained in this step is a wet powder. The wet powder is a powder having a solid content of about 50 to 90% by weight. In another embodiment, the mixture obtained in this step is a slurry. The slurry is a mixture having fluidity and a solid content of about 10 to 30% by weight.

[0030] (2) Sheeting Step This step can be carried out as known in the art. For example, if a wet powder is prepared as the mixture in the above step, the wet powder can be rolled using two or more rollers to form a sheet. Alternatively, if a slurry is prepared as the mixture, the slurry can be cast onto a substrate and the cast sheet can be dried to obtain a sheet.

[0031] Embodiments are described below. Aspect 1: A method for recovering a flavor sheet, comprising: Step A: rolling a flavor sheet raw material with two or more rollers to form a sheet; Step B: separating both end portions perpendicular to the conveying direction from the sheet to obtain a shaped sheet-like first material and a second material derived from the both end portions; and Step C: recovering the second material. Aspect 2: A method for recovering a flavor sheet, comprising: Step A: rolling a flavor sheet raw material with two or more rollers to form a sheet; and Step D: recovering a third material produced until the quality of the sheet is stable. Aspect 3: The recovery method according to Aspect 1, wherein Step A comprises forming a sheet on the circumferential surface of the roller; and Step B comprises bringing a blade into sliding contact with the circumferential surface of the roller to peel the sheet from the roller while leaving both end portions perpendicular to the conveying direction of the sheet as excess portions, thereby obtaining the first material and the second material. Aspect 4: The recovery method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 3, wherein the flavor sheet raw material is for use in smoking articles. Aspect 5: The recovery method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 4, wherein the flavor sheet raw material comprises a tobacco raw material. Aspect 6: A method for producing a flavor sheet, comprising: a mixing step of preparing a mixture comprising the second material or the third material according to any one of Aspects 1 to 5, a flavor raw material, and a binder; and a sheeting step of forming the mixture into a sheet. Aspect 7: The production method according to Aspect 6, wherein the moisture content of the second material or the third material is 15 to 50% by weight. Aspect 8: The production method according to Aspect 6 or 7, wherein the flavor raw material comprises a tobacco raw material.

[0032] 10, 12 Rollers 14 Raw material supply port 20 Doctor blade S0 Tobacco sheet S Shaped tobacco sheet Se Both end portions perpendicular to the conveying direction of the tobacco sheet

Claims

1. A method for recovering a flavor sheet, comprising: step A: rolling a flavor sheet raw material with two or more rollers to form a sheet; step B: separating both end portions perpendicular to the conveying direction from the sheet to obtain a shaped sheet-like first material and a second material derived from the both end portions; and step C: recovering the second material.

2. A method for recovering flavor sheets, comprising: a step A of rolling a flavor sheet raw material with two or more rollers to form a sheet; and a step D of recovering the third material produced until the quality of the sheet becomes stable.

3. The recovery method according to claim 1, wherein step A includes forming a sheet on the peripheral surface of the roller, and step B includes sliding a blade against the peripheral surface of the roller to peel the sheet off from the roller while leaving both end portions perpendicular to the conveying direction of the sheet as excess portions, thereby obtaining the first material and the second material.

4. A recovery method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the flavor sheet raw material is for use in smoking articles.

5. A recovery method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the flavor sheet raw material comprises a tobacco raw material.

6. A method for producing a flavor sheet, comprising: a mixing step of preparing a mixture containing the second material or the third material according to any one of claims 1 to 5, a flavor raw material, and a binder; and a sheeting step of forming the mixture into a sheet.

7. The manufacturing method according to claim 6, wherein the moisture content of the second material or the third material is 15 to 50% by weight.

8. The method of claim 6 or 7, wherein the flavor raw material comprises a tobacco raw material.

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