Fire Repellent Cigarette Paper via Phosphorous Group Treatment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing heat-not-burn (HnB) tobacco products require non-combustible and fire-retardant cigarette papers, but current solutions using metallized or additive-treated papers are non-biodegradable and toxic, posing environmental and health risks.

Innovation Solution

A method to fabricate fire repellent cigarette paper by grinding plant materials into fibers, treating them with a phosphorous group donor solution, and forming a paper pulp with 0.1% to 10% phosphorous groups by weight, which is non-toxic, biodegradable, and environmentally friendly, preventing combustion and reducing pollution.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If metallised paper or additive-treated paper is used to make HnB products non-combustible, then fire-retardant properties are improved, but environmental friendliness and biodegradability deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefire-retardant propertiesVSAvoidenvironmental pollution and toxicity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The invention changes the chemical composition parameters of the cigarette paper by incorporating phosphorous groups at concentrations of 0.1% to 10% by weight, which fundamentally alters the combustion behavior from burning to charring without requiring metallisation or toxic additives

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The invention creates a composite material system combining plant-based fibres (cellulose) with phosphorous-containing compounds, forming a biodegradable composite that achieves fire-retardant properties through the synergistic interaction between the fibre matrix and phosphorous groups

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

2Quantity of substance

If plant material is ground to finer fibers, then bonding surface area increases improving phosphorous group attachment, but manufacturing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebonding surface area of fibresVSAvoidgrinding process complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention performs preliminary grinding of plant material into fine fibres (average diameter less than 500 μm) before applying the phosphorous group treatment, which prepares the fibre surface in advance to maximize bonding capacity during the subsequent treatment step

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The invention uses a treatment solution containing phosphorous group donors as an intermediary medium that facilitates the bonding between ground fibres and phosphorous groups, enabling effective attachment without requiring excessively fine grinding

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The fire repellent cigarette paper effectively chars instead of burning, reducing harmful gas production and compliance with regulations, while being environmentally friendly and less polluting than previous methods.

Implementation Method 1

grinding the plant material before application of the treatment solution significantly improves the covalent bonding of the phosphorous groups to the ground fibres

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCovalent bonding: Chemical Bonding

Implementation Method 2

The fire repellent cigarette paper of the claimed invention chars instead of combusting when heated

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCharring: Pyrolysis

Data Source

PatentEP4400648A1Cigarette paper and a method of manufacture thereof
Publication Date: 2024.07.17 JT INTERNATIONAL SA
  • EP4400648A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4400648A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4400648A1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

A method of fabricating fire repellent cigarette paper for a heat-not-burn aerosol generating article is disclosed, the method (100, 300) comprising the steps of: grinding (105, 305) plant material to produce ground fibres; applying (115, 315) a treatment solution to the ground fibres, the treatment solution comprising a donor of a phosphorous group, to provide treated fibres comprising a phosphorous group; creating (135, 325) a paper pulp comprising the treated fibres and water; and inputting the paper pulp into a paper machine to form a fire repellent cigarette paper comprising 0.1% to 10% of phosphorous groups by weight of the total weight of the fire repellent cigarette paper.