Reconstituted Tobacco Bulkiness via Stem Particles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for increasing the bulkiness of reconstituted tobacco, such as using sodium bicarbonate or optimizing fiber types, face challenges like increased sewage treatment difficulties and limited fiber type adjustments, which affect the cost and quality of cigarettes.
Innovation Solution
A method involving pulverizing tobacco stems to obtain particles of specific sizes, mixing with tobacco leaves and plant fiber pulp, and adding a mineral filler to enhance bulkiness, air permeability, and strength, while reducing production costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of stationary object
If sodium bicarbonate is used as a pretreatment method to increase bulkiness, then the bulkiness of reconstituted tobacco is improved, but the difficulty of sewage treatment is aggravated and the quality of cigarettes is negatively impacted
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes the harmful chemical reagent (sodium bicarbonate) from the process, replacing it with a natural alternative (tobacco stem particles) that achieves the same bulkiness enhancement without generating harmful effluent that complicates sewage treatment
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses inexpensive tobacco stem particles (a byproduct of tobacco processing) instead of expensive chemical reagents, transforming a waste material into a valuable bulkiness-enhancing agent that does not create long-term environmental burden
2Volume of stationary object
If fiber types and ratios are optimized to increase thickness of base bulk, then the bulkiness of reconstituted tobacco is improved, but the types and amounts of added plant fibers are limited which is not conducive to production adjustment and increases cost
Solution Approach 1:
The invention makes tobacco stem particles serve multiple functions: they act as fillers to increase bulkiness, serve as a cost-effective substitute for expensive plant fibers, and provide adjustable ratios to accommodate different production requirements, thereby achieving universal applicability across various production scenarios
Solution Approach 2:
The invention enables flexible adjustment of the ratio between tobacco stem particles and tobacco leaves to optimize bulkiness while controlling costs, allowing production parameters to be changed according to market conditions and raw material availability
3Volume of stationary object
If expensive bleached softwood and hardwood are used to increase bulkiness, then the bulkiness of reconstituted tobacco is improved, but the cost of use increases and profit margin is compressed
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces expensive bleached softwood and hardwood with inexpensive tobacco stem particles (a processing byproduct), dramatically reducing raw material costs while maintaining or improving bulkiness, thus protecting profit margins
Solution Approach 2:
The invention converts tobacco stems (a waste byproduct of tobacco processing) into a valuable resource for enhancing bulkiness, transforming what was previously discarded material into a cost-saving filler that improves both economics and resource utilization
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 method effectively increases the bulkiness, air permeability, and combustion performance of reconstituted tobacco, improving its quality and reducing harmful emissions, while being cost-effective by utilizing lower-cost tobacco stems.
Implementation Method 1
The method effectively increases the bulkiness, air permeability, and combustion performance of reconstituted tobacco
Implementation Method 2
The method effectively increases the bulkiness, air permeability, and combustion performance of reconstituted tobacco
Data Source
AI summary
A method for increasing bulkiness of reconstituted tobacco by adding tobacco stem particles includes (1) pulverizing a first portion of tobacco stems to obtain tobacco stem particles; (2) classifying the tobacco stem particles with mesh sieves and selecting the tobacco stem particles with a predetermined mesh size; (3) extracting a second portion of the tobacco stems with water and grinding to form a tobacco stem slurry that has a beating degree of 12-14° SR, and mixing the tobacco stem slurry with tobacco leaves in a weight ratio of 6:4 and grinding to obtaining a tobacco slurry that has a beating degree of 18-20° SR; (4) cutting plant fiber pulp boards and dispersing in water to form a plant fiber pulp; (5) preparing a filler solution that contains 10 wt % of a mineral filler; (6) mixing, rolling and drying to obtain the reconstituted tobacco.