Claims
- 1. A method for producing a tobacco filter material, which comprises a treating process for treating a naturally-occurring or regenerated cellulose fiber with an organic acid and an organic acid anhydride or organic acid halide in a liquid phase to give an esterified cellulose fiber, wherein said fiber comprises a core and a surface layer surrounding the core, and the surface layer is esterified and the core is non-esterified.
- 2. A method for producing a tobacco filter material as claimed in claim 1, wherein said treating process is carried out in the absence of a catalyst.
- 3. A method for producing a tobacco filter material as claimed in claim 1, wherein said esterified cellulose fiber as a whole has an average degree of substitution of not more than 1.5.
- 4. A method for producing a tobacco filter material as claimed in claim 1, wherein said esterified cellulose fiber is at least one member selected from the group consisting of cellulose acetate, cellulose propionate, cellulose butyrate, cellulose acetate propionate and cellulose acetate butyrate.
- 5. A method for producing a tobacco filter material as claimed in claim 1, wherein said esterified cellulose fiber is a cellulose acetate.
- 6. A method for producing a tobacco filter material as claimed in claim 1, wherein the non-esterified cellulose of said core is wood pulp.
- 7. A method for producing a tobacco filter material as claimed in claim 1, wherein said core comprises a non-esterified wood pulp and said surface layer comprises a cellulose ester, wherein the cellulose ester of said surface layer has an average degree of substitution of 1 to 3, and the amount of said cellulose ester is 0.1 to 50% by weight based on the total weight of said esterified cellulose fiber.
- 8. A method for producing a tobacco filter material as claimed in claim 1, wherein said esterified cellulose fiber as a whole has an average degree of substitution of 0.02 to 1.2.
- 9. A method for producing a tobacco filter material as claimed in claim 1, wherein said esterified cellulose fiber is biodegradable.
- 10. A method for producing a tobacco filter material as claimed in claim 1, wherein said esterified cellulose fiber has a 4-week decomposition of not less than 20% by weigh t as determined using the amount of evolved carbon dioxide as an indicator in accordance with ASTM D 52-09-91.
- 11. A method for producing a tobacco filter material as claimed in claim 1, wherein said esterified cellulose fiber is a fiber having a fiber diameter of from 0.01 to 100 μm and a fiber length of from 50 μm to 10 mm.
Priority Claims (2)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
6-254557 |
Sep 1994 |
JP |
|
6-280053 |
Oct 1994 |
JP |
|
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This is a continuation of application No. 08/532,280, filed Sep. 22, 1995 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,856,006.
The present invention relate to a tobacco filter material with very satisfactory biodegradability, wet disintegratability or other characteristics, a method for producing the tobacco filter material, and a tobacco filter insuring a good aroma and palatability of tobacco smoke as produced using the filter material.
US Referenced Citations (10)
Foreign Referenced Citations (13)
Number |
Date |
Country |
43 22 965 |
Oct 1994 |
DE |
0 597 478 |
May 1994 |
EP |
2 324 247 |
Apr 1977 |
FR |
919053 |
Feb 1963 |
GB |
B-44-1953 |
Jan 1944 |
JP |
B-44-1944 |
Jan 1969 |
JP |
B-50-38720 |
Dec 1975 |
JP |
52-38098 |
Mar 1977 |
JP |
A-52-72900 |
Jun 1977 |
JP |
A-52-96208 |
Aug 1977 |
JP |
A-53-45468 |
Oct 1977 |
JP |
A-55-141185 |
Apr 1979 |
JP |
A-5 227939 |
Sep 1993 |
JP |
Non-Patent Literature Citations (5)
Entry |
Japanese Standards Association, ‘Pulps-Determination of Drainability’, UDC 676.1:676.017.3:539.217 (JIS P 8121) (1995). |
Japanese Standards Association, ‘Determination of Basis Weight of Paper’, UDC 676.017:531.753 (JIS P 8124) (1976). |
Database WPI, Week 8049, Derwent Publications Ltd., London, GB (JP-A-55-135582). |
Database WPI, Week 8050, Derwent Publications Ltd., London, GB (JP-A-55-138385). |
Database WPI, Week 9502, Derwent Publications Ltd., London, GB (JP-A-06-299407). |