Patent Application
20240407431
The present invention relates to a sheet for a flavor inhalation article.
Combustible smoking articles in the related art are known to include activated carbon packed in an acetate filter in order to remove components that give undesirable inhaling flavors. For example, PTL 1 discloses a charcoal filter produced by externally adding activated carbon to the surface of activated carbon-containing paper and further folding and packing this paper in a wrapper.
The main point of the invention disclosed in PTL 1 is to increase the total amount of activated carbon by internally and externally adding activated carbon although there is a limit to the amount of activated carbon since excessive activated carbon incorporated into paper makes paper brittle. However, external addition of activated carbon requires a process of creping paper or other processes. This process increases the ventilation resistance of the paper when the paper is used as a filter. To solve this issue, the inventors of the present invention have conceived that an ideal sheet for a flavor inhalation article is obtained if more activated carbon is internally added without making the sheet brittle. In light of the above circumstance, an object of the present invention is to provide a sheet for a flavor inhalation article wherein the sheet has good adsorption properties and good handling ability.
The inventors of the present invention have focused on the use of particular fibers to increase the amount of adsorbent particles, completing the present invention. More specifically, the object is achieved by the invention described below.
A sheet for a flavor inhalation article includes:
In the sheet according to the first aspect, the (A) adsorbent particles contain activated carbon.
In the sheet according to the first or second aspect, the (C) polyester fibers contain a C2-C4 alkylene glycol residue as a diol residue, and a terephthalic acid, isophthalic acid, or phthalic acid residue as a diacid residue.
In the sheet according to the third aspect, a polyester of the (C) polyester fibers contains an ethylene glycol residue as a diol residue and a terephthalic acid residue as a diacid residue.
The sheet according to any one of the first to fourth aspects further includes a binder.
In the sheet according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the sheet has a tensile strength of 5 N/15 mm or more.
A wrapping material includes the sheet according to any one of the first to sixth aspects.
A member for a flavor inhalation article includes the sheet according to any one of the first to sixth aspects.
In the member for a flavor inhalation article according to the eighth aspect, the member is selected from the group consisting of an end member, a flavor generating member containing a flavor source, a support member, a cooling member, and a combination thereof. Tenth Aspect
A flavor inhalation article includes:
The present invention can provide a sheet for a flavor inhalation article wherein the sheet has good adsorption properties and good handling ability.
In the present disclosure, “X to Y” is inclusive of end values X and Y.
A sheet for a flavor inhalation article according to this embodiment includes (A) adsorbent particles, (B) pulp, and (C) polyester fibers.
The adsorbent can adsorb components in aerosols generated from a flavor inhalation article in one aspect. Examples of the adsorbent include activated carbon, zeolite, activated alumina, and silica gel. From the viewpoint of availability and other reasons, the adsorbent preferably contains activated carbon, and is more preferably composed of activated carbon.
The adsorbent particles may have any particle size. The average particle size of the adsorbent particles is preferably 5 to 150 μm, more preferably 10 to 100 μm. The average particle size is measured by image-based particle size distribution analysis.
The amount of the adsorbent particles in the sheet is expressed in the amount per unit area of the sheet. If the amount per unit area of the sheet is too low, no satisfactory adsorption effect is obtained. From this viewpoint, the amount is 20 g/m2 or more. The lower limit is preferably 40 g/m2 or more. From the viewpoint of sheet handling ability, the upper limit is preferably 80 g/m2 or less, more preferably 60 g/m2 or less. As described above, the adsorbent is preferably activated carbon.
The surface area of activated carbon is preferably 500 to 3000 m2/g, more preferably 700 to 2500 m2/g. The surface area of the adsorbent, which is a BET specific surface area, is measured by the nitrogen adsorption method.
Pulp is an assembly of cellulose fibers extracted by mechanically or chemically treating a plant raw material. The plant raw material is preferably wood.
A polyester constituting the polyester fibers contains a diol residue and a diacid residue. The diol residue preferably contains a C2-C4 alkylene glycol residue, more preferably contains an ethylene glycol residue. The diacid residue preferably contains a terephthalic acid, isophthalic acid, or phthalic acid residue, more preferably contains a terephthalic acid residue. Such a polyester can be represented by the formula described below. In the formula, n represents the number of repetitions, and m represents an integer of 2 to 4. In particular, a polyester containing a C2-C4 alkylene glycol residue or an isophthalic acid or phthalic acid residue does not excessively increase in crystallinity and thus improves adhesion between the polyester fibers and the adsorbent particles.
The sheet for a flavor inhalation article preferably contains a binder. The binder improves adhesion between the fibers and also improves adhesion between the fibers and the adsorbent. The biner may be a known one. Examples of the binder include polyvinyl alcohol and vinyl acetate.
The sheet for a flavor inhalation article preferably has the properties described below. The amounts of the components blended may be appropriately adjusted so as to achieve the properties.
The air permeability (unit: CORESTA Unit (CU)) is the air flow rate (cm3) per minute per cm2 at a differential pressure of 1 kPa. The air permeability can be measured by using a permeability meter PPM 1000M available from Cerulean.
The effective surface area of the adsorbent per cm2 of the sheet for a flavor inhalation article is preferably 5,000 to 70,000 m2/m2. The effective surface area is the total area of the adsorbent exposed on the sheet surface. This numerical range is based on the following.
In one aspect, the average area of the adsorbent buried in the sheet may be 30% to 50% of the surface area of one particle of the adsorbent. In other words, the average exposed area of the adsorbent is 50% to 70%. If the surface area of the adsorbent is 1000 m2/g, and the amount of the adsorbent in the sheet is 10 g/m2, the effective surface area when 50% of the area is exposed on the average is calculated as described below.
10 g/m2×1000 m2/g×50%=5000 m2/m2
If the surface area of the adsorbent is 2000 m2/g, and the above amount is 50 g/m2, the effective surface area when 70% of the area is exposed on the average is calculated as described below.
In one aspect, the sheet for a flavor inhalation article has no surface treatment. In another aspect, the sheet for a flavor inhalation article has been surface-treated. The surface treatment may be a known treatment, preferably creping. The creping refers to forming crepe-like wrinkles in the sheet by using a doctor on a roll or other members. The crepe depth is preferably 0.1 to 0.5 μm.
The sheet for a flavor inhalation article can be produced by a known method using the components described above. For example, a slurry of a mixture of the above components may be prepared and subjected to the papermaking process to produce a papermaking sheet. The slurry may be cast on a substrate to produce a cast sheet. The slurry may be spread under pressure by using a roller and then dried to produce a laminate sheet. The slurry may be extruded and then dried to produce an extruded sheet.
The sheet for a flavor inhalation article is useful as a wrapping material used for a flavor inhalation article. Examples of the wrapping material include a wrapper wrapped around one member, and a tipping paper wrapped around two or more members.
The sheet for a flavor inhalation article is useful as a member for a flavor inhalation article. Examples of the member for a flavor inhalation article include an end member, a flavor generating member containing a flavor source, a support member, a cooling member, and a filter.
The end member is a member disposed in an end of the flavor inhalation article opposite to the mouthpiece end. The sheet for a flavor inhalation article can be used as a filler or wrapper in the end member. The end member may remove moisture during storage of the flavor inhalation article. For example, the end member can be produced by a production method including a step of packing non-woven fabric or cellulose acetate fiber, which is a filler, in the sheet for a flavor inhalation article, which is a wrapper.
The flavor generating member containing a flavor source is a member for generating a flavor. Examples of the flavor generating member include a tobacco member. The sheet for a flavor inhalation article can be used as a wrapper for the flavor generating member. The flavor generating member including the sheet for a flavor inhalation article has an effect of being able to remove moisture during storage of the flavor inhalation article. The sheet for a flavor inhalation article can also be used as part of the filler in the flavor generating member. The flavor generating member can remove moisture or components that give undesirable flavors during storage of the flavor inhalation article or during flavor inhalation. For example, the flavor generating member containing a flavor source can be produced by a production method including a step of packing a tobacco material, which is a filler, in the sheet for a flavor inhalation article, which is a wrapper. Alternatively, the flavor generating member containing a flavor source can be produced by a production method including a step of mixing, with a tobacco material, sheet shreds or strand shreds obtained by shredding the sheet for a flavor inhalation article to prepare mixture shreds, and a step of packing the mixture shreds in a wrapper.
The support member is a member for increasing the strength of the flavor inhalation article. Examples of the support member include a center hole filter. The sheet for a flavor inhalation article can be used as a material of the center hole filter. The support member may remove moisture or components that give undesirable flavors during storage of the flavor inhalation article or during flavor inhalation. For example, the support member can be produced by a production method including a step of forming a hollow tube by using the sheet for a flavor inhalation article, and packing the hollow tube, which is a filler, in the sheet for a flavor inhalation article, which is a wrapper. The hollow support member, when having a long length, can also serve as the cooling member described below.
The cooling member is a member that cools the heated flavors. The sheet for a flavor inhalation article is useful as a material of the cooling member. The cooling member may remove moisture or components that give undesirable flavors during storage of the flavor inhalation article or during flavor inhalation. For example, a tube formed by using the sheet for a flavor inhalation article can be used as the cooling member. The cooling member may have a ventilation as needed. As described above, the cooling member can also serve as the support member.
The filter removes unnecessary components when aerosols pass through the filter. The sheet for a flavor inhalation article is particularly useful as a sheet for the filter. The filter is preferably produced by a method including a step 1 of preparing a sheet for a flavor inhalation article, and a step 2 of preparing a filter including a tubular wrapper and the sheet disposed in the wrapper.
The step 1 is as described above. The step 2 can be carried out by a known method. For example, the filter can be produced by packing the folded sheet for a flavor inhalation article or cuts of the sheet for a flavor inhalation article in a tubular wrapper. Alternatively, the filter can be produced by folding the sheet for a flavor inhalation article into a pillar shape and wrapping the folded sheet in a wrapper. The step 2 may be preceded by a step of subjecting the sheet for a flavor inhalation article to the surface treatment.
Flavor inhalation articles are roughly classified into combustion-type flavor inhalation articles (cigarettes) and non-combustion-heating-type flavor inhalation articles. A non-combustion-heating-type flavor inhalation article will be described below as an example.
The tobacco member is a substantially columnar member for generating inhaling flavor components contained in tobacco raw materials. The tobacco member includes a tobacco material and wrapping paper (wrapper) wrapped around the tobacco material. The tobacco material packed in the wrapping paper may have any shape. Examples of the shape of the tobacco material include a tobacco sheet, tobacco sheet shreds with widths of 0.8 to 1.2 mm, and shreds with widths of 0.8 to 1.2 mm. The tobacco sheet is not limited and can be produced by a known method. For example, the tobacco sheet may be, for example, a papermaking sheet, a cast sheet produced by casting the slurry on a substrate, a laminate sheet produced by spreading the slurry under pressure by using a roller and then drying the slurry, or an extruded sheet produced by extruding the slurry and then drying the slurry. The tobacco sheet may be gathered, folded, or spirally wound without being shredded, and packed in wrapping paper to form a tobacco member. The tobacco sheet may be cut into strips, and the strips may be packed concentrically or such that the longitudinal direction of the strips is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the tobacco member.
The packing density of the tobacco material is typically, but not necessarily, 200 mg/cm3 or more, preferably 250 mg/cm3 or more in order to ensure the properties of the non-combustion-heating-type flavor inhalation article and impart a good smoke taste. The upper limit of the packing density is typically 800 mg/cm3 or less, preferably 600 mg/cm3 or less. The length of the tobacco member 1 is preferably, but not necessarily, 10 to 25 mm. The diameter of the tobacco member 1 is preferably 6 to 8 mm.
The tobacco material may generate steam when being heated. The heating temperature is not limited, but it is about 30 to 400° C. To promote generation of aerosols, a polyol, such as glycerine, propylene glycol, or 1,3-butanediol, may be added as an aerosol source to the tobacco material. The amount of the aerosol source added relative to the dry weight of the tobacco material is preferably 5 to 50 wt %, more preferably 10 to 30 wt %. In addition, known flavoring agents or other substances may be added to the tobacco material. As described above, the sheet for a flavor inhalation article can also be used as a wrapper for the tobacco member.
The cooling member 3 is connected to the downstream side of the tobacco member 1. The downstream refers to the direction toward the mouthpiece end. The cooling member 3 is a member for, for example, cooling inhaling flavor components and steam generated in the tobacco member 1 to promote aerosolization. The cooling member may be a hollow paper tube. The paper tube is preferably made of cardboard, which is more rigid than wrapping paper or tipping paper. As described above, the paper tube may be made of the sheet for a flavor inhalation article. The paper tube may have a ventilation V (perforation). A plurality of the ventilations is preferably provided along the circumference of the paper tube. The cooling member may be packed with a gathered sheet in order to improve the heat exchange efficiency. The cooling member may have any size and preferably has a length of 10 to 25 mm and a diameter of 5.5 to 7.5 mm.
The mouthpiece is a member constituting the mouthpiece end. In one aspect, a mouthpiece 5 includes a first filter 51 and a second filter 52. The first filter 51 may be usually a filter used in the art and may be a solid acetate filter. The second filter 52 may include a wrapper and a sheet for a flavor inhalation article packed in the wrapper. The length of the second filter 52 is not limited and may be 5 to 20 mm, preferably about 10 to 15 mm.
Other embodiments will be illustrated in
The sizes in these figures are illustrative and appropriately adjusted.
A combination of a non-combustion-heating-type flavor inhalation article and a heating unit is also referred to as a non-combustion-heating-type flavor inhalation system.
The heater preferably electrically heats the tobacco member 1. The heater may be of a type that heats the tobacco member 1 from the outer circumference of the tobacco member 1, or a type that is inserted into the tobacco member 1 and heats the tobacco member 1 from inside.
The non-combustion-heating-type flavor inhalation system may be an induction heating (IH) system. In this aspect, the heating unit 30 is composed of an induction coil. The heating unit is usually disposed around the tobacco member 1. The tobacco member 1 may include a susceptor that is heated by the magnetic field generated by energizing the induction coil.
Embodiments will be described below.
A sheet for a flavor inhalation article includes:
In the sheet according to the first aspect, the (A) adsorbent particles contain activated carbon.
In the sheet according to the first or second aspect, the (C) polyester fibers contain a C2-C4 alkylene glycol residue as a diol residue, and a terephthalic acid, isophthalic acid, or phthalic acid residue as a diacid residue.
In the sheet according to the third aspect, a polyester of the (C) polyester fibers contains an ethylene glycol residue as a diol residue and a terephthalic acid residue as a diacid residue.
The sheet according to any one of the first to fourth aspects further includes a binder.
In the sheet according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the sheet has a tensile strength of 5 N/15 mm or more.
A wrapping material includes the sheet according to any one of the first to sixth aspects.
A member for a flavor inhalation article includes the sheet according to any one of the first to sixth aspects.
In the member for a flavor inhalation article according to the eighth aspect, the member is selected from the group consisting of an end member, a flavor generating member containing a flavor source, a support member, a cooling member, and a combination thereof.
A flavor inhalation article includes:
A sheet containing moderately activated carbon serving as adsorbent particles, pulp, and polyester fibers was prepared and evaluated. The evaluation method is described below. The amount of activated carbon and the physical properties of the sheet are shown in Table 1. Next, a filter was produced by folding and packing the sheet in a wrapper in accordance with a conventional method. The ridgelines formed by folding the sheet were substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the filter. The physical properties of the filter are also shown in Table 1. The sheet had good mechanical properties and good handling ability. In addition, the sheet provides a filter having good adsorption properties because the sheet contains a large amount of activated carbon.
A sheet and a filter were produced and evaluated by the same methods as in Example A1 except that highly activated carbon was used as adsorbent particles. The sheet had good mechanical properties and good handling ability. In addition, the sheet provides a filter having good adsorption properties because the sheet contains a large amount of activated carbon.
Table 1 also shows the physical properties of the “substrate A” of Comparative Example 1 of PTL 1 and the filter produced from the substrate A. The substrate A is paper with internally added activated carbon and free of polyester fibers.
Sheets containing pulp, polyester fibers, activated carbon, and a binder were prepared. Next, second filters shown in
The non-combustion-heating-type inhalation article shown in
The tobacco member-side end of the non-combustion-heating-type flavor inhalation article was inserted into a heating device shown in
Nicotine and glycerine were analyzed by the following method. The Cambridge filter after the smoking test was shaked in 10 mL of methanol (available from Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd., Guaranteed Reagent) to obtain an analysis sample. The obtained analysis sample (1 μL) was collected with a micro-syringe and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MSD available from Agilent, GC: 7890A, MS: 5975C). The results are shown in Table 2.
Of carbonyl components, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and acrolein were analyzed by the method described below. The Cambridge filter after the smoking test was immersed in an impinger collection liquid and shaked, and the solids were then filtered out with a membrane filter. In addition, a predetermined amount of filtrate was added to a Trizma base solution and shaked to terminate the derivatization reaction. The solution was filtered through the membrane filter again and then subjected to HPLC-DAD to analyze carbonyl components. For the method for analyzing carbonyl components, reference was made to the disclosure in WO 2004/026054 and CORESTA Recommended Method No. 96-Determination of Formaldehyde and Acetaldehyde in E-Vapour Product Aerosol February 2021. The results are shown in Table 3. The relationship between Ch/PD and the formaldehyde level is shown in
A center hole filter and a paper filter were prepared. The physical properties of the filters are shown in Table 2. The center hole filter and the paper filter were used instead of the second filter 52. Otherwise, the same methods as in Example B1 were used to prepare non-combustion-heating-type flavor inhalation articles and quantitively analyze the particulate matter in the tobacco smoke. The results are shown in Table 3.
It is clear that the filters produced in Examples B are effective in removing components that have an undesirable effect on inhaling flavors, particularly formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and acrolein, which are difficult to remove with filters in the related art.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-027617 | Feb 2022 | JP | national |
The present invention is a Continuation of International Patent Application No. PCT/JP2023/006765 filed on Feb. 24, 2023, which contains subject matter related to Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-027617 filed in the Japan Patent Office on Feb. 25, 2022, the entire contents of each are incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/JP2023/006765 | Feb 2023 | WO |
| Child | 18810566 | US |
