EP4287854A1

EP4287854A1 - Tobacco material, method of manufacturing the tobacco material, filter including the tobacco material, and aerosol generating article including the filter

Info

Publication number: EP4287854A1
Application number: EP22784855.3A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Seok Su Jang; Sun Hwan JUNG; Hyeon Tae Kim; Jun Won Shin; Dae Nam HAN; Yong Hwan Kim; Sung Wook Yoon; Seung Won Lee
Original assignee: KT&G Corp
Current assignee: KT&G Corp
Priority date: 2021-04-08
Filing date: 2022-03-31
Publication date: 2023-12-13
Also published as: KR20220139734A; WO2022215945A1; KR102639728B1; CN117098467A; JP2024512549A

Abstract

A tobacco material includes a core including a first tobacco mixture, and a shell surrounding at least a portion of the core and including a second tobacco mixture, wherein the first tobacco mixture includes first tobacco particles and a flavor substance, the second tobacco mixture includes second tobacco particles, and the shell has a surface roughness (Ra) of about 5.0 to about 10.0.

Description

TOBACCO MATERIAL, METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE TOBACCO MATERIAL, FILTER INCLUDING THE TOBACCO MATERIAL, AND AEROSOL GENERATING ARTICLE INCLUDING THE FILTER

One or more embodiments relate to a tobacco material, a method of manufacturing the tobacco material, a filter including the tobacco material, and an aerosol generating article including the filter.

Recently, the demand for alternatives to a traditional cigarette has increased. For example, there is growing demand for a device that generates aerosols by heating an aerosol generating material in an aerosol generating article (e.g., cigarette) without combustion.

There is a need for a tobacco material capable of providing a user with different flavors in an early stage and a latter stage of smoking, and a method of manufacturing the tobacco material.

The technical problems to be solved by the embodiments are not limited to the above-described problems, and problems that are not mentioned will be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art from the present disclosure and the accompanying drawings.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a tobacco material includes a core including a first tobacco mixture, and a shell surrounding at least a portion of the core and including a second tobacco mixture, wherein the first tobacco mixture includes first tobacco particles and a flavor substance, the second tobacco mixture includes second tobacco particles, and the shell has a surface roughness (Ra) of about 5.0 to about 10.0.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a filter includes the tobacco material as a filter of an aerosol generating article.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an aerosol generating article includes the filter.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method of manufacturing a tobacco material includes a first operation of manufacturing a core by using a first composition including a flavor substance, and a second operation of forming a shell surrounding at least a portion of the core on the core.

Means of solving the problem are not limited thereto, and may include all matters that may be inferred from the present disclosure by one of ordinary skill in the art.

A tobacco material according to embodiments may be applied to a filter of an aerosol generating article to provide a user with different flavors in an early stage and a latter stage of smoking. Also, the tobacco material has the effect of appropriately adjusting the transfer timing, transfer rate, and delivery rate of a flavor substance.

In addition, according to a method of manufacturing a tobacco material according to embodiments, the tobacco material may be manufactured through a simple operation and is suitable for mass production.

Effects of the embodiments are not limited thereto, and may include all effects that may be inferred from a configuration to be described below.

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a cross-section of a tobacco material according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2A is a diagram schematically illustrating a filter including a tobacco material according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2B is a diagram schematically illustrating a filter including a tobacco material according to another embodiment;

FIG. 3A is a diagram illustrating an example of an aerosol generating article according to an embodiment;

FIG. 3B is a diagram illustrating an example of an aerosol generating article according to another embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of manufacturing a tobacco material according to an embodiment;

FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating a first operation of a method of manufacturing a tobacco material according to an embodiment; and

FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating a second operation of a method of manufacturing a tobacco material according to an embodiment.

According to embodiments, provided is a tobacco material including a core including a first tobacco mixture, and a shell surrounding at least a portion of the core and including a second tobacco mixture, wherein the first tobacco mixture includes first tobacco particles and a flavor substance, the second tobacco mixture includes second tobacco particles, and the shell has a surface roughness (Ra) of about 5.0 to about 10.0.

The first tobacco mixture may include 90 wt% or more of the flavor substance, based on a total weight of the first tobacco mixture.

The core may have a size of about 30 mesh to about 50 mesh, and the tobacco material may have a size of about 18 mesh to about 25 mesh.

The tobacco material may have a hardness of 90 % or more.

The tobacco material may include about 5.0 wt% to about 8.0 wt% of moisture, based on the total weight of the tobacco material.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, provided is a filter including the tobacco material as a filter included in an aerosol generating article.

The filter may include a first filter portion including a first filter element, a flavor portion including the tobacco material, and a second filter portion including a second filter element, wherein the first filter portion, the flavor portion, and the second filter portion may be sequentially arranged in a longitudinal direction of the filter.

According to another embodiments, provided is an aerosol generating article including the filter.

According to another embodiments, provided is a method of manufacturing a tobacco material, the method including a first operation of manufacturing a core by using a first composition including a flavor substance, and a second operation of forming a shell surrounding at least a portion of the core.

The first operation may include growing the first composition by spraying the first composition in a fluidized-bed reactor at a temperature of about 30 ℃ to about 60 ℃ and under an air pressure condition of 1.5 bar or less.

The first composition may include about 99 % v/v to about 99 % v/v of the flavor substance, about 0.5 % v/v to about 5 % v/v of tobacco power, and about 0.5 % v/v to about 5 % v/v of water.

The second operation may include positioning the core in a fluidized-bed reactor; and coating a surface of the core with a second composition by spraying the second composition in the fluidized-bed reactor at a temperature of about 50 ℃ to about 90 ℃ and under an air pressure of 1.5 bar or less.

The second composition may include about 10 wt% to about 20 wt% of tobacco powder, about 40 wt% to about 60 wt% of water, and about 30 wt% to about 40 wt% of ethanol.

With respect to the terms used to describe the various embodiments, general terms which are currently and widely used are selected in consideration of functions of structural elements in the various embodiments of the present disclosure. However, meanings of the terms can be changed according to intention, a judicial precedence, the appearance of new technology, and the like. In addition, in certain cases, a term which is not commonly used can be selected. In such a case, the meaning of the term will be described in detail at the corresponding portion in the description of the embodiments. Therefore, the terms used in the various embodiments of the present disclosure should be defined based on the meanings of the terms and the descriptions provided herein.

In addition, unless explicitly described to the contrary, the word "comprise" and variations such as "comprises" or "comprising" will be understood to imply the inclusion of stated elements but not the exclusion of any other elements. In addition, the terms "-er", "-or", and "module" described in the specification mean units for processing at least one function and operation and can be implemented by hardware components or software components and combinations thereof.

In addition, in the present disclosure, while such terms as "first," "second," etc., may be used to describe various components, such components must not be limited to the above terms. The above terms are used only to distinguish one component from another.

Through the present disclosure, "aerosol generating article" means an article used for smoking. For example, the aerosol generating article may be a general combustion-type cigarette that is ignited and combusted, or may be a heating-type cigarette that is heated without combustion by an aerosol generating device. As another example, the aerosol generating article may be an article that is used in conjunction with a cartridge containing a liquid that generates an aerosol when heated.

Throughout the present disclosure, "longitudinal direction of the aerosol generating article" means a direction in which a length of the aerosol generating article extends or a direction in which the aerosol generating article is inserted into an aerosol generating device.

Throughout the present disclosure, "tobacco element" means an element including a tobacco material.

Throughout the present disclosure, "tobacco material" means any form of material including a component derived from tobacco leaves.

Throughout the present disclosure, "tobacco particle" means a particle form of a component derived from a tobacco plant. For example, the tobacco particles may be tobacco grains or tobacco powder.

Throughout the present disclosure, "cooling element" means an element that cools a material. For example, the cooling element may cool aerosols generated from an aerosol generating element or a tobacco element.

Throughout the present disclosure, "filter element" means an element including a filtering material. For example, the filter element may include a plurality of fiber strands.

Throughout the present disclosure, "surface roughness" means the roughness of a surface of an object. For example, the surface roughness may be expressed as a centerline average roughness (Ra) according to the KS B 0161 standard.

Hereinafter, the present disclosure will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown such that one of ordinary skill in the art may easily work the present disclosure. The disclosure can, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a cross-section of a tobacco material 10 according to an embodiment.

The tobacco material 10 according to an embodiment may include a core 11 including a first tobacco mixture and a shell 12 surrounding at least a portion of the core 11 and including a second tobacco mixture.

Referring to FIG. 1, the tobacco material 10 according to an embodiment includes the core 11 and the shell 12 surrounding at least a portion of the core 11. As such, the first tobacco mixture may be positioned in a central portion of the tobacco material 10, and the second tobacco mixture may be positioned in the periphery portion of the tobacco material 10. That is, the first tobacco mixture may be partially or entirely surrounded by the second tobacco mixture.

The core 11 may include the first tobacco mixture. The first tobacco mixture may include first tobacco particles and a flavor substance.

The first tobacco particles may be, for example, tobacco powder having a size of about 0.1 mm to about 0.3 mm, but are not limited thereto.

The first tobacco particles may include various types of tobacco powder according to embodiments. The first tobacco particles may include, for example, tobacco powder of at least one of a nicotiana-type, a burley-type, a fire-cured-type, a sun-cured-type, and an air-cured type.

The flavor substance may be a material that gives off a particular odor. For example, the flavor substance may include plant flavorings such as cinnamon, sage, herbs, chammomile, winter hay, hydrangea serrata, lavender, bergamot, lemon, orange, jasmine, ginger, vanilla, spearmint, peppermint, acacia, coffee, celery, sandalwood, cocoa, or the like.

As another example, the flavor substance may include animal flavorings such as musk, ambergris, civet, castoreum, or the like.

As another example, the flavor substance be an alcohol compound such as menthol, geraniol, linalyl, anethol, eugenol, or the like. In addition, the flavor substance may be an aldehyde compound such as vanillin, benzaldehyde, anis aldehyde, or the like. In addition, the flavor substance may be an ester compound such as isoamyl acetate, linalyl acetate, isoamyl propionate, linalyl butyrate, or the like. Preferably, the flavor substance may be menthol.

The shell 12 may include the second tobacco mixture. The second tobacco mixture may include second tobacco particles. Descriptions of the first tobacco particles given above may be equally or similarly applied to the second tobacco particles.

The second tobacco mixture may be, for example, a tobacco paste including the second tobacco particles. The second tobacco mixture may have a suitable viscosity by being formed using a solvent such as water and/or ethanol. Even after the solvent is removed, the second tobacco mixture may have moisture. Details of an operation of manufacturing the second tobacco mixture will be described below.

The tobacco material 10 according to an embodiment may be applied to a filter of an aerosol generating article to provide a user with various flavors in an early stage of smoking and a latter stage of smoking. When aerosols of about 40 ℃ or more are continuously delivered to the filter during smoking, fine holes are formed in the shell 12 of the tobacco material 10 included in the filter. Accordingly, the flavor substance contained in the core 11 may leak from the core 11 to be delivered to the user. That is, the flavor substance included in the core 11 of the tobacco material 10 may not be transferred in an early stage of smoking because it is blocked by the shell 12 surrounding the core 11, but the flavor substance included in the core 11 may be transferred through the fine holes formed in the shell 12 in a latter stage of smoking to provide the user with a different flavor than in the early stage of smoking.

Generally, in the case of an aerosol generating article including a highly-volatile flavor substance (e.g., menthol) in the related art, most of the flavor substance contained in the aerosol generating article is transferred in an early stage of smoking, and thus a transfer rate of the flavor substance tends to sharply decrease in a latter stage of smoking. On the contrary, according to an embodiment, the transfer timing, transfer rate, delivery rate, or the like of a flavor substance contained in the core 11 may be appropriately adjusted by adjusting the physical properties of the shell 12, such as the thickness, viscosity, and roughness.

Here, a period corresponding to a temporally early portion of an entire smoking time, e.g., about the first half of the smoking time, may correspond to the 'early stage of smoking', and the rest of the smoking time may correspond to the 'latter stage of smoking'.

The shell 12 may have a surface roughness (Ra) of about 5.0 to about 10.0. Although the tobacco material shown in FIG. 1 has a spherical shape as a whole, the tobacco material 10 of the shell 12 may have an atypical shape (i.e., the particles may not have a uniform shape), and may have a relatively high surface roughness. As will be described below, the tobacco material 10 according to an embodiment may be arranged to be embedded between acetate fibers of a filter in an aerosol generating article. Here, the surface roughness of the shell 12 is related to a total amount of the tobacco material 10 that may be embedded between the acetate fibers. When the surface roughness of the shell 12 is less than 5.0, it is difficult to fix the position of the tobacco material 10 between the acetate fibers due to low surface friction, and it is difficult to apply a large amount of the tobacco material 10 into a filter. When the surface roughness of the shell 12 exceeds 10.0, the acetate fibers may be broken when a large amount of the tobacco material 10 is placed between the acetate fibers due to excessively high surface friction.

The tobacco material 10 may have a sphere shape as a whole. The core 11 and the shell 12 formed around the core 11 may have a spherical shape, but embodiments are not limited thereto. As described above, the shell 12 may have a rather rough surface.

The first tobacco mixture may include about 90 wt% or more of the flavor substance. In other words, the weight of the flavor substance included in the first tobacco mixture may be about 90% or more of a total weight of the first tobacco mixture. When the first tobacco mixture includes about 90 % or more by weight of the flavor substance, a flavor of the flavor substance emitted from the core 11 may be intactly provided without being diluted by other components. In addition, when materials other than the flavor substance are added in an excessive amount, the volatility of the flavor substance may decrease, and thus the flavor may not be delivered well. In terms of improving the delivery of the flavor substance, the first tobacco mixture may include about 95 wt% or more of the flavor substance.

The core 11 may have a density of about 0.5 g/cc to about 0.7 g/cc. Preferably, the core 11 may have a density of about 0.55 g/cc to about 0.65 g/cc.

Referring to FIG. 1, the core 11 may have a size of about 30 mesh to about 50 mesh, and the tobacco material 10 may have a size of about 18 mesh to about 25 mesh. That is, the core 11 may have a diameter d1 of about 0.297 mm to about 0.595 mm, and the tobacco material 10 may have a diameter d2 of about 0.7 mm to about 1 mm. When the core 11 and the tobacco material 10 are in the above size range, fine holes may start to be formed in the shell 12 in a latter stage of smoking, and thus a flavor may be uniformly released during the latter stage of smoking.

When the tobacco material 10 has a size of less than about 18 mesh (that is, when the tobacco material 10 has the diameter d2 of greater than about 1 mm), it is difficult to form fine holes in the shell 12 due to the thick shell 12, and thus it may be difficult to release the flavor substance in the latter stage of smoking. When the tobacco material 10 has a size of greater than about 25 mesh (that is, when the tobacco material 10 has the diameter d2 of less than about 0.7 mm), a flavor may be released too early due to the thin shell 12.

In addition, when the core 11 has a size of less than about 30 mesh (that is, when the core 11 has the diameter d1 of greater than about 0.595 mm), a transfer amount of flavor may gradually increase over time. As a result, a flavor cannot be uniformly provided during smoking. When the core 11 has a size of greater than about 50 mesh (that is, when the core 11 has the diameter d2 of less than about 0.297 mm), the flavor substance content in the tobacco material 10 is very small, and thus a transfer amount of flavor may be sharply reduced as smoking progresses.

The tobacco material 10 may have a hardness of about 90 % or more. In particular, the tobacco material may have a hardness of about 95 % to about 99.9 %. The "hardness of a tobacco material" is a physical property related to elasticity and recovery, and means a degree of resistance to pressure applied in a direction perpendicular to the tobacco material 10. The "hardness of a tobacco material" is measured by using a hardness meter, and is calculated through the following formula.

Hardness (%) = [D-a] / D*100

(D: a diameter of a tobacco material, a: a distance (mm) that the tobacco material is pressed by a weight of 300 g)

When the tobacco material 10 has a hardness of less than about 90 %, the tobacco material 10 may not maintain its shape and may be crumbled during a manufacturing process of a filter including the tobacco material 10, and the shell 12 may be damaged such that the core 11 is exposed to the outside. Also, a flavor substance in the core 11 may start to be transferred from an early stage of smoking, and thus a different flavor may not be provided in a latter stage of smoking.

The tobacco material 10 may include about 5.0 wt% to about 8.0 wt% of moisture, based on a total weight of the tobacco material 10. As moisture included in the tobacco material 10 absorbs heat applied during smoking, thereby contributing to the formation of fine pores in the shell 12. When the tobacco material 10 includes less than about 5.0 wt% of moisture based on the total weight of the tobacco material 10, the fine holes may not be sufficiently formed in the shell 12, and thus a transfer amount of the flavor substance of the core 11 may be reduced. When the tobacco material 10 includes more than about 8.0 wt% of moisture based on the total weight of the tobacco material 10, the tobacco material 10 may not maintain its shape due to an excessively high moisture content, or too many holes may be formed in the shell 12 in an early stage of smoking. As a result, the flavor substance may start to be transferred too early.

The core 11 may have about 8.0 wt% to about 15.0 wt% of moisture, based on the total weight of the core 11. As the core 11 includes moisture in the above-described numerical range, at least one of flavor retention and flavor expression of the core 11 may be improved. In addition, as a moisture content of the core 11 is greater than a moisture content of the shell 12, the tobacco material 10 may be excellent in hardness, flavor retention, and flavor expression.

The tobacco material 10 may have a density of about 0.6 g/cc or more. Preferably, the tobacco material 10 may have a density of about 0.7 g/cc or more.

The above-described tobacco material 10 may be included in an aerosol generating article.

FIG. 2A is a diagram schematically illustrating a filter 240f including the tobacco material 10 according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 2A, the filter 240f according to an embodiment may be arranged in a form in which a plurality of tobacco materials 10 are embedded between filter elements. The filter element may be a cellulose acetate filter. The cellulose acetate filter may include a fiber bundle in which a plurality of cellulose acetate fiber strands are aggregated. That is, the plurality of tobacco materials 10 included in the filter 240f according to an embodiment may be embedded between a plurality of cellulose acetate fibers.

A shape of the filter element is not limited. For example, the filter element may be a cylinder-type rod or a tube-type rod having a hollow therein. In addition, the filter element may be a recess-type rod. When the filter element includes a plurality of segments, at least one of the plurality of segments may be manufactured in a different shape.

FIG. 2B is a diagram schematically illustrating the filter 240f including the tobacco material 10 according to another embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 2B, the filter 240f may include a first filter portion 241, a flavor portion 242, and a second filter portion 243. In particular, the first filter portion 241, the flavor portion 242, and the second filter portion 243 may respectively include a first filter element, the tobacco material 10, and a second filter element. The first filter portion 241, the flavor portion 242, and the second filter portion 243 may be sequentially arranged in a longitudinal direction of the filter 240f. Here, the longitudinal direction of the filter 240f may be a direction in which a length of the filter 240f extends.

The first filter element and the second filter element respectively included in the first filter portion 241 and the second filter portion 243 may be the same or different from each other. Descriptions related to the filter element given above with reference to FIG. 2A may be equally applied to the first filter element and the second filter element.

The flavor portion 242 may be positioned between the first filter portion 241 and the second filter portion 243. The flavor portion 242 may include a tube-type filter element having a hollow, and a plurality of tobacco materials 10 may be arranged in the hollow.

Alternatively, the flavor portion 242 may include the tobacco material 10 without a filter element. Here, the flavor portion 242 may include the plurality of tobacco materials 10 inside, and may be surrounded by a wrapper of the filter 240f.

In the filter 240f according to FIGS. 2A and 2B, fine holes may be formed in the shell 12 of the tobacco material 10 included in the filter 240f by the high-temperature aerosols delivered to a user during smoking, and thus a flavor substance contained in the core 11 may be delivered to the user. That is, in the filter 240f, the flavor substance included in the core 11 of the tobacco material 10 is not transferred in an early stage of smoking because it is blocked by the shell 12 surrounding the core 11. Then, the flavor substance is transferred by the fine holes formed in the shell 12 in a latter stage of smoking, so that different flavors may be provided to the user in the early stage of smoking and in the latter stage of smoking.

FIG. 3A is a diagram illustrating an example of an aerosol generating article 200 according to an embodiment. The aerosol generating article 200 according to an embodiment may include the filter 240f including the tobacco material 10 described above. The aerosol generating article 200 may generate aerosols without combustion when heated.

Referring to FIG. 3A, the aerosol generating article 200 may include a first portion 210, a second portion 220, a third portion 230, and a fourth portion 240. In particular, the first portion 210, the second portion 220, the third portion 230, and the fourth portion 240 may respectively include an aerosol generating element, a tobacco element, a cooling element, and a filter element. For example, the first portion 210 may include an aerosol generating material, the second portion 220 may include a tobacco material and a moisturizer, the third portion 230 may cool an airflow passing through the first portion 210 and the second portion 220, and the fourth portion 240 may include a filter material. The fourth portion 240 may be the filter 240f including the tobacco material 10 described above.

Referring to FIG. 3A, the first portion 210, the second portion 220, the third portion 230, and the fourth portion 240 may be sequentially arranged in a longitudinal direction of the aerosol generating article 200. Here, the longitudinal direction of the aerosol generating article 200 may be a direction in which a length of the aerosol generating article 200 extends. For example, the longitudinal direction of the aerosol generating article 200 may be a direction from the first portion 210 to the fourth portion 240. Accordingly, aerosols generated in at least one of the first portion 210 and the second portion 220 may pass through the third portion 230 and the fourth portion 240, and a smoker may inhale the aerosols from the fourth portion 240.

The first portion 210 may include an aerosol generating element. In addition, the first portion 210 may also contain other additives such as flavors, a wetting agent, and/or organic acid. Also, the first portion 210 may contain a flavored liquid such as menthol or a moisturizer. Here, the aerosol generating element may include at least one of glycerin, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, and oleyl alcohol. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and various types of aerosol generating elements may be used.

The first portion 210 may include an aerosol generating substrate impregnated with an aerosol generating element. An example of the aerosol generating substrate may include a crimped sheet, and the aerosol generating element may be included in the first portion 210 in a state of being impregnated in the crimple sheet. In addition, other additives such as flavors, a wetting agent, and/or organic acid may be included in the first portion 210 in a state of being absorbed into the crimped sheet.

The crimped sheet may be a sheet including a polymer material. For example, the polymer material may include at least one of paper, cellulose acetate, lyocell, and polylactic acid. For example, the crimped sheet may be a paper sheet that does not generate a smell even when heated to a high temperature. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

The first portion 210 may extend about 7 mm to about 20 mm from an end of the aerosol generating article 200, and the second portion 220 may extend about 7 mm to about 20 mm from a point where the first portion 210 ends. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this numerical range, and a length of the first portion 210 or the second portion 220 may differ according to embodiments.

The second portion 220 may include a tobacco element. The tobacco element may be a tobacco material in various forms. For example, the tobacco element may be in a form of tobacco tiny bits, tobacco particles, tobacco sheets, tobacco beads, tobacco granules, tobacco powder, or tobacco extract. In addition, the tobacco material may include, for example, tobacco leaves, tobacco vein, expanded tobacco, shredded tobacco leaves, tiny bits cut from a reconstituted tobacco sheet, and/or reconstituent tobacco.

The third portion 230 may cool an airflow passing through the first portion 210 and the second portion 220. The third portion 230 may be made of a polymer material or a biodegradable polymer material, and may have a cooling function. For example, the third portion 230 may be made of a polyactic acid (PLA) fiber, but is not limited thereto. Alternatively, the third portion 230 may be made of a cellulose acetate filter having a plurality of holes. However, the third portion 230 is not limited to the above-described examples, and any other material that performs a function of cooling aerosols may be used without limitation. For example, the third portion 230 may be a tube filter or a paper tube including a hollow.

The fourth portion 240 may be the filter 240f including the tobacco material 10 described above. That is, details of the filter 240f including the tobacco material 10 described above may be equally applied to a filter included in the fourth portion 240.

As described above, the fourth portion 240 may include a filter element. For example, the fourth portion 240 may be a cellulose acetate filter. Meanwhile, the shape of the fourth portion 240 is not limited. For example, the fourth portion 240 may be a cylinder-type rod or a tube-type rod including a hollow therein. In addition, the fourth portion 240 may be a recess-type rod. When the fourth portion 240 includes a plurality of segments, at least one of the plurality of segments may have a different shape.

The fourth portion 240 may be formed to generate flavors. For example, a flavoring liquid may be sprayed onto the fourth portion 240, or an additional fiber to which a flavoring liquid is applied may be inserted into the fourth portion 240.

The aerosol generating article 200 may include a wrapper 250 surrounding at least a portion of the first portion 210 to the fourth portion 240. For example, the wrapper 250 may entirely surround the first portion 210 to the fourth portion 240. The wrapper 250 may be positioned on the outermost side of the aerosol generating article 200. The wrapper 250 may be a single wrapper or a combination of a plurality of wrappers.

FIG. 3B is a diagram illustrating an example of the aerosol generating article 200 according to another embodiment. The aerosol generating article 200 may be, for example, a combustion-type cigarette.

Referring to FIG. 3B, the aerosol generating article 200 may include the second portion 220 and the fourth portion 240. The second portion 220 may include a tobacco element, and the fourth portion 240 may include a filter element. Descriptions made with reference to FIG. 3A may be equally or similarly applied to the second portion 220 and the fourth portion 240.

The second portion 220 may include a tobacco element, and the tobacco element may be a particular type of tobacco material. The second portion 220 may be ignited and combusted by a user.

The fourth portion 240 may include a filter element. In addition, the fourth portion 240 may also be the filter 240f including the tobacco material 10 described above. That is, details of the filter 240f including the tobacco material 10 described above may be equally applied to a filter included in the fourth portion 240.

The aerosol generating article 200 may include the wrapper 250 surrounding at least a portion of the second portion 220 and the fourth portion 240. Descriptions made above with reference to FIG. 3A may be equally or similarly applied to the wrapper 250.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of manufacturing a tobacco material according to an embodiment. Referring to FIG. 4, the method of manufacturing a tobacco material may include first operation S110 and second operation S120.

First operation S110 may be an operation of manufacturing the core 11 by using a first composition including a flavor substance. The first composition may include tobacco powder, water, and a flavor substance. In particular, the first composition may include about 90 % to about 99 % v/v (volume percent) of the flavor substance, about 0.5 % to about 5 % v/v of a tobacco material, and about 0.5 % to about 5 % v/v of water. For example, the first composition may be a tobacco paste containing a flavor substance.

Second operation S120 may be an operation of forming the shell 12 around at least a portion of the core 11. The shell 12 may be formed using a second composition. The second composition may include about 10 wt% to about 20 wt% of tobacco powder, about 40 wt% to about 60 wt% of water, and about 30 wt% to about 40 wt% of ethanol. For example, the second composition may be a tobacco paste. Unlike the first composition, the second composition includes ethanol which is capable of reducing the drying time of a formed shell and adjusting the hardness and roughness of the shell. In addition, ethanol also has the effect of sterilizing and removing odors of the shell forming the exterior of a tobacco material.

First operation S110 and second operation S120 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 5A and 5B.

FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating first operation S110 of the method of manufacturing a tobacco material according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 5A, a device 20 for manufacturing a tobacco material may be a fluidized-bed reactor. The fluidized-bed reactor may include a storage unit 21, a supply unit 22, and a chamber 23. The storage unit 21 may store a first composition A1. The supply unit 22 may supply the first composition A1 from the storage unit 21 to the chamber 23. The chamber 23 may be a place where the first composition A1 is formed into the core 11 of a tobacco material. The chamber 23 may include an inlet 24 through which air is introduced from the outside.

First operation S110 may include moving the first composition A1 from the storage unit 21 to the supply unit 22. Accordingly, the first composition A1 may be introduced into the chamber 23 from the supply unit 22.

In particular, first operation S110 may include growing the first composition A1 by spraying the first composition A1 in the fluidized-bed reactor at a temperature of about 30 ℃ to about 60 ℃ and under an air pressure of about 1.5 bar or less, and obtaining the core 11 from the grown first composition A1.

Physical properties such as the size, shape, viscosity, density, and surface roughness of the core 11 may be determined by a temperature condition and an air pressure condition of first operation S110. When the temperature and air pressure condition in the above-described numerical range are satisfied, the core 11 having appropriate physical properties may be formed.

External air may be introduced from the outside of the chamber 23 to the inside through the inlet 24. The external air introduced into the chamber 23 may form a flow of the first composition A1 in the chamber 23, and thus the first composition A1 may grow by congealing and agglomeration, thereby forming the core 11 of a tobacco material.

FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating second operation S120 of the method of manufacturing a tobacco material according to an embodiment. Descriptions made above with reference to FIG. 5A may be equally or similarly applied to the device 20 for manufacturing a tobacco material.

Referring to FIG. 5B, in second operation S120, the core 11 obtained from first operation S110 may be placed in the chamber 23, and a second composition A2 may be introduced into the chamber 23 from the supply unit 22.

In particular, second operation S120 may include positioning the core 11 in the fluidized-bed reactor at a temperature of about 50 ℃ to about 90 ℃ and under an air pressure of about 1.5 bar or less, coating a surface of the core 11 with the second composition A2 by spraying the second composition A2 in the fluidized-bed reactor, and obtaining the tobacco material 10 (i.e., the core 11 coated with the second composition A2).

Physical properties such as the size, shape, viscosity, density, and surface roughness of the shell 12 to be formed may be determined by a temperature condition and a pressure condition of second operation S120. When the temperature and air pressure in the above-described numerical range are satisfied, the shell 12 having appropriate physical properties may be formed.

In an embodiment, the first composition A1 in first operation S110 may be grown at a temperature lower than that of the second composition A2 in second operation S120. Because the first composition A1 includes a flavor substance, growing at a temperature lower than that of the second composition A2 may be advantageous in improving flavor retention and flavor expression of a tobacco material.

External air may be introduced from the outside of the chamber 23 to the inside through the inlet 24. The external air introduced into the chamber 23 may form a flow of the core 11 and the second composition A2 in the chamber 23, and thus the second composition A2 may form the shell 12 surrounding at least a portion of the core 11 by congealing and agglomerating on the surface of the core 11.

Accordingly, the tobacco material 10 including the core 11 and the shell 12 surrounding at least a portion of the core 11 may be manufactured through first operation S110 and second operation S120. According to a method of manufacturing the tobacco material 10 according to an embodiment, the tobacco material 10 may be manufactured through a simple operation using a manufacturing device such as a fluidized-bed reactor, and is suitable for mass production.

Those of ordinary skill in the art pertaining to the present embodiments can understand that various changes in form and details can be made therein without departing from the scope of the characteristics described above. The disclosed methods should be considered in descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all differences within the scope of equivalents thereof should be construed as being included in the present disclosure.

Claims

A tobacco material comprising:

a core comprising a first tobacco mixture; and

a shell surrounding at least a portion of the core and comprising a second tobacco mixture,

wherein the first tobacco mixture comprises first tobacco particles and a flavor substance,

the second tobacco mixture comprises second tobacco particles, and

the shell has a surface roughness (Ra) of about 5.0 to about 10.0.
The tobacco material of claim 1, wherein the first tobacco mixture comprises 90 wt% or more of the flavor substance, based on a total weight of the first tobacco mixture.
The tobacco material of claim 1, wherein the core has a size of about 30 mesh to about 50 mesh, and

the tobacco material has a size of about 18 mesh to about 25 mesh.
The tobacco material of claim 1, wherein the tobacco material has a hardness of 90 % or more.
The tobacco material of claim 1, wherein the tobacco material comprises about 5.0 wt% to about 8.0 wt% of moisture, based on a total weight of the tobacco material.
A filter of an aerosol generating article, the filter comprising the tobacco material according to claim 1.
The filter of claim 6, further comprising:

a first filter portion comprising a first filter element;

a flavor portion comprising the tobacco material according to claim 1; and

a second filter portion comprising a second filter element,

wherein the first filter portion, the flavor portion, and the second filter portion are sequentially arranged in a longitudinal direction of the filter.
A method of manufacturing a tobacco material, the method comprising:

a first operation of manufacturing a core by using a first composition comprising a flavor substance; and

a second operation of forming a shell surrounding at least a portion of the core.
The method of claim 8, wherein the first operation comprises growing the first composition by spraying the first composition in a fluidized-bed reactor at a temperature of about 30 ℃ to about 60 ℃ and under an air pressure of 1.5 bar or less.
The method of claim 8, wherein the first composition comprises about 99 % v/v to about 99 % v/v of the flavor substance, about 0.5 % v/v to about 5 % v/v of tobacco power, and about 0.5 % v/v to about 5 % v/v of water.
The method of claim 8, wherein the second operation comprises:

positioning the core in a fluidized-bed reactor; and

coating a surface of the core with a second composition by spraying the second composition in the fluidized-bed reactor at a temperature of about 50 ℃ to about 90 ℃ and under an air pressure of 1.5 bar or less.
The method of claim 9, wherein the second composition comprises about 10 wt% to about 20 wt% of tobacco powder, about 40 wt% to about 60 wt% of water, and about 30 wt% to about 40 wt% of ethanol.