EP4599705A1

EP4599705A1 - Filter for smoking article and smoking article having thereof

Info

Publication number: EP4599705A1
Application number: EP24223474.8A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Min Hee Hwang; Kyeng Bae Ma; Ki Jin AHN; Jin Chul Yang; Jong Cheol Jeong; Sang Woo Jin; Eun Young Park; Jeong Hun Lee; Seung Dong SEO; Yeong Nam Hwang
Original assignee: Kolon Industries Inc; KT&G Corp
Current assignee: Kolon Industries Inc; KT&G Corp
Priority date: 2023-12-27
Filing date: 2024-12-27
Publication date: 2025-08-13
Also published as: TW202525172A; WO2025143826A1

Abstract

A smoking article filter and a smoking article including the same are provided. The smoking article filter includes a filter portion including lyocell tow including lyocell fibers and a phenol functional additive dispersed in the lyocell tow and a filter portion wrapper surrounding the filter portion, wherein the phenol functional additive includes triethyl citrate (TEC) and polyethylene glycol (PEG), and a ratio of the TEC and the PEG ranges from 9:1 to 1:9.

Description

[Technical Field]

The present invention relates to a smoking article filter, including a filter portion including lyocell tow in which a phenol functional additive is dispersed and a filter portion wrapper formed of hard wrapping paper surrounding the filter portion, and a smoking article including the same.

[Background Art]

Typical cigarette filters include cellulose acetate (which may hereinafter be abbreviated as "CA") tow formed by extracting cellulose from wood pulp and acetylating the extracted cellulose. Also, cigarette filters are assembled into cigarette products, distributed to consumers, provided for smoking, and then finally discarded after smoking is completed. Also, some cigarette filters are directly discarded as manufacturing residue from a cigarette filter manufacturing plant. This cigarette filter waste is collected as refuse and landfilled for disposal. In addition, in some cases, smoked cigarettes are left in the natural environment without being collected as refuse.
Accordingly, nowadays, research for replacing cellulose acetate tow with an eco-friendly material is underway to protect the natural environment and reduce costs. For example, the development of tow using lyocell fibers in which the cellulose itself is fiberized unlike cellulose acetate is in progress.
In manufacturing a smoking article filter, a phenol reducing material (hereinafter interchangeably used with "phenol functional additive") that can specifically reduce phenols generated during smoking is added to reduce phenols in mainstream smoke. Conventionally, it is known that polyethylene glycol (hereinafter referred to as "PEG"), triethyl citrate (hereinafter referred to as "TEC"), triacetin (hereinafter referred to as "TA"), and the like are added as phenol reducing materials to cellulose acetate tow.
Nowadays, research for replacing cellulose acetate tow with an eco-friendly material is underway to protect the natural environment and reduce costs. For example, the development of tow using lyocell fibers in which the cellulose itself is fiberized unlike cellulose acetate is in progress.
Meanwhile, due to hydrophobicity of a phenol reducing material, the phenol reducing material may be transferred from inside tow to a filter portion wrapper, particularly an area of the filter portion wrapper where an adhesive is applied. In the case in which the phenol reducing material is transferred to the area of the filter portion wrapper where the adhesive is applied, there is a problem in that the quality of the smoking article filter may degrade as the adhesive deteriorates due to the phenol reducing material and causes bursting of a filter rough portion (adhesive site).
In addition, in a case in which, due to hydrophobicity of a phenol reducing material, the phenol reducing material is transferred from inside tow to a filter portion wrapper and tipping paper, there is a problem in that the quality of the smoking article may degrade as ink printed on the tipping paper spreads due to the phenol reducing material having hydrophobicity.
Accordingly, there is a need for development of a filter material that can minimize a problem in which a phenol reducing material applied to lyocell tow causes bursting of a rough portion of a filter or the spread of design printed on tipping paper.

[Disclosure]

[Technical Problem]

The present invention is directed to providing a smoking article filter and a smoking article including the same in which a composition ratio of triethyl citrate (TEC) and polyethylene glycol (PEG), which are included in a phenol functional additive dispersed in lyocell tow, is optimized to minimize bursting of a rough portion (adhesive site) of a filter portion wrapper surrounding the lyocell tow, thereby ensuring excellent phenol reduction performance and excellent quality.
The present invention is also directed to providing a smoking article filter and a smoking article including the same in which a composition ratio of TEC and PEG, which are included in a phenol functional additive dispersed in lyocell tow, is optimized to prevent the phenol functional additive in the lyocell tow from being transferred to tipping paper through a filter portion wrapper, thereby minimizing the spread of ink and/or the spread of design printed on the tipping paper that is caused by the phenol functional additive.
The present invention is also directed to providing a smoking article filter and a smoking article including the same in which, despite general hard wrapping paper, instead of grease-resistant hard wrapping paper with a surface treated to be grease-resistant, being applied to a filter portion wrapper, bursting of a filter rough portion and a problem of the spread of ink and/or the spread of design are prevented through optimization of a composition ratio of TEC and PEG to minimize a phenol functional additive transferred from lyocell tow to the filter portion wrapper, thereby more effectively removing components such as phenols present in cigarette smoke during smoking and having excellent biodegradability.
The present invention is also directed to providing a smoking article in which a filter portion wrapper surrounding a filter portion including lyocell tow is configured using wrapping paper that has a basis weight of a predetermined value or more and a surface treated to be grease-resistant (that is, hard wrapping paper treated to be grease-resistant) to address a problem of a decrease in hardness that the lyocell tow has and to minimize an amount of a phenol functional additive transferred from the lyocell tow to the filter portion wrapper, thereby more effectively removing components such as phenols present in cigarette smoke during smoking and having excellent biodegradability.
Objectives of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned objectives should be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains based on the description below.

[Technical Solution]

One aspect of the present application provides a smoking article filter including a filter portion including lyocell tow including lyocell fibers and a phenol functional additive dispersed in the lyocell tow and a filter portion wrapper surrounding the filter portion, wherein the phenol functional additive includes triethyl citrate (TEC) and polyethylene glycol (PEG), and a ratio of the TEC and the PEG ranges from 9:1 to 1:9.
In some embodiments, the ratio of the TEC and the PEG in the phenol functional additive may range from 6:4 to 2:8.
In some embodiments, the ratio of the TEC and the PEG in the phenol functional additive may range from 4:6 to 3:7.
In some embodiments, the filter portion wrapper may include wrapping paper having a basis weight ranging from 40 gsm to 160 gsm.
In some embodiments, the filter portion wrapper may be wrapping paper that is not treated to be grease-resistant.
In some embodiments, an amount of the phenol functional additive may range from 5 wt% to 30 wt% with respect to a total of 100 wt% of the lyocell tow.
In some embodiments, an amount of the phenol functional additive may range from 7 wt% to 20 wt% with respect to a total of 100 wt% of the lyocell tow.
Another aspect of the present application provides a smoking article including a smoking material portion, a smoking article filter disposed downstream from the smoking material portion, and tipping paper surrounding the smoking material portion and the smoking article filter, wherein the smoking article filter includes a filter portion including lyocell tow including lyocell fibers and a phenol functional additive dispersed in the lyocell tow and a filter portion wrapper surrounding the filter portion, the phenol functional additive includes triethyl citrate (TEC) and polyethylene glycol (PEG), and content of the PEG may be higher than content of the TEC.
In some embodiments, a ratio of the TEC and the PEG in the phenol functional additive may range from 4.5:5.5 to 2.5:7.5.
In some embodiments, a ratio of the TEC and the PEG in the phenol functional additive may range from 4:6 to 3:7.
In some embodiments, the filter portion wrapper may include wrapping paper having a basis weight ranging from 40 gsm to 160 gsm.
In some embodiments, the filter portion wrapper may be wrapping paper that is not treated to be grease-resistant.
In some embodiments, an amount of the phenol functional additive may range from 5 wt% to 30 wt% with respect to a total of 100 wt% of the lyocell tow.
In some embodiments, an amount of the phenol functional additive may range from 7 wt% to 20 wt% with respect to a total of 100 wt% of the lyocell tow.
In some embodiments, a smoking article including the smoking article filter described above may be provided.

[Advantageous Effects]

According to a smoking article filter and a smoking article including the same according to one embodiment, by manufacturing the smoking article filter by dispersing a phenol functional additive, to which an optimal composition ratio of triethyl citrate (TEC) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) is applied, in lyocell tow, bursting of a rough portion (adhesive site) of a filter portion wrapper surrounding the lyocell tow can be minimized, and it is possible to provide a smoking article filter and a smoking article including the same having excellent phenol reduction performance and excellent quality.
In addition, according to a smoking article including a smoking article filter according to one embodiment, by manufacturing the smoking article filter by dispersing a phenol functional additive, to which an optimal composition ratio of triethyl citrate (TEC) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) is applied, in lyocell tow, it is possible to prevent the phenol functional additive in the smoking article filter from being transferred to tipping paper through a filter portion wrapper, and it is possible to minimize the spread of ink or the spread of design printed on the tipping paper that is caused by the phenol functional additive.
In addition, despite applying general wrapping paper not treated to be grease-resistant, instead of conventionally applied grease-resistant wrapping paper treated to be grease-resistant, to prevent a hydrophobic material included in a phenol functional additive from being transferred to a filter portion wrapper, by manufacturing a smoking article filter and a smoking article including the same by dispersing a phenol functional additive, to which an optimal composition ratio of triethyl citrate (TEC) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) is applied, in lyocell tow, it is possible to prevent bursting of a filter rough portion and a problem of the spread of ink or the spread of design. Accordingly, by minimizing the amount of the phenol functional additive transferred from the lyocell tow to the filter portion wrapper, it is possible to provide a smoking article that can more effectively remove components such as phenols present in cigarette smoke during smoking and has excellent biodegradability.
The advantageous effects according to the technical spirit of the present disclosure are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned advantageous effects can be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art from the description below.

[Description of Drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a schematic configuration of a smoking article according to one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 shows captured images showing whether the spread of ink occurred in smoking articles of Examples 24 and 25 and Comparative Examples 2 and 3 of the present invention.

[Modes of the Invention]

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Advantages and features of the present disclosure and methods of achieving the same should become clear with embodiments described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the technical spirit of the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments and may be implemented in various different forms. The following embodiments are only provided to make the technical spirit of the present disclosure complete and completely inform those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains of the scope of the present disclosure. The technical spirit of the present disclosure is defined only by the scope of the claims.
In assigning reference numerals to components of each drawing, it should be noted that the same reference numerals are assigned to the same components wherever possible even when the components are illustrated in different drawings. Also, in describing the present disclosure, when it is determined that the detailed description of a known related configuration or function may obscure the gist of the present disclosure, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.
Unless otherwise defined, all terms including technical or scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein. Terms used herein are for describing the embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. In the specification, a singular expression includes a plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
Also, in describing components of the present disclosure, terms such as "first," "second," "A," "B," "(a)," and "(b)" may be used. Such terms are only used for distinguishing one component from another component, and the essence, order, sequence, or the like of the corresponding components is not limited by the terms. In a case in which a certain component is described as being "connected," "coupled," or "linked" to another component, it should be understood that, although the component may be directly connected or linked to the other component, still another component may also be "connected," "coupled," or "linked" between the two components.
The terms "comprises" and/or "comprising" used herein do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more components, steps, operations, and/or devices other than those mentioned.
First, some terms used herein will be clarified.
In the present specification, "smoking article" may refer to any product that can be smoked or any product that can provide a smoking experience, regardless of whether the product is based on tobacco, tobacco derivatives, expanded tobacco, reconstituted tobacco, or tobacco substitutes. For example, smoking articles may include products that can be smoked, such as cigarettes, cigars, and cigarillos.
In the present specification, "smoking material" may refer to any type of material that may be used in a smoking article.
In the present specification, "upstream" or "upstream direction" may refer to a direction away from an oral region of a smoker, and "downstream" or "downstream direction" may refer to a direction toward the oral region of the smoker.
In the present specification, "longitudinal direction" may refer to a direction corresponding to a longitudinal axis of a smoking article. "Longitudinal axis" of a smoking article may refer to a virtual line extending in a major vertical direction of the smoking article. This axis usually continues from one side end (e.g., an end of a mouthpiece or a filter) of a smoking article to the other side end (e.g., an end of combustion or a heat source).
In the present specification, "lyocell tow" includes a plurality of lyocell fibers or is made of a plurality of lyocell fibers. In some embodiments, "lyocell tow" may refer to a bundle formed by cross-connecting adjacent lyocell fibers.
In the present specification, "lyocell fibers" may refer to fibers made of cellulose. In particular, lyocell fibers may be fibers made of cellulose derived, or mainly derived, from wood pulp, in particular, semi-synthetic fibers.
In the present specification, "reconstituted tobacco" may refer to reconstituted tobacco leaves.
In the present specification, "reconstituted tobacco leaves" may refer to sheets made by combining a tobacco by-product selected from the group consisting of stems, dust, particles, and a combination thereof with a binder. In some embodiments, reconstituted tobacco leaves are homogenized tobacco leaves.
In the present specification, "shaped cross-section" is defined as a cross-section having a shape including a plurality of protrusions instead of having a circular shape. For example, a cross-section having a shape in which a plurality of protrusions branch and/or extend from a center and/or the center of the cross-section may be referred to as "shaped cross-section." Here, "protrusions" may refer to distinct, extended segments or arms extending outward from a central core or a bonding point of a cross-section of a lyocell fiber.
In some embodiments, a lyocell fiber may have a Y-shaped cross-section with three protrusions branching and/or extending from the center and/or the center of the cross-section, a cross-shaped cross-section with four protrusions, a star-shaped cross-section with five protrusions, or an O-shaped cross-section, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.
In some embodiments, a lyocell fiber may include three or more protrusions branching and/or extending from the center and/or the center of the cross-section, and preferably, may include three protrusions.
In some embodiments, a lyocell fiber included in lyocell tow may have a Y-shaped cross-section in terms of its intended use for application to cigarette filters.
In the present specification, "basis weight" refers to a mass per unit area of wrapping paper and/or a wrapper. A basis weight of wrapping paper and/or a wrapper may be determined by measuring an area of the wrapping paper and/or wrapper and dividing the mass of the wrapping paper and/or wrapper by the area thereof. The unit of the basis weight may be grams per square meter (gsm), i.e., g/m².
In the present specification, "hard wrapping paper" refers to wrapping paper having a basis weight of a predetermined value or more.
In some embodiments, "grease-resistant wrapping paper" may refer to wrapping paper whose surface is treated to be grease-resistant, and "grease-resistant hard wrapping paper" may refer to hard wrapping paper whose surface is treated to be grease-resistant.
In some embodiments, "general wrapping paper" may refer to wrapping paper whose surface is not treated to be grease-resistant, and "general hard wrapping paper" may refer to hard wrapping paper whose surface is not treated to be grease-resistant.
In the present specification, "OP" is an abbreviation of "over-print" and refers to a coating layer protecting a printed ink surface.
In the present specification, "phenols" refers to materials in which hydrogen bonded to a functional group of an aromatic hydrocarbon ring is partially substituted with a hydroxyl group (-OH).
In some embodiments, phenols may include a material selected from the group consisting of catechol, hydroquinone, m-cresol, p-cresol, o-cresol, phenol, resorcinol, and combinations thereof.
In some embodiments, phenols include catechol, hydroquinone, m-cresol, p-cresol, o-cresol, phenol, and resorcinol.
A filter of a smoking article may collect at least some components of smoke generated during smoking of the smoking article. In some embodiments, a filter of a smoking article may collect at least some phenols contained in components of smoke generated during smoking of the smoking article.
In the present specification, "whiteness" may indicate the degree to which a surface is white. For example, "whiteness" may indicate whiteness according to CIE D65-10 and/or CIE whiteness and/or CIE whiteness index. For example, whiteness may be measured spectrophotometrically. For example, whiteness may be measured using a computer color matching (CCM) instrument. For example, although not particularly limited thereto, as the CCM instrument, ColorEye 7000A Spectrophotometer from X-Rite may be used.
In the present specification, "resistance to draw" refers to a static pressure difference between both ends of a sample when an airflow crosses the sample. For example, resistance to draw may refer to a static pressure difference between both ends of a sample when an airflow crosses the sample under normal conditions where a volume flow rate is 17.5 mm/s at a discharge end. For example, resistance to draw may be measured using a method specified in ISO Standard 6565:2002.
In some embodiments, room temperature may be a temperature ranging from 20 °C to 25 °C.
In the present specification, unless a separate physical quantity is indicated, percentages (%) of components and ratios of the components indicate wt% of components and weight ratios of the components, respectively.
Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a schematic configuration of a smoking article according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Throughout the specification, "smoking article" may refer to anything capable of generating an aerosol, such as tobacco (cigarettes) and cigars. The smoking article may include an aerosol-generating material and/or an aerosol-forming substrate. Also, the smoking article may include a solid material based on tobacco raw materials, such as reconstituted tobacco leaves, shredded tobacco, and reconstituted tobacco. A smoking material may include volatile compounds.
Also, throughout the specification, "upstream" or "upstream direction" refers to a direction away from an oral region of a user (consumer) smoking a smoking article 100, and "downstream" or "downstream direction" refers to a direction toward the oral region of the user (consumer) smoking the smoking article 100. For example, in the smoking article 100 illustrated in FIG. 1, a smoking material portion 10 is disposed upstream or in an upstream direction from a filter portion 20 included in a smoking article filter.
Further, in the present specification, a case where the smoking article 100 is a combustion-type cigarette is described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the smoking article 100 may also be a heating-type cigarette or the like that is used together with an aerosol generation device such as an electronic cigarette device.
Referring to FIG. 1, the smoking article 100 includes the smoking material portion 10, the filter portion 20, a smoking material portion wrapper 30a, a filter portion wrapper 30b, and tipping paper 40. A smoking article filter may include the filter portion 20 and the filter portion wrapper 30b surrounding the filter portion 20. In the smoking article 100, the smoking material portion 10 is disposed upstream from the filter portion 20.
The smoking material portion 10 may be filled with a smoking material such as raw tobacco leaves, reconstituted tobacco leaves, or a mixture of tobacco leaves and reconstituted tobacco leaves. A processed smoking material may be filled in the smoking material portion 10 in the form of a sheet or shredded tobacco. The smoking material portion 10 may have the form of a longitudinally extending rod whose length, circumference, and diameter are not particularly limited, but the length, circumference, and diameter may be adjusted to sizes generally used in the art in consideration of the amount of smoking material filled therein, user (consumer) preferences, or the like.
The smoking material portion 10 may include at least one aerosol-generating material among glycerin, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, and oleyl alcohol. The smoking material portion 10 may contain other additives such as a flavoring agent, a wetting agent, and/or an acetate compound. The aerosol-generating material and/or the additive may be contained in the smoking material.
The smoking material portion 10 may be wrapped with the smoking material portion wrapper 30a. Some of the cigarette smoke generated in a typical combustion process of the smoking material portion 10 is released into the atmosphere through the smoking material portion wrapper 30a before passing through the cigarette filter, and sidestream smoke gives an unpleasant feeling to people exposed thereto. There have been various attempts to reduce sidestream smoke such as filling conventional cigarette paper with a filler such as magnesium oxide, titanium oxide, cerium oxide, aluminum oxide, calcium carbonate, or zirconium carbonate. However, when sidestream smoke is reduced by simply applying such a filler, tobacco smoke taste degradation, combustion interruption, ash integrity degradation, or the like may occur, and it is difficult to address the above-mentioned problem through suitable combinations of materials contained in the filler. A filler in which magnesium oxide (MgO) and/or magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH)₂)) and calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) are mixed may be applied to the smoking material portion wrapper 30a according to one embodiment of the present invention in order to prevent tobacco smoke taste degradation, ash integrity degradation, and combustion interruption while reducing sidestream smoke.
The smoking article filter may be disposed downstream from the smoking material portion 10. The filter portion 20 of the smoking article filter is disposed downstream from the smoking material portion 10 and serves as a filter through which an aerosol material generated in the smoking material portion 10 passes right before being inhaled by the user (consumer). The filter portion 20 may be manufactured using various materials or manufactured in various forms.
The smoking article filter according to one embodiment of the present invention may include the filter portion 20 and the filter portion wrapper 30b surrounding the filter portion 20. The filter portion 20 according to one embodiment of the present invention may basically include lyocell tow including a plurality of lyocell fibers and a phenol functional additive dispersed in the lyocell tow.
The smoking article filter including the lyocell tow may replace all or part of the filter portion 20 of existing smoking articles, and when the smoking article filter replaces part of the filter portion 20, a filter material that is used conventionally may be used together. For example, a cellulose acetate filter, a hollow tube filter, or the like may be used as the conventional filter material.
The filter portion 20 is illustrated as a mono filter formed of a single filter in FIG. 1, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the filter portion 20 may be provided as a dual filter, a triple filter, or the like, which includes two or more filters, in order to increase filter efficiency.
In some embodiments, when the filter portion 20 is provided as a dual filter, a triple filter, or the like, the filter (hereinafter, "lyocell filter") of the present invention that includes lyocell tow including lyocell fibers and a phenol functional additive dispersed in the lyocell tow may be applied as any one filter of the plurality of filters, and a cellulose acetate filter and/or a paper filter may be applied as another of the plurality of filters. In this case, a length of the lyocell filter of the present invention may be 25% to 50% of the overall length of the filter portion 20. Also, although not illustrated, a crushable capsule (not illustrated) having a structure in which a liquid including a flavoring is wrapped with a film may be further included in the filter portion 20.
The filter portion wrapper 30b may be wrapped around the filter portion 20 to package the filter portion 20.
In some embodiments, the filter portion wrapper 30b may include wrapping paper. The filter portion wrapper 30b may include hard wrapping paper having a basis weight of a predetermined value or more. The filter portion wrapper 30b may include at least one or more of general hard wrapping paper or grease-resistant hard wrapping paper. The general hard wrapping paper may be hard wrapping paper whose surface is not treated to be grease-resistant, and the grease-resistant hard wrapping paper may be hard wrapping paper whose surface is treated to be grease-resistant. Although the present invention is not limited thereto, an aluminum foil may be further included at an inner surface of the filter portion wrapper 30b that faces the filter portion 20.
Hereinafter, "hard wrapping paper" may refer to wrapping paper having a basis weight within or beyond a predetermined numerical range. In particular, hard wrapping paper may be wrapping paper having a basis weight of 40 gsm or more, preferably 50 gsm or more, more preferably 60 gsm or more, even more preferably 70 gsm or more, and still more preferably 75 gsm or more.
In some embodiments, the filter portion wrapper 30b may include general hard wrapping paper. By general hard wrapping paper being applied to the filter portion wrapper 30b instead of grease-resistant hard wrapping paper, biodegradability may be higher compared to a smoking article filter or a smoking article in which grease-resistant hard wrapping paper is applied to the filter portion wrapper 30b. As will be described below, since it is possible to maintain a high retention rate of a phenol functional additive in the filter portion 20 by applying an optimal composition ratio (mixing ratio) of TEC and PEG included in the phenol functional additive, a smoking article filter having excellent quality can be provided without applying grease-resistant hard wrapping paper.
Meanwhile, since the filter portion wrapper 30b includes hard wrapping paper having a basis weight of a predetermined value or more or is made of the hard wrapping paper, the filter portion wrapper 30b may perform a function of imparting a hardness of a predetermined level or more to the smoking article filter according to the present invention in addition to serving as a wrapping material surrounding the filter portion 20 including lyocell tow.
Specifically, in a case in which the filter portion 20 is made of lyocell tow in which a phenol functional additive including PEG and TEC is dispersed, since plasticization of lyocell fibers does not occur due to the phenol functional additive, the hardness of the lyocell tow may decrease. In some embodiments, the hardness of the smoking article filter may be supplemented by the filter portion wrapper 30b, which surrounds the filter portion 20, including hard wrapping paper having a basis weight of a predetermined value or more or being made of the hard wrapping paper.
In some embodiments, the filter portion wrapper 30b may include grease-resistant hard wrapping paper or general hard wrapping paper instead of the grease-resistant hard wrapping paper, and in particular, may include grease-resistant hard wrapping paper or general hard wrapping paper, instead of the grease-resistant hard wrapping paper, having a basis weight ranging from 40 gsm to 160 gsm, from 50 gsm to 158 gsm, from 60 gsm to 155 gsm, from 70 gsm to 150 gsm, or from 75 gsm to 150 gsm. As the filter portion wrapper 30b includes wrapping paper having a high basis weight, that is, hard wrapping paper, as described above or is made of the hard wrapping paper, the filter portion wrapper 30b may supplement the hardness of the filter portion 20 including lyocell tow in which a phenol functional additive is dispersed, and in this way, the hardness of the smoking article filter reaches a predetermined level or more, and it is possible to address a problem of a decrease in hardness of the smoking article filter.
In some embodiments, the filter portion wrapper 30b surrounding the filter portion 20 may include a filter rough portion (interchangeably used with "filter rough") that is an adhesive site (area) on which an adhesive is applied. The filter rough portion may be a portion where an adhesive is applied and the filter portion wrapper 30b seals and fixes the filter portion 20. The filter rough portion may include a first portion (also referred to as "seam portion"), which is a portion where portions of the filter portion wrapper 30b surrounding the filter portion 20 are bonded to each other, and a second portion (also referred to as "second portion"), which is a bonding area between the filter portion wrapper 30b and the filter portion 20. Specifically, the first portion may be a portion where portions of filter wrapping paper overlap each other and may be an area where an adhesive is applied. The second portion may be the remaining area of the filter rough portion and may be an area that touches a circumferential portion of the filter portion.
In some embodiments, the adhesive applied on the first portion of the filter rough portion may may be melted by heat applied thereto with a hot melt (for example, solid-phase) adhesive and then cooled to perform a function of bonding and/or fixing bonding portions of the filter portion wrapper 30b to each other. The adhesive applied on the second portion of the filter rough portion may be a liquid adhesive. The hot melt (for example, solid-phase) adhesive may be applied on the first portion of the filter rough portion to prevent a decrease in filter manufacturing efficiency due to a liquid adhesive requiring an additional drying time when the liquid adhesive is applied on the first portion, but the present invention is not limited thereto.
In some embodiments, the adhesive applied on the first portion of the filter rough portion may include ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) and/or the adhesive applied on the second portion of the filter rough portion may include at least one or more of ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) and polyvinyl acetate (PVA), but the present invention is not limited thereto.
The smoking material portion 10 wrapped with the smoking material portion wrapper 30a and the filter portion 20 wrapped with the filter portion wrapper 30b may be combined and wrapped with the tipping paper 40. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the tipping paper 40 may be wrapped around at least a portion (for example, a partial downstream region) of the smoking material portion wrapper 30a and an outer periphery of the filter portion wrapper 30b. In other words, at least a portion of the smoking material portion 10 and the filter portion 20 may be further wrapped and physically combined with the tipping paper 40.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, the tipping paper 40 may be made of nonporous wrapping paper that has not been treated to be grease-resistant, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Also, the tipping paper 40 may include an incombustible material to prevent a phenomenon in which the filter portion 20 burns, but the present invention is not limited thereto.
In addition, although not illustrated in the drawings, the smoking article 100 may further include a hollow tube structure which is a tubular structure including a hollow formed therein. The hollow tube structure may be disposed downstream from the lyocell filter.
In some embodiments, perforations may be formed in the hollow tube structure, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Perforations may not be formed in the hollow tube structure. In some embodiments, when perforations are formed in the hollow tube structure, the perforations may be formed at a position spaced 10 mm to 15 mm upstream from a downstream end of the smoking article 100.
Hereinafter, the smoking article filter according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.
The present invention relates to the smoking article filter included in the smoking article 100, and the smoking article filter according to one embodiment of the present invention includes the filter portion 20 including lyocell tow including lyocell fibers and a phenol functional additive dispersed in the lyocell tow and the filter portion wrapper 30b surrounding the filter portion 20.
The lyocell fibers may be eco-friendly fibers made of cellulose extracted from wood pulp. The lyocell tow is a bundle formed by cross-connecting adjacent lyocell fibers.
In some embodiments, the lyocell fibers may have a shaped cross-section. The shaped cross-section is defined as a cross-section having a shape including a plurality of protrusions instead of having a circular shape. For example, a cross-section having a shape in which a plurality of protrusions extend from the center may be referred to as "shaped cross-section."
In some embodiments, the lyocell fibers may have a Y-shaped cross-section with three protrusions branching from the center, a cross-shaped cross-section with four protrusions, a star-shaped cross-section with five protrusions, or an O-shaped cross-section, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The terms mentioned here have the same meanings as described above.
In one embodiment, the phenol functional additive corresponds to a substance that can specifically reduce phenols generated during smoking, and the phenol functional additive includes polyethylene glycol (hereinafter referred to as "PEG") and triethyl citrate (hereinafter referred to as "TEC"). In some embodiments, the phenol functional additive may further include triacetin (hereinafter referred to as "TA"), but the present invention is not limited thereto.
In some embodiments, the phenol functional additive may be uniformly dispersed in lyocell tow and may be distributed throughout the entire region of the lyocell tow constituting the filter portion 20.
In some embodiments, the phenol functional additive may be included in lyocell tow or may be uniformly dispersed on surfaces of lyocell fibers constituting the lyocell tow.
In some embodiments, the phenol functional additive may be included in lyocell tow or may be applied and uniformly dispersed on surfaces of lyocell fibers constituting the lyocell tow.
At least one of PEG and TEC that are included in the phenol functional additive may also serve as a plasticizer for cellulose acetate fibers but not act as a plasticizer for lyocell fibers according to one aspect of the present application. Accordingly, in some embodiments, although the phenol functional additive including PEG and TEC is applied on surfaces of lyocell fibers, the lyocell fibers may not be plasticized by the phenol functional additive.
The smoking article filter to which lyocell tow is applied according to the present invention includes a phenol functional additive including PEG and TEC and dispersed in surfaces of lyocell fibers and/or lyocell tow and thus may have a greater effect of reducing phenols generated during smoking, compared to a smoking article filter not including the phenol functional additive.
In some embodiments, PEG included in the phenol functional additive may have a weight average molecular weight (MW) ranging from 100 to 2,000. Although the present invention is not limited thereto, in some embodiments, PEG may have a weight average molecular weight (MW) of 600.
In some embodiments, a weight ratio of TEC and PEG that are the phenol functional additives dispersed in the lyocell tow included in the filter portion 20 may range from 9:1 to 1:9, from 8:2 to 1.2:8.8, from 7.5:2.5 to 1.5:8.5, from 7:3 to 1.75:8.25, from 6:4 to 2:8, from 4.5:5:5 to 2.5:7.5, or from 4:6 to 3:7, and preferably, may be 3:7.
Although the present invention is not limited thereto, content of PEG that is the phenol functional additive included in the filter portion 20 may be higher than content of TEC that is another phenol functional additive. By the content of PEG being higher than the content of TEC in the phenol functional additive, the phenol functional additive can be prevented from being transferred to the filter portion wrapper due to TEC having an oily characteristic (oiliness). Meanwhile, in a case where the content of PEG is excessively high when mixing TEC and PEG, due to a high-viscosity characteristic of PEG, there may be a problem in that manufacturability of the smoking article filter decreases at the time of spraying the phenol functional additive. Accordingly, a mixing ratio of TEC and PEG may be set in consideration of the above-described characteristics of TEC and PEG.
According to one aspect of the present application, by optimizing the content ratio of TEC and PEG that are the phenol functional additives dispersed in the lyocell tow included in the filter portion 20, it is possible to prevent the phenol functional additive dispersed in the filter portion 20 from being transferred to the filter portion wrapper 30b and prevent bursting of the filter rough portion. In particular, in a case in which the phenol functional additives dispersed in the lyocell tow of the filter portion 20 are transferred to the filter portion wrapper 30b, there may be a problem in which bursting of the filter rough portion occurs due to an adhesive applied on the filter rough portion deteriorating due to the phenol functional additives. Therefore, by optimizing the content ratio of TEC and PEG, which are the phenol functional additives, to prevent the phenol function additives from being transferred to the filter portion wrapper 30b, bursting of the filter rough portion can be minimized, and the quality of the smoking article filter can be improved.
In addition, according to one aspect of the present application, by optimizing the content ratio of TEC and PEG that are the phenol functional additives dispersed in the lyocell tow included in the filter portion 20, it is possible to prevent the phenol functional additives dispersed in the filter portion 20 from being transferred to the tipping paper 40 through the filter portion wrapper 30b. Meanwhile, ink may be printed on the tipping paper 40, and when the phenol functional additive is transferred to the tipping paper 40, a problem may occur in which the ink printed on the tipping paper 40 melts and spreads due to hydrophobicity of the phenol functional additive. In the smoking article filter according to the present invention, by optimizing the content ratio of TEC and PEG that are the phenol functional additives dispersed in the lyocell tow included in the filter portion 20, the phenol functional additive can be prevented from being transferred from the filter portion 20 to the filter portion wrapper 30b or the tipping paper 40, and the spread of ink or design printed on the tipping paper 40 that occurs due to the phenol functional additive can be prevented, thereby improving the quality of the smoking article.
Further, according to one aspect of the present application, it is possible to prevent a problem in which the hardness of the smoking article filter decreases due to the filter portion wrapper 30b getting wet due to the phenol functional additive or phenol reduction performance decreases due to a decrease in the amount of the phenol functional additive remaining on the lyocell tow.
In addition, according to one aspect of the present application, by optimizing the content ratio of TEC and PEG that are the phenol functional additives dispersed in the lyocell tow included in the filter portion 20 and preventing the phenol functional additive dispersed in the filter portion 20 from being transferred to the filter portion wrapper 30b, it is possible to provide a smoking article filter and a smoking article including the same with improved quality in which bursting of the filter rough portion or the spread of ink or design printed on the tipping paper does not occur even when general hard wrapping paper not treated to be grease-resistant is applied as the filter portion wrapper 30b.
In some embodiments, the content of the phenol functional additive dispersed in the lyocell tow included in the filter portion 20 may range from 5 wt% to 30 wt%, 6 wt% to 25 wt%, 7 wt% to 20 wt%, 8 wt% to 18 wt%, 9 wt% to 16 wt%, or 10 wt% to 12 wt% with respect to a total of 100 wt% of the lyocell tow, but the present invention is not limited thereto.
Hereinafter, the configurations of the present invention and the advantageous effects according thereto will be described in more detail using examples and comparative examples. However, the examples are merely for describing the present invention in more detail, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to these examples.

Experimental Example 1: Evaluation of influence of different added amounts of TEC and PEG on filter quality and cigarette quality

Using filter manufacturing equipment KDF-2 (whose operational mechanism is the same as cellulose acetate (CA) tow filter manufacturing equipment), smoking article filters having a length of 108 mm and a circumference of 24.2 mm were manufactured by spraying and adding TEC and PEG as phenol functional additives to lyocell tow while controlling the content of TEC and PEG based on a smoking article filter with a length of 108 mm and a circumference of 24.2 mm, and then wrapping the lyocell tow having the phenol functional additive dispersed therein with a filter portion wrapper which was general hard wrapping paper or grease-resistant hard wrapping paper having a basis weight of 75 gsm. Ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) from Henkel, which is a hot melt (solid-phase) adhesive, was applied as an adhesive of a seam portion of a filter rough portion (a first portion or a wrapping paper bonding portion of the filter rough portion) of the filter portion wrapper surrounding the lyocell tow, and polyvinyl acetate (PVA) from Henkel, which is a liquid adhesive, was applied as an adhesive of a second portion of the filter rough portion (a second portion or a wrapping paper center portion of the filter rough portion).
The manufactured smoking article filters were stored under harsh conditions, including an internal temperature ranging from 30 °C to 50 °C and a relative humidity ranging from 10% to 90%, for 4 weeks, and whether bursting of the filter rough portion occurred was checked. Results thereof are shown in Table 1 below.
The harsh conditions may be conditions in which the internal temperature and the relative humidity are periodically changed within the above-mentioned harsh condition ranges. The filter rough portion was checked by visual inspection to find out whether bursting of the rough occurred, and in a case in which, among the first portion of the filter rough portion and the second portion of the filter rough portion, at least the second portion of the filter rough portion detached, it was evaluated that the bursting of the rough occurred, and in a case in which only the first portion of the filter rough portion partially detached or neither of the first portion of the filter rough portion and the second portion of the filter rough portion detached, it was evaluated that the bursting of the rough did not occur.
Then, smoking articles were manufactured by combining the manufactured smoking article filters with different added amounts of TEC and PEG and different types of filter portion wrappers (general hard wrapping paper, grease-resistant hard wrapping paper) and a smoking material portion with 3 mg of tar applied thereto using tipping paper having printing on a front surface and not having over-print (OP) coating, the manufactured smoking articles were stored under room temperature conditions, including an internal temperature of 22 °C and a relative humidity of 60%, for 4 weeks, and whether the spread of design occurred was checked. Results thereof are also shown in Table 1 below. Whether the spread of design occurred was evaluated by checking, by visual inspection, whether the spread of ink printed on the tipping paper occurred and the degree of the spread or whether the ink stained other parts and the degree of smearing of the ink.

In Table 1 below, an added amount (mg/rod) of a phenol functional additive is an amount of the phenol functional additive added based on lyocell tow having a length of 108 mm and a circumference of 24.2 mm.

[Table 1]

Type of phenol functional additive	Added amount (mg/rod)	Applied wrapping paper (filter portion wrapper)	Bursting of rough	Spread of design
TEC alone	120	General hard wrapping paper	Occurred	Occurred
	120	Grease-resistant hard wrapping paper	Occurred	Occurred
	90	General hard wrapping paper	Partially occurred	Occurred
	90	Grease-resistant hard wrapping paper	Partially occurred	Occurred
	60	General hard wrapping paper	Did not occur	Occurred
	60	Grease-resistant hard wrapping paper	Did not occur	Occurred
PEG alone	140	General hard wrapping paper	Did not occur	Occurred
	140	Grease-resistant hard wrapping paper	Did not occur	-
	120	General hard wrapping paper	Did not occur	Partially occurred
	120	Grease-resistant hard wrapping paper	Did not occur	-
	90	General hard wrapping paper	Did not occur	Did not occur
	90	Grease-resistant hard wrapping paper	Did not occur	-
	70	General hard wrapping paper	Did not occur	Did not occur
	70	Grease-resistant hard wrapping paper	Did not occur	-
	50	General hard wrapping paper	Did not occur	Did not occur
	50	Grease-resistant hard wrapping paper	Did not occur	-

As shown in Table 1 above, it can be confirmed that, in a case in which TEC was applied alone as a phenol functional additive, the bursting of the rough occurred with an increase in the added amount, and in a case in which PEG was applied alone as a phenol functional additive, the bursting of the rough did not occur regardless of the amount of PEG added onto the lyocell tow. In addition, it can be confirmed that, when the added amounts were 90 mg/rod and 120 mg/rod, the bursting of the rough occurred in a case in which TEC was applied alone as a phenol functional additive, while the bursting of the rough did not occur in a case in which PEG was applied alone as a phenol functional additive .
Then, it can be confirmed that the spread of design occurred regardless of the added amount when TEC was applied alone as a phenol functional additive, and the spread of design partially occurred in cases in which the added amount was 120 mg/rod or higher when PEG was applied alone as a phenol functional additive. In addition, it can be confirmed that, when the added amounts were 90 mg/rod and 120 mg/rod, the spread of design occurred in a case in which TEC was applied alone as a phenol functional additive, but in a case in which PEG was applied alone as a phenol functional additive, the spread of design did not occur when the added amount was 90 mg/rod, while the spread of design partially occurred when the added amount of 120 mg/rod.
From the results shown in Table 1 above, it can be directly or indirectly confirmed that the main cause of the bursting of the rough and/or the spread of design is the hydrophobicity of TEC that makes it easy for TEC to be transferred to the filter portion wrapper (general hard wrapping paper, grease-resistant hard wrapping paper). Therefore, it can be confirmed that the use of PEG is more advantageous than use of TEC in securing the quality of the smoking article filter or smoking article by preventing the bursting of the rough, the spread of design, etc.

Example 1

Using filter manufacturing equipment KDF-2 (whose operational mechanism is the same as CA tow filter manufacturing equipment), a smoking article filter having a length of 108 mm and a circumference of 24.2 mm was manufactured by spraying and adding a phenol functional additive, in which TEC and PEG were mixed at a ratio of (TEC:PEG=8:2), at an added amount of 100 mg/rod to lyocell tow based on a smoking article filter with a length of 108 mm, a circumference of 24.2 mm, and a resistance to draw of 370 mmWG, and then wrapping the lyocell tow having the phenol functional additive dispersed therein and added thereto with a filter portion wrapper which was general hard wrapping paper having a basis weight of 75 gsm, and a smoking article was manufactured by combining the manufactured smoking article filter and a smoking material portion with 3 mg of tar applied thereto using tipping paper having printing on a front surface.

Example 2

A smoking article filter and a smoking article including the same were manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the added amount of the phenol functional additive was 70 mg/rod.

Example 3

A smoking article filter and a smoking article including the same were manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that TEC and PEG were mixed at a ratio of (TEC:PEG=6:4).

Example 4

A smoking article filter and a smoking article including the same were manufactured in the same manner as in Example 3 except that the added amount of the phenol functional additive was 70 mg/rod.

Example 5

A smoking article filter and a smoking article including the same were manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that TEC and PEG were mixed at a ratio of (TEC:PEG=5:5).

Example 6

A smoking article filter and a smoking article including the same were manufactured in the same manner as in Example 5 except that the added amount of the phenol functional additive was 70 mg/rod.

Example 7

A smoking article filter and a smoking article including the same were manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that TEC and PEG were mixed at a ratio of (TEC:PEG=2:8).

Example 8

A smoking article filter was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 7 except that the added amount of the phenol functional additive was 70 mg/rod.

Example 9

A smoking article filter was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the added amount of the phenol functional additive was 125 mg/rod.

Example 10

A smoking article filter was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 7 except that the added amount of the phenol functional additive was 120 mg/rod.

Experimental Example 2: Evaluation of influence of different mixing ratios and added amounts of TEC and PEG on filter quality and cigarette quality

The smoking article filters and the smoking articles of Examples 1 to 10 above were stored under harsh conditions, including an internal temperature ranging from 30 °C to 50 °C and a relative humidity ranging from 10% to 90%, for 4 weeks, whether bursting of the rough of the smoking article filter occurred and whether the spread of design on the smoking article occurred were checked, and results thereof are shown in Table 2 below. Whether the bursting of the rough occurred and whether the spread of the design occurred were evaluated in the same manner as in Experimental Example 1.

[Table 2]

Classification	TEC:PEG mixing ratio	Added amount (mg/rod)	Bursting of rough	Spread of design
Example 9	8:2	125	Occurred	Occurred (small quantity)
Example 1		100	Did not occur	Did not occur
Example 2		70	Did not occur	Did not occur
Example 3	6:4	100	Occurred	Occurred (small quantity)
Example 4	6:4	70	Did not occur	Did not occur
Example 5	5:5	100	Occurred	Did not occur
Example 6	5:5	70	Did not occur	Did not occur
Example 10	2:8	120	Did not occur	Did not occur
Example 7		100	Did not occur	Did not occur
Example 8		70	Did not occur	Did not occur

As shown in Table 2 above, it can be confirmed that in terms of the mixing ratio of TEC and PEG, the spread of design or the bursting of the rough was better prevented with a higher proportion of PEG. Specifically, when comparing Examples 3, 5, and 7 in which the same amount of the phenol functional additive was added, it can be confirmed that, compared to Example 3, the spread of the design did not occur in Example 5, and neither the bursting of the rough nor the spread of the design occurred in Example 7. Further, from the fact that it can be confirmed from Examples 9 and 10, in which similar amounts of the phenol functional additive were added, that neither the bursting of the rough nor the spread of the design occurred in Example 10 while both the bursting of the rough and the spread of the design occurred in Example 9, it can be confirmed that exterior quality of a smoking article filter and a smoking article is improved with an increase in the proportion of PEG in the mixing ratio of TEC and PEG.

Experimental Example 3: Evaluation of phenol reduction performance of smoking article filters with different mixing ratios and added amounts of TEC and PEG

Smoking articles were manufactured by combining smoking article filters, each formed to have a length of 27 mm by dividing the smoking article filters of Examples 2, 4, 6, and 8, each having a length of 108 mm, into four pieces, and a smoking material portion with 3 mg of tar applied thereto using tipping paper having printing on a front surface, for the manufactured smoking articles of Examples 2, 4, 6, and 8, smoke components emitted during smoking using the cigarette smoking machine HAUNI LX20 manual (linear type) as a smoking device were collected using a Cambridge filter pad (CFP), and in order to extract substances from the smoke components collected on the CFP, 30 mL of 1% acetic acid was added and then stirred, and the substances were filtered using a 0.45 µm polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) syringe filter and analyzed using an Alliance HPLC-FLD analysis device of Waters Corporation, and results thereof are shown in Table 3 below.

[Table 3]

Information	Example 2	Example 4	Example 6	Example 8
Catechol (µg)	88.9	87.4	85.3	91.5
Hydroquinone (µg)	99.9	100.0	103.3	107.0
m+p cresols (µg)	13.3	11.4	9.4	12.4
o-Cresol (µg)	4.5	3.6	3.0	4.4
Phenol (µg)	20.7	16.1	12.5	15.9
Resorcinol (µg)	2.5	2.3	2.3	2.5

As shown in Table 3 above, referring to Examples 2, 4, and 6, it can be confirmed that an amount of transitioned phenol decreased from 20.7 µg to 16.1 µg and 12.5 µg and phenol reduction performance increased with an increase in the proportion of PEG in the mix of TEC and PEG. However, it can be confirmed that in Example 8, despite a higher proportion of PEG as compared to Example 6, an amount of transitioned phenol was 15.9 µg, and phenol reduction performance decreased compared to Example 6. Accordingly, it can be confirmed that, although phenol reduction performance is higher with an increase in the proportion of PEG in the mix of TEC and PEG, it is necessary to set an optimal mixing ratio of TEC and PEG by setting the mixing ratio of TEC and PEG to be between those in Example 6 (TEC:PEG=5:5) and Example 8 (TEC:PEG=2:8)

Example 11

A smoking article filter and a smoking article including the same were manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that TEC and PEG were mixed at a ratio of (TEC:PEG=4:6).

Example 12

A smoking article filter and a smoking article including the same were manufactured in the same manner as in Example 11 except that grease-resistant hard wrapping paper was applied as the filter portion wrapper.

Example 13

A smoking article filter was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 11 except that the added amount of the phenol functional additive was 70 mg/rod.

Example 14

A smoking article filter and a smoking article including the same were manufactured in the same manner as in Example 13 except that grease-resistant hard wrapping paper was applied as the filter portion wrapper.

Example 15

A smoking article filter and a smoking article including the same were manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that TEC and PEG were mixed at a ratio of (TEC:PEG=3:7).

Example 16

A smoking article filter and a smoking article including the same were manufactured in the same manner as in Example 15 except that grease-resistant hard wrapping paper was applied as the filter portion wrapper.

Example 17

A smoking article filter was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 15 except that the added amount of the phenol functional additive was 70 mg/rod.

Example 18

A smoking article filter and a smoking article including the same were manufactured in the same manner as in Example 17 except that grease-resistant hard wrapping paper was applied as the filter portion wrapper.

Experimental Example 4: Evaluation of influence of different mixing ratios and added amounts of TEC and PEG on filter quality and cigarette quality

The smoking article filters and the smoking articles of Examples 11 to 18 above were stored under harsh conditions, including an internal temperature ranging from 30 °C to 50 °C and a relative humidity ranging from 10% to 90%, for 4 weeks, whether bursting of the rough of the smoking article filter occurred and whether the spread of design on the smoking article occurred were checked, and results thereof are shown in Table 4 below. Whether the bursting of the rough occurred and whether the spread of the design occurred were evaluated in the same manner as in Experimental Example 1.

[Table 4]

Classification	TEC:PEG mixing ratio	Added amount (mg/rod)	Applied wrapping paper	Bursting of rough	First portion of rough	Second portion of rough	Spread of design
Example 11	4:6	100	General hard	Did not occur	Detached	Did not detach	Did not occur
Example 12		100	Grease-resistant hard	Did not occur	Partially detached	Did not detach	-
Example 13		70	General hard	Did not occur	Detached	Did not detach	Did not occur
Example 14		70	Grease-resistant hard	Did not occur	Partially detached	Did not detach	-
Example 15	3:7	100	General hard	Did not occur	Detached	Did not detach	Did not occur
Example 16		100	Grease-resistant hard	Did not occur	Did not detach	Did not detach	-
Example 17		70	General hard	Did not occur	Detached	Did not detach	Did not occur
Example 18		70	Grease-resistant hard	Did not occur	Did not detach	Did not detach	-

As shown in Table 4 above, from the fact that it can be confirmed that neither the bursting of the rough nor the spread of the design occurred in Examples 11 to 14 in which the mixing ratio of TEC and PEG was 4:6 and Examples 15 to 18 in which the mixing ratio of TEC and PEG was 3:7, it can be confirmed that quality of the smoking article filter and the smoking article including the same was good with either of the two different mixing ratios of TEC and PEG of Examples 11 to 18. However, from the fact that it can be confirmed that the first portion of the filter rough portion partially detached in Examples 12 and 14 while the first portion of the filter rough portion did not detach in Examples 16 and 18, it can be confirmed that the quality is better when the mixing ratio of TEC and PEG is 3:7, compared to when the mixing ratio of TEC and PEG is 4:6.

Example 19

A smoking article filter and a smoking article including the same were manufactured in the same manner as in Example 15 except that the phenol functional additive was sprayed and added at an added amount of 80 mg/rod based on a smoking article filter having a length of 108 mm, a circumference of 24.2 mm, and a resistance to draw of 370 mmWG.

Example 20

A smoking article filter and a smoking article including the same were manufactured in the same manner as in Example 19 except that grease-resistant hard wrapping paper was applied as the filter portion wrapper.

Example 21

A smoking article filter and a smoking article including the same were manufactured in the same manner as in Example 19 except that the added amount of the phenol functional additive was 60 mg/rod.

Example 22

A smoking article filter and a smoking article including the same were manufactured in the same manner as in Example 21 except that grease-resistant hard wrapping paper was applied as the filter portion wrapper.

Example 23

A smoking article filter and a smoking article including the same were manufactured in the same manner as in Example 19 except that the added amount of the phenol functional additive was 40 mg/rod.

Comparative Example 1

A smoking article filter and a smoking article including the same were manufactured in the same manner as in Example 19 except that the phenol functional additive was not added to the lyocell tow.

Experimental Example 5: Evaluation of phenol reduction performance of smoking article filters with different added amounts of TEC and PEG at mixing ratio of 3:7

Smoking articles were manufactured by combining smoking article filters, each formed to have a length of 27 mm by dividing the smoking article filters of Examples 19 to 23 and Comparative Example 1, each having a length of 108 mm, into four pieces, and a smoking material portion with 3 mg of tar applied thereto using tipping paper having printing on a front surface, for the manufactured smoking articles of Examples 19 to 23 and Comparative Example 1, smoke components emitted during smoking using the cigarette smoking machine HAUNI LX20 manual (linear type) as a smoking device were collected using a Cambridge filter pad (CFP), and in order to extract substances from the smoke components collected on the CFP, 30 mL of 1% acetic acid was added and then stirred, and the substances were filtered using a 0.45 µm polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) syringe filter and analyzed using an Alliance HPLC-FLD analysis device of Waters Corporation, and results thereof are shown in Table 5 below.

[Table 5]

Classification	Added amount (mg/rod)	Applied wrapping paper (filter portion wrapper)	Amount of transitioned phenol (µg)
Comparative Example 1	0	General hard wrapping paper	44.3
Example 19	80	General hard wrapping paper	14.7
Example 20	80	Grease-resistant hard wrapping paper	13.4
Example 21	60	General hard wrapping paper	19.0
Example 22	60	Grease-resistant hard wrapping paper	17.4
Example 23	40	General hard wrapping paper	24.5

As shown in Table 5 above, it can be confirmed that phenol reduction performance was higher by about 50% or more in Examples 19 to 23 in which TEC and PEG were mixed at a ratio of 3:7, compared to Comparative Example 1 in which no phenol functional additive was added.

Example 24

A smoking article filter and a smoking article including the same were manufactured in the same manner as in Example 19 except that the amount of sprayed and added phenol functional additive was 10 wt% based on a total of 100 wt% of the lyocell tow.

Example 25

A smoking article filter and a smoking article including the same were manufactured in the same manner as in Example 24 except that grease-resistant hard wrapping paper was applied as the filter portion wrapper.

Experimental Example 6: Evaluation of physical properties and exterior quality of smoking article, to which optimal mixing ratio of TEC and PEG (TEC:PEG=3:7) is applied, for different storage periods

The smoking article filter of Example 24 was stored under harsh conditions (an internal temperature ranging from 30 °C to 50 °C and a relative humidity ranging from 10% to 90%) and room temperature conditions (an internal temperature of 22 °C and a relative humidity of 60%) for 8 weeks, and the physical properties and exterior quality of the smoking article filter for different storage periods (0 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, 8 weeks) were evaluated. The results thereof are shown in Table 6 below.

[Table 6]

Evaluation item		Storage conditions	0 weeks		4 weeks		6 weeks		8 weeks
Evaluation item		Storage conditions	Mean	STD	Mean	STD	Mean	STD	Mean	STD
Physical properties	Weight (mg)	Harsh	910	10.0	912	9.3	918	11.9	921	11.8
	Weight (mg)	Room temperature	910	10.0	941	11.8	-	-	938	11.3
	Circumference	Harsh	24.3	0.1	24.3	0.1	24.3	0.1	24.3	0.1
	(mmL)	Room temperature			24.3	0.1	-	-	24.3	0.1
	Resistance to draw (mmWG)	Harsh	373	14.0	386	12.7	395	17.0	401	11.8
	Resistance to draw (mmWG)	Room temperature	373	14.0	399	16.2	-	-	396	16.1
	Hardness (%)	Harsh	94.4	2.1	94.5	2.1	95.4	2.0	95.4	2.0
	Hardness (%)	Room temperature	94.4	2.1	94.8	2.0	-	-	95.1	2.1
Exterior quality	Bursting of rough		Did not occur		Did not occur		Did not occur		Did not occur
	Spread of ink (smoking article)		Did not occur		Did not occur		Did not occur		Did not occur
	Off-taste		Did not occur		Did not occur		Did not occur		Did not occur
	Discoloration		Did not occur		Did not occur		Did not occur		Did not occur

(STD: standard deviation)

As shown in Table 6 above, it can be confirmed that the smoking article filter of Example 24 manufactured by spraying the phenol functional additive, in which the mixing ratio of TEC and PEG was 3:7, to the lyocell tow had similar values of physical properties (weight, circumference, resistance to draw, hardness) and generally maintained initial physical properties for each weekly period under both harsh conditions and room temperature conditions. In addition, it can be confirmed that the bursting of the rough, the spread of ink, generation of an off-taste, and discoloration did not occur at any weekly period under harsh conditions in Example 24. Accordingly, it can be confirmed that, in a case in which the phenol functional additive, in which the mixing ratio of TEC and PEG is 3:7, is added to the lyocell tow, physical properties and exterior quality of a smoking article filter or a smoking article are maintained regardless of storage conditions.

Experimental Example 7: Evaluation of physical properties of smoking articles for each storage period according to types of wrapping paper of smoking articles to which optimal mixing ratio of TEC and PEG (TEC:PEG=3:7) is applied-harsh conditions

Smoking articles were manufactured by combining smoking article filters, each formed to have a length of 27 mm by dividing the smoking article filters of Examples 24 and 25, each having a length of 108 mm, into four pieces, and a smoking material portion with 3 mg of tar applied thereto using tipping paper having printing on a front surface, the manufactured smoking articles of Examples 24 and 25 were stored under harsh conditions (an internal temperature ranging from 30 °C to 50 °C and a relative humidity ranging from 10% to 90%) for 12 weeks, physical properties (weight, circumference, resistance to draw, whiteness) of the smoking articles were evaluated for each storage period, and results thereof are shown in Table 7 below. Whiteness may refer to whiteness of cross-sections of the smoking article filters.

[Table 7]

	Item	0 weeks	2 weeks	4 weeks	6 weeks	8 weeks	12 weeks
Example 24 (general hard wrapping paper)	Weight (mg)	878.0	865	860.3	-	862.5	841.8
	Circumference (mmL)	24.5	24.5	24.5	-	24.6	24.5
	Resistance to draw (mmWG)	141.0	138.5	141.5	-	142.2	137.3
	Whiteness (B, %)	61.5	60.6	61.2	-	62.5	61.1
Example 25 (grease-resistant hard wrapping paper)	Weight (mg)	878.0	-	-	872.2	-	851.5
	Circumference (mmL)	24.5	-	-	24.6	-	24.6
	Resistance to draw (mmWG)	141.0	-	-	141.6	-	139.3
	Whiteness (B, %)	61.5	-	-	62.1	-	60.8

As shown in Table 7 above, it can be confirmed that the smoking article of Example 24 which was manufactured by spraying the phenol functional additive, in which the mixing ratio of TEC and PEG was 3:7, to the lyocell tow and to which general hard wrapping paper was applied had similar values of physical properties (weight, circumference, resistance to draw, whiteness) and generally maintained initial physical properties for each weekly period under harsh conditions. Further, it can be confirmed that in the 12^th week, the smoking article of Example 24 to which general hard wrapping paper was applied and the smoking article of Example 25 to which grease-resistant hard wrapping paper was applied had similar values for all of the weight, circumference, resistance to draw, and whiteness. Accordingly, it can be confirmed that by applying an optimal mixing ratio of TEC and PEG, it is possible to secure physical properties of a smoking article that are similar to when grease-resistant hard wrapping paper is applied, despite applying general hard wrapping paper without applying the grease-resistant hard wrapping paper. That is, it can be confirmed that there is no difference in physical properties of smoking articles according to types of wrapping paper of filter portion wrappers.

Experimental Example 8: Evaluation of physical properties of smoking articles for each storage period according to types of wrapping paper of smoking articles to which optimal mixing ratio of TEC and PEG (TEC:PEG=3:7) is applied-room temperature conditions

Smoking articles were manufactured by combining smoking article filters, each formed to have a length of 27 mm by dividing the smoking article filters of Examples 24 and 25, each having a length of 108 mm, into four pieces, and a smoking material portion with 3 mg of tar applied thereto using tipping paper having printing on a front surface, the manufactured smoking articles of Examples 24 and 25 were stored under room temperature conditions (an internal temperature of 22 °C and a relative humidity of 60%) for 8 months, physical properties (weight, circumference, resistance to draw, whiteness) of the smoking articles were evaluated for each storage period (0, 1 month, 2 months, 4 months, 8 months), and results thereof are shown in Table 8 below.

[Table 8]

	Item	0 months	1 months	2 months	4 months	8 months
Example 24 (general hard wrapping paper)	Weight (mg)	878.0	891.5	885.0	896.3	882.5
	Circumference (mmL)	24.5	24.6	24.5	24.6	24.6
	Resistance to draw (mmWG)	141.0	144.2	144.8	146.7	143.9
	Whiteness (B, %)	61.5	62.1	62.5	63.1	61.2
Example 25 (grease-resistant hard wrapping paper)	Weight (mg)	878.0	882.2	880.6	887.7	879.8
	Circumference (mmL)	24.5	24.6	24.6	24.6	24.6
	Resistance to draw (mmWG)	141.0	143.4	145.7	144.3	145.1
	Whiteness (B, %)	61.5	61.8	63.0	63.2	61.5

As shown in Table 8 above, it can be confirmed that the smoking article of Example 24 which was manufactured by spraying the phenol functional additive, in which the mixing ratio of TEC and PEG was 3:7, to the lyocell tow and to which general hard wrapping paper was applied had similar values of physical properties (weight, circumference, resistance to draw, whiteness) and generally maintained initial physical properties for each monthly period under room temperature conditions. Further, it can be confirmed that at each monthly period, the smoking article of Example 24 to which general hard wrapping paper was applied and the smoking article of Example 25 to which grease-resistant hard wrapping paper was applied had similar values for all of the weight, circumference, resistance to draw, and whiteness. Accordingly, it can be confirmed that by applying an optimal mixing ratio of TEC and PEG, it is possible to secure physical properties of a smoking article that are similar to when grease-resistant hard wrapping paper is applied, even when general hard wrapping paper is applied instead of grease-resistant hard wrapping paper. That is, it can be confirmed that there is no difference in physical properties of smoking articles according to types of wrapping paper of filter portion wrappers.

Experimental Example 9: Evaluation of phenol reduction performance for each storage period according to types of wrapping paper of smoking articles to which optimal mixing ratio of TEC and PEG (TEC:PEG=3:7) is applied-harsh conditions

Smoking articles were manufactured by combining smoking article filters, each formed to have a length of 27 mm by dividing the smoking article filters of Examples 24 and 25, each having a length of 108 mm, into four pieces, and a smoking material portion with 3 mg of tar applied thereto using tipping paper having printing on a front surface, and the manufactured smoking articles of Examples 24 and 25 were stored under harsh conditions (an internal temperature ranging from 30 °C to 50 °C and a relative humidity ranging from 10% to 90%) for 12 weeks, and phenol reduction performance of the smoking articles was evaluated for each storage period. For the evaluation of phenol reduction performance, smoke components emitted during smoking using the cigarette smoking machine HAUNI LX20 manual (linear type) as a smoking device were collected using a Cambridge filter pad (CFP), and in order to extract substances from the smoke components collected on the CFP, 30 mL of 1% acetic acid was added and then stirred, the substances were filtered using a 0.45 µm polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) syringe filter and analyzed using an Alliance HPLC-FLD analysis device of Waters Corporation, and results thereof are shown in Table 9 below. [Table 9]

Item Classification 0 weeks 4 weeks 6 weeks 8 weeks 12 weeks

Amount of transitioned phenol (µg) Example 24 22.04 28.55 31.74 32.11

Example 25 22.04 31.84 30.59
As shown in Table 9 above, it can be confirmed that in the smoking article of Example 24 which was manufactured by spraying the phenol functional additive, in which the mixing ratio of TEC and PEG was 3:7, to the lyocell tow and to which general hard wrapping paper was applied, for each weekly period under harsh conditions, the amount of transitioned phenol showed an increasing trend until the 8^th week but decreased in the 12^th week, and thus had stabilized after the 8^th week. Further, from the fact that a difference in the amount of transitioned phenol component between the smoking article of Example 25 and the smoking article of Example 24 in the 12^th week was not large, it can be confirmed that a difference in phenol reduction performance according to types of wrapping paper of filter portion wrappers is not large.

Experimental Example 10: Evaluation of phenol reduction performance for each storage period according to types of wrapping paper of smoking articles to which optimal mixing ratio of TEC and PEG (TEC:PEG=3:7) is applied-room temperature conditions

Smoking articles were manufactured by combining smoking article filters, each formed to have a length of 27 mm by dividing the smoking article filters of Examples 24 and 25, each having a length of 108 mm, into four pieces, and a smoking material portion with 3 mg of tar applied thereto using tipping paper having printing on a front surface, the manufactured smoking articles of Examples 24 and 25 were stored under room temperature conditions (an internal temperature of 22 °C and a relative humidity of 60%) for 8 months, and phenol reduction performance of the smoking articles was evaluated for each storage period (0, 1 month, 2 months, 4 months, 8 months). The phenol reduction performance was analyzed in the same manner as in Experimental Example 9, and results thereof are shown in Table 10 below.

[Table 10]

Item	Classification	0 months	1 month	2 months	4 months	8 months
Amount of transitioned phenol (µg)	Example 24	22.04	21.6	31.6	28.7	27.7
Amount of transitioned phenol (µg)	Example 25	22.04	23.1	30.5	27.7	26.9

As shown in Table 10 above, it can be confirmed that in the smoking articles of Examples 24 and 25 which were manufactured by spraying the phenol functional additive, in which the mixing ratio of TEC and PEG was 3:7, to the lyocell tow and to which general hard wrapping paper was applied, under room temperature conditions, the amount of transitioned phenol showed an increasing trend in the 2^nd month but decreased afterwards and stabilized after the 8^th month. Further, from the fact that a difference in the amount of transitioned phenol component between the smoking article of Example 25 and the smoking article of Example 24 in each monthly period was not large, it can be confirmed that a difference in phenol reduction performance according to types of wrapping paper of filter portion wrappers is not large.

Comparative Example 2

A smoking article was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 24 except that TEC and PEG were mixed at a ratio of (TEC:PEG=8:2).

Comparative Example 3

A smoking article was manufactured in the same manner as in Comparative Example 2 except that grease-resistant hard wrapping paper was applied as the filter portion wrapper.

Experimental Example 11: Evaluation of occurrence of spread of ink according to mixing ratios of TEC and PEG and types of wrapping paper

The smoking articles of Examples 24 and 25 and Comparative Examples 2 and 3 were stored under harsh conditions (an internal temperature ranging from 30 °C to 50 °C and a relative humidity ranging from 10% to 90%) for 4 weeks, images of whether the spread of ink occurred on the tipping paper were captured, and the images are shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 2A is an image showing whether the spread of ink occurred on the smoking article of Example 24, FIG. 2B is an image showing whether the spread of ink occurred on the smoking article of Example 25, FIG. 2C is an image showing whether the spread of ink occurred on the smoking article of Comparative Example 2, and FIG. 2D is an image showing whether the spread of ink occurred on the smoking article of Comparative Example 3.
It can be confirmed that while smearing of the ink printed on the tipping paper did not occur in FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2D, smearing of the ink printed on the tipping paper occurred in FIG. 2C. That is, it can be confirmed that in a case in which TEC and PEG were added by applying a mixing ratio of (TEC:PEG=8:2), when grease-resistant hard wrapping paper was not applied as the filter portion wrapper, that is, when general hard wrapping paper was applied, smearing of the ink occurred, and in a case in which TEC and PEG wee added by applying a mixing ratio of (TEC:PEG=3:7), smearing of the ink did not occur regardless of the type of wrapping paper of the filter portion wrapper. Therefore, it can be confirmed that through optimization of the mixing ratio of TEC and PEG, it is possible to maintain quality of a smoking article regardless of the type of the filter portion wrapper.

Experimental Example 12: Evaluation of retention rate of phenol functional additive for different storage conditions and periods

In order to measure a retention rate of the phenol functional additive in the lyocell tow of Example 24 for different storage conditions and periods, right after smoking article filters were manufactured according to Example 24, some smoking article filters were stored under room temperature conditions for 2 months and some other smoking article filters were stored under harsh conditions for 2 months, the smoking article filters were then randomly collected to measure weights of samples of the smoking article filters, and in order to measure a weight of the filter portion wrapper (that is, filter wrapping paper), the lyocell tow portions were removed from the collected smoking article filters to measure weights of filter portion wrappers (that is, filter wrapping paper). Then, 50 mL of an extracted solution included in an internal standard solution was added to each collected filter sample and stirred for 60 minutes, the TEC component was analyzed using GC-FID (DB-WAX column), and the PEG component was analyzed using an HPLD device to measure the residual amount of the phenol functional additive.

Then, the weight of the phenol functional additive included in the filter portion was calculated by subtracting the weight of the phenol functional additive included in the filter portion wrapper from the total weight of the phenol functional additive included in the smoking article filter, the percentage of the weight of the phenol functional additive included in the filter portion with respect to the total weight of the phenol functional additive was calculated, the value rounded to the first decimal place was used to calculate the retention rate in the filter portion, and the measured residual amount and retention rate of the phenol functional additive are shown in Table 11 below.

[Table 11]

Classification	TEC				PEG
Classification	Total (mg/cig)	Filter wrapping paper (mg/cig)	Tow (mg/cig)	Retention rate in tow (%)	Total (mg/cig)	Filter wrapping paper (mg/cig)	Tow (mg/cig)	Retention rate in tow (%)
Right after manufacture	5.3	0.6	4.7	87.9	12.8	0.3	11.3	88.6
After 2 months under room temperature conditions	5.0	2.1	3.0	58.7	12.7	1.2	11.5	90.3
After 2 months under harsh conditions	5.0	2.0	3.0	59.9	10.1	0.7	9.5	93.6

As shown in Table 11 above, it can be confirmed that in the case of PEG, the retention rate in the lyocell tow (filter portion) was 90% or higher regardless of storage conditions and storage periods. That is, it can be confirmed that the amount of PEG transferred to the filter wrapping paper (filter portion wrapper) in the lyocell tow (filter portion) was very small, and PEG mostly remained stably in the lyocell tow (filter portion). On the other hand, it can be confirmed that in the case of TEC, although the retention rate in the lyocell tow (filter portion) was about 87% right after manufacture, the retention rate in the lyocell tow (filter portion) was about 60% or less after storage under room temperature conditions for 2 months or after storage under harsh conditions for 2 months, and a large amount of TEC was detected from the filter wrapping paper. Accordingly, it can be confirmed that TEC was transferred to the filter wrapping paper (filter portion wrapper) in the lyocell tow (filter portion) during storage. Therefore, it can be confirmed that in the phenol functional additive, PEG has a characteristic of more stably remaining in the lyocell tow than TEC.
Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains should understand that the present disclosure may be embodied in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features thereof. Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood as being illustrative, instead of limiting, in all aspects. The scope of protection of the present disclosure should be interpreted based on the claims below, and all technical ideas within the scope equivalent to the claims should be interpreted as falling within the scope of rights of the technical spirit defined by the present disclosure.

Claims

A smoking article filter comprising:
a filter portion including lyocell tow including lyocell fibers and a phenol functional additive dispersed in the lyocell tow; and

a filter portion wrapper surrounding the filter portion,

wherein the phenol functional additive includes triethyl citrate (TEC) and polyethylene glycol (PEG), and

a mixing ratio of the TEC and the PEG ranges from 9:1 to 1:9
The smoking article filter of claim 1, wherein the mixing ratio of the TEC and the PEG ranges from 6:4 to 2:8.
The smoking article filter of claim 2, wherein the mixing ratio of the TEC and the PEG ranges from 4:6 to 3:7.
The smoking article filter of claim 1, wherein the filter portion wrapper includes wrapping paper having a basis weight ranging from 40 gsm to 160 gsm.
The smoking article filter of claim 4, wherein the filter portion wrapper is wrapping paper that is not treated to be grease-resistant.
The smoking article filter of claim 1, wherein an amount of the phenol functional additive ranges from 5 wt% to 30 wt% with respect to a weight of the lyocell tow.
The smoking article filter of claim 6, wherein an amount of the phenol functional additive ranges from 7 wt% to 20 wt% with respect to the weight of the lyocell tow.
A smoking article comprising:
a smoking material portion;

a smoking article filter disposed downstream from the smoking material portion; and

tipping paper surrounding the smoking material portion and the smoking article filter,

wherein the smoking article filter includes a filter portion including lyocell tow including lyocell fibers and a phenol functional additive dispersed in the lyocell tow and a filter portion wrapper surrounding the filter portion,

the phenol functional additive includes triethyl citrate (TEC) and polyethylene glycol (PEG), and

content of the PEG is higher than content of the TEC.
The smoking article of claim 8, wherein a ratio of the TEC and the PEG in the phenol functional additive ranges from 4.5:5.5 to 2.5:7.5.
The smoking article of claim 8, wherein a ratio of the TEC and the PEG in the phenol functional additive ranges from 4:6 to 3:7.
The smoking article of claim 8, wherein the filter portion wrapper includes wrapping paper having a basis weight ranging from 40 gsm to 160 gsm.
The smoking article of claim 8, wherein the filter portion wrapper is wrapping paper that is not treated to be grease-resistant.
The smoking article of claim 8, wherein an amount of the phenol functional additive ranges from 5 wt% to 30 wt% with respect to a weight of the lyocell tow.
The smoking article of claim 8, wherein an amount of the phenol functional additive ranges from 7 wt% to 20 wt% with respect to a weight of the lyocell tow.