JP7410866B2 - Smoking article, method for manufacturing the smoking article, and method for identifying granular activated carbon - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a smoking article containing granular activated carbon in a filter, a method of manufacturing the smoking article, and a method of identifying granular activated carbon.

As a means for preventing counterfeiting of smoking articles, a technique is known in which a colored material is included in a cigarette smoke filter (Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 describes a technology related to a cigarette smoke filter that includes particulate adsorbents (e.g., granular activated carbon) colored red, blue, white, yellow, green, etc. by coating with a colored polymer material. has been done.
Furthermore, Non-Patent Document 1 describes the influence of the type and quality of activated carbon contained in the filter of a smoking article on the adsorption power of special components in smoke and the tobacco flavor. Specifically, the type of activated carbon contained in the filter of smoking articles is coconut shell activated carbon, and its quality is high, has a high packing density, has a low amount of inorganic components, and has an acetone adsorption capacity of 30%. It is stated that it is better to have less than It is also stated that activated carbon, which has a high acetone adsorption ability, has a high adsorption efficiency for all volatile organic substances.

Special Publication No. 2010-527599

"Activated Charcoal Reader - 2nd Edition", edited by Hiroshi Yanai, Nobuo Ishizaki, Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, July 27, 1996.

It is desired to be able to distinguish illegal products such as "counterfeit" and "smuggled" smoking products, which have become a serious problem in recent years, from genuine products, that is, to be able to determine their authenticity.
In the invention described in Patent Document 1, since particulate adsorbents such as colored activated carbon particles are included, authenticity can be determined based on the appearance of the activated carbon. However, changes in specifications that color activated carbon particles, which are originally black, in colors such as red, blue, white, yellow, and green, can be easily recognized by users of smoking articles and may interfere with users' traditional smoking behavior. there is a possibility.
Furthermore, conventionally, the acetone adsorption performance of activated carbon added to a filter is generally less than 30% by mass.

The present invention provides a smoking article in which the authenticity of a smoking article can be determined by the granular activated carbon contained in the filter, and in which the filter contains granular activated carbon having acetone adsorption performance equivalent to or higher than that of conventional products. Provides a method for manufacturing an article.

As a result of intensive studies by the present inventor, a smoking article comprising a tobacco rod part and a filter part containing granular activated carbon, wherein the granular activated carbon has a lightness L ^* value of 11.50 or more in the CIELab color system 19 The inventors have discovered that a smoking article having an acetone adsorption performance of 29.0 mass fraction % or more and 41.0 mass fraction % or less can solve the above problems and have arrived at the present invention.

That is, the present invention is as follows.
[1] A smoking article comprising a tobacco rod part and a filter part containing granular activated carbon, wherein the granular activated carbon has a lightness L ^* value in the CIELab color system of 11.50 or more and 19.00 or less, A smoking article having an acetone adsorption performance of 29.0 mass fraction % or more and 41.0 mass fraction % or less.
[2] The smoking article according to [1], wherein the granular activated carbon has a color difference ΔE value of 14.00 to 21.50 in the CIELab color system.
[3] The smoking article according to [1] or [2], wherein the granular activated carbon is granular coconut shell activated carbon.
[4] A method for manufacturing a smoking article comprising a tobacco rod portion and a filter portion containing granular activated carbon, the method comprising: granular activated carbon having a lightness L ^* value of 11.50 or more and 19.00 or less in the CIELab color system. 1. A method of making a smoking article, comprising the steps of: providing and adding the prepared granular activated carbon to a filter.
[5] In the preparing step, granular activated carbon having a lightness L ^* value of 11.50 or more and 19.00 or less and a color difference ΔE value of 14.00 or more and 21.50 or less in the CIE color system is prepared. The method for producing a smoking article according to [4].
[6] The method for manufacturing a smoking article according to [4] or [5], wherein the granular activated carbon has an acetone adsorption performance of 29.0 mass fraction % or more and 41.0 mass fraction % or less.
[7] The method for producing a smoking article according to any one of [4] to [6], wherein the granular activated carbon is granular coconut shell activated carbon.
[8] A process of quantifying the color of the granular activated carbon using the CIELab color system, and converting the granular activated carbon having a lightness L ^* value of 11.50 or more and 19.00 or less in the CIELab color system into a filter for smoking articles. A method for identifying granular activated carbon to be added to a filter for a smoking article, the method comprising the step of sorting out granular activated carbon to be added to a filter for a smoking article.
[9] In the sorting step, the lightness L ^* value is 11.50 or more and 19.00 or less, and the color difference ΔE value in the CIELab color system is 14.00 or more and 21.50 or less. The method according to [8], wherein the granular activated carbon is selected.

According to the present invention, the authenticity of smoking articles can be easily determined using granular activated carbon contained in a filter, and smoking articles containing granular activated carbon that have acetone adsorption performance equal to or higher than conventional products; A method of manufacturing a smoking article and a method of identifying the granular activated carbon can be provided.

3 is a photograph of the appearance of granular coconut shell activated carbon of Example 2 and Comparative Example 3.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail by showing embodiments, examples, etc., but the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, examples, etc., and may be freely modified without departing from the gist of the present invention. Can be modified and implemented.

<Smoking article of the present invention>
The smoking article of the present invention can employ any known structure except for the granular activated carbon added to the filter portion. For example, an embodiment may be mentioned that includes a tobacco rod portion formed by wrapping ordinary tobacco filler such as shredded tobacco with tobacco wrapping paper, and a filter portion attached to one end of the tobacco rod portion.

As for the form of the tobacco leaf raw material that is the raw material for shredded tobacco, etc., which the tobacco rod portion has, it is possible to use shredded tobacco leaf raw materials and uncut tobacco leaf raw materials. Further, the tobacco leaf raw material may be either a tobacco leaf divided into a mesophyll part (lamina) or a leaf vein part (middle bone), or may contain a tobacco trunk other than the tobacco leaf part. Examples of the tobacco leaf raw material include those cut to a width of 0.1 to 2.0 mm. As tobacco leaf varieties, main varieties such as yellow variety, burley variety, native variety, orient variety, and fermented leaves using these can be used.

The moisture content of ordinary tobacco fillers such as shredded tobacco included in the tobacco rod portion is not particularly limited, but may be 10 to 15% by weight, preferably 11 to 13% by weight. Such a moisture content suppresses the occurrence of curling stains and improves the suitability for rolling during the manufacture of smoking articles.

The outer surface of the filter part may be wrapped with tip paper via a wrapping paper and molded paper as filter wrapping paper. Wrapping with web paper will be described in detail below.
The filter section is composed of one or more filter sections, and any filter section can be made of a known material as appropriate. For example, one using acetate tow as a material can be mentioned. The single yarn fineness, total fineness, and cross-sectional shape of the acetate tow are not particularly limited.
In addition, for any material, adjustment of airflow resistance and addition of additives (known adsorbents, fragrances, fragrance retention agents) can be designed as appropriate.
Filter wrapping paper is used to wrap the outer surface of a filter used in known smoking articles, and is a general term for tip paper, molded paper, and wrapping paper. Here, the winding paper is for directly contacting the filter tow and winding it into a cylindrical shape. Molded paper is used to fix a plurality of filter sections when there are a plurality of filter sections wrapped with paper. The tip paper is used to connect the tobacco rod section and the filter section.
These filter wrapping papers can be made of known materials.

When granular activated carbon, which will be described later, is added to the filter part of the smoking article of the present invention, the filter part is generally used in the form of a plurality of filter sections connected by molded paper, and connected to the tobacco rod part by tip paper. It is true. At this time, it is recommended to use a white acetate tow-filled filter section to which granular activated carbon is not added, as the most downstream filter section, which is the part that the user holds in his or her mouth, of the filter unit consisting of multiple filter sections. Preferable from an appearance standpoint.
Further, as an example of a configuration in which a plurality of filter sections are connected with molded paper, there can be mentioned a configuration in which a space is left between two filter sections and they are fixed with molded paper, and the space is filled with granular activated carbon, which will be described later. In this configuration, the amount of granular activated carbon added per filter length can be increased compared to a configuration in which granular activated carbon is added in the filter section.

<Granular activated carbon>
The filter portion of the smoking article of the invention includes granular activated carbon.
Activated carbon is mainly porous carbon that has been chemically or physically treated (activated, activated) to increase adsorption efficiency for the purpose of selectively separating, removing, or purifying specific substances. It is a substance that is an ingredient.
The activated carbon contained in the filter portion of the smoking article of the present invention is granular activated carbon, which is a general term for crushed carbon having a particle size of 150 μm or more.
The particle size of the granular activated carbon contained in the filter portion of the smoking article of the present invention can be varied depending on the required performance and filter structure.
The particle size of the granular activated carbon is preferably 150 μm or more and 2000 μm or less, more preferably 160 μm or more and 850 μm or less, even more preferably 180 μm or more and 600 μm or less, and particularly preferably 212 μm or more and 425 μm or less. .
Since the particle size of the granular activated carbon is within the above range, the granular activated carbon can be relatively uniformly filled inside a cylinder with a circumference of about 16.8 mm to 25.8 mm, which is the size of a normal cigarette filter part. I can do it.
If the particle size of the granular activated carbon is larger than 2000 μm, it may cause the weight of the granular activated carbon added to the filter portion to vary between tobacco rods.
On the other hand, if the particle size of the granular activated carbon is smaller than 150 μm, activated carbon dust will be generated during the manufacture of the filter section containing the granular activated carbon, contaminating the manufacturing equipment, making cleaning work complicated, and making it difficult to operate the manufacturing equipment. When manufacturing a filter section designed without adding granular activated carbon, it may cause contamination of the filter section.
The particle size of the granular activated carbon can be adjusted by the method and time of crushing the granular activated carbon. Further, it can be adjusted by changing the mesh size of the sieve used in the sieving process of granular activated carbon.
The amount of granular activated carbon contained in the filter portion of the smoking article of the present invention is not particularly limited, but is preferably 10 mg to 200 mg per 10 mm filter length (filter circumference approximately 16.8 mm to 25.8 mm).

<Raw material for granular activated carbon>
The granular activated carbon contained in the filter part of the smoking article of the present invention has a good adsorption efficiency of volatile organic substances in tobacco smoke and has little effect on the aroma and taste. Coconut shell activated carbon is used.

<Activation method of granular activated carbon>
The activation of the granular activated carbon contained in the filter portion of the smoking article of the present invention is preferably performed by a gas activation method because it is relatively easy to scale up and granular activated carbon with high purity can be obtained.
Examples of the gas used in the gas activation method include oxidizing gases such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, and air. However, it is preferable to use water vapor to activate the granular activated carbon contained in the filter portion of the smoking article of the present invention. Common.
The activation temperature of the gas activation method is usually in the range of 750° C. or higher and 1000° C. or lower, and can be changed depending on the desired brightness and color difference of the granular activated carbon and acetone adsorption performance. Generally, the higher the activation temperature, the lower the brightness and color difference, and the better the acetone adsorption performance.
The activation time of this gas activation method depends on the type of gas activation device used, but is generally within the range of 0.5 hours or more and 30 hours or less, and is based on the target brightness and color difference of the granular activated carbon, acetone adsorption. It can be changed according to performance. Generally, the longer the activation time, the lower the brightness and color difference, and the better the acetone adsorption performance.
Activation of the granular activated carbon contained in the filter portion of the smoking article of the present invention can be performed in an apparatus commonly used in gas activation methods such as a rotary kiln or a fluidized activation furnace. Among these devices, it is preferable to use a fluidized activation furnace because granular activated carbon having a brightness and color difference within a specific numerical range described below can be easily obtained.

<Adsorption performance of granular activated carbon>
The acetone adsorption performance of the granular activated carbon contained in the filter portion of the smoking article of the present invention is 29.0 mass fraction % or more and 41.0 mass fraction % or less.
The acetone adsorption performance of the granular activated carbon is measured in accordance with JIS K 1474.
When the lower limit of the acetone adsorption performance of the granular activated carbon is less than 29.0 mass fraction %, the lightness L ^* value and the color difference ΔE value of the granular activated carbon do not fall within the specific numerical range described below, and the smoking article Granular activated carbon cannot be used to determine the authenticity of
If the upper limit of the acetone adsorption performance of the granular activated carbon exceeds 41.0% by mass, the granular activated carbon becomes brittle, and when the granular activated carbon is added to the filter section, the filter section may be contaminated by fragments of the granular activated carbon. may cause.
The acetone adsorption performance of the granular activated carbon is preferably 29.0 mass fraction % or more and 40.0 mass fraction % or less, more preferably 30.0 mass fraction % or more and 40.0 mass fraction % or less, and 33. More preferably, it is 0 mass fraction % or more and 38.0 mass fraction % or less.
The acetone adsorption performance of the granular activated carbon can be controlled by the method of activating the granular activated carbon and the activation intensity such as activation temperature and activation time.

<Lightness of granular activated carbon>
The lightness L ^* value of the granular activated carbon contained in the filter portion of the smoking article of the present invention in the CIELab color system is 11.50 or more and 19.00 or less.
The lightness L ^* value of the granular activated carbon is preferably 12.00 or more and 18.00 or less, more preferably 12.00 or more and 17.50 or less, and 12.00 or more and 13.50 or less. is even more preferable.
By having the lightness L ^* value of the granular activated carbon within the above range, the granular activated carbon can be used to determine the authenticity of smoking articles while ensuring acetone adsorption performance equivalent to or higher than that of conventional granular activated carbon. In addition, changes in the specifications of the granular activated carbon are not easily recognized by users.
If the lower limit of the brightness L ^* value of the granular activated carbon is less than 11.50, the granular activated carbon becomes brittle, and when the granular activated carbon is added to the filter part, the filter part is contaminated by fragments of the granular activated carbon. there is a possibility.
If the upper limit of the brightness L ^* value of the granular activated carbon exceeds 19.00, the granular activated carbon cannot be used to determine the authenticity of smoking articles, and the acetone adsorption performance must be equal to or higher than that of conventional granular activated carbon. I can't.
The lightness L ^* value of the granular activated carbon can be controlled by the method of activating the granular activated carbon and the activation intensity such as the activation temperature and activation time.

<Color difference of granular activated carbon>
The color difference ΔE value in the CIELab color system of the granular activated carbon contained in the filter part of the smoking article of the present invention is a value calculated based on the brightness L ^* value, chromaticity a ^* value, and b ^* value of the blank described below. be.
The color difference ΔE value of the granular activated carbon contained in the filter portion of the smoking article of the present invention in the CIELab color system is preferably 14.00 or more and 21.50 or less, and preferably 14.50 or more and 20.50 or less. More preferably, it is 14.50 or more and 20.00 or less, and particularly preferably 14.50 or more and 16.00 or less.
When the color difference ΔE value of the granular activated carbon is within the above range, the granular activated carbon can be used to determine the authenticity of smoking articles while ensuring acetone adsorption performance equivalent to or higher than that of conventional granular activated carbon. In addition, changes in the specifications of the granular activated carbon are not easily recognized by users.
The color difference ΔE value of the granular activated carbon can be controlled by the method of activating the granular activated carbon and the activation intensity such as the activation temperature and activation time.
Since it is possible to determine the authenticity of a smoking article by having the lightness L ^* value within the above range, the granular activated carbon contained in the filter part of the smoking article of the present invention does not require coloring as in the prior art. do not.

<Manufacture of the smoking article of the present invention>
The method for producing a smoking article of the present invention includes the step of preparing granular activated carbon having a lightness L ^* value within a specific numerical range, or preparing granular activated carbon having a lightness L ^* value and a color difference ΔE value within a specific numerical range. An embodiment including known steps other than the preparation step can be adopted.

For example, using existing technology, there is a process in which shredded tobacco is rolled up in wrapping paper, a process in which tobacco rods are manufactured by cutting the tobacco to the length of one smoking article, and a process in which tobacco rods are connected to each end of two filter parts. and rolling it up with chipping paper for two smoking articles, and then cutting it into the length of one smoking article at the center in the longitudinal direction to produce two smoking articles. Examples include an embodiment that includes a step of, if necessary.

The form of the tobacco leaf raw material, which is the raw material such as shredded tobacco included in the tobacco rod portion, can be the same as the above-mentioned tobacco leaf raw material. That is, it is possible to use shredded tobacco leaf raw materials as well as unshredded tobacco leaf raw materials. Further, the tobacco leaf raw material may be either a tobacco leaf divided into a mesophyll part (lamina) or a leaf vein part (middle bone), or may contain a tobacco trunk other than the tobacco leaf part. Examples of the tobacco leaf raw material include those cut to a width of 0.1 to 2.0 mm. As tobacco leaf varieties, main varieties such as yellow variety, burley variety, native variety, orient variety, and fermented leaves using these can be used.

Furthermore, the filter section containing granular activated carbon can also be manufactured by combining known processes.
For example, when using a paper sheet as a filter material, there is a step in which granular activated carbon having a specific brightness selected in the process described below or a specific brightness and color difference is added by an addition mechanism from above the paper sheet, and the filter is wound. The steps of folding the paper sheet into a cylindrical shape with a predetermined diameter in the trumpet section of the upper machine, wrapping it with filter paper, and cutting it to a predetermined length to produce the filter section can be combined as appropriate.
On the other hand, when acetate tow is used as a filter material, for example, there is a step of opening the acetate tow, adding triacetylene as a plasticizer for the acetate tow as needed, and a specific process selected in the step described below. After adding granular activated carbon with lightness or specific lightness and color difference by an addition mechanism, the process includes a step of gathering it into a predetermined diameter and wrapping it with filter paper, and a step of cutting it into a predetermined length to manufacture a filter part. They can be combined as appropriate.
When any of the filter parts containing granular activated carbon produced by the above process is applied to smoking articles, it is used in the form of a plurality of filter sections connected by molded paper, and connected to the tobacco rod part by chipping paper. This is common. At this time, it is recommended to use a white acetate tow-filled filter section to which granular activated carbon is not added, as the most downstream filter section, which is the part that the user holds in his or her mouth, of the filter unit consisting of multiple filter sections. Preferable from an appearance standpoint.
Further, as an example of a configuration in which a plurality of filter sections are connected with molded paper, there can be mentioned a configuration in which a space is left between two filter sections and they are fixed with molded paper, and the space is filled with granular activated carbon. In this form, the amount of granular activated carbon added per filter length can be increased compared to the above-described form in which granular activated carbon is added to the paper sheet or acetate tow filter section.
The amount of granular activated carbon added to the filter portion is not particularly limited, but is preferably 10 mg to 200 mg per 10 mm filter length (filter circumference approximately 16.8 mm to 25.8 mm).

The method for manufacturing a smoking article of the present invention includes the step of preparing granular activated carbon having a lightness L ^* value of 11.50 or more and 19.00 or less in the CIELab color system.
The step of preparing the granular activated carbon includes the step of quantifying the color of the granular activated carbon using the CIELab color system, and the step of quantifying the color of the granular activated carbon with a lightness L ^* value of 11.50 or more and 19.00 or less. The process includes sorting the granular activated carbon as granular activated carbon to be added to the filter portion of the smoking article.
The process of quantifying the color of granular activated carbon using the CIELab color system is to calculate the lightness L ^* value, chromaticity a ^* value, and chromaticity b ^* value of the granular activated carbon in the CIELab color system in accordance with JIS K 8730. , a step of quantifying by measuring with a color meter (for example, SM-T45, manufactured by Suga Test Instruments Co., Ltd.). Furthermore, it is preferable that the granular activated carbon sample to be measured be prepared in accordance with JIS K 7373.
In the process of selecting granular activated carbon having a lightness L ^* value of 11.50 or more and 19.00 or less as granular activated carbon to be added to the filter part of a smoking article, the lightness L ^* value is 12.00 or more and 18.00 or less. It is preferably 12.00 or more and 17.50 or less, and even more preferably 12.00 or more and 13.50 or less.
In the step of sorting granular activated carbon to be added to the filter part of a smoking article, if it is possible to separate granular activated carbon whose lightness L ^* value is within the above range from granular activated carbon outside the above range, the method is particularly limited. Not done.

The method for producing a smoking article of the present invention is characterized in that the lightness L ^* value in the CIELab color system is 11.50 or more and 19.00 or less, and the color difference ΔE value in the CIELab color system is 14.00 or more and 21.50 or less. The method may include providing some granular activated carbon.
The step of preparing the granular activated carbon includes the step of quantifying the color of the granular activated carbon using the CIELab color system, and the step of quantifying the color of the granular activated carbon with a lightness L ^* value of 11.50 or more and 19.00 or less. The method further includes a step of selecting granular activated carbon having a color difference ΔE value of 14.00 or more and 21.50 or less as granular activated carbon to be added to the filter portion of the smoking article.
The process of quantifying the color of the granular activated carbon using the CIELab color system involves converting the lightness L ^* value, chromaticity a ^* value, and chromaticity b ^* value of the granular activated carbon and blank in the CIELab color system to JIS K 8730. In addition to the process of quantifying by measuring with a color meter (for example, SM-T45 manufactured by Suga Test Instruments Co. ^{, Ltd.} ) in accordance with The method includes a step of calculating the color difference ΔE of the granular activated carbon from the b ^* value in accordance with JIS K 8730. Note that the granular activated carbon sample to be measured is preferably prepared according to JIS K 7373.
In the step of selecting granular activated carbon having a lightness L ^* value of 11.50 or more and 19.00 or less and a color difference ΔE value of 14.00 or more and 21.50 or less as granular activated carbon to be added to the filter part of a smoking article. , the lightness L ^* value is preferably 12.00 or more and 18.00 or less, more preferably 12.00 or more and 17.50 or less, and further preferably 12.00 or more and 13.50 or less. preferable. Further, the color difference ΔE value is preferably 14.50 or more and 20.50 or less, more preferably 14.50 or more and 20.00 or less, and still more preferably 14.50 or more and 16.00 or less. preferable.
In the process of sorting granular activated carbon to be added to the filter part of smoking articles, if it is possible to separate granular activated carbon whose brightness L ^* value and color difference ΔE value are within the above range from granular activated carbon whose value is outside the above range, The method is not particularly limited.

The method for manufacturing a smoking article of the present invention includes adding the granular activated carbon prepared in the step of preparing granular activated carbon having a lightness L ^* value within the above range in the CIELab color system to the filter part by the above-mentioned known process. Including process.
In addition, the method for manufacturing a smoking article of the present invention includes using the granular activated carbon prepared in the step of preparing granular activated carbon whose lightness L ^* value and color difference ΔE value in the CIELab color system are within the above ranges, by the above-mentioned known process. It may also include a step of adding it to the filter section.

By including the above-mentioned granular activated carbon preparation step, the method for manufacturing a smoking article of the present invention has an acetone adsorption performance equal to or higher than that of conventional products, and the authenticity of the smoking article can be determined by focusing on the color. Smoking articles can be made that include particulate activated carbon in the filter portion. Furthermore, in the method for manufacturing a smoking article of the present invention, since granular activated carbon having a specific lightness L ^* value is used as described above, there is no need to process the granular activated carbon such as coloring it. .

<How to identify granular activated carbon>
The method for identifying the granular activated carbon added to the filter for smoking articles of the present invention includes a step of quantifying the color of the granular activated carbon using the CIELab color system, and a lightness L ^* value of 11.50 or more in the CIELab color system. The method includes the step of selecting granular activated carbon having a value of 19.00 or less as granular activated carbon to be added to a filter for a smoking article.
The process of quantifying the color of granular activated carbon using the CIELab color system is to calculate the lightness L ^* value, chromaticity a ^* value, and chromaticity b ^* value of the granular activated carbon in the CIELab color system in accordance with JIS K 8730. , a step of quantifying by measuring with a color meter (for example, SM-T45, manufactured by Suga Test Instruments Co., Ltd.). Furthermore, it is preferable that the granular activated carbon sample to be measured be prepared in accordance with JIS K 7373.
In the step of selecting granular activated carbon having a lightness L ^* value of 11.50 or more and 19.00 or less as granular activated carbon to be added to the filter part of a smoking article, the lightness L ^* value is 12.00 or more and 18.00 or less. It is preferably below, more preferably 12.00 or more and 17.50 or less, even more preferably 12.00 or more and 13.50 or less.
In the sorting step, the sorting method is not particularly limited as long as it is possible to sort out granular activated carbon whose lightness L ^* value is within the above range and granular activated carbon whose lightness L* value is outside the above range.

A method for identifying the granular activated carbon added to the filter for smoking articles of the present invention is to have a lightness L ^* value of 11.50 or more and 19.00 or less, and a color difference ΔE value of 14.0 in the CIELab color system. The method may include a step of selecting granular activated carbon having a value of 00 or more and 21.50 or less as granular activated carbon to be added to a filter for a smoking article.
In the process of sorting granular activated carbon to be added to the filter section of smoking articles, the lightness L ^* value, chromaticity a ^* value, and chromaticity b ^* value in the CIELab color system of the granular activated carbon and blank are determined according to JIS K 8730. In addition to the step of quantifying by measuring with a color meter (for example, SM-T45, manufactured by Suga Test Instruments Co., Ltd.), the quantified lightness L ^* value, chromaticity a ^* value, and chromaticity b ^* The method includes a step of calculating the color difference ΔE of the granular activated carbon from the value in accordance with JIS K 8730. Note that the granular activated carbon sample to be measured is preferably prepared according to JIS K 7373.
Granular activated carbon having a lightness L ^* value of 11.50 or more and 19.00 or less and a color difference ΔE value of 14.00 or more and 21.50 or less, which is added to a filter for smoking articles. In the step of ^sorting as It is more preferable that Further, the color difference ΔE value is preferably 14.50 or more and 20.50 or less, more preferably 14.50 or more and 20.00 or less, and still more preferably 14.50 or more and 16.00 or less. preferable.
In the sorting step, the sorting method is not particularly limited as long as it is possible to separate granular activated carbon whose lightness L ^* value and color difference ΔE value are within the above range from granular activated carbon whose lightness L * value and color difference ΔE value are outside the above range.

According to the method of identifying the granular activated carbon added to the filter for smoking articles of the present invention, the granular activated carbon has an acetone adsorption performance equal to or higher than that of conventional products, and is advantageous when determining the authenticity of smoking articles by focusing on color. Activated carbon can be sorted objectively without relying on human subjectivity.

The present invention will be explained in more detail with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to the description of the following examples unless it exceeds the gist thereof.

<1. Sample preparation＞
The samples used in each Example and each Comparative Example were obtained by requesting Kuraray Co., Ltd. to produce a prototype under the following conditions, and purchasing the produced prototype from the company.
First, the raw materials of the samples of all Examples and Comparative Examples are commonly used in the production of granular coconut shell activated carbon "Kuraray Coal (registered trademark) GGS-N28/70" commercially available from Kuraray Co., Ltd. Crushed coconut shell charcoal before activation treatment was used.
(Sample of Comparative Example 3)
In Comparative Example 3, the commercially available granular coconut shell activated carbon "Kuraray Coal (registered trademark) GGS-N28/70" itself was used as a sample.
The acetone adsorption performance (catalog value) of the granular coconut shell activated carbon is 25±2 mass fraction %.
(Sample of Comparative Example 1)
Comparative Example 1 is a granular coconut shell obtained by not performing activation treatment on the raw material coarse coconut shell charcoal, but subjecting it to crushing and sieving treatment to obtain the same particle size distribution as Comparative Example 3. The sample was charcoal.
The crushing and sieving treatment is similar to the crushing and sieving treatment applied to the commercially available granular coconut shell activated carbon "Kuraray Coal (registered trademark) GGS-N28/70".
In addition, all the samples of Examples and Comparative Examples described below were also adjusted to have the same particle size distribution as Comparative Example 3 by performing the crushing and sieving treatment.
(Sample of Comparative Example 2)
In Comparative Example 2, the raw material, crushed coconut shell coal, was treated with the same fluidized activation furnace used for the activation treatment of the commercially available granular coconut shell activated carbon "Kuraray Coal (registered trademark) GGS-N28/70". The granular coconut shell activated carbon obtained by activation treatment was used as a sample. In the activation treatment, in order to make the acetone adsorption performance of the obtained granular coconut shell activated carbon about 19% by mass, the activation treatment is milder than that applied to the commercially available granular coconut shell activated carbon. An adjustment was made to shorten the activation processing time.
Note that the activation treatment in the production of samples of Examples 1 to 4 described below was also the same as the fluidized activation furnace used for the activation treatment of the above-mentioned commercially available granular coconut shell activated carbon "Kuraray Coal (registered trademark) GGS-N28/70". It was done with a device.
(Sample of Example 1)
The raw material, coarsely crushed coconut shell carbon, was activated using a fluidized activation furnace, and the resulting granular coconut shell activated carbon was used as a sample. In order to make the acetone adsorption performance of the obtained granular coconut shell activated carbon about 28% by mass, the activation treatment is more severe than the activation treatment applied to the commercially available granular coconut shell activated carbon. The main adjustment was to extend the activation processing time.
(Sample of Example 2)
The raw material, coarsely crushed coconut shell carbon, was activated using a fluidized activation furnace, and the resulting granular coconut shell activated carbon was used as a sample. The activation treatment mainly consisted of extending the activation treatment time so that the activation treatment was more severe than the activation treatment in Example 1, in order to make the acetone adsorption performance of the obtained granular coconut shell activated carbon about 37% by mass fraction. Adjustments have been made.
(Sample of Example 3)
The raw material, coarsely crushed coconut shell carbon, was activated using a fluidized activation furnace, and the resulting granular coconut shell activated carbon was used as a sample. The activation treatment mainly involved extending the activation treatment time so that the activation treatment was more severe than the activation treatment in Example 2, in order to make the acetone adsorption performance of the obtained granular coconut shell activated carbon about 40% by mass. Adjustments have been made.
(Sample of Example 4)
The raw material, coarsely crushed coconut shell carbon, was activated using a fluidized activation furnace, and the resulting granular coconut shell activated carbon was used as a sample. The conditions of the activation treatment were different from those of the activation treatment of Example 3 in order to make the acetone adsorption performance of the obtained granular coconut shell activated carbon a larger value than that of Example 3 (if possible, about 45% by mass). Adjustments were made mainly to extend the activation treatment time so that the activation treatment was also more severe.
(Sample of Comparative Example 4)
The raw material, coarsely crushed coconut shell carbon, was activated using a rotary kiln, and the resulting granular coconut shell activated carbon was used as a sample. The conditions of the activation treatment were adjusted so that the acetone adsorption performance of the obtained granular coconut shell activated carbon was comparable to that of Comparative Example 3.

<2. Measurement of brightness L ^* value, chromaticity a ^* value and chromaticity b ^* value, and calculation of color difference ΔE value>
The lightness L ^* value, chromaticity a ^* value, and chromaticity b ^* value of the granular coconut shell activated carbon of Examples 1 to 4 and Comparative Examples 1 to 4 were measured by the following methods.
The above-mentioned one type of granular coconut shell carbon and seven types of granular coconut shell activated carbon were used as test samples in accordance with JIS K 7373, and a quartz cell with a screw cap (material: synthetic quartz glass, optical path length x optical path width) was used as a test sample. :10x10mm).
Each of the above-mentioned samples filled with quartz cells (Comparative Examples 1 to 4 and Examples 1 to 4) was measured using a tristimulus value direct reading type color meter (manufactured by Suga Test Instruments Co., Ltd., SM-T45) in accordance with JIS Z 8730. ) was measured. The measurement method was reflection measurement, and the optical conditions were 45° illumination and 0° light reception (45°:0°). The measurement was performed three times for each sample, and the average value of each measurement value was taken as the value of the measurement result. Furthermore, as a blank, one measurement was performed using only the quartz cell that was not filled with a sample.
The color difference ΔE value of the granular coconut shell activated carbon was calculated based on the following formula (I) in accordance with JIS Z 8730.
(I) ΔE = {(ΔL ^* ) ² + (Δa ^* ) ² + (Δb ^* ) ² } ^1/2
Here, ΔL ^* represents the difference between the lightness L ^* value of each sample and the lightness L ^* value of the blank, Δa ^* represents the difference between the chromaticity a ^* value of each sample and the chromaticity a ^* value of the blank, Δb ^* represents the difference between the chromaticity b ^* value of each sample and the chromaticity b ^* value of the blank.
Measurement results of lightness L ^* value, chromaticity a ^* value and chromaticity b ^* value, and color difference ΔE value of granular coconut shell charcoal of Comparative Example 1, Comparative Examples 2 to 4 and granular coconut shell activated carbon of Examples 1 to 4 The calculation results are shown in Table 1.

<3. Measurement of acetone adsorption performance>
The acetone adsorption performance of granular activated carbon was measured in accordance with JIS K 1474.
Granular activated carbon is prepared according to <2. above. Among those used in the measurement of lightness L ^* value, chromaticity a ^* value, and chromaticity b ^* value, and calculation of color difference ΔE value, the same lot of granular coconut shell activated carbon was used, except for Comparative Example 4.
Table 2 shows the measurement results of the acetone adsorption performance of the granular coconut shell activated carbon of Comparative Examples 1 to 3 and Examples 1 to 4.

<4. Identification investigation by visual observation＞
A panel of 50 people investigated whether two different types of granular activated carbon could be visually distinguished. The survey method is as follows.
Granular activated carbon is prepared according to <3. above. The same lot of granular coconut shell activated carbon as that used in <Measurement of Acetone Adsorption Performance> was used.
The granular coconut shell activated carbons of Comparative Examples 1 to 3 and Examples 1 to 4 were each sealed in 40 ml transparent glass bottles and given to panelists as seven samples.
Using one sample as a reference, the panelists visually observed the other six samples to determine whether two different samples could be identified.
Visual observation was performed by observing the encapsulated granular coconut shell activated carbon through a transparent glass bottle, and then taking the activated carbon out of the glass bottle onto a desk and observing it directly.
The panelists combined the results of the visual observation described above, determined whether two different samples could be distinguished by a round-robin method of seven samples, and recorded the combinations of samples that could be discriminated.
The records of the combinations of samples that could be identified were compiled through visual observation by the panelists, and the results expressed as percentages are shown in Table 3.

表３中の数値は、目視観察により識別できると判定したパネラー数の％である。

The numerical values in Table 3 are percentages of the number of panelists who determined that they could be identified by visual observation.

From Table 3, it was found that Comparative Examples 1 to 3 were not distinguishable from each other.
Furthermore, it was found that Examples 2 to 4 were also indistinguishable from each other.
Regarding Example 1, more than 50% of the panelists judged that it could be distinguished from Comparative Examples 1 to 3, whereas less than 50% of the panelists judged that it could be distinguished from Examples 2 to 4. Based on observation, it can be said that the granular coconut shell activated carbon is closer to the granules of Examples 2 to 4.
Therefore, when the granular coconut shell activated carbons of Comparative Examples 1 to 3 are used as fraudulent products, and the granular coconut shell activated carbons of Examples 1 to 4 are used as genuine products, both can be identified by visual observation, so that the authenticity determination of smoking articles can be filtered. This can be done by using granular activated carbon contained in the part.

Claims (6)

A smoking article comprising a tobacco rod portion and a filter portion containing granular activated carbon, the smoking article comprising:
The lightness L ^* value in the CIELab color system of the granular activated carbon is 11.96 or more and 13.65 or less , the acetone adsorption performance is 36.5 mass fraction % or more and 41.0 mass fraction % or less, and the granular activated carbon A smoking article having a diameter of 150 μm or more and 2000 μm or less, and wherein the granular activated carbon is granular coconut shell activated carbon. The smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the granular activated carbon has a color difference ΔE value of 14.00 or more and 21.50 or less in the CIELab color system.
Here, the color difference ΔE value is the color difference between a case where a quartz cell is filled with granular activated carbon and measured, and a quartz cell where the quartz cell is measured without being filled with granular activated carbon . A method of manufacturing a smoking article comprising a tobacco rod part and a filter part containing granular activated carbon, the method comprising:
The lightness L ^* value in the CIELab color system is 11.96 or more and 13.65 or less , the acetone adsorption performance is 36.5 mass fraction % or more and 41.0 mass fraction % or less , and the particle size is 150 μm or more. A method for producing a smoking article, comprising the steps of preparing granular activated carbon having a diameter of 2000 μm or less , and adding the prepared granular activated carbon to a filter portion, the granular activated carbon being granular coconut shell activated carbon. In the preparing step, the lightness L ^* value is 11.96 or more and 13.65 or less , the acetone adsorption performance is 36.5 mass fraction % or more and 41.0 mass fraction % or less , and further, the CIELab color system is The method for producing a smoking article according to claim 3, comprising preparing granular activated carbon having a color difference ΔE value of 14.00 or more and 21.50 or less.
Here, the color difference ΔE value is the color difference between a case where a quartz cell is filled with granular activated carbon and measured, and a quartz cell where the quartz cell is measured without being filled with granular activated carbon . This is a process of quantifying the color of granular activated carbon using the CIELab color system.
Filling with charcoal and measuring the lightness L ^* value, chromaticity a ^* value and chromaticity b ^* value;
Granular activated carbon having a lightness L ^* value of 11.50 or more and 17.50 or less in the CIELab color system and a particle size of 150 μm or more and 2000 μm or less is selected as granular activated carbon to be added to a filter for smoking articles. A method of identifying granular activated carbon for addition to a filter for a smoking article, comprising the steps of: In the step of identifying, the lightness L ^* value has a value of 11.50 or more and 17.50 or less, and the particle size is 150 μm or more and 2000 μm or less,
The method according to claim 5 , further comprising the step of selecting granular activated carbon having a color difference ΔE value of 14.00 or more and 21.50 or less in the CIELab color system.
Here, the color difference ΔE value is the color difference between a case where a quartz cell is filled with granular activated carbon and measured, and a quartz cell where the quartz cell is measured without being filled with granular activated carbon .

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