Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
  • A24D—CIGARS; CIGARETTES; TOBACCO SMOKE FILTERS; MOUTHPIECES FOR CIGARS OR CIGARETTES; MANUFACTURE OF TOBACCO SMOKE FILTERS OR MOUTHPIECES
  • A24D3/00—Tobacco smoke filters, e.g. filter-tips, filtering inserts; Filters specially adapted for simulated smoking devices; Mouthpieces for cigars or cigarettes
  • A24D3/06—Use of materials for tobacco smoke filters
  • A24D3/08—Use of materials for tobacco smoke filters of organic materials as carrier or major constituent

Definitions

• ABSTRACT Tobacco smoke filters mainly consisting of ethylenevinyl acetate copolymer containing 10 to 80 mol percent of ethylene and saponified to an extent of more than 85 percent.
• This invention relates to tobacco smoke filters capable of effectively eliminating harmful substances such as nicotine and tars from tobacco without absorbing its original flavor.
• tobacco smokes contain alkaloids such as nicotine, organic acids, phenolic components, water, carbon dioxide and a large amount of black tarry matter.
• alkaloids such as nicotine, organic acids, phenolic components, water, carbon dioxide and a large amount of black tarry matter.
• polar substances such as basic and acid ones have a high boiling point and a great affinity for water, so that they are very likely to be retained in the body of a smoker and apply a harmful load on the lungs, liver, kidney and stomach.
• the devices proposed to date include, for example, a bundle of cellulose acetate fibers treated with a plasticizer and fibers of rayon or polypropylene bonded'together with an adhesive into a required shape.
• all these attempts are intended to remove the aforesaid harmful components simply by physical process'es such as cooling, condensation and adsorption, failing to display a fully desired effect.
• Another object of the invention is to provide tobacco smoke filters attaining the prominent elimination of said harmful ingredients and permitting a user to inhale tobacco smokes with little effort.
• Still another object of the invention is to provide an industrially advantageous method of manufacturing tobacco smoke filters of good breatheability having a high capacity to eliminate harmful substances from tobacco.
• tobacco smoke filters mainly-consisting of ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer containing to 80 mol percent of ethylene and saponified to an extent of at least 85 percent.
• tobacco smoke filters consisting of more than percent by weight of ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer containing 10 to mol percent and saponified to an extent of more than 90 percent and less than 80 percent by weight of polyolefins.
• a method of manufacturing tobacco smoke filters having 50 to percent porosity which comprises first preparing the raw material of tobacco smoke filters which consists of 100 to 50 parts by weight of powders, fibers or mixtures thereof of ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer containing 20 to 65 mol percent ofethylene and saponified to an extent of more A than percent and 0 to 50 parts by weight of powders,
• the saponified ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer of i this invention can be prepared by first dissolving said copolymer in lower alcohol or aromatic hydrocarbon solvent or a mixture thereof and adding acid or alkali to the resultant solution for saponification. It has also been experimentally confirmed that tobacco smoke filters according to this invention will have a more increased capacity to eliminate the harmful components of tobacco smoke by incorporating any of the following additives:
• glycols such as ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, butane diol, pentadiol, diethylene glycol, triethylene gly col, tetraethylene glycol and dipropylene glycol, water and trivalent alcohol such as glycerine.
• the above additive and the saponified ethylenevinyl acetate copolymer should preferably be fused together, it is also possible first to form said saponified copolymer into, for example, fibers and then pass said fibers through an atmosphere of said additive so as to cause said additive to permeate the fibers or be adsorbed thereto. It is further desired that said additive be used in an amount of 0.05 to 10 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of the saponified copolymer.
• Tobacco smoke filters of this invention mainly consisting of ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer containing 10 to 80 mol percent and saponified to an extent of more than 85 percent indeed offer the advantage of very effectively adsorbing the harmful ingredients of tobacco such as nicotine and tars. But said advantage is offset by the fact that where several cigarettes are smoked through said filter inserted into, for example,
• the unduly high capacity of the filter to adsorb the harmful ingredients causes large amounts of said ingredients to beaccumulated in the filter, with the result that the filter is plugged with the adsorbed material in a relatively short time, obliging a smoker to use greater effort in inhaling tobacco smokes from a fresh cigarette filter.
• the above-mentioned filter can indeed be very suitably used as an attachment to a single cigarette which evolves a small amount of tobacco smokes. But where said filter is inserted into a tobacco smoke holder, it presents the drawback that it has to be replaced by a fresh one in a short time due to adsorbed material plugging said filter relatively early.
• a tobacco smoke filter consisting of 80 to 20 parts by weight of ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer containing to 80 mol percent of ethylene and saponified to an extent of 85 percent or preferably more than 90 percent and to 80 parts by weight of polyolefins has been formed to save a smoker from much effort in inhaling tobacco smokes from a large number of cigarettes over a considerable period.
• the filter consisting of the above-mentioned mixture eliminates smaller amounts of the harmful ingredients of tobacco per unit volume than a filter only consisting of the saponified copolymer, yet the former filter does not substantially obstruct a smokers inhalation of tobacco smokes over a relatively long period. Therefore, a tobacco filter formed of a mixture of said saponified copolymer and polyolefins is adapted to be used as an insert in a tobacco holder, for example, a pipe.
• the above-mentioned composite tobacco smoke filter contains more than 80 percent by weight of the polyolefin, namely, less than 20 percent by weight of the saponified ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, then said filter is undesirably decreased in the capacity to eliminate the harmful components of tobacco.
• the composite tobacco filter includes less than 20 percent by weight of the polyolefin, then said polyolefin can not display its full effect, rendering the filter unadapted to be used in smoking muchtobacco over a long period, because it obstructs a smokers inhalation of tobacco smokes due to adsorbed material plugging the filter in a relatively short time.
• polyolefins is defined to include polypropylene, high density polyethylene, low density polyethylene and copolymers mainly consisting of these polyolefins and other minor components. These polyolefins have a combination of favorable properties of preventing the subject tobacco smoke filter from presenting increased resistance to a smokers inhalation of tobacco, presenting littlehygroscopicity, evolving no toxic gases and being readily fabricated into fibers.
• a saponified ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer or a mixture of said copolymer and the aforesaid polyolefins is to be used as a tobacco smoke filter, it is advised to form these filter materials into fibers, split fibers, films and moldings (for example, pipe cartridges), as need requires. Particularly preferred are the fibers or split fibers which have a large area of adsorption. Fabrication of the aforesaid saponified ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer or a mixture of said copolymer and the polyolefins into fibers may advisably be carried out, for example, by the customary melt spinning or split fiber process.
• the fibers thus prepared are preferred to have a thickness of several or 10 and odd denier units.
• Manufacture of a tobacco filter from said fibers may be effected by first bundling the fibers in a certain direction to form a tow and then forming a thin crust on said tow by application of, for example, heat, or surrounding the tow with a thin piece of synthetic resin or paper. Further, it is possible to fill a separate vessel with said tow or individual fibers in bulk.
• a tobacco smoke filter according to this invention may also be produced by the following process. Namely, the raw material of said tobacco filter is first prepared from 100 to 50 parts by weight of powders, fibers or mixtures thereof of ethylene-vinyl acetate c0- polymer containing 20 to 65 mol percent of ethylene and saponified to an extent of more than percent and 0 to 50 parts by weight of powders, fibers or mix tures thereof of polyolefins. Thereafter, the raw material thus prepared is further treated by either of the following processes (I) and (2):
• the above-mentioned additional treatment enables the filter material to be fabricated at a relatively low temperature, preventing the final filter product from being discolored by the high heat to which the product might otherwise be subjected at the time of fabrication.
• the reason is assumed to be that the water absorbed in the filter material or the saturated steam ejected thereon acts as a sort of plasticizer to decrease the softening and melting points of said filter material.
• the aforesaid treatment causes the powders or fibers constituting the filter material to contact each other tangentially with the resultant growth of numerous fine cavities. When the water filled in these cavities is dried off, there is obtained a tobacco filter of very great breatheability having a porosity of 50 to 85 percent.
• the conditions under which the subject tobacco filter product is fabricated that is, the amount of water absorbed in the filter material or the temperature of saturated steam ejected thereon and the temperature and length of time required for said fabrication can be freely chosen according to the ethylene content, the extent of saponification and the final form of the ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer constituting the filter material. Namely, where such copolymer low in ethylene or highly saponified is fabricated with the temperature unchanged, then it is necessary to add a large amount of water. Conversely, where such copolymer rich in ethylene or slightly saponified is fabricated, then water has only to be added in a small amount.
• EXAMPLES 1 TO 4 AND CONTROLS 1 TO 4 Samples of ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer containing 20, 35, 40 and 55 mol percent of ethylene re-' spectively and saponified to an extent of more than 98.5 percent alike were formed into fibers on a melt spinning extruder. The fibers were bundled into a tow having 55,000 deniers in total and containing 20 clumps per inch with monofilaments measured to have about 4 deniers. Samples of said tow were fabricated into four types of tobacco filter each 102 mm long and 24.7 mm in peripheral length on a tobacco filter manufacturing machine. Each type of filter was attached to an end of acigarette in a length of 17 mm.
• Control 1 denotes the conventional cellulose acetate tobacco filter
• Control 2 represents ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer containing 8 mol percent of ethylene and saponified to an extent of more than 98.5 percent
• Control 3 indicates ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer containing 85 mol per cent of ethylene and saponified to an extent of more than 98.5 percent
• Control 4 shows ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer containing 40 mol percent of ethylene and saponified to an extent of 80 percent.
• Control 6 Comml 1 35 g ()0 50 denotes additive-free ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer 2 52 2 93 which contained 40 mol percent of ethylene and sapon- 3 42 39 52 ified to an extent of 99.5 percent, and Control 7 repre- 4 5t 40 7s a tents the conventional cellulose acetate tobacco filter.
• the precefhflg cases 6 a mesa Sapom Said tow was made into a tobacco filter 102 mm long .contammg more than 12 parts y and 24.7 mm in peripheral length.
• the filter thus preglyfcerme f to ex scholarer Screw l g It was pared was attached to one end of a cigarette in a length i a Sal 5.
• Controls 8 to Control 8 represents the flavor of tobacco enjoyed by a smoker through all conventional cellulose acetate tobacco smoke filter, these filters the results being presented in Table 5 and Controls 9 to 12 all denote cartridge type tobacco 10w.
• Control 11 indicates a hollow total and 18 clumps PeT1nCh Wll1h monofilamfimsfnfiapolystyrene case b i a i l h i which t sured to have about 4.5 deniers from fibers consisting bacco smokes introduced are condensed by the action of either or a mixture of ethylene-vinyl acetate copolyof their adiabatic expansion and collected on the inner mer containing 35.5 mol percent of ethylene and sasurface of said case.
• Control 12 is a cartridge type toponified to an extent of 99.2 percent and polypropylbacco filter prepared by filling a polypropylene case ene (manufactured by Showa Yuka K.K.
• Control 8 I10 58 42 38 9 1390 52 40 32 It) I720 60 43 35 l l 525 53 53 45 12 770 56 32 35 into divisions 33 mm long. Said divided portions were each inserted into a cartridge, which in turn was fitted into a pipe. Tests were carried out by smoking twenty Japanese cigarettes bearing the trademark Hi-lite, through said loaded pipe, the results being presented in weight of ethylenevinyl acetate copolymer containing 78 mol percent of ethylene andsaponified to anextent of 96.5 percent and 25' parts by weight of high density polyethylene (manufactured by Showa Yuka K.K. under the trademark Sholex 6009M); Said tow was.
• filters formed 15 of a mixture of said saponified ethylene-vinyl acetate Resistance to inhalation copolymer and polypropylene saved a smoker from (mm much effort throughout the smoking of the abovemen- Before Af ki g Af smoking tioned twenty cigarettes and eliminated proper smoking ten cigarettes twenty cigarettes amounts of the harmful components of tobacco, en- 20 Example 23 72 105 N7 ablmg said cigarettes to give forth good flavor.
• the filter thus molded had a porosity of 79 percent and an inhalation resistance of 72 mm H O.
• the filter was found to have good breatheability and also render the cigarettes smoked therethrough veryflavorful.
• said filter eliminated 80 percent of tars, 72 percent of nicotine and 93 percent of phenolic components contained in tobacco.
• Control 15 It was tried to prepare a' tobacoo smoke filter from the same copolymer as used in Example 24 excepting that water was impregnated in said copolymer in amounts of 50 and 100 parts by weight each time and the mass was heated 5 minutes at 50C. In this case, the powders of said copolymer were insufficiently fused together, failing to be used as a filter material. Further where said powders were treated by incorporating 3 parts by weight ofwater and heating for 7 minutes at 160C and 3 minutes at 200C each time, said powders were insufficiently fused together in the former treatment and discolored yellow and too closely fused -to-' gether in the latter treatment. The powders of Said copolymer treated by either of the above processes were found unadapted to be used as a filter material.
• Fibers of 8 to 10 deniers were prepared by melt spinning at 240C from a mixture of 100 parts by weight percent acetate copolymer containing 29.8 mol percent of ethylene and saponified to an extent of 95.4 percent (an aqueous solution of phenol containing percent of water in which said copolymer was dissolved was measured to have an intrinsic viscosity of 1.05 dl/g the above-mentioned melt spun fibers on a refiner roll unit were impregnated with 10 parts by weight of water. The mass was filled in the same type of mold as used in Example 24 and heated 3 minutes at 140C, followed by the same drying operation.
• the filter thus molded had a porosity of 75 percent and an inhalation resistance of 73 mm H O, presenting good breatheabil ity and rendering the cigarettes smoked therethrough very flavorful. Further, said filter eliminated 82 percent of tars, 71 percent of nicotine and 92 percent of phenolic components contained in tobacco.
• Control 16 It was tried to mold a tobacco smoke filter from the same copolymer as used in Example 25 excepting that.
• the copolymer was impregnated with 10 parts by weight of water and heated 1 minute at 170C and parts by weight of water and heated 5 minutes at 50C I each time.
• the former treatment only resulted in a narrow molded mass which presented an undulating surface and was fused very hard up to the interior, while the latter treatment prevented the mutual fusion of ,at 30C) and 3 parts by weightof glycerine. 100 parts,
• Fibers of 4 deniers were prepared by melt spinning and subsequent stretching from ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer containing 35.5 mol percent and saponified to an extent of 99.8 percent (an aqueous solution of phenol containing 20 percent of water in which said copolymer was dissolved was measured to have an intrinsic viscosity of 0.95 dl/g at 30C). 25,000 of such fibers were assembled into a tow bearing 20 clumps per inch obtained by a clumping process. Said tow was immersed in warm water at 30C to be impregnated with 50 parts by weight of water (including adsorbed water) based on 100 parts by weight of said tow.
• the filter eliminated 82 percent of tars, 73 percent of nicotine and 91 percent of phenolic components contained in tobacco.
• EXAMPLE 27 The same kind of clumped tow as used in Example 26 was conducted into a porous pipe 0.8 cm in diameter and having theperipheral wall bored with 50 holes per square centimeter. The tow was treated 5 seconds with saturated steam at l 10C. After cooled and dried, said tow provided a filter having a porosity of 81 percent and an inhalation resistance of 60 mm H O with the peripheral surface alone coated with a thin crust due to the fibers being fused together and the interior formed of an ideal fibrous structure.
• the filter thus prepared eliminated 83 percent of tars, 72 percent of nicotine and 92 percent of phenolic components contained in tobacco.
• EXAMPLE 28 A mixture of 30 parts by weight of powders of ethylenevinyl acetate copolymer containing 35.5 percent of ethylene and saponified to an extent of 94.5
• PERCENT (said powders had a particle size of 28 to 35 mesh and a bulk density of 0.25 and an aqueous solution of phenol containing 20 percent of water in which said powders were dissolved was measured to have an intrinsic viscosity of 1.10 dl/g at 30C) and parts by weight of pulpy fibers obtained by finely splitting on a refiner roll unit fibers of about 10 deniers prepared by melt spinning from powders of ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer containing 35.5 mol percent of ethylene and saponified to an extent of 99.8 percent (an aqueous solution of phenol containing 20 percent of water in which said powders were dissolved was measured to have an intrinsic viscosity of 0.92 dl/g at 30C) was filled into a metal mold 0.8 cm in diameter and 1.7 cm
• Tobacco smoke filters adapted for use with a to bacco smoke article and of a shape to be inserted in the I smoke passage of such tobacco smoke article which having a porosity of 71 and an inhalation resistance 5 -i a mixture f 80 to 20 pa'rts b i h f- 0 75 m H2O-
• the fi t had its p iph ral su a polymer material and 20 to 80 parts by weight of polyalone coated with a thin crust due to the fibers being olefin material, said copolymer material consisting of fused together as the result of treatment with saturated ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer containing to 80 steam and its interior formed of fibers tangentially cono o hylene, which p ym r has been p n tacting each other.
• the filter eliminated 82 l0 fled to an ent of at least 85 percent and said polyoleof tars, 70 percent of nicotine and 92 percent of phefin material is selecuqd from the g p Consisting of nolic components contained in tobacco polypropylene and polyethylene, said copolymer material and said polyolefin material being in the form of fi- EXAMPLES 29 TO 33 AND CONTROLS 17 AND 18 b li fib fil or moldi gs,
• Tobacco smoke filters as claimed in claim 1 The Same type of metal mold as used in Example 28 wherein said copolymer material and said polyolefin material are in the form of fibers. was fined wlth powders of ethylene'vmyl acetate -3 Tobacco smoke filters as claimed in claim 1 for use polymer containing 38.0 mol percent of ethylene and tobacco Smoking pipes saponified to an extent of percent (the powders 4.
• a tobacco smoke filter as claimed in claim 1 for had a particle size of 28 to 35 mesh, and a bulk density attachment to a single cigaretm and an aqueous Solution of Phenol containing 5.
• Cigarette h l soved had an intrinsic viscosity of 0.90 dl/g at 30C) 6.
• Tobacco smoke filters as claimed in claim 1 which i and powders of low density polyethylene having a partiare t id filt W cle size of mesh pass and a bulk density of 0.
• said 7 A tobacco smoke filter adapted for use with a two yp of Powders being mixed in the ratios give" in bacco smoke article and of a shape to be inserted in the Table 3 below to P p Samples-
• Each Sample was smoke passage of such tobacco smoke article, said filtreated 10 SfiCOlldS with saturated steam at 100C, proter having a porosity f to percent and corfiprig- Viding a filter Whose P y and inhalation resistance, 30 ing as essential filter material ethylene-vinyl acetate coas well as the capacity to eliminate nicotine, tars and polymer t i i 10 t 80 l p nt eth le d phenolic components are shown in Table 8 belo having the vinyl acetate moiety thereof saponified to an which also presents the properties of filters represented extent of at least 85 percent, said filter material being by Controls 17 and 18.
• Control- 17 denotes a filter conin the form of fibers, split fibers films or moldings. sisting of the same kind of saponified copolyme as in 8.
• a tobacco smoke filter of claim 8 wherein said sa- Table 8, tobacco filters (Examples 29 to 33) according 4 ponification extent is a least 90 percent.
• sential-filter material ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer containing 10 to 80 mol percent ethylene and having Table 8 5 the vinyl acetate moiety thereof saponified to an extent I I of at least 85 percent, said filter material being in the MXmg form of fibers, split fibers, films or moldings. Saponified copolymer Low density poly- 11.
• the method of filtering tobacco smoke in a to- (pam) ethylene (pans) 5O bacco smoke article which comprises passing the to- Example 29 100 0 bacco smoke through a filter which comprises as essen- 2 tial filter material ethylene-viny1 acetate copolymer 60 0 containing 10 to 80 mol percent ethylene and having 33 5O the vinyl acetate moiety thereof saponified to an extent Control 17 40 55 of at least 85 percent, said filter material being in the 18 form of fibers, split fibers, films or moldings.
• Example 29 77 72 82 7O 91 30 78 69 80, 68 90 31 77 68 71 65 85 32 76 65 6O 82 33 79 72 60 52 69 Control 17 79 e3 50 45 52 18 53 35 38 60 12.

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• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Materials Engineering (AREA)
• Cigarettes, Filters, And Manufacturing Of Filters (AREA)
• Multicomponent Fibers (AREA)
• Artificial Filaments (AREA)

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Cited By (9)

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Citations (4)

• 1972
  • 1972-03-23 JP JP47028579A patent/JPS519039B2/ja not_active Expired
• 1973
  • 1973-03-21 US US00343421A patent/US3856025A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1973-03-22 DE DE2314361A patent/DE2314361B2/de active Granted

Patent Citations (4)

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