WO2012064294A1

WO2012064294A1 - Reduction of harmful smoke constituents, including a tobacco column and a filter element

Info

Publication number: WO2012064294A1
Application number: PCT/TR2010/000228
Authority: WO
Inventors: Lelas Tihomir
Original assignee: KAYA, Selçuk
Priority date: 2010-11-09
Filing date: 2010-11-09
Publication date: 2012-05-18
Also published as: EP2637522A1

Abstract

A smoking article (1), including a tobacco column (2) and a filter (3), is provided, comprising incorporation into both, a tobacco column (2) as well as into a filter (3), or in one of these parts, of a tribomechanically activated micronized zeolite (TMAZ) for reducing harmful smoke constituents and at the same time enhancing of aromatic properties from tobacco smoke of smoking article. The aforementioned tribomechanically activated micronized zeolite preferably with particle diametar size of 0,2 to 5 µm. Incorporation of the tribomechanically activated micronized zeolite (TMAZ) into smoking articles (1), is implemented in the framework of ordinary manufacturing process of smoking articles (1), e.g. adding this tribomechanically activated particles to filters (3) and to tobacco column (2) together with the aromatic additives; Incorporation of the tribomechanically activated micronized zeolite (TMAZ), is implemented in the framework of ordinary manufactruring process of smoking articles (1), e.g. adding this particles to filters (3) and to tobacco columns (2), preferably together with the aromatic additives when tobacco columns (2) are in question.

Description

DESCRIPTION

REDUCTION OF HARMFUL SMOKE CONSTITUENTS, INCLUDING A TOBACCO COLUMN AND A FILTER ELEMENT

Technical Field

The present invention refers to a tobacco smoking article, such as cigarettes, including a tobacco column and a filter element, more particularly to a reduction of harmful smoke constituents while retaining and enhancing of aromatic properties with desirable flavour constituents in main stream smoke.

Pursuant to the International patent classification it belongs to A24D3/16 and A24B 15/42.

Technical Problem

Nowadays it is believed that there are more then 1.5 billion smokers in the world. It is well known that smoking causes various effects that are harmful to health. It increases, to an extremely significant extent, the risk of various cancers as well as coronary heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

At the same time, some tobacco combustion products contribute to the organoleptic pleasures, while others detract. Among the combustion products that detract are carbonyls including aldehydes, such as acetaldehyde and acrolein, and ketones, such as acetone. When removing detracting combustion products, current filter technology also removes flavoring additives that contribute to the positive organoleptic pleasure of a smoker resulting in an undesirable tobacco product from the consumer's perspective.

Thus, there remains a need for a new and improved smoking article, such as cigarettes, with a filter and tobacco column, that reduces of harmful smoke constituents, selectively removes combustion products that detract from the organoleptic pleasures of a smoker, while at the same time, it allows the desirable combustion products to reach the smoker.

The aim of the present invention is to solve the problem mentioned above by means of adding of appropriate compositions and preparations to smoking article, such as cigarettes, with a filter and tobacco column, as to reduce of harmful smoke constituents while retaining and enhancing of aromatic properties with desirable flavour constituents in main stream smoke.

State of the Art

In the composition of tobacco products, including smoking products as well as products intended for other forms of consumption, it has long been endeavored to reduce to the greatest possible extent the amounts of undesirable substances that can be transmitted to the consumer.

One problem in this regard is that of combining this endeavor with the endeavor to produce products that will be found acceptable by the consumers, since many of the components that are natural to the tobacco or that are formed as the tobacco burns contribute to the flavor and aroma of the product.

It has long been endeavored to reduce the concentrations of undesirable substances in the main smoke stream generated by smoking articles, and then particularly when smoking cigarettes, with the aid of filters at the mouth end of the smoking article. Many different filter materials and different filter constructions are known to the art from the literature concerned with such products.

Fibrous cellulose-based material, such as crepe paper, different forms of regenerated cellulose and, above all, cellulose acetate fibers are examples of those filter materials most used at present. The prime purpose of such fibers filter materials is to remove part of the aerosol particles, "tar", from the smoke. Cigarette filters may also include different additives whose purpose is to capture gaseous smoke components. The most common of these additives is activated carbon, in different forms. Also known to the art are cigarette filters which include a combination of activated carbon and cellulose filter material.

Cigarette smoke is a visible, volatile by product of the burning of tobacco, additives and cigarette paper which appears immediately in the burning zone and is comprised of: gaseous aggregate state ( CO, C0₂, 0₂, H₂, N₂ N-oxides, HCN, HCNS, NH₃, aldehydes, alcohols, etc.), and solid - liquid aggregate state comprised of water and fully or partially water soluble compounds (like nicotine and other alkaloids) which are distilled, expire or burn during smoking.

The passing of smoke through the stick of rolled tobacco towards one end on which the smoker inhales smoke, the cooling and condensation of smoke ensues, and part of the smoke enters the mouth cavity of the smoker. With the aim of reducing the possible negative effect, and in terms of health, dangerous affect of smoke, a cigarette filter is attached to the stick part of the rolled tobacco of the cigarette that the smoker places in his mouth to inhale, whose role it is to stop as much of the harmful components contained in the tobacco smoke as it moves towards the end to which the smoker is inhaling the smoke as possible.

Multiple filters, paper filters, combinations of various filters and additives have been developed. The efficacy of ordinary (cellulose - acetate) filters is at the level of retaining harmful components of 20 % - 65 %, while with various newly developed combinations of additive filters and forms of filters, the efficacy is raised to approx. 75 %.

Today it is the trend to produce light cigarettes which in the main flow of smoke, they produce less raw smoke condensate, water, nicotine and C0₂ and other harmful components.

In designing light cigarettes ventilation in the filter is used (diluted smoke), skirt tipping and a combination of various cigarette paper and tobacco. Efficacy and filter selectivity (increased capability of absorption of certain components) are an important factor in designing light cigarettes, as well as all other chemical and physical parameters of cigarettes.

One of the main components in the construction of a filter, and the cigarette to is pressure drop which significantly affects the feeling of taste and ease of smoking. Many additives and construction solutions increase the pressure drop and have undesired effects in smoking. This is the basic reason why ordinary acetate-cellulose filters are still in wider use.

The classic filter is a cellulous-acetate filter, while to increase the efficacy of the filter (capability of retaining, absorption of solid - liquid and gaseous state of smoke) additives like active carbon (WO 2006/072889), zeolite (WO96707335, US2,839,065, GB2, 122,473, US4,668,648), silicagel, magnesium silicate, artificial hemoglobin are used.

All of the aforementioned publications relating to zeolite as additive are based on the concept of using standard zeolites, i.e. hydrophilic zeolites. The zeolites used in accordance with WO96/07335 as suitably and preferably have a particle size of 0.2 - 1 mm, and then particularly about 0.5 mm.

Essence of the Invention and the Solution of the Technical Problem

In distinction to the aforesaid state of the art illustrated by cited publications, the present invention proposes the use of zeolites, what is explained in more detail below.

The zeolites used are are particularly preferred because of their very specific and therewith their superior properties. More specific characteristic data relating to these zeolites will be given in the following.

There exist a large number of different zeolites with different chemical compositions and differently arranged spatial network structures.

The invention is based on selection of such zeolites that has specific properties and on the basis of their ability on the preparing of zeolite to eliminate undesirable compounds from tobacco smoke, e.g. to achieve enhancing of aromatic properties and reduction of harmful smoke constituents in tobacco smoking article, including a tobacco column and a filter.

The zeolites used in accordance with the invention will suitably have a particle size of 0.2 to 5μιη and used by means of the compositions and the preparations containing zeolite of the specifications mentioned above, being added to tobacco smoking article, including a tobacco column and a filter.

The preparation or the component that is attached to the tobacco smoking article, including a tobacco column and a filter removes an essential portion of the combustion products as harmful constituents an enhances aromatic properties at the same time that are present in the in main stream smoke of the tobacco product.

The present invention refers to the use of the preparation and component intended to be added to a tobacco product comprising a substance with tribomechanically activated micronized zeolite (TMAZ) that is capable for reduction of combustion products as harmful smoke constituents and enhancement of smoking article at the same time. With the appearance of tribomechanically activated zeolite (TMAZ) the possibility of improving the efficacy and selectivity of smoking article retaining and improving the desired flavor of the cigarette is present, without drastic changes to the pressure drop of the smoke through the smoking article, and with this also the cigarette which enables the retaining of the aroma and with this smoking satisfaction too.

By applying the procedure of finely grinding and micronization, that is, mechanical activation of the zeolite surface, its absorption power is increased and it attains a difference distribution of electrical charges inside the crystal grid which at the same time increases the selective absorption. The powder obtained has particles 0.2 to 5 pm in size.

This invention pertains to the use of micronised zeolite.

A device which can micronise zeolites to such an extent that their efficacy is improved is already known from DE 197 55 921.2.

The invention there describes a procedure to improve the efficacy of active substances consisting at least of minerals in that these active substances are submitted to tribome- chanical activation, in which the surface of the treated active substances is increased and their structure is destabilised to increase their chemical potential. The activation of the minerals occurs through interference with the integrity of the crystal lattice, yielding a type of damage which in turn becomes evident in the form of an activation, for example an activation of electrical nature.

Micronisation through the device known from DE 197 55 921.2 lies near 20 pm per particle, whereby only approx. 78% of all particles reach this size.

On the basis of this state of technology, it is therefore the task of the present invention to provide the preparation and component which is produced by use of specially micronised zeolite.

This task is fulfilled by the characteristics, namely in that micronised zeolites with grain size diameter of less than 0.5 pm are used for the preparation and component. The degree of micronisation to be achieved lies at 98.72 % of all particles under 4.3 pm with 28.36 % even exhibiting a diameter under 0.5 pm. It has not been possible to achieve such results with any conventional procedure or known device.

The material micronised by the device exhibits many kinds of advantages for the widest variety of possibibilities for use.

The micronisation described induces diverse chemical and physicochemical changes in mineral raw material components. The effects which arise from dynamic frictional processes endow these minerals with new properties which can be used technologically and commercially for the manufacture of diverse products.

Of the group of zeolites, the mineral heulandite/klinoptilolith has turned out to be advantageous because of its properties, in particular its ability to absorb water, its selectivity and ion exchange capacity, and its chemical composition, which showed that this material is absolutely safe for human consumption. The mineralogical and chemical properties of klinoptiloliths have been examined and are presented in the Table 1 below.

Table 1

Component Proportion [%]

from to

Si02 61.96 67.17

Ti02 0.15 0.32

AI203 12.46 15.12

Fe20 0.98 2.05

MnO trace 0.05

MgO 1.30 1.96

CaO 3.03 4.35

Na20 0.70 1.1 1

K20 0.78 1.32

H20 at 100°C 4.05 4.74

H20 at 1000°C 7.56 9.56 The calcium content of this mineral indicates that it is a calcium zeolite with a tuff - like structure i.e. it is a variety of the mineral klinoptilolith with the proper ties of the heulandite group. The measured density of the klinoptiloith examined lies in the range of 1 .41 to 1.43 g/cm³. Difractometric and thermogravimetric studies showed that all samples examined exhibit about the same zeolite content.

The results of the X-ray studies show the presence of the following types of minerals: heulandite (klinoptilolith) and, other components in decreasing sequence - quartz, sand, plagioklass and low levels of biothythe.

Microscopic examination with an electron microscope showed that the material structure consists of fine tuff grains, a homogeneous isotropic mass, practically the zeolite material.

The content of this material is always in the range of 70 % to 85 %. In decreasing sequence, the presence of angular quartz segments was detected, as well as plagioklass sand grains with an average grain size of 60 pm. Investigation of the melting point on 10 samples showed that klinoptiloliths melt at 1260 - 1280° C. The hardness according to Moss was 3 - 3.5.

The ignition loss was, Table 2:

Ignition Loss [Weight %]

H20 at 100 °C 3.34 to 3.36

H20 at 300 °C 5.42 to 5.51

H20 at 500 °C 2.60 to 2.64

H20 at 1000 °C 2.50 to 2.51

Total 13.86 to 13.92 Results of the Absorption Studies:

Table 3

Water [Weight %] Benzene [Weight%]

Period [h]

from to from to

1 4.61 7.64

2 4.62 7.65

3 8.74 9.33

4 8.75 9.33

10.75 9.45

10.77 9.47

1 1.10 9.51

11.1 1 9.54

13.44 9.54

17

13.45 9.54

The results of the studies of electrical conductivity show that the zeolites treated in accordance with the invention are capable of binding significantly more hydrogen ions than untreated zeolites. This is the immediate consequence of the differences in the crystal structure of the zeolites studied, which arose through fine grinding and micronisation.

The result of the measurements of conductivity and pH of the suspension for treated and untreated zeolites shows that the pH of zeolites goes up when they are treated whereas their conductivity goes down. This leads to the surprising insight that the lower conductivity of the treated zeolite convincingly predestines its use as an effective natural and physiological buffer, for the buffer capacity of the treated zeolite powder and the associated stability of the pH value has the consequence that the treated material is - for example on its way through the digestive tract - not fully but only slightly saturated by gastric acid. The treated zeolite is therefore still active in the small intestine, which is a desirable result. Surprising insights and advantages gained as a result of the measurements are as follows:

a. Changes in pH value at the cellular level, e.g. deacidification of tumour cells, which have a low pH in principle; this causes antitumour effects.

b. Selective proliferation of amino acids, peptides, oligonucleotides, etc.;

c. Change in ion exchange on the cell membranes;

d. Interaction with cell receptors, affecting cell processes;

Enhancement of immune defence of the organism as a consequence of temporary or total blockade of the carbocations and free radicals;

Application of TMAZ on smoking article, including a tobacco column and a filter in the procedure of cigarette filter production and experimental results of machine cigarette smoking

In the production of filters, we can add TMAZ directly to the tobacco column at the same time when adding flavors and also to acetate-cellulose fiber or paper or crest, as an additive in the hollow of the multi filter, combine it with a dual filter, etc.

The smoking articles which were the subject of the controlled experiment were produced by adding TMAZ directly to tobacco column as well as to cellulose-acetate fiber after adding triacetate, and before forming the stick filter in the cone. TMAZ powder was added through a specially made dosimeter pouring directly onto the fiber. In this way it was possible to quite evenly add up to 70 mg of TMAZ per filter stick. At the same time, this manner of adding powder did not significantly effect the work of the machine and forming of filter sticks, because the machines for making filter sticks (KDF) has an envisaged area in the line for this application. This manner of adding powder does not significantly alter the filter producing technology, while the cost of the technological procedure increases only for the price of the additive.

Result averages of measuring the physical parameters of filters without added TMAZ and with added TMAZ are listed in table 3. Adding TMAZ did not significant effect the pressure drop, while the weight of a 12 centimeter filter stick was not significant changed. Table 3 addition of TMAZ quantity in the filter

The obtained results are the average measurements per 500 filter sticks of each sample. The quantity of added TMAZ was calculated on the basis of the difference in the quantity of ash obtained upon burning the filter stick at 525 °C in a mufon oven.

From a filter stick, 12 centimeters in length, a length of 2 centimeters is used when forming a cigarette which is then connected to the cigarette. In making the cigarette, cigarette paper with a porosity of 80 CU was used, tipping pepper with ventilation and tobacco mixture which is used in creating a full flavor cigarette of the American blend type.

Cigarettes made from these materials, differed between themselves only by the filter sample.

The cigarettes made were sorted by weight, pressure drop and experimental testing on a smoking machine (Borgwaldt RM 20) according to the valid ISO standard. Each sample was tested on the material five times.

The quantity of the raw smoke condensate (Total Particulate Matter), nicotine, carbon dioxide, water and tar were determined. All analyses were carried out according to valid ISO standards, while the quantity of nicotine in the raw smoke condensate extracted in 2-proanol and chromatography in a high pressure liquid chromatograph. The average results obtained prove that with the increased addition of TMAZ quantity in the smoking article, the amount of nicotine, raw smoke condensate, tar, water and carbon dioxide in the main flow of smoke of the cigarette is decreased. According to law, cigarette manufacturers are obliged to declare tar and nicotine in cigarettes. This does not decrease the significance of reducing the quantity of carbon dioxide which negatively effects the respiratory cycle of the body. TMAZ obviously selectively removes the harmful components from the main flow of cigarette smoke. Regardless of the quantity of TMAZ applied in the filter pressure of the cigarette was not significant changed, nor is the speed of burning of the cigarette (number of inhales). The ease and pleasure of smoking are retained, while taste tests showed that samples of cigarettes in which there was most TMAZ have an improved taste of smoking, more pronounced aroma, and are generally more pleasant to smoke.

The results of measurements show that the filters containing applied TMAZ had an increased capacity for absorption and raw smoke condensate and nicotine and water, which confirms the results of previous measurements.

By applying TMAZ to acetate-cellulose fiber, a filter stick of increased retention of harmful components from the main flow of cigarette smoke has been produced, with satisfying physical characteristics, without negative effects on the taste and smoking characteristics of the cigarette. The addition of TMAZ in a quantity of 0.50 mg/filter reduces 4 % of the raw smoke condensate, carbon dioxide and nicotine, and 1 1 % of water, while the addition of 1 1.30 mg of TMAZ/filter removes 27 % of the raw smoke condensate, carbon dioxide and nicotine and 42 % of the water from the main smoke flow.

It is to be assumed that by adding selenium (up to 25pg/filter) in TMAZ, the absorption of free radicals resulting from burning would increase and the selectiveness of the filters to this class of compounds would increase.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Position 1 : Smoking article;

Position 2: Tobacco column;

Position 3: Filter element; Description of Prefered Embodiments, and the way in which the

Invention is Capable of Industrial Application

Embodiment and the way of industrial application of the present invention is implemented in the framework of ordinary manufacturing process of smoking articles (1), adding this tribomechanically activated particles to filters (3) and to tobacco column (2) together with the aromatic additives

Claims

1. Enhancing of aromatic properties and reduction of harmful smoke constituents in tobacco smoking article (1 ), including a tobacco column (2) and a filter element (3) characterized in that the tribomechanicaliy activated micronized zeolite (TMAZ) is incorporated into the both, a filter of a cigarette as well as into tobacco column or in one of these;

2. Enhancing of aromatic properties and reduction of harmful smoke constituents in tobacco smoking article (1), including a tobacco column (2) and a filter element (3) according to the claim 1 , characterized in that the tribomechanicaliy activated micronized zeolite (TMAZ) is with particle size of 0,2 do 5 pm, preferably less than 0.5 pm;

3. Enhancing of aromatic properties and reduction of harmful smoke constituents in tobacco smoking article (1), including a tobacco column (2) and a filter element (3) according to the claim 1 and 2, characterized in that the incorporation of the tribomechanicaliy activated micronized zeolite (TMAZ) into smoking articles (1), is implemented in the framework of ordinary manufacturing process of smoking articles (1), e.g. adding this tribomechanicaliy activated particles to filter elements (3) and to tobacco column (2) preferably together with the aromatic additives when tobacco columns (2) are in question;