Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
  • A24D—CIGARS; CIGARETTES; TOBACCO SMOKE FILTERS; MOUTHPIECES OF CIGARS OR CIGARETTES; MANUFACTURE OF TOBACCO SMOKE FILTERS OR MOUTHPIECES
  • A24D3/00—Tobacco smoke filters, e.g. filter tips or filtering inserts; Filters specially adapted for simulated smoking devices; Mouthpieces of 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
  • A24D3/10—Use of materials for tobacco smoke filters of organic materials as carrier or major constituent of cellulose or cellulose derivatives
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
  • A24D—CIGARS; CIGARETTES; TOBACCO SMOKE FILTERS; MOUTHPIECES OF CIGARS OR CIGARETTES; MANUFACTURE OF TOBACCO SMOKE FILTERS OR MOUTHPIECES
  • A24D3/00—Tobacco smoke filters, e.g. filter tips or filtering inserts; Filters specially adapted for simulated smoking devices; Mouthpieces of cigars or cigarettes
  • A24D3/06—Use of materials for tobacco smoke filters
  • A24D3/067—Use of materials for tobacco smoke filters characterised by functional properties
  • A24D3/068—Biodegradable or disintegrable
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
  • A24D—CIGARS; CIGARETTES; TOBACCO SMOKE FILTERS; MOUTHPIECES OF CIGARS OR CIGARETTES; MANUFACTURE OF TOBACCO SMOKE FILTERS OR MOUTHPIECES
  • A24D3/00—Tobacco smoke filters, e.g. filter tips or filtering inserts; Filters specially adapted for simulated smoking devices; Mouthpieces of cigars or cigarettes
  • A24D3/06—Use of materials for tobacco smoke filters
  • A24D3/16—Use of materials for tobacco smoke filters of inorganic materials

Definitions

• cellulose acetate fiber has primarily been used as a cigarette filter material.
• cellulose acetate is known to be a biodegradable substance
• smoking article filters made of cellulose acetate maintain their original shape for about one to two years after being buried in soil, and require considerable time to fully biodegrade.
• lyocell which is more environmentally friendly than cellulose acetate, has recently been selected as a material to replace cellulose acetate.
• One objective of the present application is to provide a lyocell material capable of replacing cellulose acetate, which has been commercialized as a filter material for smoking articles.
• Another objective of the present application is to provide a lyocell material for smoking article filters that is environmentally friendly in its manufacturing process and exhibits excellent biodegradability upon disposal.
• Another objective of the present application is to provide a smoking article (e.g., a cigarette) that includes a lyocell filter.
• a lyocell material there may be provided a filter including the same, a smoking article, and the like.
• a lyocell material including a crimped lyocell multifilament and having a whiteness of 55 to 85 is provided.
• a smoking article including the lyocell material or the filter.
• a method of preparing the lyocell material, a filter including the lyocell material, and a smoking article may be provided.
• the term "smoking article” may refer to an article capable of generating an aerosol, such as a cigarette (cigar) or a cigar.
• the smoking article may include an aerosol-generating material or an aerosol-forming substrate.
• the smoking article may include a solid material based on a tobacco raw material, such as reconstituted tobacco, cut tobacco, or cast-leaf tobacco.
• the smoking article may include a volatile compound.
• crimp may refer to a configuration that includes a wave, curl, or undulation imparted-either inherently or through mechanical, thermal, and/or chemical processes-to a material such as a fiber, (mono)filament, multifilament, and/or yarn.
• Crimp may be characterized by periodic deviations from a straight axis along the length of the material, fiber, filament, multifilament, and/or yarn.
• One crimp in the material, fiber, filament, multifilament, and/or yarn may be defined as one repeating unit of the periodic deviation. The presence of crimp affects properties such as elasticity, bulk, resilience, and texture of both the material and textiles made from the material.
• degree of polymerization may refer to the number of monomer units and/or repeating units in a macromolecule, polymer, or oligomer molecule.
• the degree of polymerization may be expressed as M n /M 0 , where M n is the number-average molecular weight of the macromolecule, polymer, or oligomer, and M 0 is the molecular weight of a single monomer or repeating unit.
• the term "lyocell multifilament” may refer to a multifilament made of cellulose.
• the lyocell multifilament may be a (multi)filament and/or fiber derived or primarily derived from cellulose obtained from wood pulp, and in particular may be a semi-synthetic (multi)filament and/or fiber.
• lyocell tow may refer to a tow that includes at least one lyocell multifilament or is composed of at least one lyocell multifilament.
• the term “whiteness” refers to the white appearance of a surface, particularly a surface of lyocell material and/or fractured lyocell material (including the fracture surface).
• Whiteness may represent whiteness measured in accordance with CIE D65-10 and/or CIE whiteness and/or a CIE whiteness index. Whiteness may be measured by spectrophotometry. In particular, whiteness may be measured using a CCM device. Without limitation, an X-Rite ColorEye 7000A Spectrophotometer may be used as the CCM instrument.
• the "fractured portion of the lyocell material, the lyocell material having been fractured" may refer to the overlapped portion obtained by cutting three samples of a lyocell material-each having a total fineness of 1,667 tex to 6,111 tex (15,000 denier to 55,000 denier)-in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the lyocell material, then overlapping the cut pieces.
• ppm may indicate a weight ratio
• the term "basis weight” refers to the mass per unit area of plug wrap(s) and/or wrapper(s).
• the basis weight of plug wrap and/or wrapper may be determined by measuring the mass and area of the plug wrap and/or wrapper, then dividing the mass of the plug wrap and/or wrapper by the area.
• the present application relates to a lyocell material.
• the lyocell material may be used in a smoking article, and although not specifically limited thereto, the lyocell material may be used in a smoking article filter.
• a lyocell material including a crimped lyocell multifilament and having a whiteness of 55 to 85 is provided.
• the whiteness may be a value measured from a fractured portion of the lyocell material.
• the whiteness may be a value measured from an opened lyocell material.
• the whiteness may be a value measured from the lyocell material included in a smoking article filter.
• the brightness measured at a wavelength of 460 nm may be 75 or more.
• the brightness may be 90 or less.
• the brightness may be a value measured from a fractured portion of a fractured lyocell material.
• the brightness may be a value measured from an opened lyocell material.
• the lyocell material may further include hydrogen peroxide, wherein the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide may be 1,000 ppm or less relative to the total weight of the lyocell material.
• the lyocell material may have a total fineness of 1,667 tex to 6,111 tex (15,000 denier to 55,000 denier).
• the lyocell material may be for use in a smoking article filter.
• the lyocell material may be included in a smoking article filter.
• a smoking article filter including a lyocell material having a whiteness of 55 to 85 is provided.
• the lyocell material is a lyocell material according to the present invention.
• the lyocell material in the smoking article filter, may have a brightness of 75 or more as measured at a wavelength of 460 nm.
• the lyocell material may further include hydrogen peroxide, wherein the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide may be 1,000 ppm or less relative to the total weight of the lyocell material.
• the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide may be 50 ppm or more relative to the total weight of the lyocell material.
• the crimp-imparting may be referred to as crimping.
• the lyocell multifilament in the method of preparing a lyocell material, during the bleaching, may be immersed in a bleaching solution eight times or less.
• the temperature of the bleaching solution may be from 30 °C to 110 °C.
• the immersion time per lower roller may be less than 0.54 seconds.
• the method of preparing a lyocell material may further include an emulsion treatment, wherein the emulsion treatment may be performed before the bleaching, after the bleaching, or simultaneously with the bleaching operation.
• the emulsion treatment may be performed before the crimp-imparting.
• the emulsion treatment in the method of preparing a lyocell material, may be performed in a treatment bath distinct from the bleaching. Particularly, the emulsion treatment may be performed in a treatment bath distinct from the treatment bath where the bleaching is performed.
• the emulsion treatment in the method of preparing a lyocell material, may be performed in the same treatment bath as the bleaching operation.
• the lyocell multifilament is transported only by the lower roller(s) within or through the bleaching solution and/or if the immersion time per lower roller is 0.54 seconds or more, the lyocell multifilament experiences excessive resistance from the bleaching solution during transport. Consequently, the lyocell multifilament is compressed in the transport direction and stretched in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction (i.e., the width direction). Because the lyocell multifilament is stretched in the width direction, it does not become uniformly crimped due to an increase in width and a decrease in density at the edges. In particular, after the crimp-imparting, edge breakage may be observed in the lyocell multifilament that has been stretched in the width direction, and the reliability of the crimp-imparting process may be compromised.
• the radius of the hypothetical first circle may be from 4 ⁇ m to 40 ⁇ m
• the radius of the hypothetical second circle may be from 2 ⁇ m to 14 ⁇ m
• the degree of non-circularity may be from 1.01 to 10.
• S1 is the area of the hypothetical first circle
• S2 is the cross-sectional area of the monofilament included in the lyocell fiber.
• filaments constituting the lyocell multifilament may have a single-filament fineness of 1.67 dtex to 8.89 dtex (1.5 denier to 8.0 denier).
• the single-filament fineness of the filaments refers to the fineness of a single monofilament separated from the multifilament.
• the single-filament fineness of the filaments may be 8.33 dtex (7.5 denier) or less, 7.78 dtex (7.0 denier) or less, 7.22 dtex (6.5 denier) or less, 6.67 dtex (6.0 denier) or less, 6.11 dtex (5.5 denier) or less, 5.56 dtex (5.0 denier) or less, 5.00 dtex (4.5 denier) or less, 3.89 dtex (3.5 denier) or less, 3.33 dtex (3.0 denier) or less, 2.78 dtex (2.5 denier) or less, or 2.22 dtex (2.0 denier) or less.
• the lyocell multifilament may have a total fineness of 1,667 tex to 6,111 tex (15,000 denier to 55,000 denier).
• the lower limit of the total fineness may be, for example, 1,778 tex (16,000 denier) or more, 1,833 tex (16,500 denier) or more, 1,889 tex (17,000 denier) or more, 1,944 tex (17,500 denier) or more, 2,000 tex (18,000 denier) or more, 2,056 tex (18,500 denier) or more, 2,111 tex (19,000 denier) or more, 2,167 tex (19,500 denier) or more, 2,222 tex (20,000 denier) or more, 2,278 tex (20,500 denier) or more, 2,333 tex (21,000 denier) or more, 2,389 tex (21,500 denier) or more, 2,444 tex (22,000 denier) or more, 2,500 tex (22,500 denier) or more, 2,556 tex (23,000 denier) or more,
• the lyocell multifilament may have 3.94 to 19.69 crimps per centimeter (10 to 50 crimps per inch).
• the lower limit of the number of crimps may be 5.91 crimps/cm (15 crimps/inch) or more, 7.87 crimps/cm (20 crimps/inch) or more, 9.84 crimps/cm (25 crimps/inch) or more, 11.81 crimps/cm (30 crimps/inch) or more, 13.78 crimps/cm (35 crimps/inch) or more, 15.75 crimps/cm (40 crimps/inch) or more, or 17.72 crimps/cm (45 crimps/inch) or more.
• the upper limit of the number of crimps may be, for example, 17.72 crimps/cm (45 crimps/inch) or less, 15.75 crimps/cm (40 crimps/inch) or less, 13.78 crimps/cm (35 crimps/inch) or less, 11.81 crimps/cm (30 crimps/inch) or less, or 9.84 crimps/cm (25 crimps/inch) or less.
• the number of crimps and its uniformity may be controlled through pressure and temperature conditions associated with the crimping process described below.
• the number of crimps may be measured using single-fiber property evaluation equipment (for example, a Favimat).
• the produced lyocell material preferably, a lyocell tow
• the produced lyocell material may be left under conditions of 20 ⁇ 2 °C and 65 ⁇ 4 % relative humidity for 24 hours to stabilize.
• a test specimen may be taken in a way that preserves the crimp in the stabilized sample.
• the collected test specimen may be mounted on a dedicated jig with a gauge length of 10 mm to 30 mm.
• the initial load may be 0.05 g/denier, and the crimp sensitivity may be 0.01 mm.
• the number of crimps may be measured under the conditions mentioned above, namely 20 ⁇ 2 °C and 65 ⁇ 4 % relative humidity.
• a lyocell material produced to satisfy the aforementioned single-filament fineness, total fineness, and/or number of crimps may be used for a smoking article.
• the binder may include a polyester-based binder, a cellulose-based binder, and/or a vinyl-based binder.
• the polyester-based binder may be a polyester binder including one or more selected from the group consistsing of alkylene, arylene, or heteroarylene groups having 5 to 12 carbon atoms.
• the bleaching solution may include a bleaching component and/or a bleaching agent, along with a solvent, for bleaching the lyocell multifilament and/or the lyocell material.
• the bleaching component and/or bleaching agent may be hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ).
• the solvent may be any solvent that can dissolve hydrogen peroxide, and for example, purified water may be considered as the solvent.
• purified water may refer to water that has been mechanically filtered or treated to remove impurities therefrom. In some embodiments, purified water refers to water containing impurities at 1,000 ppm or less, preferably 100 ppm or less, and more preferably 10 ppm or less, relative to the total weight of the water.
• the lyocell material may include a lyocell multifilament; and an emulsion coated on the lyocell multifilament.
• the emulsion includes (a) an esterification product of a fatty acid having 16 or more carbon atoms and an aliphatic monohydric alcohol; and (b) an esterification product of sorbitan and a fatty acid having 16 or more carbon atoms.
• Such an emulsion may be applied to part or all of the mono- or multifilaments constituting the lyocell material.
• the emulsion may penetrate between the filaments.
• the upper limit of the amount of the emulsion may be, for example, 20.0 wt% or less, 18.0 wt% or less, 17.0 wt% or less, 16.0 wt% or less, 15.0 wt% or less, 14.5 wt% or less, 14.0 wt% or less, 13.5 wt% or less, 13.0 wt% or less, 12.5 wt% or less, 12.0 wt% or less, 11.5 wt% or less, 11.0 wt% or less, 10.5 wt% or less, 10 wt% or less, 9.5 wt% or less, 9.0 wt% or less, 8.5 wt% or less, 8.0 wt% or less, 7.8 wt% or less, or 7.6 wt% or less.
• a method for measuring the emulsion content may, for example, employ an extrusion technique.
• a sample e.g., 2 g to 5 g, particularly about 2.5 g
• the material of the container is not particularly limited, but may be stainless steel (SUS), for example.
• a solvent e.g., methanol
• the amount of the solvent may be 10 ml or less, for example about 8 ml.
• the solvent introduced in this way into the container then drops from one end of the syringe-shaped container onto a plate.
• This plate is pre-weighed (its pre-measured weight is referred to as "plate weight A") and is installed such that the solvent dropped onto the plate can evaporate at 120 °C to 130 °C (e.g., 125 °C).
• component (a) may be a compound that can function as a lubricant or oil, and a component harmless enough to the human body for use in food.
• Component (a) imparts lubricity to the fiber entering the crimper. Insufficient lubricity causes the lyocell to bunch up and fail to exit the crimper; excessively high lubricity leads to poor crimp formation. Taking these functions into consideration, the amount of component (a) may be controlled as described below.
• saturated fatty acid may include palmitic acid (hexadecanoic acid, CH 3 (CH 2 ) 14 COOH), margaric acid (heptadecanoic acid, CH 3 (CH 2 ) 15 COOH), stearic acid (octadecanoic acid, CH 3 (CH 2 ) 16 COOH), nonadecylic acid (nonadecanoic acid, CH 3 (CH 2 ) 17 COOH), or arachidic acid (eicosanoic acid, CH 3 (CH 2 ) 18 COOH).
• the types of saturated fatty acids that can be used are not limited to aforementioned examples.
• the types of unsaturated fatty acids that can be used are not limited to the aforementioned examples.
• the fatty acid is selected from the group consisting of palmitic acid, margaric acid, stearic acid, nonadecylic acid, arachidic acid, palmitoleic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, and arachidonic acid.
• the upper limit on the number of carbon atoms in the fatty acid having 16 or more carbon atoms is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 40 or less, 36 or less, 32 or less, 28 or less, 24 or less, or 20 or less.
• the aliphatic monohydric alcohol may be either a saturated or unsaturated aliphatic alcohol, which may take a linear or branched form.
• the aliphatic monohydric alcohol may have 1 to 40 carbon atoms.
• the aliphatic monohydric alcohol may have, for example, 4 or more, 8 or more, 12 or more, 16 or more, or 20 or more carbon atoms.
• the aliphatic monohydric alcohol is selected from the group consisting of methanol, ethanol, butanol, lauryl alcohol, isotridecanol, and stearyl alcohol.
• an esterification product of isotridecanol and stearic acid e.g., isotridecyl stearate
• component (a) an esterification product of isotridecanol and stearic acid
• the type of component (a) is not limited thereto.
• the emulsion of the present application may include, per 100 parts by weight of component (a), 25 parts by weight or more, 30 parts by weight or more, 35 parts by weight or more, 40 parts by weight or more, 45 parts by weight or more, or 50 parts by weight or more of component (b).
• the upper limit of the amount of component (b) per 100 parts by weight of component (a) may be, for example, 55 parts by weight or less, 50 parts by weight or less, 45 parts by weight or less, 40 parts by weight or less, 35 parts by weight or less, 30 parts by weight or less, or 25 parts by weight or less.
• Meeting the aforementioned amount ranges may impart hydrophobicity to the surface of the emulsion-treated lyocell multifilament or lyocell tow.
• the upper limit of the amount of component (a) may be, for example, 75 wt% or less, 70 wt% or less, 65 wt% or less, 60 wt% or less, 55 wt% or less, 50 wt% or less, or 45 wt% or less.
• the upper limit of the amount of component (b) may be, for example, 50 wt% or less, 45 wt% or less, 40 wt% or less, 35 wt% or less, 30 wt% or less, or 25 wt% or less.
• the present application relates to a method of preparing a lyocell material.
• a lyocell material may be prepared, which may be used in a smoking article.
• the method of preparing a lyocell material may further include an emulsion treatment.
• the emulsion treatment may be performed before the bleaching operation, after the bleaching operation, or at the same time as the bleaching operation. If the emulsion treatment is performed at the same time as the bleaching operation, the emulsion treatment may be understood to be included in the bleaching operation.
• the emulsion treatment may be independently performed, for example, by spraying an emulsion of the aforementioned composition onto the lyocell multifilament or by immersing the lyocell multifilament in the emulsion.
• the emulsion treatment may be performed such that the emulsion content of the lyocell material (e.g., OPU (wt%)) satisfies a predetermined range as described above.
• the method of preparing a lyocell material according to an embodiment of the present application will be described in greater detail below.
• the method of the present application may be performed by including one or more processes described below.
• the cellulose or cellulose pulp may contain from 85 wt% to 97 wt% of alpha-cellulose, based on 100 wt% of the total cellulose and/or cellulose pulp.
• the cellulose or cellulose pulp may contain from 1 wt% to 15 wt% of hemicellulose, based on 100 wt% of the total cellulose and/or cellulose pulp.
• stable physical properties e.g., hardness or appropriate draw resistance
• processability of the lyocell material may be more readily achieved.
• the nozzle temperature of the spinneret in particular the spinning temperature, may be suitably selected by those skilled in the art. Taking into account that variations in spinning temperature can affect the viscosity of the spinning dope and hinder discharge, the spinning temperature may be, for example, 100 °C to 120 °C or less, or 100 °C to 110 °C or less.
• the spinning of the spinning dope may be performed under spinning conditions controlled so that the single-filament fineness is 1.67 dtex to 8.89 dtex (1.5 denier to 8.0 denier).
• the spinning conditions- such as the discharge rate of the spinning dope or the spinning speed-may be appropriately controlled so that the single-filament fineness of the filaments in the lyocell material satisfies a range of 1.67 dtex to 8.89 dtex (1.5 denier to 8.0 denier).
• single-filament fineness refers to the fineness of a single monofilament separated from the multifilament.
• the lower limit of the single-filament fineness of the filaments may be, for example, 2.22 dtex (2.0 denier) or more, 2.78 dtex (2.5 denier) or more, 3.33 dtex (3.0 denier) or more, 3.89 dtex (3.5 denier) or more, 4.44 dtex (4.0 denier) or more, 5.00 dtex (4.5 denier) or more, 5.56 dtex (5.0 denier) or more, 6.11 dtex (5.5 denier) or more, 6.67 dtex (6.0 denier) or more, 7.22 dtex (6.5 denier) or more, or 7.78 dtex (7.0 denier) or more.
• Meeting the aforementioned range may be more advantageous for ensuring stable draw resistance in the smoking article filter and securing process reliability.
• This process may involve coagulation of the extruded lyocell spinning dope to obtain a lyocell multifilament.
• the coagulation may employ a method that brings the extruded dope into contact with air and/or a coagulation liquid.
• the coagulation may include: a first coagulation process in which cooled air is supplied to the extruded lyocell dope; and a second coagulation process in which the extruded dope having undergone the first coagulation is immersed in a coagulation liquid for coagulation.
• the lyocell dope discharged from the spinneret may undergo a first coagulation in a space between the spinneret and a coagulation bath (air-gap section).
• a coagulation bath air-gap section
• cooling air from an air-cooling device located inside the spinneret may be supplied from the inside to the outside of the spinneret.
• the first coagulation may be carried out using a so-called air-quenching method or other known means in the art.
• the upper temperature limit of the cooling air used in the first coagulation may be, for example, 15 °C or below.
• the cooling air may be air having a temperature of 14 °C or less, 13 °C or less, 12 °C or less, 11 °C or less, or 10 °C or less. If the temperature exceeds the aforementioned range, coagulation of the spinning dope by air may be insufficient, and spinning-related processability may deteriorate.
• the lower temperature limit of the cooling air may be determined in consideration of spinning processability and/or cross-sectional uniformity of the filaments. For example, if the temperature of the cooling air is less than 4 °C, the spinneret surface may cool, causing irregularities in the filament surface and deteriorating spinning processability. In light of the foregoing, the cooling air may be 5 °C or more, 6 °C or more, 7 °C or more, 8 °C or more, or 9 °C or more.
• the degree to which the cooling air is supplied may be controlled in consideration of sufficient coagulation, spinning processability, and the effects on filament properties.
• the cooling air may be supplied at an airflow rate of 70 Nm 3 /h to 400 Nm 3 /h to the extruded spinning dope. More specifically, the airflow rate may be 100 Nm 3 /h or more, 150 Nm 3 /h or more, 200 Nm 3 /h or more, or 250 Nm 3 /h or more, and the upper limit of the airflow rate may be, for example, 350 Nm 3 /h or less, 300 Nm 3 /h or less, 250 Nm 3 /h or less, 200 Nm 3 /h or less, or 150 Nm 3 /h or less.
• the cooled extruded dope may be supplied to a coagulation tank or bath containing a coagulation liquid (a second coagulation process).
• a coagulation liquid for suitable progress of the coagulation, the temperature of the coagulation liquid may, for example, be 30 °C or less, or 25 °C or less.
• the temperature of the coagulation liquid may be at least 10 °C, at least 15 °C, or at least 20 °C. By maintaining the temperature in the aforementioned range, the coagulation rate may be appropriately maintained.
• the type of coagulation liquid for the second coagulation process is not particularly limited.
• the coagulation liquid may be one including one or more from water and N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide (NMMO).
• NMMO N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide
• the coagulation liquid may contain water and NMMO
• the water content of the coagulation liquid relative to the total weight of the coagulation liquid may be 60 wt% to 90 wt%
• the NMMO content relative to the total weight of the coagulation liquid may be 10 wt% to 40 wt%.
• the coagulation liquid may include 70 wt% to 80 wt% of water and 20 wt% to 30 wt% of NMMO, relative to the total weight of the coagulation liquid.
• the concentration of such a coagulation liquid may be controlled using a sensor, etc. so as to remain stable during the preparation process.
• the lyocell multifilament may be washed. Through this washing, any residual NMMO and/or other impurities within the filament may be removed.
• the method of performing the washing is not particularly limited.
• the washing may be carried out by introducing the coagulated lyocell multifilament into a washing bath using a take-up roller.
• the washing may be performed by spraying a washing liquid onto the multifilament as they are conveyed to the next process by a take-up roller.
• the washing liquid may include water, and may further include other known additives.
• the washing liquid may be regulated to a temperature of up to 100 °C.
• the method of preparing a lyocell material includes bleaching.
• the lyocell multifilament may be bleached with a bleaching solution, and pigments and impurities contained in the lyocell multifilament may be removed. Details regarding the bleaching solution are provided above.
• the method of preparing a lyocell material in which during the bleaching, the lyocell multifilament is transported by at least one upper roller and at least one lower roller.
• the upper roller is arranged so as not to be immersed in the bleaching solution, and/or not to impregnate the lyocell multifilament with the bleaching solution, and/or not to be immersed in the bleaching solution, while the lower roller is arranged so as to be immersed in the bleaching solution, and/or to impregnate the lyocell multifilament with the bleaching solution, and/or to be immersed in the bleaching solution.
• the upper roller may be located at an upper portion of the treatment tank containing the bleaching solution, and when viewed from above, the upper roller may appear to be disposed within an outer circumferential surface of the treatment tank.
• both the immersion time of the lyocell multifilament in the bleaching solution and the degree to which the lyocell multifilament is compressed by the bleaching solution may be controlled.
• the number of upper rollers may be two or more.
• the lower limit of the number of upper rollers may be two, three, four, five, six, or seven, and the upper limit of the number of upper rollers may be three, four, five, six, or eight.
• the number of lower rollers may be the same as the number of upper rollers, or one fewer than the number of upper rollers, or one more than the number of upper rollers.
• the lyocell multifilament in the method for preparing a lyocell material, may be impregnated with the bleaching solution two to eight times during the bleaching.
• the lyocell multifilament may be impregnated with the bleaching solution three times or more, four times or more, five times or more, six times or more, or seven times or more, and eight times or less, seven times or less, six times or less, five times or less, four times or less, or three times or less.
• the composition of the bleaching solution may be as described above.
• the lower roller may have a depth from 100 mm to 850 mm. This depth refers to the distance from the surface of the bleaching solution to the center of the lower roller. By adjusting this depth, the immersion time of the lyocell multifilament per lower roller is controlled. For example, increasing the depth of the lower roller increases the immersion time of the lyocell multifilament.
• the lower limit of the depth may be 100 mm, 110 mm, 120 mm, 130 mm, 140 mm, or 150 mm
• the upper limit of the depth may be 850 mm, 800 mm, 750 mm, 700 mm, 650 mm, 600 mm, 550 mm, 500 mm, 450 mm, 400 mm, 350 mm, or 300 mm.
• the emulsion treatment may be carried out in the same treatment bath used for the bleaching operation.
• the treatment bath may contain both a bleaching solution and an emulsion, wherein the bleaching solution and the emulsion may be uniformly prepared as described above.
• the whiteness of the lyocell material can be any of the following ranges: from 55 to 85, 55 to 84, 55 to 83, 55 to 82, 55 to 81, 55 to 80, 55 to 79, 55 to 78, 55 to 77, 55 to 76, 55 to 75, 55 to 74, 55 to 73, 55 to 72, or 55 to 71; from 56 to 85, 56 to 84, 56 to 83, 56 to 82, 56 to 81, 56 to 80, 56 to 79, 56 to 78, 56 to 77, 56 to 76, 56 to 75, 56 to 74, 56 to 73, 56 to 72, or 56 to 71; from 57 to 85, 57 to 84, 57 to 83, 57 to 82, 57 to 81, 57 to 80, 57 to 79, 57 to 78, 57 to 77, 57 to 76, 57 to 75, 57 to 74, 57 to 73, 57 to 72, or 57 to 71; from
• whiteness may be a value measured from a fractured portion of the lyocell material. Fracturing of the lyocell material can be performed by mechanical means. The fractured portion of the lyocell material may be observed from the lyocell material with bare eyes and/or optical tools after the facturing of the lyocell material. For example, fracturing of the lyocell material can be carried out by cutting three samples of the lyocell material, each having a total fineness of 1,667 tex to 6,111 tex (15,000 denier to 55,000 denier), in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the lyocell material and then overlapping them. The whiteness may be a value measured from the overlapped portion of the fractured surfaces.
• the whiteness may be a value measured from an opened lyocell material. Specifically, the whiteness may be a value measured from the lyocell material contained in the smoking article filter. In particular, the whiteness may be a value measured from a fractured portion of the lyocell material contained in the smoking article filter.
• the brightness may be any of the following ranges: from 75 to 90, 75 to 89, 75 to 88, 75 to 87, 75 to 86, 75 to 85, 75 to 84, 75 to 83, 75 to 82, 75 to 81, 75 to 80, 75 to 79, 75 to 78, 75 to 77, or 75 to 76; from 76 to 90, 76 to 89, 76 to 88, 76 to 87, 76 to 86, 76 to 85, 76 to 84, 76 to 83, 76 to 82, 76 to 81, 76 to 80, 76 to 79, 76 to 78, or 76 to 77; from 77 to 90, 77 to 89, 77 to 88, 77 to 87, 77 to 86, 77 to 85, 77 to 84, 77 to 83, 77 to 82, 77 to 81, 77 to 80, 77 to 79, or 77 to 78; from 78 to 90; from 75 to
• the brightness may also be a value measured from a fractured portion of the lyocell material. Details regarding the fractured portion are provided above.
• the whiteness and brightness of the lyocell material may each be measured, independently of one another, using a CCM instrument.
• a CCM instrument an X-Rite ColorEye 7000A Spectrophotometer may be used as the CCM instrument.
• the lyocell material may further include hydrogen peroxide, wherein the concentration (i.e., the residual amount) of hydrogen peroxide may be 1,000 ppm or less and may be 50 ppm or more, relative to the total weight of the lyocell material.
• the hydrogen peroxide concentration may be a value measured by redox titration.
• the whiteness of the lyocell material may be from 55 to 85
• the brightness of the lyocell material measured at a wavelength of 460 nm may be 75 or more
• the concentration of hydrogen peroxide contained in the lyocell material may be 1,000 ppm or less, relative to the total weight of the lyocell material.
• the lyocell material may be a lyocell tow.
• the lyocell tow may include a crimped lyocell multifilament.
• the present application relates to a smoking article filter.
• the smoking article filter may include a lyocell material, and this lyocell material may be the lyocell material as described above.
• the smoking article filter may include a lyocell tow, and this lyocell tow may be the lyocell tow as described above.
• the single-filament fineness of the filaments constituting the lyocell multifilament may be from 1.67 dtex to 8.89 dtex (1.5 denier to 8.0 denier).
• the specific numerical values are the same as those described above.
• the crimped lyocell multifilament may have from 3.94 crimps per centimeter to 19.69 crimps per centimeter (10 crimps per inch to 50 crimps per inch).
• the specific numerical values are the same as those described above.
• the smoking article filter may further include a binder on the surface of the crimped lyocell multifilament or between the crimped lyocell multifilaments.
• the binder increases the hardness of the smoking article filter produced from the tow, preventing issues such as the filter getting jammed during the filter manufacturing process or the cigarette manufacturing process. Descriptions regarding the type, components, and content of the binder that can be used are the same as those described above.
• the smoking article filter may have a predetermined shape and size.
• the filter may have a rod shape.
• the smoking article filter may have a shape similar to a cylinder.
• the filter may have a length of 10 mm to 50 mm, for example.
• the length of the filter may have its lower limit of 15 mm or more, 20 mm or more, 25 mm or more, 30 mm or more, 35 mm or more, 40 mm or more, or 45 mm or more, and may have its upper limit of 45 mm or less, 40 mm or less, 35 mm or less, 30 mm or less, 25 mm or less, 20 mm or less, or 15 mm or less.
• the filter having the aforementioned length may have a circular cross section, and the circumference of the circular cross section may be 10 mm to 40 mm.
• the circumference of the filter may have its lower limit of 15 mm or more, 20 mm or more, 25 mm or more, 30 mm or more, or 35 mm or more, and may have its upper limit of 35 mm or less, 30 mm or less, 25 mm or less, 20 mm or less, or 15 mm or less.
• the plug wrap when porous plug wrap is used, may have a porosity of 10 CU to 50,000 CU (Coresta Units). Coresta Unit may be defined as the volumetric flow rate (cm 3 ⁇ min -1 ) of air passing through a 1 cm 2 substrate sample (i.e., porous wrapping paper) under a 1 kPa pressure difference.
• the process of manufacturing the filter can be suitably performed by those skilled in the art according to known methods.
• the filter may be manufactured by forming a rod shape from plug wrap filled with the lyocell material.
• a filter may be manufactured by cutting to an appropriate length a filter paper filled with the lyocell material in the form of a rod. Details of the plug wrap are provided above.
• opening or plasticizer treatment may be performed on the lyocell material prior to filling the lyocell material into the filter paper. Opening the lyocell material may increase the surface area of the lyocell material. For example, opening of the lyocell material may be achieved by applying an external force in the longitudinal, width, and/or thickness directions of the lyocell material.
• a spinning dope for producing tow with a concentration of 11 wt% was prepared by mixing a cellulose pulp (having a degree of polymerization (DPw) of 820 and an alpha-cellulose content of 93.9 %) into an NMMO/H 2 O solvent containing 0.01 wt% propyl gallate. Then, while maintaining the spinning temperature at 110 °C at the spinning nozzle, the discharge amount and spinning speed were appropriately controlled, and the spinning dope was spun.
• DPw degree of polymerization
• the coagulated lyocell filaments were then washed.
• the filaments were introduced onto a take-up roller, and residual NMMO in the filaments was removed by a washing solution sprayed in the washing device.
• the washed filaments were immersed in a treatment bath containing a bleaching solution and an emulsion.
• a treatment bath containing a bleaching solution and an emulsion.
• an upper roller was installed, and a lower roller was positioned so as to be immersed in the bleaching solution.
• the washed filaments were transported by the upper roller and the lower roller.
• the filaments were treated under a pressure of 29.42 N/cm 2 (3 kgf/cm 2 ) by a nip roll, and then introduced into a crimp machine to impart crimps.
• a pressure of 24.52 N/cm 2 (2.5 kgf/cm 2 ) was applied by the press roller, and a pressure of 4.90 N/cm 2 (0.5 kgf/cm 2 ) was applied by the doctor blade, to produce a tow.
• the produced tow has a single-filament fineness of 2.78 dtex to 4.44 dtex (2.5 denier to 4.0 denier), a total fineness of 3,333 tex to 5,000 tex (30,000 denier to 45,000 denier), and a crimp count of 5.91 crimps/cm to 15.75 crimps/cm (15 crimps/inch to 40 crimps/inch).
• a lyocell material was produced according to Manufacturing Example, wherein the conditions of the bleaching process were as shown in Table 1 below.
• the lyocell materials of Examples 1 to 7 were confirmed to have widths ranging from 30 mm to 34 mm. Furthermore, it was confirmed that crimp was imparted uniformly, and no edge breakage was observed in the crimp-imparting process.
• Smoking article filters each including the lyocell material prepared in Examples 1 to 7, Comparative Example 1, and Comparative Examples 3 to 5, and the lyocell material from Comparative Example 2 were prepared.
• Equation 1 V represents the amount (ml) of 0.1 N potassium permanganate solution used for titration, F represents the normality factor of 0.1 N potassium permanganate solution, D represents the dilution ratio (1) of hydrogen peroxide-containing solution extracted from the sample, and S represents the weight (g) of the sample.
• the lyocell materials of Comparative Examples 1 to 3 were found to exhibit insufficient brightness and whiteness, and the lyocell material of Comparative Example 4 was found to contain an excessive residual amount of H 2 O 2 .
• Smoking articles were respectively prepared by using smoking article filters that each include the lyocell material produced in Examples 1 to 7 and Comparative Examples 1 to 4. A consumer evaluation was conducted for each smoking article. Sensory evaluation was performed through a home usage test with 100 randomly selected consumers.
• Examples 1 to 7 were reported to provide improved off-flavor compared to the control group, whereas Comparative Example 1 was reported to provide worse off-flavor compared to the control group. Furthermore, Examples 1 to 7 were all reported to provide satisfaction levels comparable to the control group. In contrast, Comparative Example 1 and Comparative Examples 2 to 4 were all reported to provide significantly lower satisfaction levels than the control group.

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