SMOKING ARTICLE FILTER WITH AMORPHOUS MAGNESIUM CARBONATE

Abstract

A filter for a smoking article includes filtration material and an amorphous magnesium carbonate material contained within the filtration material. A smoking article includes a smokable material and the filter downstream of the smokable material.

Claims

1. A filter for a smoking article comprising, filtration material and an amorphous magnesium carbonate material contained within the filtration material.

2. The filter according to claim 1, wherein the amorphous magnesium carbonate material is hygroscopic, wherein the amorphous magnesium carbonate material physically adsorbs at least about 1.5 mmol water/g at a relative humidity of about 10% at about 27 degree Celsius and one Atm.

3. The filter according to claim 1, wherein the amorphous magnesium carbonate material has a BET surface area of at least about 300 m2/g.

4. The filter according to claim 1, wherein the amorphous magnesium carbonate material has an average particle size in a range from 100 micrometres (about 140 mesh) to about 2000 micrometres (about 10 mesh).

5. The filter according to claim 1, wherein the filter comprises about 10 mg to about 200 mg of amorphous magnesium carbonate material.

6. The filter according to claim 1, wherein the filter comprises a mixture of crystalline magnesium carbonate material and amorphous magnesium carbonate contained within the filtration material.

7. The filter according to claim 1, wherein the filter comprises a mixture of magnesium oxide material and amorphous magnesium carbonate contained within the filtration material.

8. The filter according to claim 1, wherein the filtration material comprises a plug of tow material and the amorphous magnesium carbonate material is dispersed within the plug of tow material, and the tow material preferably comprises cellulose acetate.

9. The filter according to claim 1, wherein the filter is a segmented filter comprising two filtration elements in axial alignment and separated by a void space, the void space containing the amorphous magnesium carbonate material.

10. The filter according to claim 1, wherein the filter is a segmented filter comprising an upstream filtration element in axial alignment with a downstream filtration element, the upstream filtration element containing the amorphous magnesium carbonate material, and the downstream filtration element is free of the x-ray amorphous magnesium carbonate material.

11. The filter according to claim 1, wherein the amorphous magnesium carbonate material comprises bound water.

12. The filter according to claim 1, wherein the filter is free of activated carbon.

13. The filter according to claim 1, further comprising activated carbon contained within the filtration material.

14. A smoking article comprising: smokable material; a filter, according to claim 1, downstream of the smokable material.

15. The smoking article according to claim 14, wherein the smokable material comprises tobacco, or cut tobacco.

16. The filter according to claim 1, wherein the amorphous magnesium carbonate material has a BET surface area within a range from about 300 m2/g to about 1200 m2/g.

17. The filter according to claim 16, wherein the amorphous magnesium carbonate material has an average particle size in a range from about 200 micrometres (about 70 mesh) to about 1500 micrometres (about 14 mesh).

18. The filter according to claim 17, wherein the amorphous magnesium carbonate material is hygroscopic, wherein the amorphous magnesium carbonate material physically adsorbs at least 2 mmol water/gram, at a relative humidity of about 10% at about 27 degree Celsius and one Atm.

19. The filter according to claim 18, wherein the filter comprises a mixture of crystalline magnesium carbonate material and amorphous magnesium carbonate contained within the filtration material.

20. A smoking article comprising: smokable material; a filter, according to claim 19, downstream of the smokable material.

Description

[0066] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of a partially unrolled smoking article.

[0067] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram cross-section view of an illustrative plug-space-plug filter for a smoking article.

[0068] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram cross-section view of an illustrative single segment filter for a smoking article

[0069] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram cross-section view of an illustrative concentric filter for a smoking article

[0070] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram mouth end view of an illustrative crimped paper filter for a smoking article.

[0071] The schematic drawings are not necessarily to scale and are presented for purposes of illustration and not limitation. The drawings depict one or more aspects described in this disclosure. However, it will be understood that other aspects not depicted in the drawings fall within the scope and spirit of this disclosure.

[0072] Referring now to FIG. 1, a smoking article 10, in this case a cigarette, is depicted. The smoking article 10 includes a rod 20, such as a tobacco rod containing cut or loose tobacco material, and a mouth end filter 30 that includes filtration material 32, such as cellulose acetate fibre tow or polylactic acid filter material. The depicted smoking article 10 includes plug wrap 60, cigarette paper 40, and tipping paper 50. In the depicted embodiment, the plug wrap 60 circumscribes at least a portion of the filter 30. The cigarette paper 40 circumscribes at least a portion of the rod 20. Tipping paper 50 or other suitable wrapper circumscribes the plug wrap 60 and a portion of the cigarette paper 40 as is generally known in the art. The filter 30 includes amorphous magnesium carbonate, as described above, which may be placed as depicted in, for example, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 4 or FIG. 5.

[0073] FIG. 2 illustrates a plug-space-plug filter embodiment where filter 30 is in a plug 32-space 33-plug 34 configuration. Plug 32 is the mouth end plug and is preferably white cellulose acetate tow. Amorphous magnesium carbonate material or particles 80 are disposed in void space 33 between plugs 32 and 34. The particles 80 are illustrated as floating in free space for ease of illustration. The particles 80 may fill the void or space 33 segment or fill a portion of the void or space 33 segment. Plug wrap 60 circumscribes at least a portion of the filter 30.

[0074] FIG. 3 illustrates a single segment embodiment filter 30 where the filter 30 contains amorphous magnesium carbonate material or particles 80 is dispersed within and embedded in filter material 32. Plug wrap 60 circumscribes at least a portion of the filter 30.

[0075] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram cross-section view of an illustrative concentric filter 30 where the amorphous magnesium carbonate material or particles 80 is dispersed within and embedded in an inner filter material 32 and circumscribed with an outer filter material 31. The inner filter material 32 may have a lower resistance to draw (RTD) than the outer filter material 31. Plug wrap 60 circumscribes at least a portion of the filter 30.

[0076] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram mouth end view of an illustrative crimped paper filter 30 where the amorphous magnesium carbonate material or particles 80 is dispersed within and embedded in a strip of crimped paper 40 that is gathered to form the filtration material. Plug wrap 60 circumscribes at least a portion of the filter 30. FIG. 5 illustrates amorphous magnesium carbonate material or particles 80 bound to a surface of the crimped paper filter 30, it is contemplated that the amorphous magnesium carbonate material or particles 80 may be embedded within the crimped paper filter 30, or extend through the thickness of the crimped paper filter 30. The amorphous magnesium carbonate material or particles 80 may extend through both opposing major surface of the crimped paper filter 30.

[0077] In the following, non-limiting examples provide illustrative embodiments of a smoking article filter containing amorphous and magnesium carbonate material or particles described above. These examples are not intended to provide any limitation on the scope of the disclosure presented herein.

EXAMPLES

[0078] A plug-space-plug filter having a 5 mm space was utilized to compare a charge of porous cellulose beads (commercially available under the trade designation VISCOPEARL) and a charge of amorphous magnesium carbonate material both exposed to tobacco smoke utilizing the Intense Smoking of Cigarettes test method. This smoking regime or protocol utilized was the World Health Organization Tobacco Laboratory Network Standard Operating Procedure for Intense Smoking of Cigarettes (SOP01, April 2012). This method utilizes ISO 3308 but is modified by blocking all ventilation holes present on the cigarette as described in SOP01 for intense regimen testing. Two cigarettes were smoked per pad of 92 mm in triplicate.

[0079] A first run utilized 100 mg of VISCOPEARL porous cellulose beads contained within a plug-space-plug filter and an amount of tobacco smoke was passed through the plug-space-plug filter in accordance with the test method described above.

[0080] A second run utilized 100 mg of amorphous and magnesium carbonate material (400 micrometer to 1000 micrometer size particles), as described above, contained within a plug-space-plug filter and an amount of tobacco smoke was passed through the plug-space-plug filter in accordance with the test method described above.

[0081] The plug-space-plug filter containing the amorphous and magnesium carbonate material reduced formaldehyde by about 23%, water by about 10%, and benzene by about 1% in the tobacco smoke as compared to the values determined for the plug-space-plug filter containing the VISCOPEARL porous cellulose beads. Nicotine levels remain substantially the same for the plug-space-plug filter containing the amorphous magnesium carbonate material and the plug-space-plug filter containing the VISCOPEARL porous cellulose beads.

[0082] Thus, methods, systems, devices, compounds and compositions for SMOKING ARTICLE FILTER WITH AMORPHOUS MAGNESIUM CARBONATE are described. Various modifications and variations of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Although the invention has been described in connection with specific preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the invention as claimed should not be unduly limited to such specific embodiments. Indeed, various modifications of the described modes for carrying out the invention which are apparent to those skilled in chemistry; chemical engineering; filter manufacturing; cigarette manufacturing; or related fields are intended to be within the scope of the following claims.