A SUSTAINABLE SMOKING ARTICLE ELEMENT

Abstract

An element for use in a smoking article, the element comprising a longitudinally extending core; wherein the longitudinally extending core comprises a filtering material; wherein the filtering material comprises a paper and/or other biodegradable material; and wherein the filtering material further comprising a hydrophobic material.

Claims

1. An element for use in a smoking article, the element comprising a longitudinally extending core; wherein the longitudinally extending core comprises a filtering material; wherein the filtering material comprises a paper and/or other biodegradable material; and wherein the filtering material further comprising a hydrophobic material.

2. The element according to claim 1, wherein the element is a cooling element.

3. The element according to claim 1, wherein the paper and/or other biodegradable material is readily biodegradable.

4. The element according to claim 1, wherein the hydrophobic material is distributed throughout the longitudinally extending core of the element.

5. The element according to claim 1, wherein the filtering material is a paper and/or other biodegradable material with a hydrophobic material coated thereon.

6. The element according to claim 5, wherein the coated paper and/or other biodegradable material is arranged within the longitudinally extending core such that the hydrophobic material is distributed throughout the longitudinally extending core of the element.

7. The element according to claim 1, wherein the longitudinally extending core has one, or a plurality of, longitudinally extending bore(s).

8. The element according to claim 1, wherein the length of the element is from 5 to 50 mm, e.g., 10 to 30 mm, e.g., 8 to 24 mm, e.g., 15 to 20 mm, e.g., 18 mm.

9. The element according to claim 1, wherein the circumference of the element is from 12 mm to 30 mm, e.g., 15 mm to 28 mm, e.g., 17 mm to 25 mm.

10. The element according to claim 1, wherein the longitudinally extending core has a profiled outer surface including a plurality of grooves or channels.

11. The element according to claim 1, wherein the longitudinally extending core has a profiled outer surface including a plurality of grooves or channels and has one, or a plurality of, longitudinally extending bore(s).

12. A smoking article (e.g., tobacco heating product, HNB product) comprising an element according to claim 1 and optionally one or more discrete further segments.

13. A tobacco heating product and/or HNB product comprising an element according to claim 1 and optionally one or more discrete further segments.

14. The use, in a tobacco heated product and/or HNB product, of an element according to claim 1.

Description

[0045] The present invention will now be described in further detail by reference to the attached Figures in which:

[0046] FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a HNB product according to the invention which includes a cooling element according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0047] FIG. 2 is a graphical representation of how the temperature at the mouth end of a HNB product varies as puffs are taken when the HNB product contains cooling element A according to the present invention in comparison with a reference HNB product, Amber HEETS.

[0048] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic view of a cylindrical HNB product 100. The HNB product 100 comprises four segments: a cylindrical plug 101 of reconstituted tobacco; a hollow acetate tube 102; a cylindrical cooling element 103 according to an embodiment of the present invention; and a cylindrical plug of cellulose acetate tow 104. Plug 101 of reconstituted tobacco is 12 mm long and has a circumference of 22 mm, and forms one end of the HNB product 100. This is the end inserted in a HNB device. Such plugs of reconstituted tobacco are well known in the art. This plug is heated in use by a heating device (HNB device) to produce a vapour, as is well known in the art. The plug 101 of reconstituted tobacco is abutted at one end to a 8 mm long hollow acetate tube 102 which is also of circumference 22 mm and has wall thickness 1.3 mm. The end of the hollow acetate tube 102 opposite to the plug of reconstituted tobacco 101 is abutted to a 18 mm long cylindrical cooling element 103 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The cylindrical cooling element 103 has a circumference of 22 mm. The cylindrical cooling element 103 is made of paper coated in oxidised starch R1404. The paper contains the following components:

TABLE-US-00001 GROUP COMPONENT CHEMICAL NAME FIBRES pulp pulp, cellulose FILLERS calcium carbonate carbonic acid calcium salt (1:1), precipitated, EC No.: E 170 ADDITIVES modified starch starch, oxidized, E1404 PROCESSING cationic guar gum guar gum, 2-hydroxy-3- AIDS (trimethylammonio)propyl ether, chloride cationic starch starch, 2-hydroxy-3- (trimethylammonio)propyl ether, chloride

[0049] A cylindrical plug of cellulose acetate tow 104 of length 7 mm and circumference 22 mm is abutted to the opposite end of the cooling element 103 such that cooling element 103 is positioned in between cylindrical plug of cellulose acetate tow 104 and the hollow acetate tube 102.

[0050] The cylindrical plug of reconstituted tobacco 101, hollow acetate tube 102, cylindrical cooling element 103 and cylindrical plug of cellulose acetate tow 104 are further wrapped with a plugwrap (not shown) of conventional plugwrap paper (that is known in the art). This provides an external appearance similar to that of a conventional cigarette.

[0051] During use, the cylindrical plug of reconstituted tobacco 101 of the HNB product 100 is inserted into a HNB device. The HNB device heats the reconstituted tobacco in the manner conventional for HNB devices. This produces a hot vapour which is first drawn through the hollow acetate tube 102 and then through the cylindrical cooling element 103 and then finally through cylindrical plug of cellulose acetate tow 104 to the smoker's mouth (i.e., the mouth end). It is believe that drawing this hot vapour through the cooling element 103 cools the vapour down to a temperature that is acceptable for the user. The applicants have found that the inclusion of a hydrophobic material such as oxidised starch in the paper means the cooling element provides equivalent cooling and filtration performance to conventional cellulose acetate cooling element, while also providing improved biodegradability.

Example 1

[0052] In FIG. 1, cylindrical cooling element 103 of length 18 mm and circumference 22 mm is made of paper coated in oxidised starch R1404. The paper cooling element 103 is made according to methods known in the art. This is cooling element A according to the present invention.

EXPERIMENT

[0053] A HNB product, according to FIG. 1, was assembled for testing, including cooling element A according to the present invention. Cooling element A was used with a hollow acetate tube (102 in FIG. 1) of circumference 22 mm and wall thickness 1.3 mm and with a cylindrical plug of cellulose acetate tow (104 in FIG. 1). The reference HNB product Amber HEETS includes a plug of reconstituted tobacco, a hollow acetate tube, a PLA cooling element, herein referred to as a conventional cooling element, and a cylindrical plug of cellulose acetate tow in an analogous arrangement to that shown in FIG. 1.

[0054] The HNB product including cooling element A and the reference HNB product Amber HEETS were tested in conventional heating devices (HNB devices).

[0055] Each HNB product was inserted into a heating device. The mouth end of the HNB product was inserted into a smoking machine which is configured to smoke the HNB product. An IR camera was used to analyse the temperature at the mouth end of the HNB product while it was being smoked. The smoking machine was configured to take a puff on the HNB product every 30 seconds, each puff being 2 seconds long. The temperature at the mouth end of the HNB product was measured for each puff. The experiment was performed at standard room temperature and humidity. The experiment was repeated for each HNB product i.e. the one containing the cooling element A according to the invention, and the reference product containing a PLA cooling element.

[0056] FIG. 2 illustrates the temperature at the mouth end for each puff for the HNB product comprising cooling element A in comparison with the reference HNB product Amber HEETS. The Figure shows that paper based cooling element A of the present invention is capable of providing a cooling effect that is equivalent to conventional cooling elements, while providing the huge benefit of being readily biodegradable.

[0057] The temperature change and nicotine yields of the HNB product comprising cooling element A and the reference HNB product Amber HEETS in conventional heating devices (HNB devices) were measured by methods well known in the art (ISO 3308:2012 Routine analytical cigarette-smoking machineDefinitions and standard conditions). The results are illustrated in Table 1.

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 1 HNB Product Cooling element A Amber HEETS reference PD 50 55 (mmWG) 1st Puff 56 57 Temp ( C.) 12.sup.th Puff 41 41 Temp ( C.) T ( C.) 15 16 Nicotine 1.2 1.11 yield (mg)

[0058] Table 1 shows that the paper cooling element A according to the present invention provides equivalent cooling and filtration performance to conventional cooling elements, while also providing improved biodegradability.