Filtering material and filter for retaining polyaromatic hydrocarbons, carbonyls and other compounds from smoke from tobacco products

Abstract

A hybrid graphene material and a filter capable of retaining, in whole or in part, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, carbonyl and other smoke compounds from tobacco products or industrial processes, having as adsorbent substances activated carbon and graphene materials, both supported by the same matrix and in the same filter compartment, which may or may not be attached to another conventional filter compartment of cellulose acetate fibers or similar polymer, and a method for manufacturing such material.

Claims

1. Hybrid carbonaceous material, consisting of: micronized graphite; activated carbon; and one or more of graphene materials: graphene oxide, graphene, and a plurality of graphene sheets, wherein the one or more of the graphene materials is associated with a porous polyethylene support and a specific surface greater than 900 m.sup.2/g.

2. A filter capable of retaining, in whole or in part, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, carbonyl and specific chemicals of tobacco smoke as mentioned in the list below as compared to the University of Kentucky International Reference Cigarette 1R6F: 93% naphthalene, 74% acenaphthylene, 73% acenaphthene, 68% fluorene, 63% anthracene, 54% phenanthrene, 52% fluoranthene, 49% chrysene, 52% pyrene, 45% benzo(a)anthracene, 34% benzo(k)fluoranthene, 34% benzo(b)fluoranthene, 53% benzo(a)pyrene; 72% formaldehyde, 82% acetaldehyde, 87% acetone, 89% acrolein, 82% propionaldehyde, 88% crotonaldehyde, 85% methyl-ethylketone and 85% butanal, wherein said filter contains in the same compartment the one or more of the graphene materials associated with the activated carbon and the micronized graphite as specified in claim 1, both supported by the same porous polyethylene mass, where the compartment is attached to a conventional filter compartment of cellulose acetate fibers.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

(1) FIG. 1 illustrates a diagram describing the chemical composition of cigarette smoke.

(2) FIG. 2 illustrates a scheme describing the different stages of obtaining the material subject to this invention.

(3) FIG. 3 illustrates a scheme of the interactions of the Q-n orbital set between the aromatic rings of graphene and the graphene nanocrystals of activated carbon.

(4) FIG. 4 illustrates a SEM (Scanning Electron Micrography) image of a porous mass synthesized from very high molecular weight polyethylene, and its porous structure may be observed.

(5) FIG. 5 illustrates a SEM image of the filter of the present invention, where the synthesized particles and clear tones are observed, which create a supporting structure between the carbon particles.

EXAMPLES OF THE EFFICIENCY OF THE FILTER DISCLOSED BY THIS PATENT

(6) Case 1.

(7) Cigarettes, A and B, were analyzed.

(8) The composition of the porous masses of these cigarettes is as follows: Cigarette A: Activated carbon 70%+graphene 6%+GUR 24% Cigarette B: Activated carbon 70%+GUR 30% (REFERENCE)

(9) The main difference between the two cigarettes is the presence of graphene in the porous mass of A. The other physical and chemical properties are very similar in both products, with ventilation in the nozzles being 60% in both cases. Pressure drops were maintained in the range of 120 to 140 mmH.sub.20. Tobacco in both tobacco columns is the same.

(10) The two groups of cigarettes were simultaneously smoked in a Cerulean SM450 smoking machine under the Health Canada Intensive regimen (six replicates of each cigarette) and the extracts were analyzed according to the internal method where 13 polyaromatic hydrocarbons were quantified. The results of the analysis are summarized in Table I, which shows the significant reduction of several polyaromatic hydrocarbons in the smoke of the main cigarette current regarding cigarette B (reference).

(11) TABLE-US-00001 TABLE I % reduction of polyaromatic hydrocarbons in cigarette A taking as reference cigarette B Benzo[a] Benzo[k] Benzo[b] Naph- Acenaph- Acenaph- Fluo- Anthra- Phenan- Fluoran- Py- Chry- anthra- fluoran- fluoran- Benzo[a] talene thylene thene rene cene trene thene rene sene cene thene thene pyrene Average cig. A 85 64 59 171 108 120 40 32 3.9 4.9 11 7 (g/cig) Std. dev. cig. A 15 10 8 17 12 14 6 12 0.4 0.4 1.7 1 (g/cig) Average cig. B 240 112 106 307 200 186 65 50 5.8 8 20 12 (g/cig) Std. dev. cig. B 18 20 11 31 13 15 10 6 0.2 1 2 2 (g/cig) % Reduction 64 43 45 44 46 36 39 36 33 37 45 42
Case 2.

(12) Cigarette C was analyzed, whose design responds to that of case 1 compared to a reference cigarette 1R6F from the University of Kentucky. The cigarette 1R6F is an international standard cigarette for research work and serves as a basis for comparing data from different laboratories. Cigarette C has a sector containing a porous mass with the following composition: Cigarette C: Activated carbon 71%+graphene 11%+GUR 18% Cigarette 1R6F is a cigarette with a conventional cellulose acetate filter.

(13) Smoking trials of both cigarettes were conducted simultaneously on a Cerulean SM450 smoking machine using the Health Canada Intensive method (six replicates of each cigarette).

(14) The results of the analysis are summarized in Table II and allow for the comparison of the reduction capacity of several polyaromatic hydrocarbons of the filter under this patent.

(15) TABLE-US-00002 TABLE II % reduction of polyaromatic hydrocarbons in cigarette C compared to cigarette 1R6F Benzo[a] Benzo[k] Benzo[b] Naph- Acenaph- Acenaph- Fluo- Anthra- Phenan- Fluoran- Py- Chry- anthra- fluoran- fluoran- Benzo[a] talene thylene thene rene cene trene thene rene sene cene thene thene pyrene Average cig. C 76 38 48 117 122 160 44 38 10 11 11 7 (g/cig) Std. dev. cig. C 20 9 11 26 24 13 6 4 2 2 1 2 (g/cig) Average 1R6F 1106 144 176 368 329 347 92 79 19 20 17 15 (g/cig) Std. dev. 1R6F 64 19 7 38 41 39 11 9 1 1 3 3 (g/cig) % Reduction 93 74 73 68 63 54 52 52 49 45 34 53
Case 3.

(16) In the cigarette C smoke of case 2, the reduction of carbonyl was assessed by comparing the result with that obtained for the reference cigarette 1R6F. The two cigarettes were smoked using the ISO 3308:2012 method and extracts were analyzed according to CRM 74:2018 for the determination of eight carbonyl (six replicates of each cigarette). The result is summarized in Table III and allows comparing the carbonyl reduction capacity of the filter under this patent.

(17) TABLE-US-00003 TABLE III % reduction in cigarette carbonyl compared to cigarette 1R6F Formaldehyde Acetaldehyde Acetone Acrolein Propionaldehyde Crotonaldehyde MEK Butanal Average cig. C 7 90 22 5 7 1.0 6 4 (g/cig) Std. dev. cig. C 3 21 8 2 2 0.5 2 1 (g/cig) Average 1R6F 24 502 174 48 40 8 39 30 (g/cig) Std. dev. 1R6F 4 30 15 6 5 1 4 3 (g/cig) % Reduction 72 82 87 89 82 88 85 85