Rhone-poulenc Rhodia Aktiengesellschaft

Rhodia Acetow Aktiengesellschaft

Rhodia Acetow Gmbh

Rhodia Ag

Eberhard Teufel

Rolf Willmund

Christoph Greiner

Thomas Leutner

Gunter Maurer

Paul Rustemeyer

Dieter Imbery

Emmerich Sackers

Wolfgang Sexauer

G&uuml;nter Maurer

The invention relates to a high performance cigarette filter on the basis of cellulose ester fibers or filaments which can be mechanically disintegrated. The inventive high-performance cigarette filter is characterized in that a) the fiber weight (or filament weight)/draw resistance ratio S based on the filament titer is greater than approximately 0.7, the S value being calculated according to the formula S&equals;(m /&Dgr;P /dpf&lsqb;10 m/daPA&rsqb;, wherein m refers to the fiber weight, &Dgr;P refers to the draw resistance and dpf represents the filament titer and for the draw resistance the value calculated for a diameter of 7.8 mm is inserted, b) the residual crimping value of the filter material does not exceed the value 1.45, c) the fiber weight amounts to maximally 10 mg/mm of the filter length, and d) the hardness of the cigarette filter is higher than approximately 90% filtrona hardness. The inventive filter is characterized by an improved disintegratability under environmental conditions vis-&agrave;-vis comparable products.

Disintegratable cigarette filter

The disclosure relates to a melt-blown non-woven fabric based on cellulose esters, with fibers of mean diameter less than about 10 microns. The fabric contains 0-10 wt. % extractable softener, has a reflection factor determined according to DIN 53 145 Part I (1992) of more than 60% and the cellulose ester has a degree of substitution DS of about 1.5-3.0. The softener is preferably water-extractable. A melt-blown non-woven fabric is produced with the cellulose ester as follows: a cellulose ester, cellulose acetate, with a DS of about 1.5-3.0, in particular 1.7-2.7, is mixed with softener in a weight ratio of about 2:1 to 1:4 and simultaneously heated and melted. The mixture of softener and cellulose ester has a melting index MFI (210/2.16) according to DIN 53 735 of about 400 to 5 g/10 min., in particular 300 to 50 g/10 min. The melt is worked in a melt-blown spinning device into a melt-blown non-woven fabric and the softener is then extracted with a softener solvent to leave a proportion of 0-10 wt. %. The melt-blown non-woven fabric is especially suitable as a filter material.

Melt-blown nonwoven fabric, process for producing same and the uses thereof

Filter cigarette

A method of producing at least one filter skein for cigarettes and other smokable rod-shaped articles, from at least one filter tow strip comprises the steps of: (a) drawing at least one filter tow strip, from at least one supply, (b) feeding the at least one filter tow strip to a treatment in a treatment unit; (b1) at the beginning of the treatment unit, subjecting at least one filter strip to a brake force to adjust at least the quantity to be processed, the brake force being set automatically, and (b2) afterwards, stretching and fluffing the filter tow strip(s) by the use of two pairs of rolls, wherein the surface of one roll of at least one pair of the two pairs is smooth and the other roll is profiled over its entire surface, (c) after the treatment, collecting the treated filter tow strip from step (b) in a formating unit to at least one round skein with an enveloping material to form at least one continuous, wrapped filter skein, (d) detecting and measuring a characteristic value of the produced filter skein from step c), to obtain an actual value of the characteristic value, and (e) controlling and regulating the brake force as a function of the obtained actual value from step (d) and of a predetermined desired value of the characteristic value at the beginning of the treatment in step (b1), prior to the stretching step (b2), the brake force acting on the at least one filter tow strip. The apparatus is described.

Method and apparatus for producing fiber skeins

Structures are formed from cellulose acetate in which an additive is present or on this surface the additive consisting of a nitrogenous organic compound which by degradation by microorganisms forms basic decomposition products, in particular ammonia, and/or--basic--compounds having an NH group or NH groups and/or an NH.sub.2 group or NH.sub.2 groups. The structures may have the form of filaments, staple fibers, films, foils, sheets or other objects. The structures in the form of filaments and/or staple fibers are used for the manufacture of filter tows. The filter tow of this kind is described. The filter tow is for the manufacture of a tobacco smoke filter element, and such a tobacco smoke filter element is described. The structures, the filter tow, and the tobacco smoke filter element according to the invention show improved biodegradation under the action of environmental influences, the filter tow and the tobacco smoke filter element being capable of being stored under the conditions customarily used today without danger of microbiological degradation.

Structures formed from cellulose acetate, use thereof for the

A method for producing at least one fiber skein for the production of filters for cigarettes and for other smokable rod-shaped articles, comprises the steps of drawing from a supply at least one filter tow strip, supplying the drawn fiber strip to a subsequent treatment, in which the fiber strip is stretched and fluffed, then the treated fiber strip is collected in a formating unit to a fiber skein which is finally provided with an enveloping material, to form a continuous, wrapped fiber skein. The fiber strip of strips are exposed at the beginning of the treatment to a brake force, to adjust at least the quantity to be processed of the fiber strip of strips, the brake force being set automatically. The apparatus comprises a feed device for continuous feeding at least one fiber strip from a supply to a treatment unit in which the fed fiber strip is stretched and fluffed; a formatting unit for forming at least one wrapped separate fiber skein from the treated fiber strip; and a brake unit (4) arranged at the inlet in the treatment unit (1), which exerts an automatically settable brake force on the fiber strip, to adjust the quantity to be processed of each fiber strip to a predetermined value.

A filter tow of cellulose acetate filaments and/or cellulose acetate staple fibers, has at least the surface of the filaments and staple fibers consisting of a cellulose acetate having an acetyl number of less than 53%, preferably less than 49%. The method for the manufacture of the filter tow comprises the spinning of cellulose acetate filaments from a solution of cellulose acetate having an acetyl number of at least 53% in acetone, if necessary, cutting the filaments into staple fibers, and combining the filaments and/or staple fibers to a filter tow, the filaments or staple fibers being hydrolyzed so that at least the cellulose acetate at the surface of the filaments and staple fibers has an acetyl number of less than 53%, preferably less than 49%. The invention involves also a tobacco smoke filter element made from the filter tow, as well as a method for the manufacture of the tobacco smoke filter element. The new filter tow and the new tobacco smoke filter element are better biodegradable under action of environmental influences, yet their storage under conditions customary today is possible without the danger of microbiological degradation.

Filter tow and method for its manufacture as well as tobacco smoke

Ventilated cigarettes are made with a tip zone consisting of tobacco or a filter or a hollow tip, which contains, in the wrapper or wall, at least one ventilation zone. In the tip zone or between it and the tobacco roll, or in the latter, there is placed an element which consists of polymeric, not crimped spun fibers and/or filaments, which may have the shape of a disk. This element is arranged in such a manner that it is located behind the ventilation zone, when seen from the end of the tip zone facing the mouth. The spun fibers and filaments have, respectively, a diameter between 0.1 and 20 .mu.m and lie generally transverse to the flow of the tobacco smoke. In contrast with the known ventilated cigarettes, the cigarettes according to the invention exhibit an equalization of the tobacco smoke yield during test smoking draw-by-draw, which keeps the smoke flavor during test smoking practically uniform and results in a lowering of the total smoke yield in the particle phase as well as in the gas phase per cigarette.

Growing community of inventors

Gundelfingen, Germany

Eberhard Teufel