Daicel Chemical Industries, Ltd.

Japan Tobacco Inc.

Kanae Nishimura

Hiroki Taniguchi

Hitoshi Tsugaya

Nobuyuki Oji

A filter rod is produced by adding a water-soluble polymer in the form of an aqueous solution or dispersion, or in a particulate form, to a tow of cellulose ester fiber, with the amount of any water used being controlled within 25 parts by weight relative to 100 parts by weight of the tow, and wrapping the treated tow in wrapping paper. The water contained in the filter rod is removed or the particulate water-soluble polymer is melted by heating to bond the fiber to provide a tobacco filter. The proportion of the water-soluble polymer is 0.5 to 30 parts by weight to 100 parts by weight of the tow. To reduce the amount of water relative to the tow, a hot-melt adhesive water-soluble polymer may be employed. As the amount of water added to the tow is thus decreased, the tow can be smoothly wrapped up even at a high speed so that filter productivity is improved. This tobacco filter is highly wet-disintegratable and, hence, contributes to mitigation of the environmental pollution.

Tobacco filters and method of producing the same

Water disintegratability of a tobacco filter is improved by incorporating a super absorbent resin into a tobacco smoke filter medium in a tobacco filter comprising a main constitutive element of the tobacco smoke filter medium, and a water-soluble polymer as a binder for shaping the constitutive element. The constitutive element includes particulate or fibrous cellulose and cellulose esters (e.g. cellulose acetate). The water-absorption ratio of the super absorbent resin is about 10 to 1,000 times, and the amount of the resin is about 0.05 to 50 parts by weight relative to 100 parts by weight of the main constitutive element of the tobacco smoke filter medium.

Growing community of inventors

Himeji, Japan

Kanae Nishimura