A Cigarette filter is part of your cigarette, as well as cigarette paper, capsules and adhesives. The filter could be made from cellulose acetate fibre, paper or activated charcoal (either like a cavity filter or embedded to the cellulose acetate). Macroporous phenol-formaldehyde resins and asbestos seemed to be employed in cigarette filters The acetate and paper customize the particulate smoke phase by particle retention (filtration), and finely divided carbon modifies the gaseous phase (adsorption). Filters can help to eliminate “tar” and nicotine smoke yields around 50%, using a greater removal rate for other classes of compounds (e.g., phenols), but are ineffective in filtering toxins including dangerous. Most factory-made cigarettes have a filter; those that roll their own can get them from a tobacconist.
Cellulose acetate is manufactured by esterifying bleached cotton or wood pulp with acetic acid. With the three cellulose hydroxy groups designed for esterification, between two and three are esterified by controlling the volume of acid (amount of substitution (DS) 2.35-2.55). The ester is spun into fibers and formed into bundles called filter tow. Flavors (menthol), sweeteners, softeners (triacetin), flame retardants (sodium tungstate), breakable capsules releasing flavors at the moment, and additives colouring the cigarette might be put into cigarette filters. 5 largest manufactures of filter tow are Hoechst-Celanese and Eastman Chemicals in america, Rhodia Acetow in Germany, Daicel in Japan, and Courtaulds in the uk.
Starch glues or emulsion-based adhesives can be used gluing cigarette seams. Hot-melt and emulsion-based adhesives are used for filter seams. Emulsion-based adhesives are used for bonding the filters to the cigarettes.
Cellulose acetate is non-toxic, odorless, tasteless, and weakly flammable. It can be resistant to weak acids and is largely stable to mineral and fatty oils as well as petroleum. It’s biodegradable as well as the raw materials are a renewable natural polymer supposed to find application for other uses later on. Smoked cigarette butts contain 5-7 mg nicotine (about 25% in the total cigarette nicotine content), children ingesting >2 whole cigarettes, 6 cigarette butts or a total of 0.5 mg/kg of nicotine ought to be admitted into a hospital. Cellulose acetate is hydrophilic and retains the water-soluble smoke constituents, that many are irritating (acids, alkali, aldehydes, and phenols), while letting through the lipophilic aromatic compounds.
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