Cellulose acetate tow

A Cigarette filter is a component of your cigarette, in addition to cigarette paper, capsules and adhesives. The filter may be made from cellulose acetate fibre, paper or activated charcoal (either as a cavity filter or embedded in the cellulose acetate). Macroporous phenol-formaldehyde resins and asbestos have also been utilized in cigarette filters The acetate and paper get a new 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 as much as 50%, which has a greater removal rate for other classes of compounds (e.g., phenols), however are ineffective in filtering toxins for example deadly carbon monoxide. Most factory-made cigarettes include a filter; people who roll their own can purchase them from the tobacconist.


Cellulose acetate is done by esterifying bleached cotton or wood pulp with acetic acid. From the three cellulose hydroxy groups available for esterification, between two and three are esterified by managing 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 tobacco smoke might be included with cigarette filters. The five largest manufactures of filter tow are Hoechst-Celanese and Eastman Chemicals in the United States, Rhodia Acetow in Germany, Daicel in Japan, and Courtaulds in the uk.

Starch glues or emulsion-based adhesives are used for gluing cigarette seams. Hot-melt and emulsion-based adhesives can be used filter seams. Emulsion-based adhesives bring bonding the filters towards the cigarettes.

Cellulose acetate is non-toxic, odorless, tasteless, and weakly flammable. It really is resistance against weak acids and is largely stable to mineral and fatty oils in addition to petroleum. It really is biodegradable as well as the raw materials are a renewable natural polymer supposed to find application for other uses in the foreseeable future. Smoked cigarette butts contain 5-7 mg nicotine (about 25% of the total cigarette nicotine content), children ingesting >2 whole cigarettes, 6 cigarette butts or possibly a total of 0.5 mg/kg of nicotine should be admitted with a hospital. Cellulose acetate is hydrophilic and retains the water-soluble smoke constituents, ones lots of people are irritating (acids, alkali, aldehydes, and phenols), while letting through the lipophilic aromatic compounds.
For more information about cellulose acetate tow explore our new web page