Biopolymer foams as filters for smoking articles
AssigneePhilip Morris USA Inc.
InventorsMunmaya K. MISHRA, Shengsheng LIU, William R. SWEENEY, Peter J. LIPOWICZ
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Abstract
A process for preparing a filter plug for a smoking article, such as a cigarette, includes: (a) freeze-drying a solution of a biopolymer to form a structure; and (b) cutting the structure to a predetermined dimension, to thereby prepare a filter plug for a smoking article. Another process for preparing a filter plug for a smoking article, such as a cigarette, includes: (a) extruding a mixture of a foaming agent and a biopolymer comprising a protein to form a structure; and (b) cutting the structure to a predetermined dimension, to thereby form a filter plug for a smoking article.
Claims10
A process for preparing a filter plug for a smoking article, comprising:
- (a) extruding a mixture of a foaming agent and a biopolymer comprising a protein to form a structure;
- and
- (b) cutting the structure to a predetermined dimension, to thereby form a filter plug for a smoking article.
A cigarette comprising:
- (a) a tobacco rod;
- and
- (b) a filter attached to the tobacco rod,
- wherein the filter comprises a filter plug prepared by freeze-drying a solution of biopolymer to form a structure and cutting the structure to a predetermined dimension to form the filter plug, the structure obtained in the freeze-drying having an average pore size ranging from about 0.04 millimeters to about 0.20 millimeters.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.