Shredded paper with catalytic filler in tobacco cut filler and methods of making same

Abstract

A filler composition of a tobacco rod for a smoking article includes a tobacco cut filler and a catalytic paper containing a nanoparticle carbon monoxide catalyst. The nanoparticle carbon monoxide catalyst is incorporated into a web-filler material utilized in production of the catalytic paper. The nanoparticle carbon monoxide catalyst includes a nanoparticle iron oxide catalytic particle. Also provided is a smoking article including the tobacco rod having a paper wrapper encasing a tobacco column containing a catalytic paper.

1 . A smoking article comprising: 
 a cigarette tobacco rod including a wrapper surrounding a tobacco column, the tobacco column containing a cut filler and a catalytic paper including a web, a web-filler material, and a nanoparticle carbon monoxide catalyst, the web-filler material supporting said nanoparticle catalyst.    
   
   
       2 . The smoking article of  claim 1 , wherein the nanoparticle carbon monoxide catalyst comprises nanoparticle iron oxide catalytic particles.  
   
   
       3 . The smoking article of  claim 2 , wherein (a) the nanoparticle iron oxide catalytic particles have an average particle size of less than 50 nm or 1 to 10 nm or about 2 to 5 nm, (b) the nanoparticle iron oxide catalytic particles have a bulk density of less than 0.25 g/cc or greater than or equal to 0.05 g/cc, (c) the nanoparticle iron oxide catalytic particles have a BET surface area of about 200 to 300 m 2 /g and/or (d) the nanoparticle iron oxide catalytic particles include FeOOH, α-Fe 2 O 3 , γ-Fe 2 O 3 , or mixtures thereof.  
   
   
       4 - 9 . (Canceled).  
   
   
       10 . The smoking article of  claim 1 , wherein (a) the web-filler material includes an oxide, a carbonate or hydroxide of a Group II, Group III or Group IV metal optionally selected from the group consisting of CaCO 3 , TiO 2 , SiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 , MgCO 3 , MgO and Mg(OH) 2  and/or (b) the nanoparticle carbon monoxide catalyst comprises nanoparticle iron oxide catalytic particles, the web-filler material is selected from the group consisting of CaCO 3 , TiO 2 , SiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 , MgCO 3 , MgO and Mg(OH) 2 , and an average particle size of the web-filler material supporting the nanoparticle catalyst is 0.1 to 10 microns or less than or equal to 1.5 micron.  
   
   
       11 - 16 . (Canceled).  
   
   
       17 . The smoking article of  claim 1 , wherein (a) a ratio, in weight percent, of the nanoparticle carbon monoxide catalyst to the web-filler material in the composition of tobacco is from 0.1 to 3.0 or 0.1 to 1.0 or 0.33 to 1.0, (b) a total amount of nanoparticle carbon monoxide catalyst in the smoking article is from 4 mg to 10 mg, (c) the wrapper is a dual wrapper, a bilayer wrapper, a banded wrapper or a catalytic wrapper and/or (d) the catalytic paper is shredded and distributed throughout at least a portion of the tobacco column.  
   
   
       18 - 22 . (Canceled).  
   
   
       23 . The smoking article of  claim 17 , wherein (a) the shredded catalytic paper is uniformly distributed radially within the tobacco column, (b) the shredded catalytic paper is uniformly distributed linearly within the tobacco column and/or (c) the shredded catalytic paper has a thickness from 0.03 mm to 0.15 mm, a width having a maximum of 5 mm, and a length having a maximum of 25 mm or an average thickness is from 0.10 mm to 0.13 mm or an average width is less than 1.0 mm or an average length is less than 3.0 mm.  
   
   
       24 - 28 . (Canceled).  
   
   
       29 . A smoking article comprising: 
 a cigarette tobacco rod including a wrapper surrounding a tobacco column, the tobacco column containing a cut filler and a catalytic paper including a web, a web-filler material including a calcium carbonate, and iron oxide nanoparticles, the calcium carbonate supporting the iron oxide nanoparticles.    
   
   
       30 . The smoking article of  claim 29 , wherein the iron oxide nanoparticles have an average particle size of 0.1 to 10 nm and the web-filler material comprises 10 to 60% by weight of the catalytic paper.  
   
   
       31 . A method of making a smoking article, comprising: 
 (i) optionally supporting a nanoparticle carbon monoxide catalyst on a web-filler material to form a catalyst modified web-filler;    (ii) making catalytic paper including the catalyst modified web-filler;    (iii) forming a tobacco column, the tobacco column including the catalytic paper and a cut filler;    (iv) placing a wrapper around the tobacco column to form the smoking article.    
   
   
       32 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein (a) ratio, in weight percent, of the nanoparticle carbon monoxide catalyst to the web-filler material in the tobacco column is from 0.1 to 3.0 or 0.1 to 1.0 or 0.33 to 1.0, (b) a total amount of nanoparticle carbon monoxide catalyst in the catalytic paper is from 4 mg to 10 mg, and/or (c) further comprising shredding the catalytic paper to form shredded catalytic paper, step (iii) comprising mixing the shredded catalytic paper with the tobacco cut filler.  
   
   
       33 - 36 . (Canceled).  
   
   
       37 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein (a) the shredded catalytic paper has a thickness from 0.03 mm to 0.15 mm, a width having a maximum of 5 mm, and a length having a maximum of 25 mm or an average thickness is from 0.10 mm to 0.13 mm or an average width is less than 1.0 mm or an average length is less than 3.0 mm, (b) the shredded catalytic paper is distributed continuously throughout the cigarette tobacco rod and/or (c) the shredded catalytic paper is distributed discontinuously throughout the cigarette tobacco rod.  
   
   
       38 - 42 . (Canceled).  
   
   
       43 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein (a) the nanoparticle carbon monoxide catalyst used in step (i) has an average particle size less than 50 nm or 1 to 10 nm or about 3 nm, (b) further comprising supporting the nanoparticle carbon monoxide catalyst on the web-filler material by forming an aqueous slurry of the nanoparticle carbon monoxide catalyst and the web-filler material and drying the slurry to form the catalyst modified web-filler, (c) further comprising calcining the catalyst modified web-filler prior to a step (ii), (d) further comprising supporting the nanoparticle carbon monoxide catalyst on the web-filler material by forming an aqueous slurry of the nanoparticle carbon monoxide catalyst and the web-filler material, drying the slurry to form the catalyst modified web-filler, reducing an average particle size of the catalyst modified web-filler, and subsequently calcining the catalyst modified web-filler prior to step (ii) and/or (e) further comprising supporting the nanoparticle carbon monoxide catalyst on the web-filler material by precipitating the nanoparticle iron oxide catalyst from a liquid phase onto the web-filler material or by depositing the nanoparticle carbon monoxide catalyst from a vapor phase onto the web-filler material.  
   
   
       44 - 47 . (Canceled).  
   
   
       48 . The method of  claim 43 , wherein the calcining includes heating the catalyst modified web-filler at a calcining temperature of no more than 500° C. or 200° C. to 400° C. for a period of up to three hours.  
   
   
       49 - 50 . (Canceled).  
   
   
       51 . The method of  claim 43 , wherein (a) calcining includes heating the catalyst modified web-filler at a calcining temperature of no more than 500° C. or 200° C. to 400° C. for a period of one to three hours, (b) the nanoparticle carbon monoxide catalyst comprises iron oxide nanoparticles which optionally include FeOOH, α-Fe 2 O 3 , γ-Fe 2 O 3 , or mixtures thereof (c) the web-filler material is selected from the group consisting of CaCO 3 , TiO 2 , SiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 , MgCO 3 , MgO and Mg(OH) 2 , and an average particle size of the catalyst modified web-filler is 0.1 to 10 microns or less than or equal to 1.5 microns and/or (d) the web-filler material includes an oxide, a carbonate or a hydroxide of a Group II, Group III or Group IV metal optionally selected from the group consisting of CaCO 3 , TiO 2 , SiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 , MgCO 3 , MgO and Mg(OH) 2 .  
   
   
       52 - 60 . (Canceled).  
   
   
       61 . A smokeable material for a cigarette tobacco rod, comprising: 
 shredded tobacco; and    a catalytic paper, the catalytic paper including a web, a web-filler material, and a catalyst modified web-filler, the catalyst modified web-filler including a nanoparticle carbon monoxide catalyst supported on the web-filler material.    
   
   
       62 . The smokeable material of  claim 61 , wherein the nanoparticle carbon monoxide catalyst comprises nanoparticle iron oxide catalytic particles optionally having an average particle size of less than 50 nm or 1 to 10 nm or about 2 to 5 nm and/or a bulk density of less than 0.25 g/cc or greater than or equal to 0.05 g/cc and/or a BET surface area of about 20 to 300 m 2 /g, (b) the nanoparticle iron oxide catalytic particles include FeOOH, α-Fe 2 O 3 , γ-Fe 2 O 3 , or mixtures thereof, and/or (c) the web-filler material includes an oxide, a carbonate or a hydroxide of a Group II, Group III or Group IV metal optionally selected from the group consisting of CaCO 3 , TiO 2 , SiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 , MgCO 3 , MgO and Mg(OH) 2 .  
   
   
       63 - 72 . (Canceled).  
   
   
       73 . The smokeable material of  claim 61 , wherein (a) the nanoparticle carbon monoxide catalyst includes nanoparticles of FeOOH, α-Fe 2 O 3 , γ-Fe 2 O 3 , or mixtures thereof, the web-filler material is selected from the group consisting of CaCO 3 , TiO 2 , SiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 , MgCO 3 , MgO and Mg(OH) 2 , and an average particle size of the catalyst modified web-filler is 0.1 to 10 microns or less than or equal to 1.5 microns, (b) a ratio, in weight percent, of the nanoparticle carbon monoxide catalyst to the web-filler material in the composition is from 0.1 to 3.0 or 0.1 to 1.0 or 0.33 to 1.0, and/or (c) the catalytic paper is shredded and distributed throughout at least a portion of the composition, the shredded catalytic paper has a thickness from 0.03 mm to 0.15 mm, a width having a maximum of 5 mm, and a length having a maximum of 25 mm or an average thickness is from 0.10 mm to 0.13 mm or an average width is less than 1.0 mm or an average length is less than 3.0 mm.  
   
   
       74 - 82 . (Canceled).  
   
   
       83 . A method of making a smokeable material for a tobacco rod, the method comprising adding catalytic paper to shredded tobacco, the catalytic paper including a web, a web-filler material and a nanoparticle carbon monoxide catalyst supported on the web-filler material.  
   
   
       84 . The method of  claim 83 , wherein the nanoparticle carbon monoxide catalyst comprises nanoparticle iron oxide catalytic particles.  
   
   
       85 . The method of  claim 84 , wherein (a) the nanoparticle iron oxide catalytic particles include FeOOH, α-Fe 2 O 3 , γ-Fe 2 O 3 , or mixtures thereof, (b) the nanoparticle iron oxide catalytic particles include FeOOH, α-Fe 2 O 3 , γ-Fe 2 O 3 , or mixtures thereof and an average particle size of the nanoparticle iron oxide catalytic particles supported on the web-filler material is 0.1 to 10 microns or less than or equal to 1.5 microns, and/or (c) the web-filler material includes an oxide, a carbonate, or a hydroxide of a Group II, Group III or Group IV metal optionally selected from the group consisting of CaCO 3 , TiO 2 , SiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 , MgCO 3 , MgO and Mg(OH) 2 .  
   
   
       86 - 90 . (Canceled).  
   
   
       91 . The method of  claim 83 , further comprising shredding the catalytic paper and adding the shredded catalytic paper to the shredded tobacco.  
   
   
       92 . The method of  claim 91 , wherein (a) the shredded catalytic paper is distributed uniformly throughout the smokeable material and/or, (b) the shredded catalytic paper has a thickness from 0.03 mm to 0.15 mm, a width having a maximum of 5 mm, and a length having a maximum of 25 mm or an average thickness is from 0.10 mm to 0.13 mm or an average width is less than 1.0 mm or an average length is less than 3.0 mm.  
   
   
       93 - 96 . (Canceled).  
   
   
       97 . A smoking article comprising: 
 a cigarette tobacco rod including a wrapper surrounding a tobacco column, the tobacco column containing a cut filler and a catalytic paper including a web and a modified web-filler material comprising a carbon monoxide iron oxide catalyst supported on web-filler material, the catalyst modified web-filler in a calcined state.    
   
   
       98 . The smoking article of  claim 97 , wherein an average particle size of the catalyst modified web-filler is 0.1 to 10 microns.  
   
   
       99 . A method of making a smoking article, comprising: 
 (i) forming a tobacco column, the tobacco column including catalytic paper and a cut filler, the catalytic paper including a web and a modified web-filler material comprising a carbon monoxide iron oxide catalyst supported on web-filler material, the catalyst modified web-filler in a calcined state;    (ii) placing a wrapper around the tobacco column to form the smoking article.    
   
   
       100 . The method of  claim 99 , wherein an average particle size of the catalyst modified web-filler is 0.1 to 10 microns.