Cigarette filter including lyocell tow

Abstract

A cigarette filter which includes lyocell tow made of a plurality of lyocell fibers and a binder configured to bond the lyocell fibers to each other and has a hardness of 85% or higher is provided. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the cigarette filter has a hardness of 80% or higher even 5 minutes after 20 parts by weight to 25 parts by weight of water is added thereto based on 100 parts by weight of the lyocell tow. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the cigarette filter has a degree of collapse due to moisture of 7% or lower. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the cigarette filter overcomes existing, material-related problems of lyocell tow and has a high hardness and a low degree of collapse due to moisture.

1 . A cigarette filter comprising:
 lyocell tow made of a plurality of lyocell fibers; and   a binder configured to bond the lyocell fibers to each other,   wherein the cigarette filter has a hardness of 85% or higher.   
     
     
         2 . The cigarette filter of  claim 1 , wherein the cigarette filter has a hardness of 80% or higher even 5 minutes after 20 parts by weight to 25 parts by weight of water is added thereto based on 100 parts by weight of the lyocell tow. 
     
     
         3 . The cigarette filter of  claim 2 , wherein the cigarette filter has a degree of collapse due to moisture of 7% or lower. 
     
     
         4 . The cigarette filter of  claim 1 , wherein the binder includes polyester. 
     
     
         5 . The cigarette filter of  claim 4 , wherein the polyester is a copolymer of an aromatic monomer and an aliphatic monomer. 
     
     
         6 . The cigarette filter of  claim 4 , wherein the polyester has a viscosity lower than 5 cps at 40° C. with respect to an aqueous polyester solution with a polyester concentration of 15 wt %. 
     
     
         7 . The cigarette filter of  claim 5 , wherein the aromatic monomer is a dicarboxylic acid having a C5-C12 arylene group or heteroarylene group. 
     
     
         8 . The cigarette filter of  claim 5 , wherein the aliphatic monomer is a diol having a C1-C4 alkylene group, a dicarboxylic acid having a C2-C12 alkylene group, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         9 . The cigarette filter of  claim 4 , wherein the polyester is included at 0.1 parts by weight to 5 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of the lyocell tow. 
     
     
         10 . The cigarette filter of  claim 4 , wherein the binder further includes hydroxypropyl methylcellulose or polyvinylpyrrolidone. 
     
     
         11 . The cigarette filter of  claim 10 , wherein, in the binder, a weight ratio of polyester to hydroxypropyl methylcellulose or polyvinylpyrrolidone is in a range of 1:1 to 1:3.