METHOD OF MANUFACTURING TOBACCO MEDIUM

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0047864, filed on Apr. 9, 2024, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

Various embodiments relate to a method of manufacturing a tobacco medium, and more particularly, to a method of manufacturing a tobacco medium using paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves.

2. Description of the Related Art

Recently, there has been an increasing demand for a technology to replace a method of supplying an aerosol by burning a general cigarette. For example, research has been conducted on a method of supplying an aerosol having a flavor by generating an aerosol from a liquid or solid aerosol-generating material, or by generating vapor from a liquid aerosol-generating material and then passing the generated vapor through a solid flavoring medium.

Accordingly, there has been an increasing demand for a system for generating an aerosol by heating a cigarette or an aerosol-generating material by using an aerosol-generating device. Recently, a method of generating an aerosol by low-temperature heating or non-heating has been emerging. Research has been actively conducted to improve nicotine transfer even when low-temperature heating or non-heating is conducted.

SUMMARY

As an example of a method of manufacturing a tobacco medium, there is a method using reconstituted tobacco leaves. During the manufacturing process, the reconstituted tobacco leaves are treated with a pH adjustment solution (e.g., a mixture of water and potassium carbonate), which may cause the reconstituted tobacco leaves to clump. It is important to set the moisture content of the reconstituted tobacco leaves to a certain level in order to prevent the reconstituted tobacco leaves from clumping.

The moisture threshold (e.g., the moisture content set by the user) available in the reconstituted tobacco leaves is important. Because the pH adjustment solution includes water, the higher the moisture threshold, the more the reconstituted tobacco leaves may be treated with the pH adjustment solution. When the pH of the reconstituted tobacco leaves is further increased to manufacture the tobacco medium, the nicotine transfer amount of an aerosol-generating article including the tobacco medium may ultimately increase.

Therefore, it is important to use reconstituted tobacco leaves made of a material, in which a high moisture content may be set without causing the reconstituted tobacco leaves to clump during the pH adjustment solution treatment.

Embodiments provide a method of manufacturing a tobacco medium by treating paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves with a pH adjustment solution.

The technical problems of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-described description, and other technical problems may be clearly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art from the embodiments to be described hereinafter.

Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the presented embodiments of the disclosure.

A method of manufacturing a tobacco medium, according to an embodiment, includes providing paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves containing a tobacco concentrate, and treating the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves with a pH adjustment solution until a moisture content of the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves is about 9 wt % to about 12 wt % relative to a total weight of the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves, wherein the pH adjustment solution includes potassium carbonate (K₂CO₃) and water, and an amount of potassium carbonate added is about 8 wt % to about 14 wt % relative to a total weight of the tobacco concentrate.

An aerosol-generating article according to an embodiment includes a front plug configured to introduce outside air into an interior of the aerosol-generating article, a medium portion including a tobacco medium manufactured by the method, and a filter portion arranged at a position facing the front plug with respect to the medium portion.

An aerosol-generating system according to an embodiment includes the aerosol-generating article according to the embodiment described above, and an aerosol-generating device including a storage portion in which an aerosol-generating material is stored, an accommodation portion in which the aerosol-generating article is accommodated, and a heater configured to heat the aerosol-generating material, wherein a primary aerosol generated by heating the aerosol-generating material through the heater is introduced into the front plug of the aerosol-generating article accommodated in the accommodation portion, a secondary aerosol is generated from the aerosol-generating article by the temperature of the primary aerosol while the primary aerosol passes through the aerosol-generating article, and the primary aerosol and the secondary aerosol are mixed and inhaled by a user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certain embodiments of the disclosure will be more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGS. 1 to 3 illustrate an aerosol-generating system according to various embodiments;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an aerosol-generating article including a medium portion having two segments according to an embodiment;

FIGS. 5A to 5C are cross-sectional views of the aerosol-generating article of FIG. 4, taken along line X-X′ in a longitudinal direction; and

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a method of manufacturing a tobacco medium, according to an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Regarding the terms in the various embodiments, the general terms which are currently and widely used are selected in consideration of functions of structural elements in the various embodiments of the present disclosure. However, meanings of the terms can be changed according to intention, a judicial precedence, the appearance of a new technology, and the like. In addition, in certain cases, terms which can be arbitrarily selected by the applicant in particular cases. In such a case, the meaning of the terms will be described in detail at the corresponding portion in the description of the present disclosure. Therefore, the terms used in the various embodiments of the present disclosure should be defined based on the meanings of the terms and the descriptions provided herein.

In addition, unless explicitly described to the contrary, the word “comprise” and variations such as “comprises” or “comprising” will be understood to imply the inclusion of stated elements but not the exclusion of any other elements. In addition, the terms “-er”, “-or”, and “module” described in the specification mean units for processing at least one function and operation and can be implemented by hardware components or software components and combinations thereof.

As used herein, when an expression such as “at least any one” precedes arranged elements, it modifies all elements rather than each arranged element. For example, the expression “at least any one of a, b, and c” should be construed to include a, b, c, or a and b, a and c, b and c, or a, b, and c.

In the description of embodiments of the disclosure, certain detailed explanations of the related art are omitted when it is deemed that they may unnecessarily obscure the essences of embodiments of the disclosure. In addition, the accompanying drawings are only intended to facilitate understanding of the embodiments described herein, and the spirit of the disclosure is not limited by the accompanying drawings and should be understood to include all changes, equivalents or alternatives included in the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

While such terms as “first”, “second”, etc., may be used to describe various components, such components must not be limited to the above terms. The above terms are used only to distinguish one component from another.

When an element is referred to as being “connected to” or “coupled to” another element, it may be directly connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly connected to” or “directly coupled to” another element, there are no intervening elements present.

An expression used in the singular encompasses the expression of the plural, unless it has a clearly different meaning in the context.

Hereinafter, the present disclosure will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown such that one of ordinary skill in the art may easily work the present disclosure. The same or similar components will be assigned the same reference numerals regardless of the reference numerals in the drawings, and the same descriptions thereof will be omitted.

The disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 to 3 illustrate an aerosol-generating system according to various embodiments.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, an aerosol-generating system 3 may include an aerosol-generating device 1 and an aerosol-generating article 2.

In an embodiment, the aerosol-generating device 1 may include at least one of a power supply 11, a controller 12, a sensor 13, and a cartridge 19. At least one of the power supply 11, the controller 12, and the sensor 13 may be arranged inside a body 10 of the aerosol-generating device 1.

The body 10 may provide a space opened upwardly so that a stick 2, which is an aerosol-generating article, may be inserted. The space opened upwardly may be referred to as an insertion space. The insertion space may be formed by being recessed toward the inside of the body 10 by a certain depth so that at least a portion of the stick 2 may be inserted. In this case, a separate accommodation portion (not shown) may be arranged in the recessed portion of the body 10. Because the accommodation portion includes the insertion space, the stick 2 may be accommodated in the accommodation portion. The depth of the insertion space may correspond to the length of a region of the stick 2 containing an aerosol-generating material and/or medium.

The lower end of the stick 2 may be inserted into the body 10, and the upper end of the stick 2 may protrude outside the body 10. The user may bite the upper end of the stick 2 exposed to the outside and inhale air.

The cartridge 19 may contain an aerosol-generating material having one of a liquid state, a solid state, a gaseous state, and a gel state. The aerosol-generating material may include a liquid composition. For example, the liquid composition may be a liquid containing a tobacco-containing material including a volatile tobacco flavoring component, or may be a liquid containing a non-tobacco material.

For example, the liquid composition may include water, solvent, ethanol, plant extracts, flavoring, flavoring agent, or vitamin mixture. The flavoring may include, but is not limited to, menthol, peppermint, spearmint oil, various fruit flavoring ingredients, etc. The flavoring agent may include an ingredient that may provide a variety of flavors or tastes to the user. The vitamin mixture may include, but is not limited to, a mixture of at least one of vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, and vitamin E. In addition, the liquid composition may include an aerosol-forming agent, such as glycerin or propylene glycol.

The cartridge 19 may be integrally formed with the body 10 or may be detachably coupled to the body 10. For example, the cartridge 19 may be mounted on the body 10 by being inserted into the body 10. However, the disclosure is not limited thereto, and the cartridge 19 may be fixed so as not to be detached by the user.

The remaining configuration of the aerosol-generating device 1 excluding the cartridge 19 may be referred to as a main body. Accordingly, the main body may include the power supply 11, the controller 12, and the sensor 13, and the cartridge 19 may be detachably coupled to the main body.

The cartridge 19 may be mounted on the body 10 while containing an aerosol-generating material. However, the disclosure is not limited thereto, and an aerosol-generating material may be injected into the inside of the cartridge 19 while the cartridge 19 is coupled to the body 10.

Referring to FIG. 1, the cartridge 19 may be integrally formed with the body 10 and communicate with the insertion space through an airflow channel CN.

Referring to FIG. 2, a space is formed on one side of the body 10, and at least a portion of the cartridge 19 may be inserted into the space formed on one side of the body 10 and thus the cartridge 19 may be mounted on the body 10. The airflow channel CN may be defined by a portion of the cartridge 19 and/or a portion of the body 10, and the cartridge 19 may communicate with the insertion space through the airflow channel CN.

In the aerosol-generating device 1 of FIG. 1, components thereof are arranged in a row. In the aerosol-generating device 1 of FIG. 2, the cartridge 19 and the stick 2 are arranged in parallel. However, the internal structure of the aerosol-generating device 1 is not limited to those illustrated in the drawings. In other words, depending on the design of the aerosol-generating device 1, the arrangement of the power supply 11, the controller 12, the sensor 13, and the cartridge 19 may be changed.

Referring to FIG. 3, the cartridge 19 may be mounted on the body 10 as in FIG. 2. In this case, the cartridge 19, not the main body, may provide the insertion space. That is, in FIG. 3, the stick 2 may be inserted into the inside of the cartridge 19.

For example, the cartridge 19 may include a storage portion, an accommodation portion, and a heater 24. The main body may include a cartridge coupling portion to which the cartridge 19 is detachably coupled. The power supply 11, which is a component of the main body, may supply power to the cartridge 19 coupled to the cartridge coupling portion, and the controller 12, which is a component of the main body, may control the operation of the cartridge 19.

The body 10 may have a structure in which outside air may be introduced into the inside of the body 10 while the cartridge 19 is inserted. In this case, the outside air introduced into the body 10 may pass through the cartridge 19 and flow into the user's mouth.

The cartridge 19 may include a storage portion C0 containing an aerosol-generating material and/or a heater 24 that heats the aerosol-generating material in the storage portion C0. A liquid delivery means impregnated with (containing) an aerosol-generating material may be arranged inside the storage portion C0. In this case, the liquid delivery means may include a wick, such as cotton fiber, ceramic fiber, glass fiber, or porous ceramic. An electrically conductive track of the heater 24 may be formed as a coil-shaped structure that winds the liquid delivery means or a structure that contacts one side of the liquid delivery means. The heater 24 may be referred to as a cartridge heater 24.

The cartridge 19 may be operated by an electric signal or a wireless signal transmitted from the body 10, thereby performing a function of converting the phase of the aerosol-generating material inside the cartridge 19 into a gaseous phase to generate an aerosol. In this case, the aerosol may refer to a gas in which vaporized particles generated from the aerosol-generating material and air are mixed.

As the liquid delivery means and the liquid composition absorbed therein are heated by the heater 24, an aerosol may be generated. Because the aerosol-generating device 1 does not include a heater for heating the stick 2, direct heating of the stick 2 by a heater or the like is not performed (this refers to non-heating). However, steam may be generated from the stick 2 as a hot aerosol generated from the heater 24 passes through the stick 2.

Therefore, while the aerosol (a primary aerosol) generated by the heater 24 passes through the stick 2, tobacco material may be added to the aerosol, and a secondary aerosol may be generated from the stick 2 by the high-temperature aerosol. The primary aerosol and the secondary aerosol may be mixed, and the aerosol to which the tobacco material is added may be inhaled into the user's mouth through one end of the stick 2.

The embodiment is not limited to omitting the heater 24. In another embodiment, the heater 24 may heat the stick 2 at a relatively low temperature to generate the aerosol (this refers to low-temperature heating).

The aerosol-generating device 1 may include a cap (not shown). The cap may be detachably coupled to the body 10 to cover at least a portion of the cartridge 19 coupled to the body 10. The stick 2 may be inserted into the body 10 by passing through the cap.

The power supply 11 may supply power to operate components of the aerosol-generating device 1. The power supply 11 may be referred to as a battery. The power supply 11 may supply power to at least one of the controller 12, the sensor 13, and the heater 24.

The controller 12 may control all operations of the aerosol-generating device 1. The controller 12 may be mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB). The controller 12 may control the operation of at least one of the power supply 11, the sensor 13, and the cartridge 19. The controller 12 may control the operations of a display, a motor, etc. installed in the aerosol-generating device 1. The controller 12 may check the status of each component of the aerosol-generating device 1 to determine whether the aerosol-generating device 1 is in an operable state.

The controller 12 may analyze results detected by the sensor 13 and control processes to be performed thereafter. For example, the controller 12 may control the power supplied to the heater 24 so that the operation of the heater 24 is started or ended, based on the results detected by the sensor 13. For example, the controller 12 may control the amount of power supplied to the heater 24 and the time for which the power is supplied so that the heater 24 may be heated to a certain temperature or maintain an appropriate temperature, based on the results detected by the sensor 13.

The sensor 13 may include at least one of a temperature sensor, a puff sensor, an insertion detection sensor, a color sensor, a cartridge detection sensor, and a cap detection sensor. For example, the sensor 13 may sense at least one of the temperature of the heater 24, the temperature of the power supply 11, and the temperature inside and outside the body 10. For example, the sensor 13 may sense the user's puff. For example, the sensor 13 may sense whether the stick 2 is inserted into the insertion space. For example, the sensor 13 may sense the color of a portion of a wrapper that wraps the outside of the stick 2. For example, the sensor 13 may sense whether the cartridge 19 is mounted. For example, the sensor 13 may sense whether the cap is mounted.

In an embodiment, the aerosol-generating article 2 may include a front plug 210, a medium portion 220, and a filter portion 230. Hereinafter, components of the aerosol-generating article 2 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an aerosol-generating article including a medium portion having two segments according to an embodiment.

In an embodiment, an aerosol-generating article 2 may include a front plug 210, a medium portion 220, and a filter portion 230. Specifically, the front plug 210, the medium portion 220, and the filter portion 230 may be arranged sequentially in the length direction of the aerosol-generating article 2. In addition to the components illustrated in FIG. 2, other general components may be further included in the aerosol-generating article 2.

In an embodiment, the front plug 210 may introduce outside air into the interior of the aerosol-generating article 2. In the disclosure, when the aerosol-generating article 2 is a non-heated aerosol-generating article, the front plug 210 may introduce, as an outside air, an aerosol generated by a separate component (e.g., the cartridge 19 including a liquid composition) into the interior of the aerosol-generating article 2. Specifically, the primary aerosol generated by heating an aerosol-generating material through a heater (e.g., the heater 24 of FIG. 1) may be introduced into an upper plug of an aerosol-generating article accommodated in an accommodation portion.

In an embodiment, the front plug 210 may include one of an acetate filter formed of cellulose acetate tow and a paper filter formed of paper. In this case, when the front plug 210 includes an acetate filter formed of cellulose acetate tow, the front plug 210 may be manufactured to generate a flavor.

For example, when the front plug 210 includes an acetate filter, a flavoring liquid containing a flavoring material may be sprayed onto the acetate filter, and a separate fiber coated with the flavoring liquid may be included inside the acetate filter. For another example, when the front plug 210 includes an acetate filter, the acetate filter may include a capsule containing a flavoring material.

The flavoring material may include, but is not limited to, menthol.

For example, the flavoring material may include a plant-based flavoring, such as cinnamon, sage, herbs, chamomile, galangal, persimmon, lavender, bergamot, lemon, orange, cinnamon, jasmine, ginger, vanilla, spearmint, peppermint, acacia, coffee, celery, sandalwood, or cocoa.

For another example, the flavoring material may include an animal-based flavoring, such as musk, ambergris, civet, or castorium.

For another example, the flavoring material may be an alcohol compound, such as geraniol, linalool, anethole, or eugenol. The flavoring material may be an aldehyde compound, such as vanillin, benzaldehyde, or anisaldehyde. The flavoring material may be an ester compound, such as isoamyl acetate, linalyl acetate, isoamyl propionate, or linalyl butyrate.

In an embodiment, the medium portion 220 may include a tobacco medium. In this case, the tobacco medium may include reconstituted tobacco leaves. The reconstituted tobacco leaves are important elements that determine the taste and ingredient of the tobacco along with the leaf tobacco and flavoring material.

The reconstituted tobacco leaves may be classified into a slurry type and a paper type depending on the manufacturing method. In the disclosure, the tobacco medium constituting the medium portion 220 may be manufactured with ‘paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves.’

Slurry-type reconstituted tobacco leaves may contain relatively expensive raw material leaves at a content of about 70% of the total weight. In addition, because the slurry-type reconstituted tobacco leaves are manufactured through a conveyor belt-type manufacturing process, the drying process is long, and thus, the manufacturing cost is relatively high.

On the other hand, the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves may be manufactured using relatively inexpensive base papers. In addition, the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves are manufactured by spraying tobacco concentrate, forming it into a sheet, and drying it, and thus, the manufacturing cost of the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves is low.

In addition, compared to the use of the slurry-type reconstituted tobacco leaves, the use of the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves may have an advantage in that the moisture threshold may be set relatively high in terms of setting the moisture threshold. Setting the moisture threshold is closely related to treating the reconstituted tobacco leaves with a pH adjustment solution, which will be described in detail below.

In Table 1 below, an aerosol-generating article including a tobacco medium manufactured using slurry-type reconstituted tobacco leaves is compared with an aerosol-generating article including a tobacco medium manufactured using paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves.

	TABLE 1
	Slurry-type reconstituted	Paper-type reconstituted
	tobacco leaves	tobacco leaves

pH	7.74	8.2
Nicotine content	2.99 wt %	2.12 wt %
	(relative to total weight	(relative to total weight
	of tobacco medium)	of tobacco medium)
Nicotine transfer	0.03 mg/9puff	0.12 mg/9puff
amount

The above data represent the pH, nicotine content, and nicotine transfer amount of tobacco medium manufactured by treating each of the two types of reconstituted tobacco leaves with a pH adjustment solution. The data of the slurry-type reconstituted tobacco leaves are the results of experimental condition 2 described below, and the data of the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves are the results of experimental condition 5 described below. In both types, the reconstituted tobacco leaves are treated with the pH adjustment solution in finished product states.

The pH adjustment solution may include water and a pH adjustment agent. For example, the pH adjustment solution is a mixture of water and a pH adjustment agent. In other words, the pH adjustment solution may be made by dissolving a pH adjustment agent in water.

The pH adjustment agent may adjust the pH of the tobacco medium to an alkaline side. The pH adjustment agent may include at least one of potassium carbonate (K₂CO₃), sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO₃), and a mixture thereof, but is not limited thereto.

Referring to Table 1, it may be understood that, although the nicotine content relative to the total weight is greater in the slurry-type reconstituted tobacco leaves than in the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves, the nicotine transfer amount is four times greater in the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves than in the slurry-type reconstituted tobacco leaves. This is related to the fact that the pH value of the tobacco medium manufactured with the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves is greater than the pH value of the tobacco medium manufactured with the slurry-type reconstituted tobacco leaves.

As the pH of the tobacco medium is adjusted to the alkaline side through the pH adjustment agent (i.e., as the pH value of the tobacco medium increases), the nicotine transfer amount of the tobacco medium may gradually increase. In particular, when the aerosol-generating article 2 is a non-heated aerosol-generating article, if the pH of the tobacco medium is not adjusted to the alkaline side (i.e., if the pH of the tobacco medium is close to weak acidity), the rate of nicotine release at low temperatures may be low, and the amount of nicotine transferred may be small. As a result, the user's smoking satisfaction may be impaired.

By adjusting the pH of the tobacco medium to the alkaline side through the pH adjustment solution, the aerosol-generating article 2 may transfer a sufficient amount of nicotine at a low temperature even when the aerosol-generating article 2 is not directly heated by a separate heating element. Accordingly, it may be determined that it is advantageous to simply increase the pH by treating the reconstituted tobacco leaves more with the pH adjustment solution.

However, when the reconstituted tobacco leaves are excessively treated with the pH adjustment solution, the reconstituted tobacco leaves may clump due to the water contained in the pH adjustment solution. In order to prevent the reconstituted tobacco leaves from clumping, the reconstituted tobacco leaves have to be treated with an appropriate amount of water or pH adjustment solution. Therefore, the moisture content of the reconstituted tobacco leaves, that is, the moisture threshold (e.g., the moisture content set by the user), has to be set, and the reconstituted tobacco leaves have to be treated with the pH adjustment solution based on the moisture threshold.

In general, the pH adjustment solution is used by dissolving a pH adjustment agent in water, and thus, the higher the moisture threshold, the more the reconstituted tobacco leaves may be treated with the PH adjustment solution. Therefore, it is important to set the moisture threshold available to the reconstituted tobacco leaves so that the nicotine transfer amount is maximized without causing the reconstituted tobacco leaves to clump.

The slurry-type reconstituted tobacco leaves contain glycerin, and thus is easy to clump when treated with a pH adjustment solution. The paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves do not contain glycerin, and thus is relatively drier than the slurry-type reconstituted tobacco leaves. Therefore, the moisture threshold of the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves may be set higher than that of the slurry-type reconstituted tobacco leaves. In this regard, the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves may be treated with a larger amount of pH adjustment solution than the slurry-type reconstituted tobacco leaves.

Table 2 below shows the moisture content (unit: wt %) relative to the total weight of the slurry-type reconstituted tobacco leaves before and after treatment with the pH adjustment solution, and the amount (unit: wt %) of potassium carbonate (K₂CO₃) added relative to the tobacco fines of the slurry-type reconstituted tobacco leaves.

In this case, the slurry-type reconstituted tobacco leaves may contain about 85 wt % of tobacco fines, about 5 wt % of guar gum, about 5 wt % of pulp, and about 5 wt % of glycerin relative to the total weight. In this case, the tobacco fines may be made from a mixture of burley tobacco leaves and flue-cured tobacco leaves in a ratio of 6:4. However, the tobacco fines are not limited thereto, and may be generated from tobacco leaf pieces, tobacco stems, and/or tobacco processing. In addition, the tobacco fines may include crushed tobacco leaves, crushed reconstituted tobacco, or the like. In addition, the tobacco fines may correspond to tobacco powder of at least one of a flue-cured tobacco, a burley tobacco, a fire-cured tobacco, a sun-cured tobacco, and an air-cured tobacco. The pH adjustment solution is a mixture of water and potassium carbonate, and may refer to an aqueous potassium carbonate solution. The moisture content may be measured by the loss on drying (LOD) method.

TABLE 2
	Moisture	Moisture
	content	content
	before pH	after pH	Amount of
	adjustment	adjustment	K2CO3 added
Experimental	solution	solution	relative to
conditions	treatment	treatment	tobacco fines	Feasibility
1	3%	7%	5.8%	Possible
2	3%	8.6%	8.0%	Possible
3	3%	7%	8.0%	Impossible

As mentioned above, because the slurry-type reconstituted tobacco leaves contain glycerin or the like, physical property problems, such as stickiness and clumping, occur when treated with a pH adjustment solution. Therefore, the moisture threshold for pH adjustment solution treatment may not be set high for the slurry-type reconstituted tobacco leaves.

In order to maximize the treatment of slurry-type reconstituted tobacco leaves with a pH adjustment solution to increase the pH value, under conditions of a limited moisture threshold, the moisture content of the slurry-type reconstituted tobacco leaves before the pH adjustment solution treatment has to be reduced as much as possible. Referring to Table 2, the moisture content before the pH adjustment solution treatment is unified to about 3 wt % under all experimental conditions.

Experimental condition 1 is designed such that the moisture threshold of the slurry-type reconstituted tobacco leaves is set to about 7 wt % by considering the property problems that occur during the pH adjustment solution treatment and thus the moisture content during the pH adjustment solution treatment is about 7 wt %. Under this condition, the amount of potassium carbonate added relative to the tobacco fines is about 5.8 wt %.

Experimental condition 2 is designed such that the amount of potassium carbonate added relative to tobacco fines is about 8 wt % by performing pH adjustment solution treatment to increase the pH value compared to Experimental condition 1, considering that the amount of potassium carbonate added relative to the tobacco fines is proportional to the pH value of the reconstituted tobacco leaves. As a result, the moisture content after the pH adjustment solution treatment is about 8.6 wt %. This means that enough water has been added to cause problems such as stickiness and clumping in the slurry-type reconstituted tobacco leaves.

Experimental condition 3 is designed such that the moisture threshold is set to about 7 wt % by reducing the amount of water compared to Experimental condition 2 and the amount of potassium carbonate added relative to the tobacco fines is about 8 wt % through a pH adjustment solution treatment. In this case, the solubility of potassium carbonate in water is an issue.

The solubility of potassium carbonate in water is approximately 112 g/100 mL at room temperature (25 degrees Celsius), and in Experimental conditions 1 and 2, a pH adjustment solution obtained by dissolving potassium carbonate to the maximum in water at room temperature is used for the pH adjustment solution treatment. However, in order to have a moisture content of about 7 wt % and an amount of potassium carbonate added of about 8 wt % as in Experimental condition 3, a potassium carbonate aqueous solution (pH adjustment solution) that theoretically contains about 158 g/100 mL of potassium carbonate dissolved in water at room temperature has to be used. Such a pH adjustment solution may not be manufactured because it exceeds the solubility of potassium carbonate in water, which is about 112 g/100 mL. Therefore, the experiment is impossible under Experimental condition 3.

Table 3 below shows the moisture content (unit: wt %) relative to the total weight of the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves before and after treatment with the pH adjustment solution, and the amount (unit: wt %) of potassium carbonate (K₂CO₃) added relative to the tobacco concentrate of the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves. The paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves may contain about 88 wt % of tobacco concentrate and about 12 wt % of pulp relative to the total weight. That is, the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves may be treated with a tobacco concentrate liquid containing about 88 wt % of tobacco concentrate and about 12 wt % of pulp relative to the total weight. In this case, the tobacco concentrate may be made from a mixture of burley tobacco leaves and flue-cured tobacco leaves in a ratio of 6:4. However, the tobacco concentrate is not limited thereto, and may be generated from tobacco leaf pieces, tobacco stems, and/or tobacco processing. In addition, the tobacco concentrate may be made from crushed tobacco leaves, crushed reconstituted tobacco, or the like. In addition, the tobacco concentrate may be made from tobacco powder of at least one of a flue-cured tobacco, a burley tobacco, a fire-cured tobacco, a sun-cured tobacco, and an air-cured tobacco. The pH adjustment solution is a mixture of water and potassium carbonate, and may refer to an aqueous potassium carbonate solution. The moisture content may be measured by the LOD method.

TABLE 3
	Moisture	Moisture	Amount of
	content	content	K2CO3
	before pH	after pH	added
	adjustment	adjustment	relative to
Experimental	solution	solution	tobacco
conditions	treatment	treatment	concentrate	Feasibility
4	3%	7%	5.8%	Possible
5	3%	10.5%	11.1%	Possible
6	3%	12%	13.2%	Possible
7	3%	14%	15%	Possible

Because the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves do not contain glycerin, the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves are less sticky or clumpy than the slurry-type reconstituted tobacco leaves and is relatively dry. Therefore, the moisture threshold may be set relatively high.

In Experimental conditions 4 to 7, the moisture content before the pH adjustment solution treatment is commonly unified to about 3 wt %, and a pH adjustment solution obtained by dissolving potassium carbonate to the maximum (about 112 g/100 mL) in water at room temperature is used for the pH adjustment solution treatment.

Experimental condition 4 is designed such that the moisture threshold of the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves is set to about 7 wt % as in Experimental condition 1 of Table 2 and thus the moisture content during the pH adjustment solution treatment is about 7 wt %. Under this condition, the amount of potassium carbonate added relative to the tobacco concentrate is about 5.8 wt %.

Experimental condition 5 is designed such that the moisture threshold of the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves is set to about 10.5 wt % by considering the property problems that occur during the pH adjustment solution treatment and thus the moisture content during the pH adjustment solution treatment is about 10.5 wt %. Under this condition, the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves do not show any problems, such as stickiness or clumping due to water. Under this condition, the amount of potassium carbonate added relative to the tobacco concentrate is about 11.1 wt %, and the amount of potassium carbonate added relatively increases compared to Experimental condition 1 in Table 2 and Experimental condition 4 in Table 3.

Experimental condition 6 is designed such that the moisture threshold of the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves is set to about 12 wt % and thus the moisture content during the pH adjustment solution treatment is about 12 wt %. Under this condition, the amount of potassium carbonate added relative to the tobacco concentrate is about 13.2 wt %, and the amount of potassium carbonate added relatively increases compared to Experimental condition 5. However, the viscosity increases compared to Experimental condition 5, but this does not cause any problems.

Experimental condition 7 is designed such that the moisture threshold of the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves is set to about 14 wt % and thus the moisture content during the pH adjustment solution treatment is about 14 wt %. Under this condition, the amount of potassium carbonate added relative to the tobacco concentrate is about 15 wt %, and the amount of potassium carbonate added relatively increases compared to Experimental condition 6. However, problems such as stickiness and clumping occurs.

In conclusion, the amount of potassium carbonate added relative to the tobacco concentrate is proportional to the amount of pH adjustment solution that may be processed and the pH value of the reconstituted tobacco leaves, and thus, it may be understood from Tables 2 and 3 that the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves have a higher pH value than the slurry-type reconstituted tobacco leaves, and thus, the nicotine transfer amount of an aerosol-generating article manufactured using the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves is higher than that of an aerosol-generating article manufactured using the slurry-type reconstituted tobacco leaves.

In addition, it may be understood that, even when an aerosol-generating article is manufactured using the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves, an appropriate amount of pH adjustment solution has to be used for the pH adjustment solution treatment to prevent problems such as stickiness and clumping between the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves.

When the pH value of the tobacco medium is high, nicotine may be continuously released from the tobacco medium while the aerosol-generating article 2 is stored in an unused state, and thus, an actual nicotine transfer amount may decrease when the aerosol-generating article 2 is used. In addition, when the pH value of the tobacco medium is excessively high, an off-flavor may be generated from the aerosol-generating article 2, thereby impairing the user's taste of smoking.

In the case where the aerosol-generating article 2 is a non-heated aerosol-generating article, the amount of nicotine transferred and the user's smoking satisfaction may be improved when the pH value of the tobacco medium is about 7 to about 10, or about 8 to about 9.

Table 4 below shows the relationship between the amount (unit: wt %) of potassium carbonate (K₂CO₃) added and pH relative to the tobacco concentrate of the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves.

TABLE 4
	Amount of K2CO3
	added relative to
No.	tobacco concentrate	pH

1	8%	Approximately 7.7
2	11.1%	Approximately 8.2
3	13.2%	Approximately 8.7
4	15%	Approximately 9.3

Referring to Table 4, it may be understood that the pH value increases as the amount of potassium carbonate (K₂CO₃) added increases. As mentioned above, when the pH value is too high, the nicotine transfer amount may decrease and the taste of smoking may be impaired, and thus, it is necessary to adjust the amount of potassium carbonate (K₂CO₃) added by considering the appropriate range of pH values for sufficient nicotine transfer.

In an embodiment, the medium portion 220 may include at least one of an acetate filter formed of cellulose acetate tow and a paper filter formed of paper.

For example, when the medium portion 220 includes at least one of the acetate filter and the paper filter, a tobacco medium may be filled inside the filter. In this case, the tobacco medium may be filled inside the filter at about 2 mg/mm to about 8 mg/mm. Alternatively, the tobacco medium may be filled inside the filter at about 4 mg/mm to about 6 mg/mm.

When the pH of the tobacco medium included in the medium portion 220 is adjusted to the alkaline side through a pH adjustment solution, the amount of nicotine released from the tobacco medium at a low temperature may increase. Accordingly, when the medium portion 220 is manufactured in a manner of filling the tobacco medium having an adjusted pH in at least one of the acetate filter and the paper filter, the acetate filter or the paper filter may maintain the nicotine released from the tobacco medium in an absorbed state, thereby preventing the released nicotine from being released to the outside of the aerosol-generating article 2.

The medium portion 220 may include a first segment and a second segment. During the process of manufacturing the medium portion 220, the first segment and the second segment may be independently manufactured, and thus, the first segment and the second segment may be connected to each other but distinguished from each other. The first segment may be adjacent to the front plug 210, and the second segment may be adjacent to the filter portion 230. The two segments will be described below with reference to FIGS. 5A to 5C.

In an embodiment, the filter portion 230 may be positioned at a position facing the front plug 210 with the medium portion 220 as the center. The filter portion 230 may filter at least one of the materials included in a mainstream smoke including the aerosol generated from the medium portion 220.

In an embodiment, the filter portion 230 may be implemented in various shapes. For example, the filter portion 230 may be a cylindrical rod, or may be a tubular rod including a hollow therein. Alternatively, the filter portion 230 may be a recessed rod.

In an embodiment, the filter portion 230 may include one of an acetate filter formed of cellulose acetate tow and a paper tube filter formed of paper. In this case, when the filter portion 230 includes an acetate filter formed of cellulose acetate tow, the filter portion 230 may be manufactured to generate a flavor.

For example, when the filter portion 230 includes an acetate filter, a flavoring liquid containing a flavoring material may be sprayed onto the acetate filter, and a separate fiber coated with the flavoring liquid may be included inside the acetate filter. For another example, when the filter portion 230 includes an acetate filter, the acetate filter may include a capsule containing a flavoring material. The flavoring material that may be included in the filter portion 230 may be the same as or similar to a flavoring material that may be included in the front plug 210.

In an embodiment, one of the front plug 210 and the filter portion 230 may include a flavoring material.

For example, when the front plug 210 includes a capsule containing a flavoring material or includes a fiber coated with a flavoring liquid containing a flavoring material, the filter portion 230 may not include a flavoring material. That is, when the front plug 210 includes a flavoring material, the filter portion 230 may include a recessed rod formed of cellulose acetate tow or a paper tube formed of paper.

For another example, when the filter portion 230 includes a capsule containing a flavoring material or includes a fiber coated with a flavoring liquid containing a flavoring material, the front plug 210 may not include a flavoring material. That is, when the filter portion 230 includes a flavoring material, the front plug 210 may include an acetate filter formed of cellulose acetate tow or a paper tube formed of paper.

The aerosol-generating article 2 may be manufactured in a cylindrical shape. In an embodiment, when the aerosol-generating article 2 is manufactured in a cylindrical shape, the length of the aerosol-generating article 2 may be about 24 mm to about 72 mm. For example, the length of the front plug 210 may be about 6 mm to about 18 mm, the length of the medium portion 220 may be about 12 mm to about 36 mm, and the length of the filter portion 230 may be about 6 mm to about 18 mm. However, the length of the aerosol-generating article 2 and the lengths of elements thereof are not limited thereto and may be variously changed according to the design of the manufacturer.

Hereinafter, the two segments of the medium portion 220 will be described.

FIGS. 5A to 5C are cross-sectional views of the aerosol-generating article 2 of FIG. 4, taken along line X-X′ in a longitudinal direction.

Referring to FIGS. 5A to 5C, the aerosol-generating article 2 according to an embodiment may include a front plug 210, a medium portion 220, and a filter portion 230. In the drawings, the front plug 210 includes a paper filter (e.g., a paper tube) formed of paper, and the filter portion 230 includes an acetate filter including a capsule 232 containing a flavoring material. However, the disclosure is not limited thereto. In another embodiment, the front plug 210 may include an acetate filter including the capsule 232 containing a flavoring material, and the filter portion 230 may include a recessed rod formed of cellulose acetate tow.

The medium portion 220 of the aerosol-generating article 2 according to an embodiment may include two segments including different elements. For example, a first segment 240 of the medium portion 220 may include a tobacco medium 222 manufactured from a paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves, and a second segment 250 may include a cooling element 226. In this case, the cooling element 226 may correspond to one of a tube filter and a paper tube filter, and the suction resistance of the aerosol-generating article 2 may be reduced through the cooling element 226.

Referring to FIG. 5A, the first segment 240 including the tobacco medium 222 may be arranged in a section A (e.g., a section A of FIG. 4) of the medium portion 220, and the second segment 250 including the cooling element 226 may be arranged in a section B (e.g., a section B of FIG. 4) of the medium portion 220.

That is, the outside air introduced through the front plug 210 may be sequentially passed to the second segment 250 and the filter portion 230 after being mixed with components such as nicotine released from the tobacco medium 222 of the first segment 240.

Referring to FIG. 5B, the second segment 250 including the cooling element 226 may be placed in the section A of the medium portion 220, and the first segment 240 including the tobacco medium 222 may be placed in the section B of the medium portion 220. That is, the outside air introduced through the front plug 210 may be sequentially passed to the first segment 240 and the filter portion 230 after the temperature of the outside air is lowered through the cooling element 226 of the second segment 250.

In another embodiment, the medium portion 220 may include two segments including the same element. For example, a first segment 240a and a second segment 240b of the medium portion 220 may each include a tobacco medium 222C

Referring to FIG. 5C, the first segment 240a including the tobacco medium 222 may be placed in the section A of the medium portion 220, and the second segment 240b including the tobacco medium 222 may be placed in the section B of the medium portion 220.

In an embodiment, the first segment 240a may be manufactured by filling the tobacco medium 222 into an acetate filter, and the second segment 240b may be manufactured by filling the tobacco medium 222 into a paper filter.

However, this is only one embodiment and is not limited thereto. In another embodiment, the first segment 240a may be manufactured by filling the tobacco medium 222 into a paper filter, and the second segment 240b may be manufactured by filling the tobacco medium 222 into an acetate filter. In addition, the first segment 240a and the second segment 240b may each be manufactured by filling the tobacco medium 222 into an acetate filter, or may be manufactured by filling the tobacco medium 222 into a paper filter.

Table 5 below is data obtained by analyzing the mainstream smoke (e.g., aerosol) component of the aerosol-generating article 2 illustrated in FIGS. 5A to 5C. In this case, the medium portion 220 of the aerosol-generating article 2 includes a tobacco medium 222 manufactured from the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves.

TABLE 5
	Nicotine	Total	TE portion	ME portion
	transfer	particulate	nicotine	nicotine
Classifi-	amount	matter	transfer	transfer
cation	(mg)	(mg)	amount (mg)	amount (mg)
FIG.	0.15	34.2	0.69	0.35
5A
FIG.	0.09	32.2	0.28	0.62
5B
FIG.	0.25	29.4	0.87	0.93
5C

The experiment has been conducted as follows. According to International Organization for Standardization (ISO) smoking conditions, a total of 20 aerosol-generating articles 2 are smoked using an automatic smoking machine, and the mainstream smoke of cigarette smoke is captured by a Cambridge filter. After smoking, the total particulate matter (TPM) captured by the Cambridge filter is extracted with isopropyl alcohol to measure the nicotine content.

The TE (tobacco end) portion described in Table 5 may refer to the distal end of the aerosol-generating article or the end inserted into the aerosol-generating device. The ME (mouth end) portion may refer to the proximal end of the aerosol-generating article or the end that comes into contact with the user's mouth.

As a result of the experiment, when the tobacco medium 222 is applied to two segments (e.g., FIG. 5B), the nicotine transfer amount and nicotine spread amount are measured to be higher than when the tobacco medium 222 is applied to one segment (e.g., FIGS. 5A and 5B). In particular, it may be understood that the nicotine transfer amount and nicotine spread amount are higher than a TPM value indicating the amount of vaporization. This is because more tobacco medium 222 is applied to the medium portion 220.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a method of manufacturing a tobacco medium, according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 6, the process of manufacturing a tobacco medium from paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves is illustrated in chronological order.

In operation S610, the manufacturing of the tobacco medium may start from providing paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves. The paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves may be manufactured through the following process.

First, tobacco leaves are heated at a high temperature. Thereafter, when a tobacco liquid component (which may be made into tobacco concentrate when concentrated) is separated, Dregs without tobacco components remain. When the dregs are dried, the dregs may be made into paper. The paper may be called ‘base paper’. The tobacco concentrate obtained by separating and concentrating the tobacco liquid component in the previous operation may be made into a tobacco concentrate liquid by mixing the tobacco concentrate with pulp. For example, the tobacco concentrate liquid may contain about 88 wt % of tobacco concentrate and about 12 wt % of pulp relative to the total weight.

When the tobacco concentrate liquid is sprayed on the base paper, the base paper coated with the tobacco concentrate liquid is processed to have a sheet shape, and then the sheet-shaped base paper is re-dried at a high temperature, the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves may be made. In this case, the tobacco concentrate liquid may be included in the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves at about 30 wt % to about 40 wt % based on the total weight of the base paper.

In operation S620, a first flavoring treatment operation of treating the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves with a first flavoring material may be performed. In this case, the first flavoring material may include a moisturizer. In addition, the first flavoring material may include a plant-based flavoring, an animal-based flavoring, an alcohol compound, an aldehyde compound, an ester compound, or a combination thereof, mentioned above.

The first flavoring treatment operation may impart flexibility and moisturizing properties to the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves, and may enhance the unique taste of the tobacco. The first flavoring treatment operation may be performed before the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves are cut into pieces to form a finished product. The first flavoring treatment operation may affect the improvement of workability in manufacturing the tobacco medium.

In operation S630, drying the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves subjected to the first flavoring treatment may be performed. During the drying, a portion of the first flavoring material may be evaporated. In order to supplement the flavor lost due to the evaporation of the first flavoring material, a second flavoring treatment may be performed thereafter.

In operation S640, cutting the dried paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves may be performed. The cut paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves may be treated as a finished product. By cutting the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves before the second flavoring treatment, the effect of the second flavoring may be improved.

In operation S650, treating the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves with a pH adjustment solution may be performed. The pH adjustment solution treatment may be performed together with or alone with a second flavoring treatment to be described below. The pH adjustment solution may include, for example, potassium carbonate and water. In this case, the pH adjustment solution may be made by dissolving potassium carbonate in water to the maximum extent depending on the solubility of potassium carbonate.

In the treating of the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves with a pH adjustment solution, a process of spraying the pH adjustment solution on the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves at a rate of 1 L per minute for 5 minutes so that the pH adjustment solution may evenly contact the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves and mixing the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves may be included. In this case, the ambient temperature may be maintained at about 20 degrees Celsius to about 30 degrees Celsius, or at room temperature (25 degrees Celsius).

The paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves may be treated with the pH adjustment solution until the moisture content of the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves is about 9 wt % to about 12 wt %, about 10 wt % to about 11 wt %, or about 10.5 wt % relative to the total weight of the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves. As a result, the final moisture content of the tobacco medium may be about 9 wt % to about 12 wt %, about 10 wt % to about 11 wt %, or about 10.5 wt %. By setting the moisture content in this way, the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves may be prevented from clumping together and the pH value of the tobacco medium may be increased.

In this case, the amount of potassium carbonate added relative to the total weight of a tobacco concentrate included in the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves may be about 8 wt % to about 14 wt %, about 10 wt % to about 12 wt %, about 0.5 wt % to about 11.5 wt %, or about 11.1 wt %. By setting the amount of potassium carbonate added relative to the total weight of the tobacco concentrate in this way, the pH value of the tobacco medium may be prevented from increasing beyond an appropriate range. Accordingly, the phenomenon of a decrease in the amount of nicotine transfer and a decrease in the taste of smoking due to an increase in the pH value may be prevented.

In operation S650, a second flavoring treatment operation of treating the paper-type reconstituted tobacco leaves of the cut finished product with a second flavoring material different from the first flavoring material may be performed together with the pH adjustment solution treatment operation. The second flavoring material may include one of a plant-based flavoring, an animal-based flavoring, an alcohol compound, an aldehyde compound, and an ester compound, mentioned above. In addition, the second flavoring material may be composed of only any one of the aforementioned flavorings and compounds. The second flavoring treatment may be omitted depending on the embodiment.

In addition, according to the method of manufacturing a tobacco medium, according to embodiments, the nicotine transfer amount of an aerosol-generating article to which the tobacco medium is applied may be improved.

In addition, according to the method of manufacturing a tobacco medium, according to embodiments, the cost for manufacturing the tobacco medium may be reduced.

Certain embodiments or other embodiments of the present disclosure described above are not exclusive or distinct from each other. The certain embodiments or other embodiments of the present disclosure described above may be combined with each other or used in combination with each other in their respective components or functions.

For example, it means that an A component described in a specific embodiment and/or the drawings and a B component described in another embodiment and/or the drawings may be combined with each other. In other words, even when it is not explained directly about combination between components, it is possible to combine unless it is explained that combination is impossible.

The above detailed description should not be interpreted restrictedly but should be considered illustrative in all aspects. The scope of the present disclosure should be determined by a rational interpretation of the attached claims, and all changes within the equivalent scope of the present disclosure are included in the scope of the present disclosure.

In addition, according to the method of manufacturing a tobacco medium, according to embodiments, the nicotine transfer amount of an aerosol-generating article to which the tobacco medium is applied may be improved.

In addition, according to the method of manufacturing a tobacco medium, according to embodiments, the cost for manufacturing the tobacco medium may be reduced.

Effects of the present disclosure are not limited to the above effects, and effects that are not mentioned could be clearly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art from the present specification and the attached drawings.