Products
Products Description
Cigarette filters play a significant role in reducing tar and harmful substances, as well as improving the quality of cigarettes. They are an essential part of the cigarette manufacturing process. Currently, there are two main materials used in cigarette filters on the market: one is acetate fiber tow, and the other is polypropylene fiber tow.
Filters made from acetate fiber tow have superior overall performance and are mainly used in mid- to high-end cigarettes. However, acetate fiber tow is produced from high-quality wood through a complex and costly process, which involves producing cellulose acetate as the raw material. This production process requires substantial investment and can also result in environmental pollution. China has limited forest resources, and the wood quality is not suitable for producing cellulose acetate, so large quantities of cellulose acetate and acetate fiber tow must be imported each year. In recent years, with the increasing severity of deforestation and the growing environmental awareness, countries like Canada, known for their high-quality wood production, have begun to limit deforestation. This has resulted in a tightening global supply of cellulose acetate and acetate fiber tow, making it unlikely for acetate fiber filters to be widely used in low- to mid-range cigarettes.
On the other hand, although cellulose itself is biodegradable, once it is acetylated, its biodegradability decreases, meaning it no longer qualifies as a strictly biodegradable material. Polypropylene fiber tow, on the other hand, is abundant, with a simpler production process and lower cost. However, due to the structural characteristics of polypropylene fiber, the overall performance of the resulting filter is poorer, making it suitable only for low-end cigarettes. Furthermore, polypropylene fiber is not biodegradable, and its extensive use leads to environmental harm due to the waste it generates.
In recent years, biodegradable polymer materials have rapidly developed, particularly lactic acid-based polymers such as polylactic acid (PLA) and polymers of lactic acid and glycolic acid. These materials undergo biodegradation under natural conditions or in the human body, eventually turning into carbon dioxide and water without leaving any pollutants, making them genuinely environmentally friendly and green materials. Polylactic acid is a new biodegradable polymer material produced from crops like corn, sugarcane, potatoes, and sweet potatoes through modern biotechnology to create lactic acid products. These are then polymerized through a special process to produce the polymer material. The raw materials are renewable plant resources, making them abundant and inexpensive. Moreover, polylactic acid fibers effectively filter harmful substances in cigarette smoke, meeting the specific requirements of cigarettes, and have excellent potential as a new type of cigarette filter tow.
