Tobacco filter

Cigarette Filters
What are cigarettes and filters made of?

Cigarettes are made from four components, each of which is describe below.
1. Filters
2. Tobacco
3. Additives
4. Cigarette wrapper
Cigarettes today are typically 85 or 100 mm long, and have diameters of about 8 mm. Their filters are
usually 20 to 30 mm long, so a typical cigarette has 55 to 80 mm of tobacco.

1. Filters:
Cigarette filters are specifically designed to absorb vapors and to accumulate particulate smoke
components. Filters also prevent tobacco from entering a smoker's mouth and provide a mouthpiece that
will not collapse as the cigarette is smoked. Filters generally have the following components:

A "plug" of acetate cellulose filter tow

95% of cigarette filters are made of cellulose acetate (a plastic), and the balance are made from papers
and rayon. The cellulose acetate tow fibers are thinner than sewing thread, white, and packed tightly
together to create a filter; they can look like cotton. Other materials have been tried and rejected in favor
of the taste that acetate produces. Filters vary in filtration efficiency, depending on whether the cigarette
is to be "light" or regular.

Cigarette butts are the most common form of anthropogenic (man-made) litter in the world, as approximately 5.6
trillion cigarettes are smoked every year worldwide.[21] Of those it is estimated that 4.5 trillion cigarette butts become
litter every year.[22] The cellulose acetate fibers used as the predominant filter material do not readily biodegrade
because of the acetyl groups on the cellulose backbone which in itself can quickly be degraded by various
microorganisms employing cellulases.[23]A normal life span of a discarded filter is thought to be up to 15 years. [24]
Many governments have sanctioned stiff penalties for littering of cigarette filters; for example Washington state
imposes a penalty of $1,025 for littering cigarette filters.[25] Another option is developing better biodegradable filters,
much of this work lies heavily on the research in the secondary mechanism for photodegradation as stated above.
The next option is using cigarette packs with a compartment to discard cigarette butts in, implementing monetary
deposits on filters, increasing the availability of butt receptacles, and expanding public education. It may even be
possible to ban the sale of filtered cigarettes altogether on the basis of their adverse environmental impact.[21] Recent
research has been put into finding ways to utilizes the filter waste, to develop a desired product. One research group
in South Korea have developed a simple one-step process that converts the cellulose acetate in discarded cigarette
filters into a high-performing material that could be integrated into computers, handheld devices, electrical vehicle and
wind turbines to store energy. These materials have demonstrated superior performance as compared to
commercially available carbon, graphene and carbon nano tubes. The product is showing high promise as a green
alternative for the waste problem.[26] Another group of researchers has proposed adding tablets of food grade acid
inside the filters. Once wet enough the tablets will release acid that accelerates degradation to around two weeks
(instead of using cellulose triacetate and besides of cigarette smoke being quite acidic).[27] A Dutch startup is
training crows to recognize and pick up cigarette butts in exchange for treats.[28]

What the Filter Is Made of

Most cigarette filters are made from cellulose acetate, a plastic. The fibers made from this plastic, which are called
cellulose acetate tow, are thinner than sewing thread and packed tightly together to form a filter that often resembles
cotton.

The Inner Wrap

The paper used to wrap the filter is impervious to outside air in regular cigarettes, and less so in light cigarettes. The
more air allowed to mix with the smoke as it passes through the filter, the less impact the tobacco will have on the
smoker.

The Outer Wrap

The outer wrap is called tipping paper. This tipping paper is formulated to look like cork, is made to refrain from
attaching to the lips of smokers and attaches the filter to the rest of the cigarette.

Other Components
Different companies have used a variety of added filter ingredients over time. Parliament cigarettes, for instance,
contain charcoal as an added filtration agent.

Safety
While filters supposedly make cigarettes safer, it's often best to check what is in the filter before smoking. Several
ingredients, such as a form of asbestos used in the 1950s, eventually turn out to be more harmful than smoking an
unfiltered cigarette could ever be.