Smoking mixture

Claim 2

A SMOKING MIXTURE IN FABRICATED FORM COMPRISING A. AS SMOKE-PRODUCING FUEL, A PARTICULATE SOLID THERMALLY DEGRADED CARBOHYDRATE TOBACCO SUBSTITUTE WHICH IS OBTAINED BY SUBJECTING A CARBOHYDRATE TO A CATALYSED DEGRADATION PROCESS AT A TEMPERATURE OF AT LEAST 100*C UNTIL THE WEIGHT OF THE DEGRADED MATERIAL IS LESS THAN 90 PERCENT OF THE DRY WEIGHT OF THE ORIGINAL CARBOHYDRATE, B. A HARMLESS FILLER AND C. SUFFICIENT BINDER TO ENABLE THE MIXTURE TO BE FABRICATED, SAID FILLER BEING HARMLESS ON PYROLYSIS AND PRESENT IN A PROPORTION OF 40 TO 65 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF THE MIXTURE AND BEING SELECTED FROM SALTS WHEREIN THE ANION COMPRISES FORMATE, OXALATE, CITRATE, TARTRATE, SILICATE, CARBONATE, CHLORIDE, SULPHATE, PHOSPHATE, BORATE, OXIDE, DIOXIDE OR ALUMINATE AND THE CATION COMPRISES SODIUM, POTASSIUM, CALCIUM, MAGNESIUM, IRON OR TITANIUM, THE COMBINATION OF CATIONS AND ANIONS IN THE FILLER BEING SELECTED TO IMPART A BURNING RATE CORRELATED TO A PUFF NUMBER OF 8-12 OF A MACHINE-MADE STANDARD CLASS B BRITISH CIGARETTE CONTAINING 1.1 TOBACCO, WHERE EACH PUFF IS OF 25 ML. VOLUME IN TWO SECONDS, FOLLOWED BY A 58 SECOND REST OR SMOULDERING PERIOD AND WHERE THE 70 MM. CIGARETTE IS SMOKED TO A BUTT LENGTH OF 20 MM.

Claim 3

A smoking mixture as claimed in claim 1 wherein the filler comprises calcium carbonate, calcium borate, sodium borate, calcium orthophosphate, calcium oxalate, iron sulphate, titanium dioxide, magnesium carbonate, sodium aluminosilicate, bentonite or aluminium hydroxide.

Claim 4

A smoking mixture as claimed in claim 1 wherein the filler harmless comprises a mixture of calcium carbonate and a member of the group consisting of magnesite, light basic magnesium carbonate, calcium orthophosphate and calcium sulphate, and the binder is carboxymethyl cellulose or salt thereof.

Claim 5

A smoking mixture as claimed in claim 1 comprising a plasticiser/humectant in addition to the binder.

Claim 6

A smoking mixture as claimed in claim 4 wherein the plasticiser/humectant comprises glycerol, ethylene glycol or polyethylEne glycol.

Claim 7

A smoking mixture as claimed in claim 1 wherein the binder comprises carboxymethyl cellulose and its salts, other carboxylated carbohydrates, natural gum, guar gum, locust bean gum or cellulose ethers.

Claim 8

A method of manufacturing a smoking mixture according to claim 1 comprising preselecting a particulate solid thermally degraded carbohydrate tobacco substitute as defined in claim 1 as smoke-producing fuel and preselecting the proportion by weight of said thermally degraded carbohydrate tobacco substitute to be incorporated in the smoking mixture, admixing said combustible material with a predetermined amount of binder and a harmless filler selected from salts wherein the anion comprises formate, oxalate, citrate, tartrate, silicate, carbonate, chloride, sulphate, phosphate, borate, oxide, dioxide or aluminate and the cation comprises sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron or titanium, the filler being harmless on pyrolysis and present in a proportion of 40 to 65 percent by weight of the mixture, and the combination anions and cations in the filler being sufficient to impart a burning rate correlated to a puff number of 8-12 of a machine-made standard Class B British cigarette containing 1.1 g. tobacco, where each puff is of 25 ml. volume in two seconds, followed by a 58 second rest or smouldering period and where the 70 mm. cigarette is smoked to a butt length of 20 mm., and finally fabricating a shaped article of the mixture utilising a binder.

Claim 9

A method as claimed in claim 7 wherein the shaped article is a film, extruded filament or tape.

Claim 10

A method as claimed in claim 7 wherein the filler comprises calcium carbonate, calcium borate, sodium borate, calcium orthophosphate, calcium oxalate, iron sulphate, titanium dioxide, magnesium aluminate, sodium aluminium silicate or mixture thereof.