Cigarette filter reduces harshness of tobacco smoke by reducing the amount tar, smoke and other fine particles during combustion of the tobacco portion. The filter is primarily made of cellulose acetate fibres known as tow. The fibres are bonded together with a hardening agent, tri-acetin plasticizer, which helps the filter to keep its shape.
The filter is wrapped in paper and sealed with a line of adhesive. Cigarette filters vary in efficiency depending upon whether the cigarette is light or no. The tightly packed cellulose acetate fibers in the cigarette filters often look like cotton.
Cigarette filters when cut lengthwise reveal around more than 12,000 white cellulose acetate fibers. Cigarette filters do not block all the bad chemicals from entering the lungs, filtered smoke is felt on the throat making it easier to take bigger and deeper puffs. According to a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute states that the modern cigarette filters are expected to increase the risk of lung cancer.
Cigarettes with charcoal (activated carbon) filters are very popular in some countries such as Japan, South Korea, Venezuela, Hungary, Romania and Russia, as they reduce the vapor phase smoke toxicants. The growth of the tobacco industry is expected to drive the growth of the cigarette filters market during the forecast period.
Over the next few years the capacities of non-filter cigarette would gradually convert to filter cigarette capacities which would further boost the demand for cigarette filters. The number of cigarettes manufactured per filter rod is typically 5.5 based on ITC data and this is metric is used to arrive at the number of cigarette filters market in the next five years.
The ventilation present in the cigarette filters reduces the amount of tar in the cigarette when tested in a smoking machine, but the increased ventilation and slower burning rate of the cigarette results in more puffs per cigarette.
Cigarette filters are a threat to the smoker’s body, but pose a bigger threat to the environment. Cigarette filter is the single large component of ocean trash. Cigarette filter manufacturers and cigarette companies inseparably depend on each other.
Regional Outlook
The U.S is currently facing a decline in the cigarette filters market due to the stringent regulations implemented in the country. The tobacco industry is witnessing a sluggish growth due to the awareness of elevated death rates in the U.S due to fires caused by cigarettes.
While cigarette consumption is decreasing in most developed countries, it is increasing in many developing countries such as Japan and South Korea. They are developing new and novel products to cater the increasing demand. Countries such as Germany and Netherlands now export much less than they were five years ago. Cigarette filters market in these countries is estimated to grow at a sluggish rate.
Developments
· Lithuania-based company Nemuno Banga LLC manufactures a broad range of cigarette filters with creative hollow tube segments that come in various shapes including hearts, triangles or stars. The company also produces specialty cigarette filters with embedded flavor capsules.
· In United Arab Emirates, the trend for slim cigarettes is currently on rise. People now prefer slim, super slim and nano format cigarettes. Nano cigarette filters are the most popular in the Middle East market.
