Abstract:Rolling process is one of the most important manufacturing methods for reconstituted tobacco sheet using in new tobacco products. The addition of cellulose fibers is a major method to reinforce the strength of rolled reconstituted tobacco sheet. However, their reinforcing effect will be limited due to the poor dispersibility of cellulose fibers inside the sheets. In this study, carboxymethylated cellulose fibers were used as a reinforcing agent to significantly improve the tensile strength of rolled reconstituted tobacco sheet. The comparation in reinforcing effect of various cellulose fibers (carboxymethylated fibers, beaten fibers and original fibers) was carried out, and the results showed that the reconstituted tobacco sheets adding carboxymethylated cellulose fibers exhibited a maximum tensile strength due to the well-dispersed carboxymethylated fibers and increased number of hydrogen bonding in the sheet. When adding dosage was 2.5%, the strength of the reconstituted tobacco sheet reached 1920 N/m, which was 5.4, 3 and 2.8 times higher than that of reconstituted tobacco sheets without cellulose fibers (355 N/m), with original fibers (655 N/m) or beaten fibers (852 N/m), respectively. This work brought a new idea to the preparation of rolled reconstituted tobacco with excellent tensile strength. |