Electronic cigarettes (e-cig) first and then heated tobacco devices have considerably expanded the range of alternatives available to consumers
The development and commercialization of ‘smokeless’ smoking devices has been the major innovation in the adult smoking products sector; until the early 2000s, in fact, the market was the exclusive prerogative of cigars, cigarettes and the like, or products in which tobacco is consumed by combustion.
The electronic cigarettes (e-cig) press hey heated tobacco devices then they greatly expanded the range of alternatives available to consumers. The absence of combustion, however, is the only common feature of the two products which, for the rest, are substantially different from each other, above all for the technology and substances used to replicate the experience of smoking. Sometimes, however, the difference between e-cig and tobacco heaters appears less clear-cut than it actually is, due to the use of generic and imprecise names including that of “heated tobacco cigarette”, as it is a tobacco heating device.
Below, we try to clarify, analyzing the differences that distinguish these two different types of product, especially from a technological point of view.
How heated tobacco devices work
Commercially referred to as THP (acronym of “Tobacco Heating Product”, i.e. tobacco heating product) o HTP (“Heated Tobacco Product”, heated tobacco product), are electronic devices that heat a tobacco blend. Electrically powered, heated tobacco products are equipped with an internal heating chamber, in which the user inserts a stick containing the tobacco blend. The latter, exposed to a temperature between 250° and 270°heats up to produce an aerosol containing nicotine but before solid particles.
Ma how is the heat developed inside a THP developed? The most common solutions among the products on the market are two:
- il resistive heatingwhich uses an electrical resistance to reach the temperature necessary to heat the tobacco mixture;
- il induction heating; in this case, inside the device there is a metal coil, wrapped around the heating chamber in which the tobacco mixture is inserted. When alternating current passes through the coil, it creates an electromagnetic field which, in turn, raises the temperature of the walls of the chamber in which the tobacco mixture is located.
This heating process distinguishes the Induction Heating Technology used, among others, also by BAT Italy for the development of the brand’s heated tobacco products glo™. These devices are able to control the temperature of the mixture present inside them thanks to special sensors, which guarantee a constant and uniform propagation of the heat; in this way, the tobacco is prevented from burning. Consequently, the wording “smokeless cigarette”, while not entirely appropriate, effectively summarizes the distinctive features of this specific product category.
E-cig: the “cigarette” without tobacco
The commercial definition of “electronic cigarettes” accompanies e-cigs (abbreviation of “e-cigarettes”) since their first marketing. In reality, it tends to mislead, especially the less experienced because, unlike traditional cigarettes, this type of product does not contain tobaccoin any form.
Also, as THPs heat a tobacco blend, e-cigs transform an aqueous solution into vapor, which contains nicotine, flavourings, glycerol (or propylene glycol). The liquid is vaporized by means of a small internal atomizer, which usually works by means of an electric resistance. The vaporization system is activated every time the user inhales from the mouthpiece: the passage of air activates the sensors connected to the device’s battery, thus triggering the nebulization process.
The refill liquid is contained in a tank inside the device; in “closed system” e-cigs, it is integrated in a removable cartridge, which must be replaced with a new pre-loaded one. In the “open system” models, on the other hand, the user can refill the cartridge, topping up the liquid, without having to remove it from the device.
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