Novel mesoporous composite with zeolite-like selectivity to capture tobacco specific nitrosamine NNK

- Novel mesoporous sorbent shows a zeolite-like selectivity in TSNA liquid adsorption.
- The composite exhibits the NNK-selectivity of 58% in tobacco solution for the first time.
- Its TSNA removal is 208% more than that of HZSM-5 zeolite.
- Discarded cigarette filters are recycled to enhance adsorption of TSNA.

To meet the requirement of selective removing environmental carcinogen, elaborated microporous interspaces were successfully fabricated inside the channel of mesoporous silica SBA-15. The discarded cigarette filters (CF) and ferric nitrate solution were infused into SBA-15, and carbonized to form carbon and FexO particles tailoring the tortuosity of mecsoporous channels and provide the necessary electrostatic interaction towards tobacco specific nitrosamines (TSNA) in solution. Besides, the carefully modified SBA-15 displayed evidently selectivity towards 4-methylnitrosamino-1-3-pyridyl-1-butanone (NNK) and the representative sample Fe0.9CF1.2/S15c owned excellent performances in various tobacco solutions, with the high NNK-selectivity up to 58%, same as that of HZSM−5 zeolite. This strategy created new sorbents combining the high capability of mesoporous silica and the selectivity of microporous zeolite, giving certain enlightenment for new functional materials and environmental protection.

New selective sorbent combining the advantage of mesoporous channel and zeolite-like selectivity is reported in this paper for the first time. It showed the NNK-selectivity of 58% in tobacco solution along with the TSNA removal 208% more than HZSM-5 zeolite did.108