Tobacco specific nitrosamines (TSNA) are deemed to be the well-known carcinogens in environment,and they should be precisely captured to protect the public health. Usually only zeolite has the sole selectivity in adsorption, here we endowed activated carbon (AC) such function in liquid adsorption of TSNA. Moreover, new AC couldprecisely trap 4-methylnitrosamino-1-3-pyridyl-1-butanone (NNK), the strongest carcinogen in TSNA. To create the optimal microenvironment in the AC made from coconut shell, it was carefully modified with moderate ferric acetate through impregnation followed by carbonization, producing lots of ferric oxide extra-fine particles mingled with carbon nanoparticles to reduce the pore size and to increase the surface roughness of pore wall.NewAC sorbent trapped 60% of TSNA in the tobacco solution (1796 ng mL<sup>-1</sup>), exhibiting the highest capacity (222 µg g<sup>-1</sup>) to date. Also, it showed a zeolite-like selectivity to capture 98.5% of NNK due to the spindly shape of NNK. Besides, new AC distinguishedTSNA from alkaloidsin tobacco solution, realizing the selective adsorption.  New shape-selectivity was also discoveredon graphene. Both graphene and carbon nanotubes lacked fine-geometric confinement but they preferably captured the spindly NNK among the components of TSNA either in aqueous solution or tobacco extract solution.According to theoretical calculation, electronic interaction such as π-π interaction induced this new selectivity in adsorption. With new selectivity, graphene showed a higher capacity and adsorptive rate of TSNA than the typical selective sorbent ZSM-5 zeolite in tobacco solution due to the unlimited diffusion and mass transfer resistance, paving a new way to control the carcinogens like TSNA in environment.

Selectively capturing tobacco specific nitrosamines by tailored activated carbon and graphene

2019 Spring National Meeting

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