LAUSR

Abstract To expand the application of the principle of selective adsorption, new hierarchical porous carbon was fabricated from cigarette filters and cheap metal salts via one-pot synthesis, in order to selectively capture the tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNA) in solution. The type and amount of metal salt in the carbon precursor took charged of pore texture, electrical property and morphology, forming a new sorbent beyond activated carbon and zeolite in the selective liquid adsorption of TSNA. With the amount of FexO-doped of 10%–16.5%, new carbon sorbent captured the 29.4%–33.8% of TSNA in the tobacco extract solution though the solution contained thousands of components. Moreover, it exhibited a zeolite-like selectivity to remove 93% of 4-methylnitrosamino-1-3-pyridyl-1-butanone (NNK). The hierarchical sorbents combined the high adsorption capability of mesopore and the shape-selectivity of micropore, based on waste utilization and simply controllable process, offering a clue for preparation of new hierarchical material and resource regeneration and environmental protection.