Removing nitrosamines from mainstream smoke of cigarettes by zeolites

The adsorption of volatile nitrosamines in mainstream smoke of cigarettes by the use of zeolites and other porous materials has been investigated. Zeolites are shown to possess the ability of selectively adsorbing nitrosamines from the mainstream (MS) smoke, and among them, zeolites NaY and ZSM-5 exhibit excellent capacities. The impact of the porous structure and acidity of the adsorbent, the influence of co-adsorption of nitrogen oxides and the catalytic behavior of the zeolite for nitrosation are also explored. The use of zeolites as selective adsorbents for removing carcinogenic compounds from cigarette smoke would be an effective strategy to protect the environment and public health.