Hierarchically Porous Carbons Derived from Crude Biomass for Efficient Removal of Volatile Organic Compounds in Mainstream Cigarette Smoke

Novel hierarchically porous carbon materials were produced via a facile hydrothermal carbonization approach using natural biomass of crude cedar branches as the carbon source. The obtained hierarchically porous carbon materials have a surface area of 55 m(2)/g, pore volume of 0.25 cm(3)/g, tubular macropores of about 20 mu m, mesopores of 25 nm, and numerous functional moieties such as carboxylic groups. As a result of the unique wet carbonization process, the hierarchically porous carbon materials have carbonaceous frameworks functionalized with abundant polar groups and unsaturated C=C bonds, which enable an effective adsorption of both polar components and nonpolar aromatic molecules in cigarette smoke with a removal efficiency of 69% and 92%, respectively. It is expected that the hierarchically porous carbon materials are a promising candidate as additives in filter tips to reduce the harmfulness and improve cigarette quality.