Capturing Volatile Nitrosamines in Gas Stream by Zeolites: Why and How

For potential application of zeolite in environmental protection, the instantaneous adsorption of volatile nitrosamines in gas stream by zeolites was studied by a gas chromatography technique. Three volatile nitrosamines, N -nitrosodimethylamine, N -nitrosopyrrolidine, and N -nitrosohexamethyleneimine, were chosen as adsorbates. The influence of adsorption temperature, flow rate of gas stream, and the mixed nitrosamines on the adsorption of zeolites was examined. Furthermore, the adsorption isotherms of nitrosamines were fitted with the Freundlich equation for the first time. Zeolite NaY showed the highest capacity to capture the nitrosamines in the gas stream containing sidestream smoke from cigarettes at ambient temperature, providing an efficient candidate for protection of environment and public health.