Selective Removal of Semivolatile Components of Cigarette Smoke by Activated Carbon Fibers

In order to examine the relationships between micropore radius and adsorption efficiency , removal of Total Particulate Matter (TPM), tar, water and semivolatiles in cigarette smoke by five kinds of activated carbon fibers (ACF) with micropore radii from 8 to 16 A was measured. An ACF having wider micropores reduced TPM and tar effectively but, the water reduction was in opposition to this tendency. Molecular sieving effect was observed in AFC's having narrow micropores, while competitive effect due to the differences in the volatilities of smoke components was observed in those having wide micropores. AFC's having micropores wider than 10 A had high adsorption abilities for semivolatiles, especially for components of boiling points between 100 and 200•Ž. The enhanced reduction for high boiling point components due to adsorption was detected in the last half of smoking.