Effects of prewash on the pyrolysis kinetics of cut tobacco

ABSTRACT

Smoking is a big public health issue because of the harmful substances generated. To diminish the risk of smoking, cut tobacco was washed with pure water, aqueous solution of sodium carbonate, or citric acid to remove the precursors of harmful substances in this work. The composition and pyrolysis kinetics of washed cut tobacco were determined to interpret the reduction in harmful substances generated during fast pyrolysis process. Sugar and alkaloid in cut tobacco were removed partly during prewash process. Thermogravimetric analysis demonstrated that cut tobacco washed with aqueous solution of citric acid was pyrolyzed at higher temperature, while the one washed with the solution of sodium carbonate was pyrolyzed at lower temperature. The changes in composition and pyrolysis kinetics resulted in significant reduction in benzo[a]pyrene, phenol, and nitrosamine 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone generated during pyrolysis, demonstrating that wash of cut tobacco with suitable chemicals is a promising approach to reduce the harmful substances generated during smoking.

KEYWORDS:

• Cigarette
• pyrolysis
• smoking
• thermogravimetric analysis
• tobacco
• wash