Effect of Reaction Time and Hydrothermal Treatment Time on the Textural Properties of SBA-15 Synthesized Using Sodium Silicate as a Silica Source and Its Efficiency for Reducing Tobacco Smoke Toxicity

The synthesis of SBA-15 has been optimized using sodium silicate, an inexpensive precursor of SBA-15. In this work, the influence of synthesis times of the precipitation and the hydrothermal treatment steps, on the textural properties developed as well as for reducing the toxic compounds generated in tobacco smoking, has been studied. The hydrothermal treatment has been proved to be necessary to obtain materials with adequate performance in this particular application. Twenty-four hours of hydrothermal treatment provide materials with the best properties. Although the reaction stage usually involves the mixing of reagents during 24 h, 40 min is enough to obtain a material with stick-like morphology and typical textural properties. Moreover, between 1 and 2 h of reaction time, the material proved to have the best performance for the purpose of reducing the toxicity of the products generated during the tobacco smoking process. These results are of great significance for an eventual scaling up to industrial scale of the SBA-15 manufacturing process. Results of a pilot plant experiment in a batch of 4 kg of SBA-15 are reported.