Waste cigarette butt-derived nitrogen-doped porous carbon as a non-mercury catalyst for acetylene hydrochlorination

The development of advanced carbon materials as metal-free catalysts holds great importance for mercury catalyst replacement in acetylene hydrochlorination. In this paper, we transform discarded cigarette butts into a porous nitrogen-doped carbon material (N-CB-800), exhibiting characteristics of high specific surface area, large N doping amount, defective structure and strong C2H2 chemical adsorption ability. These unique features endow N-CB-800 with a high catalytic performance with an acetylene conversion of 71.8% at 220 degrees C and an acetylene space velocity of 100 h(-1), making it one of the most active metal-free catalysts. This work will be of great value for the recycling of living waste and provide meaningful guidance for the development of non-mercury catalysts for acetylene hydrochlorination.

Automated summary

This study transforms discarded cigarette butts into a high-performance nitrogen-doped carbon material with unique characteristics, which can replace traditional mercury catalysts and is of great significance for waste recycling and the development of non-mercury catalysts.