Method for removing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

1. A method for removing at least one polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon from a smoking material or a derivative thereof, comprising:

contacting the material or derivative thereof with a molecularly imprinted polymer selective for the hydrocarbon in the presence of a low polarity medium having a dielectric constant less than 8.

2. A method for removing at least one polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon from a material other than a smoking material, or from a derivative thereof, comprising:

contacting the material or derivative thereof with a molecularly imprinted polymer selective for the at least one hydrocarbon in the presence of a low polarity medium having a dielectric constant less than 8,

wherein the material other than a smoking material, or a derivative thereof is selected from a plant material, a plant extract, a food material or a flavoring agent, and

wherein said plant material, plant extract, food material or flavoring agent is selected from a group consisting of a vegetable oil, an animal oil, an essential oil, a liquid smoke, an extract of tar, or any mixture thereof.

3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

decreasing the polarity of the material containing the at least one polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon to a dielectric constant less than 8; and

contacting the material containing the at least one hydrocarbon with the molecularly imprinted polymer to remove the at least one hydrocarbon.

4. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

dissolving the material containing the at least one polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon in the low polarity medium having a dielectric constant less than 8; and

contacting the medium containing the material containing the at least one polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon with the molecularly imprinted polymer to remove the at least one hydrocarbon.

5. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

contacting the material containing the at least one polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon with a low polarity extraction medium having a dielectric constant less than 8 to extract the at least one hydrocarbon from the material; and

contacting the extraction medium containing the at least one hydrocarbon with the molecularly imprinted polymer to remove the at least one hydrocarbon.

6. A method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

contacting the material containing the at least one polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon with an extraction medium to extract the at least one hydrocarbon from the material,

decreasing the polarity of the extraction medium to a dielectric constant less than 8; and

contacting the extraction medium containing the at least one hydrocarbon with the molecularly imprinted polymer to remove the at least one hydrocarbon.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the low polarity medium extracts the at least one polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon together with at least one other constituent of the material, and the method further comprises returning the extracted at least one other constituent to the material.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said low polarity medium is selected from a group consisting of supercritical fluid, a low polarity organic solvent or any mixture thereof.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein said supercritical fluid is selected from carbon dioxide or water; and the low polarity organic solvent is selected from cyclohexane, heptane, toluene, ethyl acetate, diethyl ether, vegetable or animal oils or any mixture thereof.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said molecularly imprinted polymer is obtained by:

forming a pre-polymerisation mixture from at least one polymerisable aromatic monomer and at least one template;

initiating polymerisation of said at least one monomer;

forming a molecularly imprinted polymer from said polymerisation; and

removing said at least one template from said molecularly imprinted polymer.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the monomer is a cross-linking monomer.

12. The method according to claim 10 , wherein said at least one aromatic monomer is selected from a group consisting of styrene, 1-vinylnaphthalene, 2-vinylnaphthalene, 2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorostyrene, 3-nitrostyrene, 2-, 3-, or 4-vinylbiphenyl, 3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)styrene, 4-acetoxystyrene, a N-methyl-2-vinylpyridinium salt, a N-methyl-3-vinylpyridinium salt, a N-methyl-4-vinylpyridinium salt, 2-vinylpyridine, 4-vinylpyridine, divinylbenzene or derivatives thereof.

13. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the template is a compound having at least two fused or conjugated aromatic rings.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the template is selected from a group consisting of pyrene, napthalene, stilbene, antracene, benzo[a]pyrene acenaphthene, acenaphthylene, anthracene, benz[a]anthracene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, benzo [k]fluoranthene, benzo [g,h,i]perylene, benzo[a]pyrene, chrysene, dibenz[a,h]anthracene, fluoranthene, fluorene, indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene, naphthalene, and phenanthrene.

15. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the pre-polymerisation mixture includes a porogen.

16. The method according to claim 1 , wherein removing the at least one polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon includes reducing the level of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon by more than 60%, more than 70%, more than 80%, more than 90% or more than 95%.

17. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the porogen is ethyl acetate.