## 1 Introduction
Based on an assumed 10 \(\upmu\)g\(\cdot\)m\({}^{-3}\) NO\({}_{2}\) concentration determined from NO\({}_{2}\) annual mean concentrations, the findings reported 5,966 (95% confidence interval: 2,031 to 9,893) premature deaths and 49,726 (16,929 to 82,456) years of life lost (YLL) due to NO\({}_{2}\)-attributable cardiovascular mortality from long-term exposure for 2014 (Table 2). Between 2007 and 2014, an overall slightly decreasing trend was seen for attributable premature deaths. The report states that it is important to recognise that the estimates of the burden of disease were solely based on background concentrations for NO\({}_{2}\) and, thus, do not account for the expected extra burden from higher concentrations found in urban areas close to traffic. In addition, it must be recognised that the background level is mainly contributed to by the migration of roadway and industrial pollution emissions from concentrated regions of traffic and industrial activity. Therefore, mitigation near the point of emission is particularly effective in reducing background exposure. The economic value of a life year (VOLY) is complex to estimate. However, various reports, such as the Science for Environment Policy document 2018, European Commission [10], quote a European VOLY of 640,000 given by [PERSON] et al. [11]. Although this is only one such estimate, the data from Table 2, which indicates years of life lost (YLL) of approximately 100 per 100,000 population in an industrial, high-living-standard country, such as Germany, means an economic burden of at least \(\upxi\)4 million (4 M \(\upxi\)) per 100,000 population throughout the EU. Therefore, given the total EU population of 513.5 million (2019), one can estimate a figure of 20.54 G \(\upxi\) in annual economic burden due to NO\({}_{2}\) alone. Figure 1: NO\({}_{2}\) levels exceeding regulatory limit values distributed over London, England (London Atmospheric Emission Inventory 2016, © Crown 2020 copyright Defra and BEIS, licensed under the Open Government Licence (OGL)). The prediction of continued NO\({}_{2}\) generation despite changes to a carbon-free economy provides irrefutable evidence for government acceptance and financial support for NO\({}_{2}\) mitigation to offset the economic burden of the ensuing years of life lost (YLL). The two facets of this introductory expose, i.e., the need to engender a circular economy approach by finding a further use for otherwise denatured recycled natural cellulose fibres and the foreseeable omnipresent need to mitigate NO\({}_{x}\) gaseous pollution, form the motivation to seek a technological advance to encompass these aims into a working hypothesis from which an effective NO\({}_{x}\) sorbing filter can be developed. Sustainability is not served by creating further waste, regardless of the effectiveness of the technology employed for NO\({}_{x}\) capture. In light of this further constraint and the wish to both follow BAT and provide the necessary BREFs for eventual permit issuance, the choice of sorbent and filter material support is critical. Minerals of various types are known to adsorb oxides of nitrogen. The very principle of surface area measurement of fine materials using the Brunauer-Teller-Emmett (BET) method [12] relies on the inert surface adsorption of gas as a function of applied partial pressure, first as a monomolecular surface layer and, later, as gas pressure increases, as a multilayer condensate that reveals the presence of surface micropores and mesopores. Therefore, the choice of any material having sufficient surface area and sorption potential to adsorb oxides of nitrogen under ambient atmospheric conditions would suffice.