Scientists have found an unexpected use for cigarette butts

Scientists from James Cook University have found an unexpected use for environmentally hazardous cigarette butts. They may be the answer to cleaning waterways from major metal contaminants.

A new study has shown the results of treating cigarette butts by pyrolysis in the temperature range of 400 to 700 degrees Celsius, and then using the resulting charcoal to treat wastewater. One formulation was able to remove 53 percent of copper and 95 percent of nickel from simulated wastewater during laboratory tests, writes AuManufacturing.

"Heavy metals are still a problem in our waterways, and the effects of heavy metals on humans and other living organisms are also very large," said Elsa Antunes, a researcher and lecturer in mechanical engineering at JCU.

"At the moment, you can use activated carbon, which is made from coal, to remove heavy metals from our waterways, which is not an environmentally friendly product," she added.

"But if we can create a closed-loop economy where we collect these cigarette butts, turn them into coal, and then use that to mitigate pollution, then it's a much more sustainable way," Antunes said, according to Phys.org.

Dr. Elsa said that while a number of other materials, such as wood and biosolids, have previously been converted into biochar to combat various wastewater pollutants, they have now proven effective in removing heavy metals.

"Our results are very interesting and can be applied on an industrial scale. The chemical composition of the coal will affect the removal of contaminants, so when we make coal, we think about what pollutant we want to remove and then choose the raw materials that are best suited for this," the researcher said.

The scientists also found that they can control the production conditions to produce different porosity, or surface area, of the coal, which can be used to deal with different contaminants.

Elsa Antunes said that her team aims to test cigarette-based charcoal for various contaminants to assess its effectiveness compared to other forms of charcoal.

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