Tobacco and Cannabis Debris Survey Protocol

Tobacco and cannabis product use can result in debris (a.k.a. litter) on the landscape, with implications to soil and water quality and thus potential impacts to ecosystems. More information is needed regarding how much debris exists on the landscape, such that the magnitude of potential associated environment problems can be quantified. Such information can raise awareness in the public about environmental hazards from tobacco and cannabis product use. The goal of this protocol is to quantify, via a timed survey approach, the tobacco and cannabis debris load (i.e. cigarette butts, cannabis or e-cigarette waste) at study sites. Multiple sites in a geographical location may be of interest for comparative analysis, for example sites used regularly by humans (e.g. trails, parking lots, around buildings, garbage cans) versus other sites that are suspected to have low human use. In any case, the same survey data sheet would be used (included with this protocol). Each survey will take 15 minutes per site to conduct. In the process of surveying, debris is collected and retained for later sorting, counting, and photographic documentation. The time to sort and count the collected debris will depend on the quantity and diversity of debris collected.

Cellulose Acetate Textile Fiber Filtration System Applied for Pre-Treatment of Surface Water

This study aimed to evaluate a nonwoven (NW) production and performance from cellulose acetate fiber from cigarette butts andapplied to a filtration system for surface water pre-treatment. The system had a surface area of 692 cm³, cellulose acetate from cigarette butt as filter media, was used and was fed with surface water from a pond. In order to evaluate the treatment performance of the filtration system were evaluated in the raw water (RW) and the filtered water (FW) the classical parameter of water quality as turbidity, total suspended solids (TSS), apparent color, true color, and total organic carbon (TOC) and heavy metals (iron, copper, and cadmium). Moreover, the presence of nicotine was investigated in the FW. The results showed a mean removal efficiency in order to 62.01%, 54.42%, 50.36 %, 6.73%, and 5.20% for turbidity, TSS, apparent color, true color, and TOC, respectively. The removal of metals varied in the order of 72.26%, 9.61%, and 2.12% for cadmium, iron, and copper, respectively. The presence of nicotine in RW and FW was not identified. In this way, besides reducing the negative environmental impacts caused by cigarette butts present in the environment, the developed technology showed potential for removing pollutants present in surface waters.

Recycling Cigarette Butts in Ceramic Tiles

Cigarettes are one of the favoured commodities on our planet. However, the annual consumption of 5.7 trillion cigarettes and 75% littering rate results in cigarette butts (CBs) being one of the most critical environmental issues. The leachate of heavy metals and toxic chemicals is polluting our ecosystem and threatening the wildlife species. Therefore, it is crucial to find effective and efficient recycling methods to solve the growing CB waste issue. In this study, unglazed fired ceramic tiles were manufactured with 0%, 0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5% shredded CBs by dry mass to investigate the feasibility of the proposed sustainable recycling method. The chemical and mineralogical characterisation, density, shrinkage, bulk density, breaking strength, water absorption, and modulus of rupture were investigated and compared with the Australian Standards for ceramic tiles (AS 4459). The results revealed that tiles incorporating 0.5% CBs by mass demonstrated the greatest performance compared to the other mixtures. The water absorption for all tile–CB mixtures was found to be greater than 10%, with a positive growth tendency. The addition of 0.5% CBs by mass slightly improved flexural strength from 15.56 MPa for control samples to 16.63 MPa. Tiles containing 0.5% CBs by mass satisfied the modulus of rupture and water absorption limits for group III class according to the Australian Standards (AS 13006), and they may be suitable to be used as wall tiles. The result of a simulation equation predicts that an energy savings of up to 7.79% is achievable during the firing process for ceramic tiles incorporating 1% CBs by mass.

Anaerobic Digestion of Cigarette Butts: Microbial Community Analysis and Energy Production Estimation

Anaerobic digestion using cigarette butts, one of most littered items, was studied not only as a waste treatment, but also as an energy production method. Methane production from cigarette butts was measured through the biochemical methane potential (BMP) test and it was evaluated whether it is possible to produce electrical energy. Intact cigarettes or individual components (filter, paper, and leaf) were supplied as the sole carbon source (substrate) for the BMP test. The tendency of methane production indicated biodegradation in the order of paper, filter, and leaves; however, the filter of cigarettes was the substrate produced the highest amount of methane per total solid. The microbial community was also analyzed in each anaerobic digestion reactor, and substrate-specific microorganisms were identified, such as Proteiniphilum strain (filter) and Methanobacterium formicicum (paper). In intact cigarettes, the related microbial community became dominant over time in the order of paper, filter, and leaf. The conversion of cigarette butts to methane, a renewable energy source, can be proposed as a sustainable route for energy demand, for example, in a smoking room.

Using different waste as resilient layers for impact sound insulation improvement: New alternative to commercial layers?

In the residential building sector, the use of floating floors is a common practice which increasingly used to reduce vibrations and impact noise. These are usually made from industrial materials, although the emerging concern for sustainable construction is leading to the use of other materials from recycled waste. This article studies the performance of rubber, cork, and cigarette butts as a floating floor. For this purpose, their acoustic properties (ISO 9052-1 and 12,354-2 standards) are analyzed and compared with those of some commercial materials. The results obtained indicated that the performance of these eco-materials is equal or superior to that of commercially available materials.