Fire-Resistant Brick from Cigarette Butts
Created By RISC | 11 months ago
Last modified date : 11 months ago
The National Statistical Office estimates that Thailand in 2021 had about 9.9 million smokers, out of 57 million Thais aged 15 or over, which is a cause for concern over health. But there's another issue.
Smoking creates a lot of waste. Thailand generates 2.5 billion cigarette butts, of which many end up in public spaces, including sidewalks, parks, and roads, as well as beaches. They affect nature, the environment, and living beings. We might overlook the risks because we’re used to the sight.
But butts contain a lot of carcinogenic compounds. They can contaminate water and harm microorganisms and aquatic species. In the soil, they harm plant growth as well as benthic creatures. Toxins can enter our bodies through drinking water, meat, or vegetables. Cellulose acetate, a substance used in cigarettes, is made from plants but cannot be biodegraded and takes over ten years to decay, leaving waste in the environment.
Many countries have made significant attempts to address the issue of cigarette butts, ensuring proper disposal so they don’t harm the environment.
RMIT University in Australia studied the use of cigarette butts for making fire-resistant bricks. The addition of 1% cigarette butt waste by weight resulted in fire-resistant bricks that were as robust as regular bricks but weighed less. Thermal conductivity is reduced for insulation and reduced energy consumption in building and manufacturing by cellulose acetate. Less energy is required to heat bricks. There’s also no need to be concerned about harmful chemicals in butts contaminating the environment. The chemicals are held within the porous brick structure and don’t flow out to the exterior.
Inventions can help decrease cigarette butt waste. But butts should be disposed of in specified areas and not left in natural regions. Because, in the end, humans are affected.
Story by: Supunnapang Raksawong, Materials Researcher in Sustainable Building Material, RISC
References:
https://phys.org/news/2020-09-cigarette-butts-recycled-bricks-step-by-step.html
Mohajerani, A.; Qun Hui, S.; Shen, C.; Suntovski, J.; Rodwell, G.; Kurmus, H.; Hana, M.; Rahman, M.T. Implementation of Recycling Cigarette Butts in Lightweight Bricks and a Proposal for Ending the Littering of Cigarette Butts in Our Cities. Materials 2020, 13, 4023. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13184023
https://ddc.moph.go.th/brc/news.php?news=22385&deptcode=brc&news_views=1559
https://www.pptvhd36.com/news/%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%87%E0%B8%84%E0%B8%A1/173199