Assessment of the release of metals from cigarette butts into the environment

Ca-based materials derived from calcined cigarette butts for CO2 capture and thermochemical energy storage

Cigarette butts (CBs) are one of the most common types of litter in the world. Due to the toxic substances they contain, the waste generated poses a harmful risk to the environment, and therefore there is an urgent need for alternative solutions to landfill storage. Thus, this work presents a possible revalorization of this waste material, which implies interesting environmental benefits. CBs were used as sacrificial templates for the preparation of CaO-based materials by impregnation with calcium and magnesium nitrates followed by flaming combustion. These materials presented enhanced porosity for their use in the Calcium Looping process applied either to thermochemical energy storage or CO2 capture applications. The influence of the concentration of Ca and Mg in the impregnating solutions on the multicycle reactivity of the samples was studied. An improved multicycle performance was obtained in terms of conversion for both applications.

Exploring cigarette butts pollution in Saint Martin Island: A marine protected area

Saint Martin Island (SMI), the only coral island in Bangladesh, is located in the Bay of Bengal and has been identified as a marine protected area (MPA). Littering cigarette butts (CBs) waste in an ecologically sensitive environment can have numerous adverse effects. The purpose of this research is to investigate the abundance and density of CBs in SMI and to assess the pollution status using the Cigarette Butt Pollution Index (CBPI). This study is conducted based on the visual survey method in the three types of land use zones of SMI. During the peak season, the investigation was carried out from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in December 2023. A total of 4481 CBs item were counted, and the density ranged from 0.37 to 1.76 m-2 with an average value of 0.99 m-2 across 12 sampling campaigns. The highest density was observed at service zones, and the fishing zones had the lowest density. The calculated CBPI values revealed that 75 % of the sampling stations were in the "severe pollution" while 25 % were classified as "high pollution" status, underscoring the prevalence of hazardous CBs across most areas of SMI. To tackle these issues requires regulatory measures, public awareness initiatives, and community involvement. Effective waste management and eco-friendly product promotion can help reduce CBs pollution risks in marine protected islands.