Cigarette butt littering poses a significant environmental challenge, with billions of butts discarded each year, fouling ecosystems with slow-to-decompose cellulose acetate filters that absorb and release harmful compounds. In response, an innovative, sustainable approach for valorizing ballot bin waste (BBW) by extracting high-quality cellulose acetate from cigarette butts was investigated. This green approach eliminates the need for hazardous acids and toxic solvents, resulting in a yield of 30% (w/w) and a degree of substitution (DS) of 2.0–2.5, which is comparable to pure cellulose acetate. The following four essential processes are involved in this process: filter separation, water washing to remove impurities, ethanol purification, and acetone precipitation of the cellulose acetate. This approach not only mitigates environmental harm, but also supports circular economy goals by transforming waste into valuable resources.

Lamanna, N., Zuccante, G., Rossetti, M., Franzetti, A., Santoro, C., Zoia, L. (2024). Integrated Process for Ballot Bin Waste Valorization for High-Quality Cellulose Acetate Recovery. APPLIED SCIENCES, 14(23) [10.3390/app142310955].

Integrated Process for Ballot Bin Waste Valorization for High-Quality Cellulose Acetate Recovery

Lamanna, Niccolo';Zuccante, Giovanni;Rossetti, Massimiliano;Franzetti, Andrea;Santoro, Carlo;Zoia, Luca
2024

Abstract

Cigarette butt littering poses a significant environmental challenge, with billions of butts discarded each year, fouling ecosystems with slow-to-decompose cellulose acetate filters that absorb and release harmful compounds. In response, an innovative, sustainable approach for valorizing ballot bin waste (BBW) by extracting high-quality cellulose acetate from cigarette butts was investigated. This green approach eliminates the need for hazardous acids and toxic solvents, resulting in a yield of 30% (w/w) and a degree of substitution (DS) of 2.0–2.5, which is comparable to pure cellulose acetate. The following four essential processes are involved in this process: filter separation, water washing to remove impurities, ethanol purification, and acetone precipitation of the cellulose acetate. This approach not only mitigates environmental harm, but also supports circular economy goals by transforming waste into valuable resources.
Articolo in rivista - Articolo scientifico
ballot bin; cigarette butt; cellulose acetate; waste valorization; Italy; Milan; circular economy
English
26-nov-2024
2024
14
23
10955
open
Lamanna, N., Zuccante, G., Rossetti, M., Franzetti, A., Santoro, C., Zoia, L. (2024). Integrated Process for Ballot Bin Waste Valorization for High-Quality Cellulose Acetate Recovery. APPLIED SCIENCES, 14(23) [10.3390/app142310955].
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10281/526481
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