We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Fate of nanoplastics in the environment: Implication of the cigarette butts
AI summary Read the abstract
This study investigated cigarette butts as an underrecognized source of nanoplastic pollution, finding that cellulose acetate filters can fragment into nanoscale particles that disperse in the environment. Given the enormous volume of cigarette litter worldwide, butts may represent a significant and overlooked nanoplastic pathway.
Fate, transport and accumulation of nanoplastics have attracted considerable attention in the past few years. While actual researches have been focused on nanoplastics dispersed or aggregated in different environmental system, no study have been focused on the possibility that nanoplastics are co-transported with other natural or anthropogenic materials. Therefore, the large quantity of debris released in the environment, such as cigarette butts (CGB), could be part of the nanoplastics fate and behavior. Here we show the considerable sorption capacities of cigarette filters for nanoplastics. To address this topic, we chose polystyrene-based nanoplastics with similar state of charge (according to the physico-chemical characteristic of the zeta potential -45 to -40 mV) but with different sizes (50-800 nm) and morphologies. A kinetic approach to sorption in fresh water (pH = 8.05; 179.5 μS cm) at room temperature was carried out by means of the flow field flow analysis method (AF4) to determine the partition coefficients and water sampling rates between nanoplastics and cigarette butts. Using different models of, more or less environmentally relevant, nanoplastics (NPTs) and adequate analytical strategies, we found partition coefficients between the NPTs and CGBs ranged from 10 to 10 in freshwater conditions. We demonstrated that the physical features of the NPTs (size and morphology) have an influence on the sorption behaviour. Asymmetrical shaped NPTs with broader size distribution seems to be mostly retained in the CGBs after longer equilibration time. This result shows the importance of the NPTs features on the mechanisms governing their transfer and fate in the environment through environmental matrices, especially when other materials are involved. We anticipate our work to be a starting point for investigating the co-transport of NPTs with other materials present in the environment (natural and anthropogenic).
More Papers Like This
Cigarette butts as a microfiber source with a microplastic level of concern
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers investigated whether cigarette butts are a significant source of microfiber pollution by analyzing smoked and unsmoked filters. They found that cigarette filters release large quantities of cellulose acetate microfibers, with smoked filters releasing even more than unsmoked ones due to degradation during use. The study identifies discarded cigarette butts as an overlooked but substantial contributor to microplastic pollution in the environment.
Review on Recycling of Microplastics in Cigarette Butts
AI summary Read the abstract
This review examined the problem of cigarette butt waste, noting that cellulose acetate filters take approximately 10 years to degrade and represent a globally pervasive source of microplastic pollution. The authors surveyed recycling approaches for cigarette butts including fiber recovery and use in construction materials.
A Review of Environmental Pollution from the Use and Disposal of Cigarettes and Electronic Cigarettes: Contaminants, Sources, and Impacts
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers reviewed the environmental pollution caused by the use and disposal of cigarettes and electronic cigarettes, including their role as a source of microplastic contamination. Cigarette butts made of cellulose acetate are minimally degradable and represent a major source of both bulk plastic and microplastic pollution, particularly in aquatic ecosystems. The study documents that cigarette butt leachate and nicotine are toxic to a wide range of organisms from microbes to mammals.
Tiny but Deadly: a Threat to Environment
AI summary Read the abstract
This study quantified toxic metals leaching from discarded cigarette butts — the most common form of plastic litter — finding that both the filter and the whole butt release metals into water. Cigarette filters are made from cellulose acetate plastic and represent a poorly recognized source of chemical pollution in the environment.
Smoked cigarette butts: Unignorable source for environmental microplastic fibers
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers highlight that discarded cigarette butts, made of cellulose acetate plastic, are an overlooked but major source of environmental microplastic fibers, with each butt containing over 15,000 detachable plastic strands. They estimate that approximately 300,000 tons of potential microplastic fibers from cigarette butts may enter aquatic environments annually. The study notes that these fibers also carry toxic substances like nicotine and carcinogenic compounds that can harm aquatic organisms.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.