Aging effect on the adsorption behavior of microfibers obtained from cigarette butts in aqueous solutions

Abstract

Abstract The issue of cigarette butts is an environmental crisis that has affected the world. Despite their small size, CBs are one of the most common types of solid waste found in public places, particularly in coastal areas. The aim of this study was to investigate the adsorption behavior of microfibers obtained from cigarette butts on tetracycline before and after aging. 1 g of CBs was added to 50 mL of distilled water and stirred at 220 rpm for 2 h, then filtered through Whatman 0.45 µm filter paper, and the resulting MFs were dried at 60 °C for 24 h. To simulate aging, the MFs were subjected to an ultrasonic treatment at a frequency of 80 Hz and a power of 70 W for 4 h. The adsorption behavior of aged and fresh MFs was investigated using solutions containing TTC in the range of 5–20 mg/L. This study showed that ultrasonically aged MFs had a greater tendency to adsorb TTC than fresh MFs due to an increased surface area and changes in surface chemistry. It can be concluded that as the age of MFs increases, they adsorb more concentration of pollutants. This can lead to increased contamination of MFs in the presence of contaminants.

Keywords

• Aging process
• Microfiber
• Sonication
• Tetracycline