Cigarette butts can be recycled to keep the steel keep rust-free

Smoking may be considered lung-damaging and health-ruining, but it sure keeps metals healthy. Researchers from China’s Xi’an Jiaotong University think that cigarette butts can save metal from rusting. Around 4.5 trillion cigarette butts find their place in the garbage, washed down beaches or in sewers every year. Well, it’s about time they came to some good. Cigarette butts from bins and road surfaces were collected and soaked in distilled water. Five butts per 100ml were left to soak over 24 hours. The water was then added to a hydrochloric acid solution. This was then pasted on to N80 steel discs. The steel discs treated by this solution were highly rust-proof.

Around 94.6% of rust inhibition is possible with a solution like this. Maybe, cigarette butts aren’t so bad after all.
[Gizmag]