Scientists recycle cigarette butts in stronger asphalt for roads
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Cigarette butts are the most littered item on the planet. People throw an estimated 4.5 trillion cigarette butts every year, and that number can double by the end of 2025 as the use of e-cigarettes grows. These small, toxic waste products pollute city streets, beaches and waterways. They also need years to break down.
But that can begin to change. Scientists have developed a way to recycle cigarette butts in asphalt, creating roads that are both stronger and more sustainable. Research teams from the University of Granada in Spain and the University of Bologna in Italy have carefully studied the process, which emphasizes the potential to improve road performance and reduce waste.
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A strewn cigarette compartment on an asphalt road (Kurt “Cyberguy” Knutsson)
Why cigarette butts form a good asphalt treaty
Modern road construction often trusts additives to improve the strength and flexibility of asphalt. Some materials for building roads already use cellulose fibers such as those in cigarette filters. That led to the idea of taking used butts, to clean up and put them to work.
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E-cigarette filters are especially promising. They are longer and full of fiber such as cellulose and polylactic acid (PLA) fiber, making them ideal for strengthening asphalt.
Person who controls cigarette kitchen (Kurt “Cyberguy” Knutsson)
How cigarette butts are recycled in road material
The recycling process includes different steps:
1. Collecting and sorting: Filters of traditional and e-cigarettes go through a collection and cleaning process. Ash and residue are removed, leaving usable fiber material behind.
2. Shredding and mixing: Machines shred the cleansed fibers and combine them with synthetic hydrocarbon washing, which serves as a binder.
3. Pellet formation: The mixed material is pressed, heated and cut into small pellets that can easily be stored and transported.
4. Asphalt integration: These pellets are added to recovered asphalt and bitumen. During heating, the pellets melt reinforcing fibers that strengthen the final asphalt mix.
Up to 40% of the final road material can come from these recycled components.
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Stronger roads and a cleaner planet thanks to the recycling of cigarettes
Recycled cigarette butts make asphalt stronger, more flexible and more sustainable. The fibers that are released while mixing acts such as micro reinforcement, improving fatigue resistance and helping roads that are resistant to heavy traffic and temperature changes. The wax in the pellets lowers the temperature needed to mix asphalt, reducing both energy consumption and emissions during production. In addition to performance, this method gives cigarette waste a second life. By reusing billions of away filters, cities can reduce litter and pollution and at the same time build more sustainable infrastructure.
Illustration of a traditional lane surface (Kurt “Cyberguy” Knutsson)
What cities then do with recycled cigarette butts
This technique is still on the rise, but interest is growing worldwide. In Bratislava, Slovakia, city officials have already started collecting cigarette butts specifically for road construction. One road built with this recycled asphalt is already in use, making an example for other cities to follow.
As more pilot projects are rolled out and consciousness spreads, cigarette butts can shift from toxic litter to a valuable resource in sustainable infrastructure.
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Kurt’s most important collection meal
Recycling cigarette butts in asphalt solves two problems at the same time. It knew toxic waste from public spaces and makes roads that last longer. This approach changes one of the world’s most common pollutants in a valuable building material. As more cities explore cleaner, smarter infrastructure, this kind of solution could play a major role in the future of street design.
Would you support roads built with recycled cigarette butts in your city? Let us know by writing us Cyberguy.com/contact
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