Use cigarette filter to prevent rust

Cigarette filter also has an unexpected effect as an input to the process of antirust steel plating.

It is estimated that each year 4,500 billion cigarette filters are released into the environment. Not only is dirty waste, cigarette filters also harm aquatic organisms if left on the beach or down the drain.

Unfortunately, so far there is no way to deal with these cigarette filters. Recently, however, researchers at Xi'an Jiaotong University, China, claim that cigarette filters can be used as an excellent antirust for steel.

This solution provides a way to minimize the environmental harms of cigarette filters, while reducing the cost of metal rust plating.

Scientists collected cigarette filters from trash cans and streets and soaked them in distilled water at a rate of 5 filters in 100ml of water. This immersion process takes place within 24 hours.

The scientists then added hydrochloric acid (HCl) soaked water and coated steel plates made of N80 steel, often used in the oil industry.

These coated plates are remarkably resistant to rust. Depending on the density of the mixture, rust resistance can reach 94.6%.

So why is the water mixture soaked in cigarette filter capable of anti-rust?

According to scientists, there are up to 9 different substances in cigarette filters that have the ability to resist rust, most notably nicotine. The oxidants in this mixture reacted with iron atoms to create a durable antioxidant film that prevents steel from reacting to rusting agents in the external environment. This coating is similar to the natural aluminum oxide coating that covers aluminum previously known.

The complete report of Xi'an Jiaotong University was published on the Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research website (I&EC research).

Source: GizMag