Tech Talk

This is interesting. I know this has nothing to do about any gadgets, but it is about science and a great discovery found by China scientist on cigarette butts.

The scientists from China have found a use for cigarette butts, whose chemical extract is so toxic that it could kill fish.

Based on their study, they found out that it can be used to protect steel pipes from rusting. The scientists said they identified nine chemicals after immersing the cigarette butts in water.

In their report written in a paper published in the American Chemical Society’s bi-weekly journal Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, they wrote “The metal surface can be protected and the iron atom’s further dissolution can be prevented.”

They found out that after applying the extracts to N80, a type of steel used in oil pipes, they protected the steel from rusting.

The scientists said the nine chemicals responsible for the anti-corrosion effect include nicotine. Their research was led by Jun Zhao at Xi’an Jiatong University’s School of Energy and Power Engineering and funded by China’s state oil firm China National Petroleum Corporation.

The corrosion of steel pipes being used by the oil industry is costing oil producers millions of dollars per year to repair or repair.

In their research, scientists noted that 4.5 trillion cigarette butts find their way into the environment each year. Apart from being an eyesore, this tiny things contain toxic chemicals that can kill fish.

“Recycling could solve those problems, but finding practical uses for cigarette butts has been difficult,” the researchers wrote.

China, which has 300 million smokers, is the world’s largest smoking nation and it consumes a third of the world’s cigarettes. Nearly 60 percent of men in China smoke, puffing an average of 15 cigarettes per day.

Now, not only does this report show a way to recycle the cigarette butts and further decrease the waste in the environment. It also provides a great excuse for smokers who can’t seem to quit.