Reusable sanitary napkin filled with acetate derived from cigarette butts.

Description

/ 4 Reusable sanitary napkin filled with acetate derived from cigarette butts. Field of invention

[001] The present invention falls within the textile field, specifically dealing with the development of a reusable absorbent pad with acetate filling derived from cigarette butts that would otherwise be discarded. Fundamentals of the invention

[002] The invention consists of a reusable absorbent pad with acetate filling derived from cigarette butts that would otherwise be discarded. The butts are sanitized, carded, and then sewn into the absorbent pad, resulting in the final product.

[003] Cigarette butts are considered worldwide to be one of the main sources of solid waste generation. In Brazil, approximately 25 tons of waste are produced annually related to the cigarette industry, of which 9 tons are linked to waste from cigarette butts. Given that cigarette butts are made of cellulose acetate fiber and it is well established that nonwovens can be formed from cellulose acetate, different strategies are currently being developed to ensure the environmentally sound disposal of cigarette butts, seeking to recover the cellulosic material from cigarette butts. Nowadays, recycled materials are part of different products in the production chain of various sectors, such as construction and metallurgy.

[004] One of the technological alternatives that can be developed is the use of cigarette butts collected from the environment to serve as filling for reusable sanitary pads, because in addition to reducing the amount of toxic substances released by cigarette butts into the soil and also reducing the likelihood of fires caused by cigarette butts, it also reduces the disposal of sanitary pads, thus decreasing the pollution caused by these solid wastes. Petition 870240111247, dated 12 / 30 / 2024, page 8 / 15 / 4

[005] Surface water was filtered using cigarette butts from sanitary napkins, and analysis with Daphnia magna was performed, and no residue was detected in the filtered water. Furthermore, it is noteworthy that one of the most abundant residues in the environment will be removed, which is responsible for the leaching of heavy metals. When these metals come into contact with water, they can reach groundwater or even remain stored on surfaces. It is also important to highlight that these residues are lethal to 50% of the organisms present in surface water bodies, and just one cigarette butt can contaminate approximately 1000 L of water, as the leaching of these compounds can last up to 10 years. Among the leached products, heavy metals, ethyl phenol, pesticide residues, and nicotine stand out. This is considered a significant threat to the quality of urban waters, including supply reservoirs. Brief description of the drawings

[006] Figure 1 shows the pre-cleaning of cigarette butts. Figure 2 presents a graphical representation of the steps for cleaning and drying cigarette butts. Figure 3 shows the carding of the fibers. Figure 4 shows the carded fibers and the finished reusable absorbent pad. Description of the invention

[007] After collecting the cigarette butts, regardless of brand and source, a pre-cleaning is carried out, manually removing the outer paper, the fused acetate end, as well as ash and tobacco residue (Figure 1).

[008] After cleaning the cigarette butts, two cooking stages are carried out. In each stage, 100 g of cigarette butts, 32 g of sodium bicarbonate, 100 mL of hydrogen peroxide (6%), and 5 L of water are added to a stainless steel container. This mixture is brought to a boil for 30 minutes. Immediately afterwards, the material is washed with water and left to rest in a solution of 5 L of water and 200 mL of sodium hypochlorite (2.5%) for 12 hours. After the resting time, the material is Petition 870240111247, dated 12 / 30 / 2024, page 9 / 15 / 4 washed again with water, spun in a centrifuge (Electrolux - LTD11 - 720 RPM 1000 RPM) and dried at room temperature for approximately 48 hours (Figure 2).

[009] Quantification of heavy metals in cigarette butts In order to identify the presence of different heavy metals in the cigarette butt samples, different metals were quantified, namely: copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb). This analysis was performed in triplicate for three distinct samples. To obtain a reference (blank), the analyses were conducted on raw, unsmoked cigarette butts (a sample containing all constituents except the analyte), sanitized cigarette butts, and non-sanitized cigarette butts. The limits of detection (LOD) and limits of quantification of the elements are presented in Table 1. Table 1 - Quantification and standard deviation of heavy metals found in unhygienic and hygienic cigarette butts. Element Unhygienic cigarette butts (mg / Kg) Hygienic cigarette butts (mg / Kg) Cu 3.88 ± 0.19 2.27 ± 0.43 Mn 15.97 ± 0.63 ND Zn 7.22 ± 0.19 2.49 ± 0.01 Fe 173.04 ± 6.53 20.98 ± 2.04 Co ND ND Pb ND ND Cd ND ND Note: Not detected (ND).

[0010] Carding and consolidation of cellulose acetate fibers After the cigarette butts are dried, they undergo a manual carding process. Carding is carried out using a carding machine, which consists of two wooden plates fitted with steel wires (Figure 3). The plates move in opposite directions, breaking up the fibers and eliminating knots. Petition 870240111247, dated 12 / 30 / 2024, page 10 / 15 / 4 leaving the layer of fibers homogeneous, thus forming a kind of blanket, which will be sewn onto the absorbent pad (Figure 4). Petition 870240111247, dated 12 / 30 / 2024, page 11 / 15

Claims

CLAIMS 1. ACETATE FILLING FROM CIGARETTE BUTTS FOR REUSABLE ABSORBENT, characterized by the processes of pre-sanitizing the butts (1), sanitizing and drying the butts (2), manual carding of the fibers to break up and eliminate knots (3) and sewing onto the absorbent (4).

2. PRE-CLEANING PROCESS, according to claim 1, characterized by the removal of the outer paper, the molten acetate end, and ash and tobacco residues.

3. SANITIZATION AND DRYING PROCESS, according to claim 1, characterized by a two-step cooking process, with 100 g of cigarette butts, 32 g of sodium bicarbonate, 100 mL of hydrogen peroxide (6%) and 5 L in a stainless steel container at boiling point for 30 minutes in each step; then washed with water and left to stand in a solution of 5 L of water and 200 mL of sodium hypochlorite (2.5%) for 12 hours; then washed with water and centrifuged and dried at room temperature for 48 hours. Petition 870240111247, dated 12 / 30 / 2024, page 12 / 15

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