Cigarette Filter as a Carbon-Based Component of Galvanic Cell
Description
Worldwide, more than six trillion cigarettes are produced annually, each containing filters or butts, most consisting of microplastics known as cellulose acetate fibers. Smokers indiscriminately dropped their cigarettes virtually everywhere. These cigarette filters do not naturally break down because their plastic fibers are synthetic. However, they can gradually decompose based on their environment. Only 38% decomposed after two years (Register, 2000). It is a problem that the country depends so heavily on rigid baseload fossil fuel plants. When these plants malfunction, millions of Filipinos are vulnerable to brownouts, which impact the entire Luzon grid (Cantillana, 2021). According to the Philippine Country Commercial Guide (2022), COVID-19 caused the energy sector to face numerous difficulties requiring revisions to ensure consumer energy services' continuity. The Malampaya natural gas resources, which presently provide 30% of Luzon's energy consumption, are predicted to run out by 2024, putting the Philippines amid a growing energy crisis. Realizing the danger it can bring, the researchers investigated these wastes on their potential use as an energy source. The researchers used a multiple-group posttest-only design and conducted three (3) treatments, each consisting of four (4) trials in which voltage output and time interval of cigarette filter were measured for each test. To determine the number of cigarette filters that produce the highest voltage and as shown by MANOVA, the researchers concluded that the null hypotheses for both amounts of voltage produced and the time interval are rejected with p-values that are lesser than 0.05, indicating significant differences between the treatments in terms of these variables. Therefore, this study aims to determine the potential use of cigarette filters as a carbon-based component of a galvanic cell for producing electricity and energy storage in hopes of addressing the environmental problem of waste disposal and the issue of energy scarcity in the Philippines.
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Steps to reproduce
The researchers used a multiple-group posttest-only design to compare the different treatments of the cigarette filters. The process is based on research done by Yi (2014), where it was found that carbon-based materials are used to power devices. The cellulose acetate fibers found in most cigarette filters can be converted into a carbon-based material using pyrolysis, a straightforward one-step burning process. Cigarette butts are collected on the streets and sidewalks of Calasiao, Pangasinan. The instruments used in the experiment are borrowed from the researchers. To create a carbon-based product, the researchers had at least 1000 g of cigarette filters that would be burned in a single-step burning process through pyrolysis. The researchers computed and analyzed the data generated by the cigarette filters using a voltmeter and the duration of each treatment using a stopwatch. The three treatments are carried out using discarded cigarette filters, and the voltage readings are measured, recorded, and repeated for four trials.The researchers used Microsoft Excel and JAMOVI to perform a statistical analysis of the results. They calculated the mean of the voltage output and time interval of the treatments and compared their scores using Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA). If the p-values were less than =0.05 (level of significance), the researchers would reject the null hypotheses. Given that the null hypotheses are rejected, the effects of the amount of cigarette component in the galvanic cell on the voltage output and how long it can store it will be identified. The treatment that produced 1 volt or more and can hold it the longest will be considered viable; and the treatment that produced the highest voltage output indicates the most ideal amount of cigarette filter use. Otherwise, failure to reject the null hypothesis indicates that all treatments were equivalent on the said variables, which may imply their ineffectiveness.