Technical notePotential use of cigarette filters as sound porous absorber

Cigarette butts are a common type of litter. This paper reports an investigation of the physical properties and acoustical performance of a cellulose acetate material made from cigarette filters. Physical properties measured include porosity, flow resistivity, fiber diameter and skeletal density. The influence of smoking on these physical properties is explored. The acoustical performance of the cigarette filter derived material has been assessed according to ISO 10534-2: 1998 and compared to that of other commercial fiber materials. The comparison shows that, for a given thickness, the performance is similar or better suggesting that the material should be considered as an alternative to commercial products in building construction.