Each year, 5.6 trillion cigarettes are consumed worldwide, and about 4.5 trillion cigarette butts end up discarded in the environment. What seems like a harmless gesture—throwing the butt on the sidewalk, the beach, or the street—is actually the beginning of a silent ecological disaster.
Each filter acts like a sponge that retains toxic substances. When in contact with water, it can contaminate up to 50 liters per unit, affecting microorganisms and aquatic fauna.
The solution: mycoremediation
Researchers from the National University of Rosario (UNR) and CONICET have developed an innovative technique: using fungi to degrade the pollutants in cigarette butts. This process, called mycoremediation, takes advantage of the metabolic capacity of fungi to break down complex chemical compounds and transform them into harmless substances.
The team is composed of Maximiliano Sortino, Melina Di Liberto, and Estefanía Butassi, specialists in mycology and pharmacognosy. Their experience with pathogenic and edible fungi allowed them to combine knowledge and apply biotechnology to an urgent environmental problem.
How it works
The technique involves bringing the cigarette butts into contact with fungal species. What is poison to other organisms is food for fungi. In this process, they degrade nicotine and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, the main carcinogens retained in the filters.
One of the protagonists is the pioppino, an edible mushroom that showed great capacity to feed on cigarette butts. Being non-poisonous species, the environmental risk of handling them is low.
Initial results
The team tested five different species and found that the fungi could grow by feeding exclusively on cigarette butts, without the need for external substrates. This is key for the economic viability of the project.
Currently, pilot tests are being conducted to move from the laboratory to real scale. Additionally, phytotoxicity tests are planned to ensure that the final residue is harmless and can be disposed of in soil without risk to plants.
Social and economic impact
The goal is to transfer the protocol to the Municipality of Rosario and other localities, creating a treatment plant that turns a massive waste into an example of circular economy.
The project also highlights the challenges of doing science in Argentina: bureaucracy, dollarized costs of supplies, and the need to recycle laboratory materials to maximize resources. Nevertheless, vocation and ingenuity allow progress in solutions with direct impact on the community.
The research demonstrates how science can transform a global environmental problem into an opportunity for innovation. Cigarette butts, one of the most polluting and abundant wastes, could become harmless material thanks to fungi.
This project not only aims to publish academic results but also to generate a practical application that improves quality of life and protects the environment.
