Influence of cigarette filter quantity on asphalt mixture: thermal and ageing performance

Disposing of cigarette butts in the environment is considered one of the environmental problems caused by smoking, including cigarettes, which leads to soil pollution and adverse effects on the growth of plants, animals, and birds. This study has evaluated the use of cigarette filters as an additive in asphalt. To use the cigarette filter in asphalt, the surface of the filters was first well covered with bitumen to prevent the spread of contaminants in the filter and also the adsorption of bitumen by the filter, and then asphalt samples were prepared with different percentages of cigarette filter (10, 15 and 25 kg/m³). In this study, tests of moisture sensitivity, resilient modulus, heat capacity, ageing and lateral deformation were conducted to evaluate the performance of samples made with different percentages of cigarette filters. According to the results, as the percentage of cigarette filters increases, the resilient modulus and the rate of temperature absorption decrease, and the lateral deformation increases within the asphalt mixture. Also, it was concluded that increasing the proportion of cigarette filters reduces the tensile strength ratio. Therefore, the use of cigarette filters should be controlled as ageing increases the indirect tensile strength.