Bravo students. In a short time, this group of young people seems to have taught a lesson in innovation, entrepreneurship, hard work and integrity to many.
Students of the high school "Dusan Trivunac Dragos" from Svrljig, a small town in Serbia, patented a biodegradable filter for unbleached cellulose cigarettes, which also contains plant seeds.They are inspired by alarming levels of environmental pollution and huge amounts of cigarette butts thrown away.
Their project carries the slogan "Do not destroy - green" and with it they will participate in the Regional competition of student companies, which will take place online this year, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
According to the data of the student company Bio Filter, about 27 million cigarette butts are thrown away on a daily basis in Serbia, and in a year that number reaches 26 and a half billion.
That number is far higher in the world. The level of pollution is high, the data show that 13 million metric tons of plastic waste end up in the oceans every year, one of which is a significant part of cigarette butts. They pose a danger to the environment, do not decompose, destroy all the vegetation around them in a diameter of 15 cm, reduce the mass of plant roots by up to 60% - note these creative young people.
Their goal, of course, is not the promotion of smoking and tobacco products, but a kind of reconciliation with the fact that a huge number of people consume tobacco and an attempt to get at least some benefit from this infamous statistic.
Research shows that cigarette butts last in nature for over 25 years. For this reason, we want to replace existing filters that are mostly made of plastic materials with our biodegradable filters. Our BioFilter is made of unbleached cellulose, and it contains plant seeds - say the students from Svrljig.
How does their invention work?
The moment the filter is on the ground, with the help of water and moisture, the seeds begin to germinate. In this way, the filter serves as a reservoir of water for the seed, until the moment when the root of the plant ‘grabs’ the ground.
As the plant grows, the decomposition of the filter accelerates and after only six months there is no filter, and nature is richer for the new plant. When we can no longer influence people to quit smoking, then we can try to reduce pollution with cigarette butts to a minimum - they explain.
They also warn that 38 trillion dollars are needed to artificially create oxygen that humanity could use only in the next half year, and they hope that the replacement of filters will begin as soon as possible, in order to avoid catastrophic consequences for the entire planet.
Source:Photo:BIZlife
