## 3 Results and Discussions  
### Optimization of Cleaning and Cutting of Fibers  
WFT and WFR were placed outside under the effects of rain, wind, and temperature for a period of six months (Figure 4).  
The rainfall that flowed through the WFT and WFR was collected at the bottom, and salinity measurements in parts per thousand (ppt) were conducted on the collected water every fifteen days. As shown in Figure 5, the salinity of the accumulated water decreased over time. The meteorological data for the city of Caen in the French province of Normandie may be obtained from the following webpage: [[https://weatherandclimate.com/](https://weatherandclimate.com/)]([https://weatherandclimate.com/](https://weatherandclimate.com/)) (accessed on 30 April 2024).  
Figure 3: Cutting machine, utilized to mechanically cut WFT and WFR into fibers of different sizes.  
The cutting machine has the capability to divide the WFT and WFR into various dimensions by using different sieves positioned at the end of the cutting blade. The apparatus came with four sieves measuring 4 mm, 8 mm, 10 mm, and 20 mm, respectively. The machine also possesses the capacity to cut the fiber without employing a sieve; however, this method yields fibers of varying lengths ranging from 5 mm to 45 mm. The final output for WFT and WFR fibers is depicted in Figure 6.  
The analysis of fiber size distribution was conducted using a software application called ImageJ. Two hundred randomly selected fibers were placed on a white piece of paper for each sieve size to capture clear images. The image was further analyzed using ImageJ software (Java 1.8.0_271 (64-bit)) to obtain the size distribution of the fibers, as shown in Figure 7 for WFT fibers and Figure 8 for WFR fibers.  
Figure 4: Experimental setup to collect rainwater that passed through the WFT and WFR.  
Figure 5: The salinity measurement of WFT and WFR under the effects of rain and wind over the period of six months from August 2023 to the end of January 2024.  
There is a significant variation in the size of fibers recovered from each sieve. However, the size of each fiber is primarily centered around its corresponding sieve size. For instance, when employing a 20 mm sieve, the concentration of fibers primarily occurs within the vicinity of 20 mm, indicating that the majority of fibers had a length about equal to 20 mm. In a similar manner, the use of 10 mm, 8 mm, and 4 mm sieves results in the concentration of fiber length around their corresponding sieve sizes. It is important to highlight that a lower sieve size corresponds to a narrower curve, indicating a reduced fluctuation in fiber length.  
The measurement of electrical energy consumption is conducted for each output size, as depicted in Figure 9. It should be noted that the aforementioned energy consumption pertains to the process of cutting 1 kg of WFT or WFR.  
Figure 6: Different sizes of fibers were obtained using a mechanical cutting machine from WFT (**top**) and WFR (**bottom**).  
Figure 7: Size distribution of WFT fibers obtained for each sieve size.  
In relation to production efficiency, no instances of material waste are observed during the process of cutting the WFT and WFR using this apparatus to extract fibers. The energy consumption required to obtain 1 kg of material varies depending on the size, resulting in varying time duration to produce 1 kg of fibers. Table 5 presents the duration, measured in minutes, necessary for the cutting of 1 kg of fibers, together with their corresponding average size.  
The use of the mechanical cutting machine for fiber cutting demonstrates encouraging outcomes. The subsequent phase involves comprehending the application of WFT and WFR fibers within the CM.  
Figure 8: Size distribution for WFR fibers obtained for each sieve size.  
Figure 9: Electrical energy consumption to obtain fibers utilizing sieves of different sizes.