Face Masks, Isolation Gowns, Rubber Gloves Found to Have Essential Use As Concrete Additive

A research team at the RMIT Unversity is the first to study the feasibility of recycling three key types of personal protective equipment or PPE which include face masks, isolation gowns, and rubber gloves, into concrete.

RMIT University engineers have created an approach to use disposable PPE to make concrete stronger, offering an innovative way of substantially reducing pandemic-generated waste, a Bioengineer.org report specified.

Published in the case studies in the journals, Science of the Total Environment, Construction Materials, and Journal of Cleaner Production, the studies by RMIT School of Engineering researchers show potential for PPE to be employed as reinforcement materials in structural concrete.

Shredded PPE for Improved Resistance to Cracking of Concrete

The studies showed that shredded PPE could enhance the strength of concrete by more than 20 percent and improve resistance to cracking.

The industry partner of the RMIT School of Engineering team, Casafico Pty Ltd is currently planning to employ such research findings in a field project.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, an approximated 54,000 tons of PPE waste has been produced on average worldwide every day. Around 129 billion disposable face masks are used and discarded globally each month.

Shannon Kilmartin-Lynch, first author and PhD researcher explained that the study brought a circular economy strategy to the challenge of addressing healthcare waste.

Keeping PPEs Out of the Landfill

The first author, a Vice-Chancellor's Indigenous Pre-Doctoral Fellow at RMIT said there is an urgent need for smart solutions for the ever-growing pile of generated waste brought by COVID-19. Such a challenge will stay even after the pandemic is over.

He added that their study found that incorporating the right amount of shredded PPE could enhance both the strength and durability of concrete.

Dr. Rajeev Roychand, the joint lead author said there was real potential for construction businesses all over the world to play a substantial role in the transformation of waste into a valuable resource.

While the study is in the early stages, such promising preliminary findings are an essential step toward the development of effective recycling systems "to keep disposable PPE waste out of the landfill," Roychand explained.

Recycling COVID-19 Test Kits

This is not the first time PPEs and test kits have been reported to be recyclable. Earlier on, BBC News reported that Health Minister Edward Argar said the Department of Health and Social Care was considering too, how to recycle materials COVID-19 test kits.

A study carried out in 2021 discovered that eight million tons of pandemic plastic waste had been produced all over the world.

It has been criticized too, for some deals which saw equipment bought that was discovered to be faulty, or not suited for use in the National Health Services.

Related information about recycling PPEs is shown on France 24 English's YouTube video below:

Check out more news and information on Face Masks and Environment & Climate in Science Times.