The team of engineers, from RMIT's School of Engineering, is investigating the feasibility of recycling three key types of PPE - isolation gowns, face masks and rubber gloves - into concrete.
Published in the journals 'Case Studies in Construction Materials', 'Science of the Total Environment' and 'Journal of Cleaner Production', the three studies demonstrate the potential for PPE to be used as reinforcement materials in structural concrete.
The studies found shredded PPE could increase the strength of concrete by up to 22 per cent and improve resistance to cracking. Industry partner Casafico Pty Ltd is now planning to use the research findings in a field project.
Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, an estimated 54,000 tonnes of PPE waste has been produced on average globally each day. About 129 billion disposable face masks are used and discarded around the world every month.
Shannon Kilmartin-Lynch, first author and...