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Single Use Personal Protective Equipment Reinforced Asphalt
Marco Marconi1, Daniele Landi2, Edoardo Bocci3
1Department of Economics, Engineering, Society and Business Organization, Università degli Studi della Tuscia, Largo dell'Università, 01100 Viterbo, Italy.
Procedia CIRP
|April 24, 2023
Summary
Recycled personal protective equipment (PPE) can be reused to create reinforced bituminous mixtures for road construction. This innovative approach offers significant environmental and economic benefits by diverting waste PPE from landfills.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Civil Engineering
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Global production and demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) surged 300-400% between 2019 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- This surge has led to a significant increase in end-of-life (EoL) PPE waste requiring sustainable management solutions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose and validate a circular economy strategy for recycling EoL PPE.
- To investigate the technical feasibility of incorporating EoL PPE into reinforced bituminous mixtures for road pavement applications.
Main Methods:
- Laboratory-scale testing of five different EoL PPE mixture alternatives.
- Characterization of mechanical properties of bituminous mixtures containing recycled PPE.
- Evaluation of environmental and economic impacts of the proposed recycling scenario.
Main Results:
- A promising mixture combining EoL gloves and face masks (polypropylene, polyethylene, nitrile, latex) at 0.5% by weight was identified.
- The optimal mixture demonstrated acceptable mechanical performance for road pavement applications.
- Successful recycling of over 3 kg of EoL PPE per square meter of road pavement was achieved.
Conclusions:
- The study validates the technical feasibility of reusing EoL PPE in bituminous mixtures.
- This circular economy approach offers substantial environmental benefits by reducing landfill waste (estimated 1.5 million tons/year in Europe).
- Economic advantages are realized through reduced waste disposal costs and sustainable resource management.
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