WASAMASK: RECYCLING OF USED FACE MASKS TO PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT
Unfortunately, we are living in an era marked by the daily use of face masks. The coronavirus pandemic and the Covid-19 health crisis have made this item a staple. But do we know what materials they are made of?
Surgical masks or FFP2 masks are made of plastic materials forming filters that prevent small particles and viruses from reaching our respiratory system. How do they work? The small size of the pores and the electrostatic treatment they have prevent the passage of particles as if they were a strainer . The main difference between surgical masks and FFP2 masks is in the protection they provide related to the number of layers they are made of and the way they fit our face.
And once used, what do we do with the masks? Are they going to end up directly in our rivers, seas or mountains? And if they are plastic materials, why are they not recycled like others? This is the process we have been studying at ITA.
The recycling of plastic material consists mainly of cleaning, separation and classification processes, shredding, melting and re-shredding to be transformed.
In the case of face masks, recycling can be somewhat more complicated due to disinfection. In addition, it should be noted that the masks are made of various types of plastic. The layers that form the filters are mainly based on polypropylene (PP), a material that we can find in parts such as the covers of the masks themselves, clothespins or small parts of our cars, among other products.
Another of the materials that make up the masks is polyethylene (PE), which in our daily life can be found in bags, or in the bottles of our gels.
In smaller quantities there is also polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is the material used in water bottles. In the recycling processes, an attempt is made to isolate each one of the materials in order to obtain recycling from each one of them.
WE PRESENT WASAMASK
At ITA, we wanted to study the option of obtaining a mixture of recycled materials obtained from the masks. The masks used by the workers have been worn, disinfected by spraying with alcohol and heat. Subsequently, and after the elimination of the rubber and metal fittings, we proceeded to grind them together without separating any of the different types of plastic. Once we have the material in flake format, it has been processed in the same way as other plastics are processed, by extrusion and subsequent injection molding. The final result has been pieces with defined geometry.
The material obtained has been characterized to determine the properties of the mixture and it has been found that they are comparable to those that can be obtained with other polypropylene and polyethylene plastics. What we want to achieve with this study is a first step to try to reduce the contamination that masks are generating in these times of pandemic. In such a way that, from this current staple product, other products can be produced, such as “ear-savers” for everyday use or others such as toy parts, flower pots or why not, automotive parts, etc.
With this work, the Materials-ITA group intends to do its bit and contribute to climate neutrality. Climate neutrality and the protection of the environment, challenges that we have as a society at this time.
TOWARDS A CLIMATE-NEUTRAL EUROPE
We invite you to consult “Towards a Climate Neutral Europe“, the manifesto that the ITA Materials team has published, and with which, we align ourselves to the Sustainable Development Goals defined in the 2030 Agenda.
