A recent study published by Australian researchers has revealed that recycled face masks can be converted into a special material to build roads.
Developed by researchers at the RMIT University in Melbourne, the material is a mixture of micro-tuned face masks and processed building rubble that reportedly meets the civil engineering safety standards.
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Dr. Mohammad Saberian, the lead author and principle investigator of the experiment, said that the study had “looked at the feasibility of recycling single-use face masks into roads, and we were thrilled to find it not only works, but also delivers real engineering benefits”.
He added that the team hopes “to work through ways of managing health and safety risks at scale and investigate whether other types of PPE would also be suitable for recycling”.
Published in the Science of the Total Environment journal, the new finding is a first-of-its-kind application for the conversion of protective protection equipment (PPE) into a standard substance for the construction of roads.
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While the experiment had been conducted with a small number of surgical face masks, other studies have revealed breakthrough methods for the disinfection and sterilizing of masks.
A comprehensive review of emerging genetic technologies has shown that 99.9% of viruses can be killed with microwaves, which can be achieved by spraying masks with an antiseptic solution and microwaving them for 60 seconds.
