Is it Possible to Mechanical Recycle the Materials of the Disposable Filtering Masks?

ABSTRACT: In a singular period, such as during a pandemic, the use of personal protective masks can become mandatory for all citizens in many places worldwide. The most used device is the disposable mask that, inevitably, generates a substantial waste flow to send to incineration or landfill. The article examines the most diffused type of disposable face mask and identifies the characteristic of the constituent materials through morphological, chemical, physical, and thermal analyses. Based on these investigations, a mechanical recycling protocol with different approaches is proposed. Advantages and disadvantages of the different recycling solutions are discussed with considerations on necessary separation processes and other treatments. The four solutions investigated lead to a recycling index from

SUBMITTER: Battegazzore D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7698554 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature