3 million face masks could be used to build 1 km road, Australian study finds
Researchers at RMIT University in Australia have developed a method to incorporate shredded single-use face masks into recycled concrete aggregate for road construction. The study suggests this mixture meets civil engineering standards while reducing landfill waste.
Why it matters
This offers a sustainable solution for managing the massive influx of pandemic-related waste and construction debris.
About 3 million single-use face masks could be used to build the base of a one-kilometre, two-lane road, according to research by engineers at Australia's RMIT University that explored a way to turn discarded masks and construction waste into road-building material.The researchers shredded single-use face masks and combined them with processed building rubble, known as recycled concrete aggregate (RCA). Tests showed that the resulting material met relevant civil engineering specifications for use in road base and sub-base layers.The study, titled “Repurposing of COVID-19 single-use face masks for pavements base/subbase,” published in Science of the Total Environment, found that using the material for one kilometre of a two-lane road could consume about 3 million masks while keeping 93 tonnes of waste out of landfill.The research was carried out in 2021, when the widespread use of disposable masks during the Covid-19 pandemic had created another stream of waste alongside the huge volumes…
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