INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH

Reuse and recycling of personal protective equipment, the results of the EcoDPI project

Cecilia Muraro e l'impianto prototipale
Il Sentiero International Campus researchers have designed a system that allows the reuse of masks, sterilising them and keeping all their functions intact.

Il Sentiero International Campus researchers, as part of the research project ECOdesign and recycling of PPE in a circular industrial supply chain (realised using the POR-FESR funding provided by the European Regional Development Fund 2014-2020 AXIS 1 – RESEARCH, TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT AND INNOVATION; ACTION 1.1.4) have designed and built a system that allows the reuse of masks, sterilising them and keeping all their functions intact.

“We have developed a device that sterilises the disposable PPE, allowing it not to be thrown away after an initial use. In addition, when the protective device starts to deteriorate, this equipment also allows it to be disposed of as recyclable waste, no longer special waste,” explains Cecilia Muraro, Reliability Engineer at Il Sentiero International Campus, who supervised all stages of the research.

“We achieved these remarkable results thanks to the initial decision to use hydrogen peroxide, a ‘green’ sterilising agent that degrades to non-harmful substances,” Cecilia Muraro continues. “Peroxide treatment proved to be extremely effective against both bacterial cells and fungal spores, which are resilient biological structures created to survive in the environment for long periods of time.

The data we recorded show a high degree of microbial viability abatement for the types of masks tested and maintenance of the functional properties of the PPE”.

Tests of the EcoDPI research project led Il Sentiero International Campus collaborators to set up a device that reduces the consumption of protective masks by three to ten times, first by allowing them to be reused and then by also transforming personal protective equipment (PPE) from hazardous waste, as it is today, to normal, recyclable waste.

The overall objective of the EcoDPI project was the optimisation of waste from the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), including medical devices. The studies shared by the different project partners covered the key elements of a potential circular supply chain for the production of the devices: from the acquisition of raw material to the realisation of pre-processes, passing through the production, use and end-of-life management of the devices.

The conclusion of the study led to the definition of a sustainable model of IPR production and management, which is particularly important in the wake of the COVID19 pandemic and the massive use of IPR.

The researchers from Il Sentiero International Campus focused on material optimisation and product functionalisation (activity package WP-RI-3), and integrated process/product solutions for sterilisation using peroxide and/or UVC systems (activity package WP-SS-2).

The contribution in material optimisation activities was realised through copper and copper oxide depositions on polycarbonate PPE. Microscopic analysis to examine the microstructure of the mask coating and quantitative analysis of its composition revealed the structural characteristics of the coating (which create a hostile environment for the growth of bacteria and viruses). The antibacterial and antifungal properties were verified and validated through specific microbiological tests.

With regard to activities oriented towards the search for new solutions for the sterilisation of PPE, the prototype system for treatment with hydrogen peroxide vapours was realised at Il Sentiero International Campus. The research group was involved in all phases of the realisation: from design (with the support of fluid-dynamic modelling aimed at process simulation for system optimisation) to design and the actual realisation of the prototype sterilisation systems.

To optimise the parameters of the sterilisation process, Il Sentiero International Campus was responsible for verifying the uniformity and reproducibility of the process, bacterial and fungal sterilisation tests to validate the action of the peroxide were carried out by Chimicambiente, while Dolomiticert, through respiratory resistance and material penetration tests, verified the maintenance of the functional properties of the PPE.

In order to test the sterilisation efficacy of the hydrogen peroxide vapour system, a protocol was developed involving: the introduction of 4 masks artificially contaminated with microbial strains into the system, the subsequent start of the peroxide sterilisation cycle and the quantification of the difference in microbial load between masks subjected to the cycle and those that were not.


Peroxide treatment proved extremely effective against both bacterial cells and fungal spores, which represent robust biological structures created to survive in the environment for long periods of time.
The final data show the high capacity for microbial viability abatement for the types of masks tested, while maintaining the functional properties of the PPE.

Domenico Stocchi, Research and Innovation Director, Ecor International, concludes: “The results of the project have made it possible to validate the solutions developed, thus opening up prospects for industrial developments for both the coating line and the peroxide vapour process. In particular, we have begun the study of a full-scale plant with sterilisation functions and are evaluating the application in sectors similar to those of development. “