Recycled Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in Automotive Components: A World-First to Reduce Single-Use Medical Plastic Waste
2022-01-0907
03/29/2022
- Event
- Content
- The Covid-19 pandemic has significantly increased the amount of single-use plastic, especially as personal protective equipment (PPE) like gloves, disinfecting wipes, and medical-grade facemasks have become common among the general public. The need for public health, however, has ushered in a pandemic of another kind: one of environmental harm. Although efforts have been made to prolong use or otherwise reduce waste of these items, many areas have already seen negative effects of both properly discarded and littered PPE. It is estimated 89 million masks are used globally per month, and in the U.S. alone, the healthcare system generates 5 million tons of medical waste annually, not including drastic scale-up during the pandemic. Other countries have up to eighteen times that amount, far exceeding capacity at disposal facilities. To reduce the environmental threat from these items, which have become necessary to maintain public health, the Hyundai-Kia Materials Development Department collaborated with a U.S.-based specialty recycling facility to develop a supply chain for collecting and compounding these disposable items into reusable resin. The objective is to develop cost-effective material for automotive use, supporting Hyundai Motor Company global sustainability goals. Sourcing and collection was conducted at medical centers and research labs, with stringent protocols to eliminate any possible biohazard risks. Compounding has been completed, and molding of test specimens is in progress. Evaluation will include mechanical performance and lot-to-lot consistency. The quality control process will also include viral testing to ensure resin is safe to handle, as expected due to short viral lifespan on surfaces, and high heat during compounding. Targeting interior and exterior trim components, this development is expected to divert 1 thousand tons of PPE waste annually. Although similar recycling efforts are in progress around the world, this will be world-first for the automotive industry, enabling drop-in replacement for current materials.
- Citation
- Nummy, A., "Recycled Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in Automotive Components: A World-First to Reduce Single-Use Medical Plastic Waste," SAE Technical Paper 2022-01-0907, 2022, .