An Experimental Analysis of Five Household Equipment-Based Methods for Decontamination and Reuse of Surgical Masks

Abstract

The current coronavirus pandemic has increased worldwide consumption of individual protective devices. Single-use surgical masks are one of the most used devices to prevent the transmission of the COVID-19 virus. Nevertheless, the improper management of such protective equipment threatens our environment with a new form of plastic pollution. With the intention of contributing to a responsible policy of recycling, in the present work, five decontamination methods for used surgical masks that can be easily replicated with common household equipment are described. The decontamination procedures were hot water at 40 °C and 80 °C; autoclave; microwave at 750 W; and ultraviolet germicidal irradiation. After each decontamination procedure, the bacterial load reduction of Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538 was recorded to verify the effectiveness of these methods and, moreover, bacterial filtration efficiency and breathability tests were performed to evaluate mask performances. The best results were obtained with the immersion in 80 °C water and the microwave-assisted sterilization. Both methods achieved a high degree of mask decontamination without altering the filtration efficiency and breathability, in accordance with the quality standard. The proposed decontamination methods represent a useful approach to reduce the environmental impact of this new waste material. Moreover, these procedures can be easily reproduced with common household equipment to increase the recycling efforts.

Comparison of microwave and autoclave treatment for biomedical waste disinfection

“…Similarly, the time taken by MACS for biomedical waste disinfection is much shorter (37.15 min) compared to the time taken by autoclave (120 min). During the Covid-19 epidemic, research was carried out to see if the sterilizing procedure for mask decontaminants was suitable [ 47 ]. According to the findings, the microwave at 750 W in 2 min accomplished a high level of mask decontamination while maintaining filtering breathability and efficiency, as required by the quality requirement.…”

Implementation of jute-based nose holder in surgical masks to reduce plastic contamination

“…Twelve hundred used masks were gathered from various sources. These masks are subsequently sterilized in hot water at 40 °C [ 45 ]. Following the disinfection process, they are dried and separated into several manufacturer categories (see Fig.…”

Design optimization and validation of UV-C illumination chamber for filtering facepiece respirators

“…A hydrogen peroxides [ 9 ] dry fumigation system seemed to have a good sporicidal effect when used in rooms, ambulances, and external and internal parts of ventilated equipment. The immersion in 80 °C water and the microwave-assisted sterilization [ 10 ] achieved a high degree of mask decontamination without altering the filtration efficiency and breathability. Vaporized hydrogen peroxide mask disinfection systems [ 11 ] are being deployed at multiple locations throughout the United States.…”