Use of COVID-19 single-use face masks to improve the rutting resistance of asphalt pavement

Property assessment of an eco-friendly mortar reinforced with recycled mask fiber derived from COVID-19 single-use face masks

“…The literature reveals that most of the mask fibers were either cut up into small pieces to achieve the target length and width of mask fiber or shredded, which were extracted manually [ 16 , 17 , 19 , 20 ] or mechanically [ 14 , 15 , 18 ]. Indeed, the mask extraction process using scissors, a paper cutting machine, or a paper shredder to get the bulk quantity of mask fiber from the waste mask is not an effective technique and is time-consuming.…”

“…Clearly, this urgent issue must be resolved by properly handling the waste face masks to limit their impact on the environment. To this end, a few researchers have utilized used face masks as mask fiber (MF), plastic-based isolation gowns, and nitrile gloves, in fat clay [ 11 , 12 ], in pavement [ 13 , 14 ], and in cement-based materials [ 6 , 7 , [15] , [16] , [17] , [18] , [19] , [20] ].…”

Multi-Scale Characterization of High-Temperature Properties and Thermal Storage Stability Performance of Discarded-Mask-Modified Asphalt

“…Yalcin et al found that modified asphalt containing more than 2% DM was better than modified asphalt containing more than 3% SBS in terms of physical properties and rheological performance [ 10 ]. Wang et al melted and crushed DM into fibrous-like form in hot mix asphalt mixtures and found that it can improve the rutting resistance of pavements due to its own structure and stiffness [ 11 ]. Goli et al investigated the effects of different amounts and sizes of DM on the cracking resistance, fatigue resistance and rutting resistance of asphalt mixes, and the results showed that the effect of 12 mm long fibers was superior [ 12 ].…”

Recent advances and challenges in recycling and reusing biomedical materials

“…Adding shredded face masks (SFM) to concrete resulted in negligible changes in compressive (about 5% increase) and tensile (about 3% decrease) strengths, with preserved material stability under spalling and frost resistance tests [ 43 ]. Incorporating 1.5% of SFM into hot mix asphalt ameliorated the rutting resistance of asphalt pavement, resulting in 69% decrease in the rutting depth [ 45 ]. In another study, using 1% of SFM in recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) increased the unconfined compressive strength (by 17%) and resilient modulus (by about 4%), as the PP fibers reinforced RCA particles, rendering the final blend suitable for pavements base and subbase applications [ 44 ].…”