Western Nevada College students find green solutions for COVID-19 PPE waste
Who doesn’t feel annoyed and concerned to see a used disposable mask flying in the wind? Haven’t we all noticed disposable gloves discarded in a parking lot? It is true that these throw-away items have offered protection and saved many lives in the US and around the world, but they also create a new problem — tons of medical-grade waste polluting our environment.
The treatment and proper disposal of this waste can cost $685 per ton using traditional methods.
Thirteen design engineering students at Western Nevada College decided to tackle this challenge. Under the guidance of Lior Singer, who works full time as an environmental engineer for the state of Nevada, and teaches as an adjunct faculty member, students were tasked with creating innovative solutions and building prototypes of their ideas.
Students worked in teams to convert medical waste into products with potential high market value.
The resulting products were evaluated using a “Shark Tank” pitch competition. A diverse panel of judges included Chuck Levitan, Sierra Nevada University Professor, and Patricia Moen, the Northern Nevada Recycling Coordinator, who provided expertise in advancing profitable recycling solutions.
Karen Salita, the author of “101 Soul Seeds for Reinventing Yourself”, coached students in communicating technical knowledge to everyday people. Additionally, WNC president, Dr. Vincent Solis, and Dean Manos Maragakis, College of Engineering, UNR, both shared words of wisdom and advice for navigating academic life.
The winning product was a fiber-reinforced concrete additive. The team developed a method to harvest the fibers out of the disposables masks, to create a high-value building material that could be sold in any hardware store. Other excellent projects included the pyrolysis of used PPE material to create gasoline and diesel out of polypropylene, and the creation of paving bricks by melting PPE in a controlled environment.
A new line of biodegradable PPEs created through the synthesis of biodegradable polymers was also proposed.
Singer developed the “Introduction to Engineering Design” course for WNC to prepare the next generation of engineers in Nevada, who will create a better world through integrating social awareness with engineering solutions. The course is offered at WNC during the fall and spring semesters.