Post by account_disabled on Mar 6, 2024 6:08:55 GMT -5
We know that single-use products, especially rubber, plastic and others, are an eminent environmental problem. With all the events of the COVID- pandemic, waste of personal protective equipment (PPE) has increased, especially gloves. However, thanks to new technology, the gloves will be recyclable and reusable.
What material are recyclable gloves made of?
Compared to waste from disposable plastic Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) , the recyclable glove system is made from polyvinyl alcohol, creating a sustainable solution.
With the support of the Volvo company, a group of young engineers from Stanford University and the Blenkinge Institute of Technology, single-use personal protective gloves that can be reusable and recyclable were designed and created. This recyclable glove model can easily replace traditional plastic ones.
It is important to me C Level Executive List ntion that this project was awarded by the James Dyson Foundation as one of the most outstanding inventions.
The recyclable gloves are made by a ReGlove system made with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), which allows them to be soluble in water.
Due to their composition, ReGlove gloves can be dissolved in water, sterilized and easily reshaped into a completely new glove. How is it achieved? This process is carried out by a machine that is responsible for internal recycling.
During , approximately million metric tons of single-use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) waste that is not biodegradable were generated. Imagine the environmental impact of these large amounts of waste. In addition, that same year they were deposited in approximately billion single-use gloves are sent to landfills.
Although many companies in the health sector , with the intention of improving their cleanliness and health standards, prefer to use disposable PPE, they produce a large amount of waste that is not recyclable and ends up contaminating.
With the development of the COVID- pandemic and the great demand for PPE, great impacts are evident:
Redirection of resources to the sector that is affected, in this case, the health sector, hospitals, etc.
Susceptibility to shortages when there is greater demand: companies outside the healthcare sector affected as they could not provide their workers due to high demand.
Environmental impact due to the amount of waste
The ReGlove system focuses on creating and developing a circular process that promotes the recycling of single-use gloves.
This system, in its circular process, does not include the cleaning and functionality of its equipment, that is, recyclable gloves, due to their water-soluble nature, allow them to be beneficial since liquids can be easily sterilized and filtered.
Recyclable gloves
What is the process to create recyclable gloves?
An input of contaminated PVA gloves enters the ReGlove system, then the following processes are carried out:
Trituration
rinsed
Dissolution
Filtered out
Sterilization
Remodeling
The end product is the creation of a new pair of gloves, so this system allows for on-site remanufacturing of contaminated gloves.
Sustainable solution and independence from external PPE manufacturing facilities
When the team was trying to develop a system for more sustainable packaging, the idea arose to create recyclable gloves. They concluded that because PVA, due to its water-soluble nature, would allow the products to be eliminated through sinks and toilets, the PVA could subsequently be separated and collected to create a circular system in water treatment facilities. . However, they found that it was difficult to separate the contaminants present in the wastewater from the PVA.
With the huge stream of PPE waste, the young people in the project turned their attention to it.
Its creators assure that this design of recyclable gloves is different from the competition on the market and that its process is easy and reliable. “Dissolving gloves in water before cleaning and sterilizing them allows for efficient recycling, as materials in liquid form are easier to autoclave.”
In addition to creating recyclable gloves, they plan to significantly reduce the need for shipping and transporting waste, since disposable gloves are often manufactured and shipped over long distances; The solution with ReGlove is that they can be recycled many times on site . Remanufacturing gloves is the first step to being able to recycle all protective equipment that is recyclable.
What material are recyclable gloves made of?
Compared to waste from disposable plastic Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) , the recyclable glove system is made from polyvinyl alcohol, creating a sustainable solution.
With the support of the Volvo company, a group of young engineers from Stanford University and the Blenkinge Institute of Technology, single-use personal protective gloves that can be reusable and recyclable were designed and created. This recyclable glove model can easily replace traditional plastic ones.
It is important to me C Level Executive List ntion that this project was awarded by the James Dyson Foundation as one of the most outstanding inventions.
The recyclable gloves are made by a ReGlove system made with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), which allows them to be soluble in water.
Due to their composition, ReGlove gloves can be dissolved in water, sterilized and easily reshaped into a completely new glove. How is it achieved? This process is carried out by a machine that is responsible for internal recycling.
During , approximately million metric tons of single-use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) waste that is not biodegradable were generated. Imagine the environmental impact of these large amounts of waste. In addition, that same year they were deposited in approximately billion single-use gloves are sent to landfills.
Although many companies in the health sector , with the intention of improving their cleanliness and health standards, prefer to use disposable PPE, they produce a large amount of waste that is not recyclable and ends up contaminating.
With the development of the COVID- pandemic and the great demand for PPE, great impacts are evident:
Redirection of resources to the sector that is affected, in this case, the health sector, hospitals, etc.
Susceptibility to shortages when there is greater demand: companies outside the healthcare sector affected as they could not provide their workers due to high demand.
Environmental impact due to the amount of waste
The ReGlove system focuses on creating and developing a circular process that promotes the recycling of single-use gloves.
This system, in its circular process, does not include the cleaning and functionality of its equipment, that is, recyclable gloves, due to their water-soluble nature, allow them to be beneficial since liquids can be easily sterilized and filtered.
Recyclable gloves
What is the process to create recyclable gloves?
An input of contaminated PVA gloves enters the ReGlove system, then the following processes are carried out:
Trituration
rinsed
Dissolution
Filtered out
Sterilization
Remodeling
The end product is the creation of a new pair of gloves, so this system allows for on-site remanufacturing of contaminated gloves.
Sustainable solution and independence from external PPE manufacturing facilities
When the team was trying to develop a system for more sustainable packaging, the idea arose to create recyclable gloves. They concluded that because PVA, due to its water-soluble nature, would allow the products to be eliminated through sinks and toilets, the PVA could subsequently be separated and collected to create a circular system in water treatment facilities. . However, they found that it was difficult to separate the contaminants present in the wastewater from the PVA.
With the huge stream of PPE waste, the young people in the project turned their attention to it.
Its creators assure that this design of recyclable gloves is different from the competition on the market and that its process is easy and reliable. “Dissolving gloves in water before cleaning and sterilizing them allows for efficient recycling, as materials in liquid form are easier to autoclave.”
In addition to creating recyclable gloves, they plan to significantly reduce the need for shipping and transporting waste, since disposable gloves are often manufactured and shipped over long distances; The solution with ReGlove is that they can be recycled many times on site . Remanufacturing gloves is the first step to being able to recycle all protective equipment that is recyclable.