cartif projects

VALOMASK

Sustainable management of single use face masks in the context of COVID-19 outbreak.

Description

VALOMASK project aims at the design and development of sustainable management of single use face masks in the context of COVID-19 outbreak. The initiative arose due to the exponential increase in medical waste generated during the pandemic, for which a new environmental management is required. In the framework of this project, the main goal is to generate different types of bio-products from the discarded masks, with different final applications. 

 

Objectives

  • Achieve an appropriate management strategy for part of the large amount of medical waste generated, the vast majority of which is made from single-use plastics.
  • Design and develop a sustainable management system for discarded masks. This new management system integrates their treatment in CTR and their subsequent recovery and bioconversion into new products useful for other sectors.

Actions

  • Study of the existing plastic separation techniques and their application in face masks. 
  • Implementation of a fully mechanical treatment process for disposable masks at municipal solid waste treatment centers.
  • Qualitative and quantitative characterization of the masks being processed in the plants.
  • Valorisation of this waste by means of thermochemical processes such as pyrolysis.
  • Optimisation of fermentation processes.
  • Analysis of the obtained results. 

Expected results

  • Collection of disposable masks by mechanical treatment at municipal solid waste treatment centers.
  • Obtention of a gas rich in polypropylene from the pyrolisis process and an oily phase.
  • Production of citric and bioplastics by fermenting the oil obtained in the thermochemical processes.

Partners

Grants for the development of R&D projects, at work centres in Castilla y León, in the context of COVID-19 cofinanced by FEDER 2014-2020.

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Total Budget: 630,000.00 €
CARTIF total grant: 200,000.00 €
Duration: 24/09/2021 a 31/12/2022

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Responsible

María Victoria Martínez

Agrifood and Processes Division

marlor@cartif.es

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