Effects of chemical and autoclave sterilization treatments on medical personal protective equipment made of nonwoven polypropylene fibers for recycling

ABSTRACT: Medical personal protective equipment (PPE) made from nonwoven thermoplastic fibers has been intensively used, resulting in a large amount of biohazardous waste. Sterilization is indispensable before recycling medical waste. The aim of this work is to evaluate the effects of the decontamination treatments and help properly recycle the PPE materials. The study investigated the effects of three disinfection treatments (NaClO, H2O2, and autoclave) on chemical composition, molecular weight, thermal properties, crystallinity, crystallization kinetics, and mechanical tension of three types of PPE (Gown #1, Gown #2, and Wrap) made of isotactic polypropylene fibers. The chemical compositions of the materials were not evidently affected by any of the treatments. However, the Mw of the polymers decr

SUBMITTER: Wang P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9343241 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature