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Description
The Covid-19 pandemic has burdened Europe and the world with the accumulation of huge amounts of waste in the field of disposable medical devices, including rapid antigen (LFIA) tests, which provide fast, selective and reliable diagnosis of infected people or viral carriers in various environments. The goal is to successfully recycle rapid antigenic LFIA tests so that the developed recyclables will be useful for the preparation of new products. The reduction in the number of waste rapid antigen LFIA tests for incineration and the consequent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions will be addressed by recycling them for each component separately (nanogold, plastics) and by using recyclables as a secondary source in further processing/use. To address this challenge, the following key activities are foreseen: (1) collection and sterilization of rapid tests, (2) design, installation and start-up of the separator, (3) plastic recycling (4) refining of nanogold (or Au nanoparticles), all activities will be supported by 5) characterization. In the final phase of the project, the activities for marketable use of refined nanogold will be carried out in Zlatarna Celje d.o.o. and for recycled plastics in Plastika Skaza d.o.o.. New products that will be designed using secondary materials will thus enter the material circulation scheme while maintaining added value for as long as possible. This will provide the conditions for reducing the waste generation rate towards zero.
Summary of project results
The aim of the project was the development of a new process, that allows for the recycling of rapid tests, such as those used in masse during the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of simply burning the used tests we aimed to develop a process that allowed us to recycle the plastic and nanogold that is in rapid tests. The main issues remain availability of the raw plastics material, impurities present in raw materials and regulatory restrictions that could limit use of such raw material in applications intended for use in electric products. The obtained recyclables (nanogold, plastics) need to be useful for the preparation of new products, using the recyclables as a secondary source in further processing and use.
The project aimed to address several key issues and challenges:
- Environmental Impact: One of the primary concerns was the environmental impact of discarded antigen tests. These tests often contain non-biodegradable materials, such as plastic casings and potentially hazardous virus. By recycling these tests into final products like electro-wiring plastic boxes and nanogold, the project aimed to mitigate the environmental footprint of antigen test waste.
- Waste Reduction: Antigen tests became widely used during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to a significant increase in the volume of medical waste generated. Proper disposal of these tests posed a challenge due to the complexity of waste. Recycling them into useful products could help reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills or incinerators.
- Resource Utilization: The project sought to make efficient use of resources by repurposing discarded antigen tests. Instead of allowing these materials to go to waste, they could be transformed into valuable products, such as electro-wiring plastic boxes and nanogold, which have practical applications in various industries.
- Technological Innovation: Recycling antigen tests into sophisticated products like nanogold involves advanced technological processes. Overcoming the technical challenges associated with this recycling process required innovation and expertise in materials science, chemistry, and engineering.
- Economic Viability: Developing a sustainable recycling process for antigen tests required consideration of the project''s economic feasibility. The cost-effectiveness of collecting, processing, and repurposing these tests into marketable products needed to be evaluated to ensure the project''s long-term sustainability.
Addressing these challenges required a multidisciplinary approach, combining scientific research, technological innovation, environmental stewardship, and economic analysis. The goal was to create a closed-loop system where discarded antigen tests could be efficiently recycled into valuable resources, contributing to environmental conservation and sustainable development
The project developed, designed, organised, built and tested a new process for the safe gathering of used rapid tests in hospitals, their sterilisation, separation and subsequent recycling into new recycled gold nanoparticles and recycled housings for electrical equipment. The development activities were focused on collection and sterilization of rapid tests, designing and installing a mechanical separator for separating the rapid test plastic housings from the nanogold carriers inside the tests, plastic recycling, refining of nanogold, use of the recycled materials in new plastic products and the production of new gold nanoparticles. Main activities of the project were: raw material preparation (separation, milling and drying) and injection moulding of different plastic parts intended for use in electronic products. During the experimental part different injection moulding parameters were tested on different parts intended for use in electronic products. The research activities were supported with analytical characterisation of the obtained materials and recycled products.
The project successfully implemented and tested the new process for rapid test recycling. Project created a protocol, which curbed all the rapid antigen tests, that were discarded during the end period of covid pandemic. Through expertise in refining, chemical analysis, and advanced analytical techniques, the project successfully validated the effectiveness of the recycling process, characterized the recycled components, and optimized the synthesis of gold nanoparticles for further use. All experiments indicate that the raw material obtained from antigen tests can be used in injection moulding process, but limited to final application (impurities, regulatory limitations, availability, etc…). The immediate beneficiaries of the project were the local and national community of Slovenia. Mainly focused on the University clinical centre of Maribor, where a large portion of the tests where gathered. Project partners have established contacts and started a collaboration with some European institutions that are interested in similar studies and projects.
A recycling model was acquired for the collection and processing of waste rapid antigen LFIA tests for public institutions, educational institutions and enterprises. A technology was developed for processing of rapid antigen LFIA tests for separating the plastic housings from nanogold carriers and recycling these materials as secondary materials for reuse in new products. The results are beneficial for reducing landfill waste, increasing waste reuse and recycling for the general public benefit. For the project partners, knowledge and expertise was obtained for understanding different technologies from collecting, separating, recycling, refining, modifying and processing materials of different components, especially for nanogold refining and plastic recycling.