Billions of single-use personal protective equipment (PPE), including hazmat suits, masks, and gloves used to prevent the new coronavirus infection, could be transformed to produce biofuels, according to a new study.

More than 129 billion face masks and 65 billion gloves are being used globally every month to deal with the coronavirus. Because of the poor disposal mechanism in many countries, PPEs are piling up in landfills and also polluting oceans.

"PPE kits are reported to provide sufficient protection against pathogens, but their disposal can be devastating to the environment," researchers from the University of Petroleum and Energy Studies wrote in a study published in Biofuels. 

Researchers are planning to use the process of pyrolysis to thermally degrade the polypropylene – a key material used for making PPE – into liquid fuel. The fuel can be used to power gas turbines, boilers, generators and sterling engines.

"Pyrolysis is the most commonly used chemical method whose benefits include the ability to produce high quantities of bio-oil, which is easily biodegradable," said Dr. Bhawna Yadav Lamba, co-author of the study.

Alarmed over the massive medical waste generated to deal with the pandemic, the UN Environment has warned that healthcare facilities and individuals are producing more waste than usual.

Since the virus remains active on infected PPE for at least three days, many countries prefer to burn them to prevent further transmission of the disease. Britain's National Health Service (NHS) labels the coronavirus waste as hazardous, requiring it to be burned in an incinerator, consuming a large amount of electricity.

With pressure mounting on policymakers to contain the transmission of the new virus, safe collection and disposal of medical waste have remained a low priority in many countries.

PPE kits are made of plastic and fabrics which take decades to degrade, environmentalists have termed coronavirus medical waste as an emerging threat to marine life. 

"We have to prepare ourselves to meet the challenges which are forcefully imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, so as to maintain sustainability," said Dr. Sapna Jain, lead author of the study.

(Cover: People wearing face masks to help protect against the spread of the coronavirus hold portable fans to cool themselves in the heat in Tokyo, Aug, 5, 2020. /AP)