![]() The construction and demolition waste constitutes about 45% of globally generated waste 13. The demolition and construction debris is made up of a diverse range of resources, including recovered aggregate, reclaimed asphalt, crushed brick, crushed glass, and crushed rock 19, 20, 21. ![]() The massive depletion of non-renewable natural resources had negative economic and environmental effects as a result of the heavy use of natural resources brought on by the constant high demand for new infrastructure and buildings 18. One of the key ingredients in concrete is aggregates, both coarse and fine which play a significant influence in determining the overall technical qualities of concrete. Although the compressive strength decreased, the splitting tensile strength significantly increased when polypropylene fibers were added, increasing by 39% with the addition of 0.1% fibers by volume 17. It was observed that the addition of polypropylene fibers by volume is causing a bit of drop in compressive strength throughout the testing period. Previously Islam and Gupta (2016) analyzed polypropylene fiber-reinforced concrete in an experiment by adding these fibers between 0 and 0.3% (by volume of concrete) of polypropylene in the concrete mix. Due to its mechanical characteristics, such as tensile strength and Young's modulus, as well as its ease of manufacturing and high alkaline resistance, polypropylene fibers (PP) are widely employed across the concrete industry 15, 16. Since plastic fibers have several sustainability advantages over steel reinforcement, they have long drawn interest from the academic community and the building sector 14. The non-biodegradable nature of the material of the facemask causes it to take more than 450 years to break down into the environment 13. As a result, the pandemic’s impacts are not only having a significant negative impact on our economy but will also last long after the pandemic has passed. However, when single-use surgical masks are flown into the water streams, they break down into microplastics that could reach our food supply 10, 11, 12. The primary plastic material used in single-use surgical masks, polypropylene, is a thermoplastic polymer that takes more than 25 years to degrade in landfills 9. The light weight of the facemasks makes it possible for wind and rain to successfully transport them from the landfills or garbage bins into the city streets, rivers, and seas, where the plastic-based masks can break down into microplastics. Due to an increase in littering, these used facemasks can be found practically anywhere, including on streets, in parking lots, and in neighborhood parks. A total of 6.88 billion facemasks weighing approximately 206,407 tons are globally generated and then dumped into landfills daily 5. In June 2020 the monthly number of facemasks discharged to the environment was estimated to be 129 billion 8. An estimated amount of daily facemask use in Africa is 7 hundred million, while in Asia the daily facemask usage number shows 2.2 billion 5, 6, 7. facemasks in large amounts has been confirmed by the divers in the bed of the rivers and oceans 2, 3, 4. Facemask usage by the general population contributed to reducing the spreading of the disease but on another hand, it is causing an increase in pollution. It was mandatory to wear a facemask in public in many countries. The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has caused an enormous increase in the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) which includes facemasks and plastic gloves 1. The findings indicate that the addition of SFM led to improvements in both compressive and split tensile strength, while no significant impact on durability was observed. Various proportions of SFM and RCA were incorporated into the concrete mix, with a focus on evaluating the compressive strength, split tensile strength, and durability of the resulting material. The disposable face masks were processed by removing the ear loops and nose strips, and then cutting them into small fibers measuring 20 mm in length, 5 mm in width, and 0.46 mm in thickness, resulting in an aspect ratio of 24. Specifically, the study investigates the utilization of discarded face masks in combination with recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) and Silica Fume (SFM) in civil construction projects. This research aims to explore an innovative approach to address the issue of increased waste generated by the pandemic. ![]() The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has not only had a severe impact on global health but also poses a threat to the environment.
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