Jute Polymer Biodegradable PPE

Problem:
Conventional PPE is often single-use, discarded, and non-biodegradable, contributing to unaccounted environmental pollution globally.
The terminal medical waste management in well-regulated countries is often incineration, in ill-regulated waste management systems, it is simply disposal into the environment.

To protect against cross contamination, most PPEs used during pandemics of infectious diseases are not meant to be reused or recycled. Viruses and other microorganisms are often highly infectious, transmissible, and rapidly evolving. Combating them requires prophylactic or therapeutic agents with a broad range of antimicrobial activity.

Solution:
We propose to manufacture medical PPE (gown, cap, mask, and gloves) with Dr. Mubarak Ahmad Khan’s biodegradable and recyclable plastic alternative from jute cellulose. We will coat the PPE with chitosan, a natural, biodegradable, non-toxic polysaccharide derived from prawn shell, whose antimicrobial activity, primarily studied in plants, has wide biomedical potential.