Dirty diapers could be recycled into cheap, sturdy concrete
Diapers are a scourge on landfills. Mixing them into buildings' concrete frames could dramatically reduce that problem.
BY ANDREW PAUL | PUBLISHED MAY 18, 2023 4:00 PM EDT
Mixing disposable diapers into concrete can cut down on one of landfills' biggest problems. DEPOSIT
American families need over one trillion diapers every year for the 4 million babies born across the country annually. Diaper use can extend far past the first year of infants’ lives—and they generally don’t finish potty training until somewhere between 1.5 to 3 years old. Extrapolate those needs to the entire world, and it’s easy to see how disposable diapers are the third-most prevalent consumer product found in landfills. Because most diapers contain plastics such as polyester, polyethylene, and polypropylene, they are expected to linger in those same landfills for about 500 years before breaking down.
But what if disposable diapers’ lifespans expanded far beyond their one-and-done use? Environmental engineers recently pondered that very question, and have reportedly found a surprising solution: diaper domiciles.
As detailed in a paper published on Thursday with Scientific Reports, a trio of researchers at Japan’s University of Kitakyushu combined six different amounts of washed, dried, and shredded diaper waste with gravel, sand, cement, and water, then cured their samples for 28 days. Afterwards, they tested their composite materials’ resiliencies, and recorded some extremely promising results.
https://www.popsci.com/technology/diaper-concrete-homes/
