Date of Award

Spring 5-3-2024

Level of Access Assigned by Author

Open-Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Biological Engineering

Advisor

David Neivandt

Second Committee Member

Deborah Saber

Third Committee Member

Jean MacRae

Abstract

The ever-increasing accumulation of synthetic waste in landfills is a growing pollution and public health concern. In 2018, hospitals in the United States landfilled 1.5 million tons of personal protective equipment (PPE). Single-use, disposable PPE gowns constitute the greatest percentage of landfilled PPE by weight and are overwhelmingly made from non-degradable synthetic polymer materials. The most common and disposed of type of PPE gown is isolation gowns, which are used by healthcare workers attending patients under isolation precautions. One study has shown that under isolation procedures, healthcare systems will on average dispose of 33 gowns per patient per day as municipal waste, contributing a substantial amount of solid waste to landfills. Therefore, to alleviate the strain on landfills, a need exists for isolation gowns that do not contribute to the accumulation of synthetic waste. The approach taken in the present work to address this need was through the creation of a degradable textile from which to fabricate isolation gowns. The UM39 textile is a paper-based substrate with a compostable functional coating to grant the barrier properties necessary to prevent liquid penetration. The compostable, lightweight, coated paper product was tested in accordance with the ASTM F3352 Standard Specification for Isolation Gowns Intended for Use in Healthcare Facilities. The UM39 material was found to exceed the physical strength requirements and possess better barrier properties than most commonly used isolation gowns. In addition, the UM39 material was demonstrated to exhibit qualitative and quantitative signs of degradation after 42 days under industrial composting conditions. Due to these properties, the UM39 textile has been identified as a suitable material from which to create compostable isolation gowns. To confirm the material’s potential to replace traditional synthetic polymer-based gowns, a full-sized, PB70 Level 3 compliant prototype UM39 isolation gown was fabricated.

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