“Nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed”, wrote Lavoisier. And in 2023 he reconfirms himself. In a study published in the journal Scientific reportsa team of Japanese scientists, led by Siswanti Zuraida, said they have tested the use of used baby diapers as a building material.
Dirty diapers to build cheap houses?
From an ecological and economic point of view, it could be a revolution. When you know the number of disposable diapers that are used in the first few years of a child’s life, between From 4,500 to 6,000 – and the ecological impact it has, being able to recycle them in this way could be a real step forward.
In their study, the Japanese scientists started from an observation, targeting Indonesia: building houses is expensive, and the poorest inhabitants cannot afford decent housing, and often live in substandard housing, or slums.
But things could change, thanks to their discovery: in fact, up to 40% of the sand present in building materials could be replaced by dirty layers recovered then washed, dried and crushed. These residues would then be mixed with cement, gravel, sand and water.
Taking the concrete example of a one-story 36 m2 house, consisting of a living room, two bedrooms and a bathroom, the percentage of layers used varies according to the structure. For the bearing walls, layers of 10% are used. For partition walls and all non-structural elements, it is closer to 40%.
On the health side, don’t worry, since after the analyzes the researchers have shown that the microbial content of the treated diapers was ” identical to conventional concrete “.
Dirty diapers in the building, an ecological revolution?
Disposable diapers are, unfortunately, a scourge on the earth. They alone account for 2 to 7% of the total volume of domestic household waste. As for sand, used to make cement, it is the second most exploited resource in the world, after water. According to the World Economic Forum, 50 billion tons were extracted from the ground in 2019, which is unable to recover quickly. According to an article by New Obs, a “sand crisis” looms.
This new technique could be beneficial for the planet and for poor homes, and give new impetus to all these areas.
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Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
