Researchers from the Japanese University of Kitakyushu have found a way to make construction in Indonesia more affordable and reduce the burden on landfills by using cleaned, disinfected, and shredded diapers mixed with concrete. After curing in the oven, the team tested the mechanical properties of the building material samples and found that up to 27 percent of the sand in the concrete can be replaced with diapers, as measured by the building regulations in Indonesia.
Sand is a scarce commodity worldwide, and desert sand is not suitable for building materials, which is why even desert state Dubai has to import sand. The recycling of diapers aims to replace sand, reduce construction costs, and relieve the burden on landfills. However, the researchers concede that the used diapers would have to be collected and processed separately for use as building material, and plastic-containing diapers mixed with mineral concrete cause later recycling problems.
Despite these challenges, Annette Hillebrandt, an architecture professor at the University of Wuppertal, sees no other obvious disadvantage of diaper concrete. The researchers also found that diaper concrete is no more contaminated with germs than the conventionally produced variant and does not have an odor nuisance. Recycling diapers into buildings may not be the long-term solution, but it is a step towards resource protection and waste avoidance.
