Plastic from used personal protective equipment (PPE) can, and should, be transformed into renewable liquid fuels – according to a new study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Biofuel. .

Scientists have suggested a strategy that could help to mitigate the problem of dumped PPE – currently being disposed of at unprecedented levels due to the current COVID-19 pandemic – becoming a significant threat to the environment.

The research shows how billions of items of disposable PPE can be converted from its polypropylene (plastic) state into biofuels – which is known to be at par with standard fossil fuels.