Making PPE waste into bricks without cement is now possible

24 Apr 2023 CW Team

A group of engineering students has developed a process to transform hospital Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) waste, which usually clogs landfills, into bricks that are more durable and require no cement. These poly bricks not only weigh a lot less and can be made in a lot less time than regular red bricks, but they also have a three-fold better compressive strength. The bricks are made faster and are cheaper than ordinary red or concrete hollow bricks and meet the requirements for water absorption because the curing period to reach ISO standards is less than 24 hours.

The team of civil engineering students from Sona College of Technology, Salem won the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) Smart India Hackathon held in Jaipur by presenting a working model for producing poly bricks. They also received a Rs 100,000 prize. PPE kits are sterilised with ultraviolet (UV) rays before being heated to 160 degrees celsius, adding sand aggregates, and then casting the polypropylene mass into bricks. A patent application has been submitted for this method, according to Dr N Karuppasamy, the team's mentor and assistant professor of civil engineering at Sona College of method.

The poly bricks are environmentally beneficial because they don't require any cement or water during the construction process, and because the PPE plastic waste is only heated to a temperature of around 200 degrees Celsius. The construction of poly bricks has the added advantage of completely eliminating the cement that is generally used in the production of hollow concrete bricks. The carbon emissions produced during cement manufacture are eliminated when cement is not used.

Infrastructure Transport

06 Feb 2026

Lucknow Metro East-West Corridor Consultancy Contract Awarded

The Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation has awarded the first construction-related consultancy contract for the Lucknow Metro East West Corridor to a joint venture of AYESA Ingenieria Arquitectura SAU and AYESA India Pvt Ltd. The firm was declared the lowest bidder for the Detailed Design Consultant contract for Lucknow Metro Line-2 under Phase 1B and the contract was recommended following the financial bid. The contract is valued at Rs 159.0 million (mn), covering design services for the corridor. Lucknow Metro Line-2 envisages the construction of an 11.165 kilometre corridor connecting Cha..

Div Com Kashmir Urges Fast Tracking Of Jhelum Water Transport Project

The Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir has called for the fast-tracking of the Jhelum water transport project, urging district administrations and relevant agencies to accelerate planning and clearances. In a meeting convened at the divisional headquarters, the commissioner instructed officials from irrigation, public health engineering and municipal departments to prioritise the project and coordinate survey and design work. The directive emphasised removal of administrative bottlenecks and close monitoring to ensure timely mobilisation of resources and contractors. Officials were told to in..

Interarch Reports Strong Q3 And Nine Month Results

Interarch Building Solutions Limited reported unaudited results for the third quarter and nine months ended 31 December 2025, recording strong revenue growth driven by execution and a robust order book. Net revenue for the third quarter rose by 43.7 per cent to Rs 5.225 billion (bn), compared with Rs 3.636 bn a year earlier, reflecting heightened demand in pre-engineered building projects. The company’s total order book as at 31 January 2026 stood at Rs 16.85 bn, supporting near-term visibility. EBITDA excluding other income for the quarter increased by 43.2 per cent to Rs 503 million (mn),..