Experimental investigation on the recycling of medical waste for sustainable fiber-reinforced concrete production

Innovations in building materials and waste management are well-connected when fibers from medical waste are used to make sustainable concrete. This approach reveals the possibilities of converting hazardous medical waste into functional, high-performance building elements. Two advantages it offers are less landfill trash and ecologically friendly infrastructure development. In the present work, an experimental study on creative ideas was presented to generate sustainable concrete from medical waste. Using fibers derived from medical waste materials, including face masks (FM), radiology sheets (RS), cannula hoses (CH), and latex gloves (LG) added at 1 %, 2 %, and 3 % by volume of concrete, and the study assessed the effects of fiber content and type and elevated temperature on the behavior of sustainable concrete. Tensile strength, compressive strength, flexural strength, ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) were tested mechanically and microstructure-wise. After 180 days, adding RS fibers by 2 % raised compressive strength by up to 122.24 % above the control mix. Though to minor degrees, other fibers, including FM, LG, and CH, also enhance compressive strength. Tensile strength was raised by RS fibers by 78.10 %; FM, LG, and CH by 37.55 %, 58.05 %, and 47.36 %, respectively. With RS fibers, flexural strength rose 61.75 %. Under thermal stress, scanning SEM and EDS data verified RS fiber reduced voids and improved crack resistance. • Mechanical performance of sustainable concrete reinforced with fibers from medical waste. • The effects of fiber on the properties of concrete at a temperature of 200°C. • The optimum fiber content derived from medical waste in concrete • The possibility of using fibers from medical waste to create sustainable concrete that exhibits improved mechanical characteristics.