A group of students in Camarines Norte State College (CNSC) invented an apparatus that can recycle used face masks.
Den Marc Diaz, Ivy Tabor, Christian Jovith Jardin, Johnstone Abaiz, and Maica Odon are behind the invented device. The mechanical engineering students chose "heat press compression molding device" to be their thesis in the course.
"The heating is underneath, the stove serves as the compression, and inspired by the heat press in t-shirt printing," said Diaz.
Even though the device was made quickly, it is said that it is a great challenge for them to collect waste face masks because of the fear of contracting diseases such as COVID-19.
According to the group, they went from house to house to collect single-used masks.
They make sure that the masks they have collected were washed carefully using bleach.
Since their device is still a prototype, they reviewed the collected 5 kilos of surgical, N95, and KN94 facemasks and gradually incorporated their device.
The group molded the collected face masks into a pot. They relate it people who were interested in plants during the pandemic.
Each pot weigh 150 grams, and they can recycle 30 pieces of facemasks.
Diaz is also chairman of the Sangguniang Kabataan. He said their municipality is interested in replicating the device for the medical waste disposal facility.
The group was awarded the best thesis this year by the CNSC-College of Engineering.
They also won first runner-up in the regional research proposal competition. The money won in the said competition was used to fund their thesis.
Four of them graduated in July and are already busy reviewing for the board examination while the other one is still in an internship.
The group urged the students who will partake in the thesis this school year to choose a topic that will benefit the community and the environment.
"I hope they put heart into it. Their research should not be left alone, it should be appreciated because it is possible to turn it into businesses," said Abaiz.
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