Fate and Transport of Coronavirus Surrogate through Compacted Clays for Pathogenic Waste Disposal.

An increased pathogenic waste post-COVID-19 pandemic forced policymakers to treat biomedical waste (BMW) similar to municipal solid waste (MSW) to dispose into dumpsites and MSW landfills across the globe. The granular bentonite of geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) does not completely seal the macro-voids upon saturation due to the loss of osmotic potential in the salt environment from the leachate. Such behavior of GCLs can lead to advection-dominant virus migration through the liner system. A knowledge of the fate and transport of coronavirus and other viral pathogens in compacted clays is essential for safe disposal of the viral pathogens in MSW landfills. Although the attenuation and transport parameters for coronavirus have been recently evaluated theoretically, experimental backup is currently lacking. The present work uses Newcastle disease virus (NDV) as a surrogate to coronavirus due to structural similarities for studying the fate and transport in the compacted natural clays. This study also implicitly addresses the waste management facilities for waste generated from NDV outbreaks through poultry litter and carcasses. The interaction of bentonite and kaolin clays with the NDV was studied by varying the virus concentration, interaction time, and clay dose using batch sorption tests. The studied clays showed excellent attenuation efficiency for the NDV. Design parameters, viz., the diffusion coefficient and retardation factor, were evaluated, affirming the suitability of these clays for exclusive pathogenic waste disposal protocols that are discussed in this article.

Bentonite Clay: A Potential Natural Sanitizer for Preventing Neurological Disorders.

SARS-CoV-2 is a positive stranded-RNA human viral pathogen that attacks the central nervous system (CNS), causing interminable diseases. Although alcohol-based hand sanitizers (ABHS) control the widespread transmission of such pathogens through dermal contact, excessive exposure to alcohol mists and vapors causes CNS disorders, apart from skin infections and negative impacts on the useful microbiome. Herein, we propose bentonite paste, which interacts strongly with different +RNA viruses such as SARS-CoV-2/poliovirus, for dermal sanitization. Repeated hand cleansing with bentonite paste not only provides complete protection against any viruses but also improves the skin condition. The proposed method is useful for contact isolation and as a strict infection control tool in hospital settings and in public.