During the COVID-19 pandemic, the extensive use of face masks and protective personal equipment (PPE) kits has led to increasing degree of microplastic pollution (MP) because they are typically discarded into the seas, rivers, streets, and other parts of the environment. Currently, microplastic (MP) pollution has a negative impact on the environment because of high-level fragmentation. Typically, MP pollution can be detected by various techniques, such as microscopic analysis, density separation, and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry. However, there are limited studies on disposable face masks and PPE kits. A wide range of marine species ingest MPs in the form of fibers and fragments, which directly affect the environment and human health; thus, more research and development are needed on the effect of MP pollution on human health. This article provides a perspective on the origin and distribution of MP pollution in waterbodies (e.g., rivers, ponds, lakes, and seas) and wastewater treatment plants, and reviews the possible remediation of MP pollution related to the excessive disposal of face masks and PPE kits to aquatic environments.

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Rhododendron simsii Planch. is distributed in eastern Asia, such as Ryukyu Islands of Japan, southern China, Taiwan, and Vietnam. It is a semideciduous shrub with five-lobed red corollas and reddish-purple blotches on the upper petals. From microscopic observation, reddish-purple colored cells were distributed only in the adaxial subepidermis of blotch areas in the upper petals, while red colored cells were observed in the whole epidermis of both upper and lower petals. Even though the anthocyanin constitutions of upper and lower petals were the same, the λ max of absorbance of fresh upper petals was 514.9 nm, while it was 505.7 nm in the lower petals. In R. simsii flowers, cyanidin glycosides were major anthocyanins in whole petals. Quercetin glycosides were detected in reddish-purple blotch areas, but they were found only in trace amounts in lower petals. Anthocyanins and flavonols were extracted, and separated by column chromatography. Bathochromic shift (9.7 nm) was observed in mixed solution of anthocyanin and flavonol at a ratio of concentration of 1:7.5. These results were similar to the bathochromic shift obtained between upper and lower petals of intact flowers (9.2 nm). From these findings, co-pigmentation between anthocyanin and flavonol (quercetin glycosides) seems to be a key factor of reddish-purple color of the blotch area in the upper petals of R. simsii flowers.

Membrane fouling is a major problem that hinders the application of the membrane in water filtration. To address this issue, a novel reversed thermally induced phase separation (RTIPS) process is applied to fabricate a patterned polyethersulfone (PES) hollow fiber (HF) membrane using a structured spinneret. Surface patterning could induce turbulence, thereby preventing the accumulation of foulants on membrane surface. The RTIPS method requires lesser material with similar mechanical strength compared to that of conventional TIPS method. The fabrication process is optimized by changing the spinning conditions. A dope composition of 24 wt% PES is chosen to prepare the membrane. The chemical composition of the membrane is confirmed via sophisticated techniques such as Fourier‐transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of the sample indicates the successful formation of the pattern on the shell side of the HFs. The prepared patterned HF membranes exhibits a high rejection of 97% of bovine serum albumin (BSA), which is comparable to or higher than that of commercial membranes. Moreover, the patterned membrane demonstrates better performance, thereby confirming the effectiveness of this modification in enhancing the antifouling nature.