Global plastic upcycling during and after the COVID-19 pandemic: The status and perspective

Innovations and development of sustainable personal protective equipment: a path to a greener future

“…That could simultaneously mitigate the existing worldwide pressure on production and reduce the strain on plastic waste collection systems (Patrício Silva et al 2021 ). Upcycling methods not only recycle PPE components but also repurpose components of PPE for alternative applications and converts it to products of higher value; potential reuse techniques include thermochemical, mechanical, and chemical processes (Li et al 2023a ; Lyu et al 2024 ). For example, plastics from PPE can be recycled into other plastic products, textiles can be repurposed as insulation or new fabrics.…”

“…A comprehensive closed-loop collection system must be established to ensure that discarded PPE are properly gathered and directed towards appropriate recycling or upcycling procedures. Some international firms, such as Loop Industries (US) and Ioniqa Technologies (The Netherlands), are exploring chemical upcycling commercially (Li et al 2023b ). This requires the establishment of approved drop-off places as well as disposal procedures.…”

Ecotoxicological significance of bio-corona formation on micro/nanoplastics in aquatic organisms

“…8 The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the generation and mishandling of plastic waste. [9][10][11][12] Upon introduction into water systems, a substantial proportion of plastic debris undergoes fragmentation or degradation. Consequently, this results in the formation of plastic fragments known as mesoplastics (>5 mm and <25 mm), and further degradation leads to the generation of microplastics (<5 mm) or nanoplastics (<1 mm or 1000 nm).…”