Recent advances and future perspectives in engineering biodegradable face masks

Athukoralalage, Sandya; Bell, Craig A.; Gemmell, Anna C.; Rowan, Alan E.; Amiralian, Nasim

doi:10.1039/d2ta08019b

Cited by 14 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 240 publications

(281 reference statements)

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“…4,6,10,14 Cellulose is one of the most abundant natural polymers and shows great potential for the mass production of bio-based degradable plastics. [15][16][17] However, cellulose-based plastics are fragile due to the highly ordered nanober structure of cellulose. 18 Moreover, the hydrophilic nature of cellulose leads to unsatisfactory water resistance, which largely limits the applications of cellulosebased plastics.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Highly tough, degradable, and water-resistant bio-based supramolecular plastics comprised of cellulose and tannic acid

Sun

et al. 2023

J. Mater. Chem. A

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Highly tough, degradable, and water-resistant bio-based supramolecular plastics comprised of cellulose and tannic acid

Sun

et al. 2023

J. Mater. Chem. A

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“…Second, biodegradable plastics can be decomposed by microorganisms, facilitating their natural degradation over time. 34 Lastly, there are water-degradable plastics that are water-soluble, allowing them to dissolve when exposed to water.…”

Section: Structural Analysis Of Hard-to-degrade Plasticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advancements in catalysis for plastic resource utilization

Chen,

Bai,

Peng

et al. 2023

Environ. Sci.: Adv.

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“…The airborne transmission of infectious diseases such as the SARS‐COVID‐19 virus is a serious problem that has severely hampered public health and the economy 1–3 . The transmission of virus‐laden aerosols is because of expiratory activities such as breathing, talking, sneezing, and coughing 4 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Potential use of biodegradable polymers for facemask filter inserts produced using electrospinning methods

Khan¹,

Jaafar²,

Osman

et al. 2023

Polymer Engineering & Sci

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The elevated use of petroleum‐based polymers to manufacture single‐use disposable face masks is a serious environmental concern that has detrimental effects on the ecosystem. The research on using biodegradable facemasks is promising to reduce the environmental impacts of the single‐use non‐degradable facemask. A reusable cloth‐based facemask with effective filtration could benefit society. Many studies suggest polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT), and polylactic acid (PLA) as viable biopolymers for facemask filter layer fabrication. In this work, an electrospun filter layer inserts with PVA, PBAT, and PLA polymers were produced by depositing electrospun nanofibers on non‐woven cotton layers followed by conventional sealing. The fabricated filter inserts were used in cloth‐based facemasks and were tested for filtration efficiencies and breathability. PVA facemask insert showed the best performance with 66.7% filtration efficiency and breathability of 0.66 m bar, whereas the lowest filtration efficiency was found for PBAT electrospun filter medium. The relation between filter membrane morphology and facemask performance indicates that a smaller diameter and uniform morphology results in better filtration and breathability of the facemask filter inserts.Highlights Petroleum‐based facemasks harm ecosystems. Biodegradable facemasks reduce environmental impact. Electrospun nanofibers of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polybutylene adipate terephthalate, and polylactic acid on cotton. PVA insert showed 66.7% filtration and 0.66 m bar breathability. Smaller, uniform fibers enhance filtration and breathability.

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Recent advances and future perspectives in engineering biodegradable face masks

Abstract: Development of biodegradable and functionalised face mask nonwovens to address the plastic pollution issue generated by disposable face masks.

Cited by 14 publications

References 240 publications

Highly tough, degradable, and water-resistant bio-based supramolecular plastics comprised of cellulose and tannic acid

Highly tough, degradable, and water-resistant bio-based supramolecular plastics comprised of cellulose and tannic acid

Advancements in catalysis for plastic resource utilization

Potential use of biodegradable polymers for facemask filter inserts produced using electrospinning methods

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