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Review
. 2022 May:26:102290.
doi: 10.1016/j.eti.2022.102290. Epub 2022 Jan 11.

Microplastics waste in environment: A perspective on recycling issues from PPE kits and face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic

Saikat Sinha Ray  1 , Hyung Kae Lee  1 , Dao Thi Thanh Huyen  1 , Shiao-Shing Chen  2 , Young-Nam Kwon  1
Affiliations
Review

Microplastics waste in environment: A perspective on recycling issues from PPE kits and face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic

Saikat Sinha Ray et al. Environ Technol Innov. 2022 May.

Abstract

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.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; Environmental remediation; Face masks; Microplastics (MPs); PPE kits; Pollution.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

None
Graphical abstract
Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Major sources of microplastics during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Degradation pathway of polymer materials in the environment.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Hourly requirements for single-use face masks and PPE kits worldwide.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Chemical reaction involved in hydrolytic degradation of ester bond in polyurethane (PU).
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Four stages of a typical wastewater treatment plant.
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
A brief assessment of processing single-use face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
Zero-waste pathway to address the issue of plastic waste during the COVID-19 pandemic in water systems.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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