ABSTRACT
Coronavirus Pandemic is the current biggest challenge against humanity. Apart from the personal health issues and higher mortality by the coronavirus, recent research works have also reported the environmental impacts of the pandemic. The review aims to analyze the current status of face masks and personal protective equipment littering and subsequent environmental impact in terms of microplastic and microfiber pollution. Recent researches in this domain are collected from the leading databases with relevant keywords and critically analyzed. The review results report a multi-fold increment in the usage of personal protective equipment, particularly face masks after the pandemic. Mismanagement of these items leads them to reach the marine environment through a variety of transportation. The results show a significant amount of increment in plastic and pandemic-related littering after the pandemic. The systematic review shows that the use of synthetic fibers in disposable personal protective equipment and masks leads to release of fibers that can add-on to microfiber pollution. The results are also true in the case of reusable masks as the repeated laundry and disinfection methods release a significantly higher amount of microfibers. Only very few studies have addressed the release of microfiber from the mask, and no studies have reported the impact of personal protective equipment. The worldwide mass adaptation and improper disposal of these materials increase the seriousness of the problem multiple folds. These findings suggest the immediate requirement of critical analysis of the pandemic-related littering and microfiber release characteristics. The research also urges the need for the implementation of an environmental management plan as a mitigation strategy around the globe.
ABSTRACT
The use of disposable face masks increased rapidly among the general public to control the COVID-19 spread. Eventually, it increased the disposal of masks and their associated impacts on environmental pollution. Hence, this study aims to analyze the impact of nonwoven fabric structural parameters and weathering on the microfiber release characteristics. Spunbond polypropylene nonwoven with four different weights and meltblown nonwoven with two different weights were used in this study to analyze microfiber release at dry, and wet conditions to simulate improper disposal in the environment. Exposure to sunlight significantly increases the microfiber release from 35 to 50% for spunbond fabric and 56-89% for meltblown fabric. Weathering in sunlight structurally affected the tensile properties of the polypropylene fibers due to photodegradation. The study showed that each mask can produce 1.5 × 102 and 3.45 × 101 mg of microfiber/mask respectively in dry and wet states. In the case of structural parameters, a higher GSM (grams per square meter), abrasion resistance, bursting strength, and thickness showed a positive correlation with microfiber release in both fabrics. Significantly a higher microfiber release was reported with meltblown fabric than the spunbond for a given GSM. The presence of finer fibers and more fibers per unit area in meltblown fabric was noted as the main cause. Nonwoven fabric GSM and the number of fibers in a specific area showed a higher influence on microfiber release. Based on the mask consumption reported in the literature, India alone can produce around 4.27 × 102 tons of microfibers/week as an average of dry and wet conditions. The study suggests that the proper selection of physical parameters can significantly reduce the microfiber fiber release at all stages.