Environmental Hazard of Polypropylene from Disposable Face Masks Linked to the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Possible Mitigation Techniques through a Green Approach
The COVID-19 outbreak again underlined plastic items’ importance in our daily lives. The public has widely utilized disposable face masks constructed of polypropylene polymer materials as effective and inexpensive personal protective equipment (PPE) to inhibit virus transmission. The consequences of...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Hindawi Limited
2022-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of Chemistry |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/9402236 |
| _version_ | 1798036295632551936 |
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| author | Selvakumar Vijayalakshmi Preethi Gopalsamy Karnan Muthusamy Dinesh Kumar Sundarraj Steffi Pulikondan francis Thiyagarajan Ramesh Deog-Hwan Oh Duong Ly Thi Thuy Tuyet Thi Anh Truong Huu Tap Van Shankar Karuppannan |
| author_facet | Selvakumar Vijayalakshmi Preethi Gopalsamy Karnan Muthusamy Dinesh Kumar Sundarraj Steffi Pulikondan francis Thiyagarajan Ramesh Deog-Hwan Oh Duong Ly Thi Thuy Tuyet Thi Anh Truong Huu Tap Van Shankar Karuppannan |
| author_sort | Selvakumar Vijayalakshmi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The COVID-19 outbreak again underlined plastic items’ importance in our daily lives. The public has widely utilized disposable face masks constructed of polypropylene polymer materials as effective and inexpensive personal protective equipment (PPE) to inhibit virus transmission. The consequences of this have resulted in millions of tons of plastic garbage littering the environment due to inappropriate disposal and mismanagement. Surgical masks are among them, and this study aimed to assess the biodegrading efficiency of disposable face masks using Pseudomonas aeruginosa VJ 1. This work used a bacterial strain, Pseudomonas aeruginosa VJ 1, obtained from sewage water-contaminated surface soil in Tiruchirappalli, India, to investigate the biodegradation of polypropylene (PP) face masks. The mask pieces were incubated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa VJ 1 culture in three different solid and liquid media for 30 days at 37°C. Surface changes and variations in the intensity of functional groups and carbonyl index variations were confirmed using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis to ensure microbial degradation (up to 5.37% weight reduction of PP films within 30 days). These findings show that Pseudomonas aeruginosa VJ 1 could be a good choice for biodegrading PP masks without harming our health or the environment. There is a need for a novel solution for the degradation of PP. The methods and strain presented here reveal the potential biodegrading agents of PP masks. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T21:10:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-317e225e378347029929f4bba79b9e0f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2090-9071 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T21:10:56Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Hindawi Limited |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Chemistry |
| spelling | doaj.art-317e225e378347029929f4bba79b9e0f2022-12-22T04:03:01ZengHindawi LimitedJournal of Chemistry2090-90712022-01-01202210.1155/2022/9402236Environmental Hazard of Polypropylene from Disposable Face Masks Linked to the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Possible Mitigation Techniques through a Green ApproachSelvakumar Vijayalakshmi0Preethi Gopalsamy1Karnan Muthusamy2Dinesh Kumar Sundarraj3Steffi Pulikondan francis4Thiyagarajan Ramesh5Deog-Hwan Oh6Duong Ly Thi Thuy7Tuyet Thi Anh Truong8Huu Tap Van9Shankar Karuppannan10Food Science and BiotechnologyAskoscen Probionics (R&D)Askoscen Probionics (R&D)Applied Phycology and Biotechnology DivisionDepartment of MicrobiologyDepartment of Basic Medical SciencesFood Science and BiotechnologyFaculty of EnvironmentFaculty of EnvironmentFaculty of Natural Resources and EnvironmentDepartment of Applied GeologyThe COVID-19 outbreak again underlined plastic items’ importance in our daily lives. The public has widely utilized disposable face masks constructed of polypropylene polymer materials as effective and inexpensive personal protective equipment (PPE) to inhibit virus transmission. The consequences of this have resulted in millions of tons of plastic garbage littering the environment due to inappropriate disposal and mismanagement. Surgical masks are among them, and this study aimed to assess the biodegrading efficiency of disposable face masks using Pseudomonas aeruginosa VJ 1. This work used a bacterial strain, Pseudomonas aeruginosa VJ 1, obtained from sewage water-contaminated surface soil in Tiruchirappalli, India, to investigate the biodegradation of polypropylene (PP) face masks. The mask pieces were incubated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa VJ 1 culture in three different solid and liquid media for 30 days at 37°C. Surface changes and variations in the intensity of functional groups and carbonyl index variations were confirmed using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis to ensure microbial degradation (up to 5.37% weight reduction of PP films within 30 days). These findings show that Pseudomonas aeruginosa VJ 1 could be a good choice for biodegrading PP masks without harming our health or the environment. There is a need for a novel solution for the degradation of PP. The methods and strain presented here reveal the potential biodegrading agents of PP masks.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/9402236 |
| spellingShingle | Selvakumar Vijayalakshmi Preethi Gopalsamy Karnan Muthusamy Dinesh Kumar Sundarraj Steffi Pulikondan francis Thiyagarajan Ramesh Deog-Hwan Oh Duong Ly Thi Thuy Tuyet Thi Anh Truong Huu Tap Van Shankar Karuppannan Environmental Hazard of Polypropylene from Disposable Face Masks Linked to the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Possible Mitigation Techniques through a Green Approach Journal of Chemistry |
| title | Environmental Hazard of Polypropylene from Disposable Face Masks Linked to the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Possible Mitigation Techniques through a Green Approach |
| title_full | Environmental Hazard of Polypropylene from Disposable Face Masks Linked to the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Possible Mitigation Techniques through a Green Approach |
| title_fullStr | Environmental Hazard of Polypropylene from Disposable Face Masks Linked to the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Possible Mitigation Techniques through a Green Approach |
| title_full_unstemmed | Environmental Hazard of Polypropylene from Disposable Face Masks Linked to the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Possible Mitigation Techniques through a Green Approach |
| title_short | Environmental Hazard of Polypropylene from Disposable Face Masks Linked to the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Possible Mitigation Techniques through a Green Approach |
| title_sort | environmental hazard of polypropylene from disposable face masks linked to the covid 19 pandemic and its possible mitigation techniques through a green approach |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/9402236 |
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