Potential natural polymer-based nanofibres for the development of facemasks in countering viral outbreaks

Abstract

The global coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) pandemic has rapidlyincreased the demand for facemasks as a measure to reduce the rapidspread of the pathogen. Throughout the pandemic, some countries such asItaly had a monthly demand of ca. 90 million facemasks. Domestic maskmanufacturers are capable of manufacturing 8 million masks each week,although the demand was 40 million per week during March 2020. This dra-matic increase has contributed to a spike in the generation of facemaskwaste. Facemasks are often manufactured with synthetic materials that arenon-biodegradable, and their increased usage and improper disposal areraising environmental concerns. Consequently, there is a strong interest fordeveloping biodegradable facemasks made with for example, renewablenanofibres. A range of natural polymer-based nanofibres has been studiedfor their potential to be used in air filter applications. This review articleexamines potential natural polymer-based nanofibres along with their filtra-tion and antimicrobial capabilities fordeveloping biodegradable facemaskthat will promote a cleaner production.

The global coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) pandemic has rapidlyincreased the demand for facemasks as a measure to reduce the rapidspread of the pathogen. Throughout the pandemic, some countries such asItaly had a monthly demand of ca. 90 million facemasks. Domestic maskmanufacturers are capable of manufacturing 8 million masks each week,although the demand was 40 million per week during March 2020. This dra-matic increase has contributed to a spike in the generation of facemaskwaste. Facemasks are often manufactured with synthetic materials that arenon-biodegradable, and their increased usage and improper disposal areraising environmental concerns. Consequently, there is a strong interest fordeveloping biodegradable facemasks made with for example, renewablenanofibres. A range of natural polymer-based nanofibres has been studiedfor their potential to be used in air filter applications. This review articleexamines potential natural polymer-based nanofibres along with their filtra-tion and antimicrobial capabilities fordeveloping biodegradable facemaskthat will promote a cleaner production.