AUTHOR=Rex M Camil , Mukherjee Amitava 

TITLE=Prospects of TiO2-based photocatalytic degradation of microplastic leachates related disposable facemask, a major COVID-19 waste

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Nanotechnology

VOLUME=Volume 4 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nanotechnology/articles/10.3389/fnano.2022.1072227

DOI=10.3389/fnano.2022.1072227

ISSN=2673-3013

ABSTRACT=COVID -19 is one of the serious catastrophes that have a substantial influence on human health and the environment. Diverse preventive actions were implemented globally to limit its spread and transmission. Personnel protective equipment (PPE) was an important part of these control approaches. But unfortunately, these types of PPE mainly comprise plastics, which sparked challenges in the management of plastic waste. Disposable face masks (DFM) are one of the efficient strategies used across the world to ward off disease transmission. Improper waste management of these used DFMs leads to the transboundary crisis as both the demand and manufacturing were high. DFMs can contribute to micro and nano plastic pollution as the plastic present in the mask may degrade when exposed to certain environmental conditions.  As these plastics are smaller in size, they are more readily consumed by organisms. This paves the entry of plastics into the food chain and devastates human health. Recognizing the possible environmental risks associated with the inappropriate disposal of masks, it is crucial to avert it from becoming the next plastic crisis. To address this environmental threat, titanium dioxide (TiO2)-based photocatalytic degradation (PCD) of MPs/plastics is one of the promising approaches. TiO2-based photocatalysts exhibit excellent plastic degradation potential due to their outstanding photocatalytic ability, cost efficiency, chemical, and thermal stability.  This review focuses on the reports on COVID-19 waste generation and the limitation of current waste management techniques. Reports on waste mismanagement of DFM wastes and the subsequent impact of MPs on the ecosystem are also discussed. Mainly, the role of TiO2 in the photocatalytic degradation of MPs/plastics, TiO2 synthesis, influencing factors, and the mechanism of degradation are the prime highlights of this review. Furthermore, current challenges and the future research perspective on the improvement of this approach have been proposed.