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Papers
61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to PPE Waste-Derived Carbon Materials for Energy Storage Applications via Carbonization Techniques
ClearWaste-based nanoarchitectonics with face masks as valuable starting material for high-performance supercapacitors
Researchers carbonized and KOH-activated surgical face mask waste to create microporous carbon electrode materials with surface areas of 460-969 square meters per gram for use in supercapacitors. The approach converts a major COVID-19 waste stream that releases microplastic fibers during environmental degradation into a high-value energy storage material.
Repurposing Face Masks after Use: From Wastes to Anode Materials for Na-Ion Batteries
Disposable face masks from the COVID-19 pandemic were repurposed as a carbon source for sodium-ion battery anodes through pyrolysis. Both surgical and FFP2 mask types produced hard carbons with electrochemical properties suitable for energy storage. This approach offers a sustainable path for handling pandemic-generated plastic waste by converting it into functional materials.
Upcycling plastic waste into electrode materials for energy storage applications
Researchers reviewed approaches for upcycling plastic waste into electrode materials for energy storage applications, finding that discarded plastics including polyethylene, polypropylene, and PET can be converted through pyrolysis and chemical activation into carbon-based electrodes for supercapacitors and batteries, addressing both plastic pollution and energy storage challenges simultaneously.
Waste Surgical Masks as Precursors of Activated Carbon: A Circular Economy Approach to Mitigate the Impact of Microplastics and Emerging Dye Contaminants
Waste surgical masks were converted into activated carbon materials through pyrolysis, demonstrating a circular approach for handling the surge in disposable mask waste generated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Repurposing mask waste as functional carbon avoids its fragmentation into microplastics in the environment.
Review of the valorization options for the proper disposal of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic
Researchers reviewed waste management options for the surge in discarded polypropylene face masks during COVID-19, finding that improper disposal contributes directly to microplastic pollution, and proposing valorization strategies — including energy recovery and material upcycling — tailored to country-level infrastructure and emergency conditions.
Upcycling of face masks to application-rich multi- and single-walled carbon nanotubes
Disposable face masks from the COVID-19 pandemic were converted into high-value single-walled and multi-walled carbon nanotubes through a thermal upcycling process. The resulting nanotubes showed properties suitable for use in electronics and materials applications. This approach demonstrates a path for converting pandemic plastic waste into advanced materials rather than landfill.
Carbon materials derived from single-use plastics (SUPs) and their applications in pollution mitigation: Challenges and perspectives
This review examines strategies for converting single-use plastic waste into value-added carbon-based materials through thermal, chemical, and catalytic transformation techniques including pyrolysis, carbonization, and chemical activation. The authors assess how these approaches address microplastic contamination risks while contributing to circular economy frameworks by repurposing non-degradable plastic residues.
Recycling of Polymer Components From Waste Face Masks for Asphalt Modification: A Mini Review
Polymer components recovered from waste face masks (a major source of plastic waste since the COVID-19 pandemic) were recycled and incorporated into new materials. The study supports developing circular recycling pathways for the large volume of disposable mask plastic that otherwise risks fragmenting into microplastics.
Disposal and resource utilization of waste masks: a review
Researchers reviewed current methods for disposing of and repurposing waste face masks — including mechanical recycling, catalytic pyrolysis for hydrogen production, and solvent-based dissolution — identifying solvent-based approaches as especially promising for converting mask polypropylene into multifunctional materials.
Plastic Waste Management towards Energy Recovery during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Example of Protective Face Mask Pyrolysis
Researchers analyzed the elemental composition and pyrolysis behavior of COVID-19 protective face masks, finding that pyrolysis at 400-900 degrees Celsius could effectively recover energy from pandemic-related plastic waste that overwhelmed conventional waste management systems.
The Impacts of Plastic Waste from Personal Protective Equipment Used during the COVID-19 Pandemic
This review analyzes the environmental impacts of personal protective equipment plastic waste generated during the COVID-19 pandemic, examining how the unprecedented surge in PPE demand overwhelmed waste management systems and contributed to microplastic pollution.
Personal protective equipment use during COVID-19 pandemic and associated waste management in households in Sri Lanka
Researchers estimated that COVID-19 PPE use in Sri Lanka generates approximately 88.5 tonnes of plastic waste daily, with 55% of facemasks disposed via open burning at homes, and identified major gaps in PPE waste management infrastructure while proposing pyrolysis-based energy recovery strategies.
Face Masks to Combat Coronavirus (COVID-19)—Processing, Roles, Requirements, Efficacy, Risk and Sustainability
This review examines the materials, manufacturing methods, and effectiveness of face masks used during the COVID-19 pandemic, most of which are made from non-biodegradable plastics like polypropylene and polyester. Researchers found that while masks are effective at reducing virus transmission, their widespread use and improper disposal have created a significant environmental concern as they break down into microplastics. The study calls for more sustainable mask materials and better waste management strategies to reduce the environmental footprint of pandemic-related plastic waste.
A review of waste management during protection kits and other material
This review examines waste management challenges associated with COVID-19 protective gear, including masks, gloves, and other single-use plastic items. Improper disposal of pandemic PPE has added significant quantities of plastic to the environment that will degrade into microplastics over time.
Waste Face Surgical Mask Transformation into Crude Oil and Nanostructured Electrocatalysts for Fuel Cells and Electrolyzers
Researchers developed a novel valorization process to convert waste surgical face masks into crude oil via pyrolysis and nanostructured carbon electrocatalysts for use in fuel cells and electrolyzers, demonstrating a dual-value approach to managing the large volumes of pandemic-generated plastic medical waste.
A Safe Collection Process of Covid-19 Disposable Face Masks for the Applications in Asphalt Pavements
This study developed a theoretical collection and processing pathway for disposable COVID-19 face masks to enable their use as a material in asphalt pavement. The pandemic generated massive quantities of mask waste, which contains polypropylene microplastics; the proposed approach offers a way to divert this waste from landfills while making use of its material properties.
Environmental Impacts of Personal Protective Clothing Used to Combat COVID‐ 19
This review examines the environmental impacts of single-use personal protective equipment (PPE) used during COVID-19, which is primarily made from polypropylene and polyester plastics. The surge in PPE use generated enormous quantities of plastic waste, much of which was not properly disposed of and ended up in oceans and other environments. The authors call for development of biodegradable or reusable alternatives for healthcare personal protection.
From waste to energy: luminescent solar concentrators based on carbon dots derived from surgical facemasks
Researchers converted discarded surgical face masks into carbon dots and used them to fabricate luminescent solar concentrators, achieving a solar-to-energy conversion efficiency of 6.1% while diverting pandemic-era plastic waste from landfills.
Machine Learning-Empowered Plastic-Derived Porous Carbons for High-Performance CO 2 Capture
Machine learning was used to design porous carbon materials derived from waste plastics for use in energy storage and environmental remediation applications. Repurposing plastic waste as functional carbon materials is a promising circular economy strategy that could reduce the volume of plastics entering the environment.
Recycling Carbon Resources from Waste PET to Reduce Carbon Dioxide Emission: Carbonization Technology Review and Perspective
This review summarized carbonization technologies for converting waste PET plastic into valuable carbon materials, offering a strategy to reduce carbon dioxide emissions while recycling plastic resources in alignment with carbon neutrality goals.
Study of Recycling Potential of FFP2 Face Masks and Characterization of the Plastic Mix-Material Obtained. A Way of Reducing Waste in Times of Covid-19
Researchers showed that FFP2 face masks can be mechanically recycled without pre-sorting their composite materials, producing a polymer blend with thermal and mechanical properties comparable to recycled polypropylene — offering a practical route to divert pandemic mask waste from the environment.
Upcycling Plastic Waste into High Value‐Added Carbonaceous Materials
This review examines methods for converting plastic waste into high-value carbonaceous materials through upcycling techniques. Researchers surveyed approaches for transforming discarded plastics into products such as carbon fibres, water purification absorbents, and energy storage electrodes. The study suggests that upcycling plastic waste into carbon-based materials offers a practical alternative to conventional disposal methods like landfilling and incineration.
An urgent call to think globally and act locally on landfill disposable plastics under and after covid-19 pandemic: Pollution prevention and technological (Bio) remediation solutions
This review examines how the COVID-19 pandemic worsened plastic pollution through massive increases in landfilled disposable masks and other protective equipment, estimated at 3.5 million metric tonnes in the first year alone. Researchers warn that improperly managed pandemic waste could release trillions of microplastics into the environment. The study highlights innovative waste management and bioremediation technologies that could help mitigate the long-term environmental impact.
Agro-residual biomass and disposable protective face mask: a merger for converting waste to plastic-fiber fuel via an integrative carbonization-pelletization framework
Researchers combined hydrothermal carbonization and pelletization to convert surgical face masks blended with agricultural biomass into solid fuel pellets, finding that the resulting composite fuel met quality standards for wood pellets and emitted CO and NOx below occupational safety limits, offering a waste-to-energy pathway for pandemic plastic waste.