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

The global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has rapidly increased the demand for facemasks as a measure to reduce the rapid spread of the pathogen Throughout the pandemic, some countries such as Italy had a monthly demand of ca 90 million facemasks Domestic mask manufacturers are capable of manufacturing 8 million masks each week, although the demand was 40 million per week during March 2020 This dramatic increase has contributed to a spike in the generation of facemask waste Facemasks are often manufactured with synthetic materials that are non-biodegradable, and their increased usage and improper disposal are raising environmental concerns Consequently, there is a strong interest for developing biodegradable facemasks made with for example, renewable nanofibres A range of natural polymer-based nanofibres has been studied for their potential to be used in air filter applications This review article examines potential natural polymer-based nanofibres along with their filtration and antimicrobial capabilities for developing biodegradable facemask that will promote a cleaner production © 2021 The Authors Journal of Applied Polymer Science published by Wiley Periodicals LLC