Photo-oxidative degradation of disposable mask and the effect on the biodegradation process in soil system

The increase in the amount of disposable mask waste causes problems in reducing soil quality. In the terrestrial environment, disposable masks will experience various stages of the degradation process which are influenced by abiotic factors involving sunlight and air as well as biotic factors involving organisms in the soil. There are not many studies that reveal the success of the degradation of disposable masks in nature, so this research was conducted to look at the influence of natural factors in the degradation process of disposable masks. The experiment, which was carried out for 100 days, involved pseudomonas bacteria , worms and plants to condition the degradation media to resemble natural conditions. Changes in disposable masks due to chemical and biological degradation are shown from the results of use tests using microscope, thickness, FTIR and SEM. The results of the analysis showed that there was significant damage to disposable masks through examination with a microscope during the treatment of the masks using a photo oxidation process followed by treatment involving worms and bacteria. Conversely, the formation of important ketone, ester and hydroxide groups after the photooxidation process as shown by the FTIR results have not significant gap with the result in mask without photo-oxidation treatment. Furthermore, Pseudomonas bacteria were able to reduce the thickness of disposable masks effectively compared to single treatment using worms. This research shows the very important role of oxygen availability and sunlight in the degradation process of disposable masks before they reach the complete stage of degradation.