Preliminary Evaluation of The Face Masks Degradation in Seawater and Mangrove Water Anna Rakhmawati (a), Bernadetta Octavia (a), and Siti Marwati (b)
a. Department of Biology Education, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
b. Department of Chemistry Education, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Abstract
The worldwide huge utilization of disposable face masks driven by the Covid-19 pandemic has arisen as a significant environmental impact. The aims of this study are to (1) evaluate the weight loss masks- (2) calculate the release of microfibers- (3) count the total bacteria on masks- (4) establish the link between different mask types, newly masks and used masks degradation in different physicochemical condition, respectively. Mask degradation was also supported by Scanning Electron Microscope-Energy Dispersive X-Ray (SEM-EDX) analysis. Two types of masks, black duckbill and blue surgical, were obtained from a local market. To provide a degradation preliminary study of a face mask dumped in the aquatic environment, we carried out in seawater from Parangtritis Beach and Wanatirta Mangrove water Yogyakarta. Five cm diameter of masks were incubated in 20 ml water with a static condition for 30 days at room temperature. There is no weight reduction for all treatment. The used masks release more microfiber and total bacteria than newly masks respectively. The result indicated that the disposable face masks did not completely disintegrate after 30 days in seawater and mangrove water.
