- Bioinicia has launched the Bio Hygienic Mask with PPE calibration, the world’s first compostable nanofibre mask with FFP2-like filtration capacity, made by Bioinicia and Spain’s CSIC National Research Council.
- PROVEIL BIO PPE has an aerosol filtration rate of over 98% and decomposes in 22 days.
- The most sustainable way to prevent the proliferation of used masks is to produce them by harnessing biomass- and/or waste-derived raw materials and recycle them organically in the form of industrial composting.
Since the pandemic began more than a year ago, people have had to acclimatise to major lifestyle changes such as social distancing, timetable and mobility restrictions and mask-wearing.
But masks have brought a new risk for the planet. A simple gesture like removing one and throwing it away can wrought havoc on the environment. Flushing a mask down the toilet or dropping it on the ground rather than disposing of it in recommended places is a serious concern, entailing the same damage as throwing out wipes and plastic. That is why Bioinicia, together with Spain’s CSIC National Research Council, has developed the Bio Hygienic Mask with PPE calibration, the world’s first compostable nanofibre mask with FFP2-like filtration capacity that can filter out more than 98% of aerosols and which decomposes in 22 days.
The mask, available from PROVEIL.ES, is compostable and made from natural raw materials that help care for the environment. The components will break down into water and CO2 over time, preventing millions of tonnes of plastic from reaching the oceans. The entire range of PROVEIL® PPE and surgical masks available on the website are made using 30% less plastic, in a nod to the company’s commitment to the environment.
“Nearly all the masks on the market are currently made from petroleum-based plastics that are highly inert and non-biodegradable,” said CSIC researcher José María Lagarón, head of the group that developed the PROVEIL® nanofibre filter together with Bioinicia. “It will therefore be a pollutant in the environment for hundreds of years and break down into small pieces that will produce microplastics consumed by living organisms and end up in our diet. 2020 is believed to have ended with nearly 1.5 billion masks in the sea, creating a new type of ocean trash. An additional problem to the accumulation of masks in the environment and landfills is that they are based on a linear, disposable economy, not a circular one. Plastic production also adds carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, driving the greenhouse effect.”
How Not to Generate Waste
Ways to avoid the proliferation of used masks as polluting waste include, according to José María Lagarón, “collecting and repurposing them as other products or to produce energy. The most sustainable way is to harness biomass- and/or waste-derived raw materials and recycle them organically in the form of industrial composting to return carbon to the soil.”
Creation of a PPE/FFP2-like Compostable Mask
To find solutions to the devastating environmental impact, Bioinicia and CSIC investigated creating a compostable mask with a format that adapts to the face like PPE and FFP2 masks. “The CSIC has extensive experience in this area so our common goal was to create a mask unique to the market that could be organically recycled via industrial composting but with the same filtration, breathability and fit properties as a PPE, FFP2 or COVID-19 mask so that it offers optimal protection not only outdoors but inside too and can be used safely by the public, teachers, law enforcement agents and health workers,” José María Lagarón said.
Bioinicia works together with the CSIC for the health of the entire population by making all its resources available to reduce COVID-19 infections as far as possible through the use of its masks. It also demonstrates a firm commitment to the environment. Part of its research and development focuses not only on optimising filters but ensuring that the materials used minimise the impact on our planet.