Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Petroleum-based Plastics and Cellulose-based Single-Use Masks

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly increased the consumption of single-use masks globally, resulting in a surge in plastic waste and its associated environmental issues. This study conducts a comparative life cycle assessment(LCA) of single-use masks made of petroleum-based polypropylene(PP) and wood-based cellulose materials to evaluate their environmental impacts by life cycle. The results showed that cellulose-based masks found to be approximately 15.6% lower CO2 eq emission and 38.1% reduced resource depletion than PP-based masks, highlighting their potential as an eco-friendly alternative. However, cellulose-based masks also exhibit higher environmental burdens in human health(33.8%) and ecosystem quality(109.8%), mainly due to increased energy use and by-products during production and disposal processes. The study identifies areas for improvement, including optimizing cellulose-based production processes and establishing specialized waste management systems. It concludes that while cellulose-based materials show promise as sustainable substitutes, further technical advancements in material and process optimization are needed to enhance their overall environmental performance. This research provides useful data for the development of alternative mask materials and sustainable waste management strategies.