Pyrolysis: A waste to energy conversion method to reduce environmental hazards of single-use COVID-19 face masks

The COVID-19 pandemic was officially recognized in March 2020 by the World Health Organization. Since its recognition, reliance on disposable masks as a preventative measure has steadily increased, alongside the improper disposal of personal protective equipment (PPE) among healthcare workers and the general public [1]. In fact, the global demand was estimated to be a staggering 129 billion masks per month at the height of the pandemic [1].