High-efficiency enzymatic biodegradation of polypropylene-based melt-blown fabric debris.

ABSTRACT: The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has led to a dramatic increase in the usage and disposal of disposable masks worldwide, most of which are manufactured from melt-blown fabric composed of polypropylene (PP). Biodegradation of PP is considered to be extremely challenging because of its saturated chemical structure and high stability. In this study, we discovered that PP-based melt-blown fabric debris (MBFD; M _w, ∼157 kDa; crystallinity, 40-60%) and PP industrial particles (M _w, 100 kDa; crystallinity, 40-50%) can be degraded by the natural metabolizing enzyme glutathione S-transferase (GST) and digestive enzyme trypsin. The degradation efficiency of MBFD reached 86.7% (trypsin) and 99.2% (GST) with degradation rates of 1.57 and 3.98 g L^-1

SUBMITTER: Huang X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12284594 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature