The world is fighting with COVID-19 with all the possible measures. In this progression, there is a surge in waste footprints due to an increased demand for healthcare gears like PPE kits, gloves, eye protection gears, masks, etc. The majority of these gears are made up of non-recyclable materials. Many countries don't have proper medical waste management practices, which make the environment vulnerable to pollution hazards of several kinds. The quick method of disposal of these wastes includes landfills and incineration approaches, which can have long term adverse effects on the environment. Heavy use of chemical disinfectants before dumping can lead to drug resistance in microbes and may have an adverse impact on the environment. Sustainable approaches, though slow, have minimal effects on the environment. Reactive oxygen species-based enzyme system can disrupt virus traces, free genetic material, and microbial load efficiently. The advancement in metagenomic technologies has also suggested various enzymes and consortia of microbe-based approaches for combating different kinds of pollution. In this review, we have discussed the burgeoning hurdles in the disposal of healthcare waste (mainly plastic, textile, and paper) and suggested the potential use of various bioremediation techniques to battle the waste footprints generated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Potent bio-catalyst based remediation techniques for an effective and sustainable breakdown of medical gear waste footprints surge during COVID-19 pandemic

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.