Life cycle assessment and performance of mask pad coated with lignin from empty fruit bunches

Abstract

Life cycle assessment (LCA) was used to investigate a mask pad made from muslin and salo fabric. First, the antimicrobial properties and antimicrobial performance of the mask pad were determined. Then, the mask pad was coated with lignin extracted from an empty fruit bunch (EFB). H₂SO₄-pretreated EFB had a higher lignin composition (42.78%) than unpretreated bunches (12.84%). Then, pretreated EFB was subjected to delignification using NaOH; 69.57% lignin purity was obtained. For some conditions, chitosan was used as a binder to produce a better coating. The minimum inhibitory and minimum bactericidal concentrations of EFB lignin against Staphylococcus aureus were 6,400 and 12,800 μg/mL, respectively. Various lignin concentrations and mixtures of lignin and chitosan were coated on muslin and salo fabrics. Adding lignin (0.125% w/v) and chitosan (0.25% w/v) to both fabrics produced the highest possible score of 5 in the colorfastness test and were studied further. The coated fabric could reduce the growth of S. aureus by 30-48% over 24 h, based on the AATCC100-2012 standard. The LCA results showed that the lignin-coated textile masks had the highest environmental impact in the midpoint category on marine and freshwater ecotoxicity (0.955 and 1.2 kg 1,4- dichlorobenzeen (DCB), respectively) and in the endpoint category on human health and ecosystem. Most impacts were from electricity and water consumption in the coating solution process and in producing the lining for the textile masks. Furthermore, the production of the textile mask pads was cost-effective and less expensive compared to the other types of mask studied.