Biodegradable PPE Made of Pineapple Fiber Paper

Abstract

The 2020 pandemic has driven the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and therefore, increased the amount of waste. Paper-like surgical masks are made from polypropylene, which is a non-biodegradable material. An alternative material for medical grade PPE that is equal to polypropylene is crucial to reduce waste. Pineapple leaves are a potential alternative for polypropylene. Pineapple Leaf Fiber (PALF) is rich in cellulose, cost effective, eco-friendly and has good fiber strength. To create PPE out of PALF, the fibers must be processed into paper. However, PALF paper has not yet been used widely in the medical industry. This methodology research was divided into two stages. The first stage used a quantitative approach by comparing the results of the properties test of PALF paper with SNI (Standar Nasional Indonesia, the National Standard of Indonesia). The second stage used a qualitative approach, namely the PPE product design process that utilized PALF paper as the basic material. An explorative approach was used to design comfortable PPE. The pineapple fiber paper PPE product will be tested to determine its medical grade which is shown in paper resistance, air permeability/porosity, and water absorption level. The results of this PALF exploration are to open up opportunities for the use of PALF and expected to show a production-ready material for PPE.