A disposable face mask, also known by other names like a medical face mask or procedure mask, is a personal protective equipment utilized by healthcare professionals that acts as a mechanical barrier that interferes with direct airflow in and out of respiratory orifices.

 In recent years, Malaysia's disposable face mask market has experienced a significant uptick, primarily driven by heightened health awareness among the population. A key driver has been the global health crisis, which saw a staggering 150% increase in face mask usage nationwide. This surge is also attributed to government mandates, which led to a 200% rise in the production capacities of local manufacturers. The export market flourished, contributing to a remarkable 50% of the total market share, underscoring Malaysia's role as a key player in the global supply chain. In addition to this, according to the research report of Astute Analytica, the Malaysia disposable face mask market is growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.29% during the forecast period from 2024 to 2032.

A sustainable approach towards disposable face mask production is: -

The severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) or coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was announced as a global pandemic on 11 March 2020 by the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO believes that personal protection is essential to reduce the spread. One of the leading public health standards utilized in the health care system is utilizing personal protection equipment (PPE), such as gloves and masks, as a public health intervention to curb disease spread.

Wearing a mask has become a standard custom in communities, augmenting its significance in daily life. Its usage has been widely applied in communities to respond to this pandemic, associated with the respiratory problem.

The material properties and the engineering design distinguish the filtration capacity and, thus, the protection level of disposable face masks. The raw material of disposable face masks consists of different polymeric materials that differ in their properties, such as polyurethane, polyacrylonitrile, polystyrene, polypropylene, polyethylene, or polycarbonate, depending on the customers’ order.

However, among the plastic polymers that are sufficient as material for disposable face masks, polypropylene is the most frequently used due to its low cost and low melt viscosity for easy processing. In other production procedures, these certain polymeric materials are for plastic product manufacturing.

Regardless of brand, face masks are generally formed by three layers of a thin non-woven textile: an outer waterproof layer to repel fluids, a middle filtering layer to control particles and pathogen-containing droplets from penetrating in either direction, and an inner absorbent layer to trap user droplets.

Non-woven fabrics have better air permeability and filtration efficiency than woven cloth, with non-woven being less slippery. The nonwoven fabric is created by bonding a mass of filaments together via chemical, heat, or mechanical procedures (spun bond and melt-blown techniques) to form smooth, porous, and extremely durable sheets. In some manufacturing procedures, silica nanoparticles may be utilized as a filler to enhance the material’s mechanical strength and toughness.

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