High-quality and easy-to-regenerate personal filter.

Autor: Fraenkl M; Center of Materials and Nanotechnologies, Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Pardubice, Pardubice, Czech Republic., Krbal M; Center of Materials and Nanotechnologies, Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Pardubice, Pardubice, Czech Republic., Houdek J; Center of Materials and Nanotechnologies, Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Pardubice, Pardubice, Czech Republic., Zmrhalova ZO; Center of Materials and Nanotechnologies, Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Pardubice, Pardubice, Czech Republic., Prokes B; Center of Materials and Nanotechnologies, Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Pardubice, Pardubice, Czech Republic., Hejda P; Center of Materials and Nanotechnologies, Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Pardubice, Pardubice, Czech Republic., Slang S; Center of Materials and Nanotechnologies, Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Pardubice, Pardubice, Czech Republic., Prikryl J; Center of Materials and Nanotechnologies, Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Pardubice, Pardubice, Czech Republic., Ondracek J; Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals, v.v.i., Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Rozvojova, Prague, Czech Republic., Makes O; Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals, v.v.i., Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Rozvojova, Prague, Czech Republic., Kostyk J; Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals, v.v.i., Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Rozvojova, Prague, Czech Republic., Nasadil P; Textile Testing Institute, Brno, Czech Republic., Malcik P; Textile Testing Institute, Brno, Czech Republic., Zdimal V; Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals, v.v.i., Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Rozvojova, Prague, Czech Republic., Vlcek M; Center of Materials and Nanotechnologies, Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Pardubice, Pardubice, Czech Republic.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: PloS one [PLoS One] 2022 Jun 08; Vol. 17 (6), pp. e0268542. Date of Electronic Publication: 2022 Jun 08 (Print Publication: 2022).
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0268542
Abstrakt: Proper respiratory tract protection is the key factor to limiting the rate of COVID-19 spread and providing a safe environment for health care workers. Traditional N95 (FFP2) respirators are not easy to regenerate and thus create certain financial and ecological burdens; moreover, their quality may vary significantly. A solution that would overcome these disadvantages is desirable. In this study a commercially available knit polyester fleece fabric was selected as the filter material, and a total of 25 filters of different areas and thicknesses were prepared. Then, the size-resolved filtration efficiency (40-400 nm) and pressure drop were evaluated at a volumetric flow rate of 95 L/min. We showed the excellent synergistic effect of expanding the filtration area and increasing the number of filtering layers on the filtration efficiency; a filter cartridge with 8 layers of knit polyester fabric with a surface area of 900 cm2 and sized 25 × 14 × 8 cm achieved filtration efficiencies of 98% at 95 L/min and 99.5% at 30 L/min. The assembled filter kit consists of a filter cartridge (14 Pa) carried in a small backpack connected to a half mask with a total pressure drop of 84 Pa at 95 L/min. In addition, it is reusable, and the filter material can be regenerated at least ten times by simple methods, such as boiling. We have demonstrated a novel approach for creating high-quality and easy-to-breathe-through respiratory protective equipment that reduces operating costs and is a green solution because it is easy to regenerate.
Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Databáze: MEDLINE
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