An Advanced Dual‐Function MnO
            2
            ‐Fabric Air Filter Combining Catalytic Oxidation of Formaldehyde and High‐Efficiency Fine Particulate Matter Removal

The COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION has enacted laws to improve the quality of the ambient air: The “COUNCIL DIRECTIVE 1999/30/EC of 22 April 1999 relating to limit values for sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and oxides of nitrogen, particulate matter and lead in ambient air” and the “DIRECTIVE 2008/50/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 21 May 2008 on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe”. The Member States had to bring into force the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with these Directives. These Directives are raising the expectations on the reduction of fine particulate matter on the potential emitters, mainly public traffic, industry and waste-to-energy (WtE) plants. Although there is currently no European regulation on stack emissions of fine particulate matter, local regulatory authorities have tightened the emission limits of total particulate matter. For example, quite a number of Italian WtE plants are expected to meet dust emission levels of less than 2 mg/m3. In order to assure compliance strong efforts and large investments have been made to optimize the efficiency of their APC system. Different dust filtration technologies will be compared and the filtration principles of depth filtration and surface filtration will be detailed. A comparison of an experimental study and the practical performance of the different technologies are discussed. Special focus will be given to the development and application of High Efficiency Membrane Filter Laminates for retention of fine particulate matter. These filter materials consist of micro-porous expanded PolyTetraFluoroEthylene (ePTFE) membranes laminated onto suitable backing materials, retention rates of > 99.99% of PM2.5 have been achieved. A number of large European WtE plants have already completed their APC upgrades by using the High Efficiency Membrane Filter Laminates. Some of them are on operation for a couple of years, performance reviews will be detailed.

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Development of SPI/AC/PVA nano-composite for air-filtration and purification

Research Journal of Textile and Apparel ◽

10.1108/rjta-09-2019-0044 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 24 (1) ◽

pp. 72-83 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Gobi Nallathambi ◽

Berly Robert ◽

Sharon Preethi Esmeralda ◽

Janani Kumaravel ◽

Vinitha Parthiban

Keyword(s):

Particulate Matter ◽

Soy Protein ◽

Active Sites ◽

High Efficiency ◽

High Surface ◽

Nanofibrous Membrane ◽

Dual Function ◽

Air Filtration ◽

Air Filter ◽

Content Type

Purpose Development of high efficiency nanofibrous air filter membrane by electrospinning process, to address the air pollution (both the particulate matter and the gaseous components) problem, which has become a major environmental concern. Design/methodology/approach By exploiting the advantage of active sites on soy protein isolate (SPI), the very high surface area of micro-pore rich activated carbon (AC) and the biocompatibility and biodegradable nature of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The authors have developed a SPI/AC/PVA hybrid membrane. Spun-bond nonwoven substrate was used as the support material to enhance the mechanical properties and also the filter handling properties. The properties of nanofibrous membrane including morphology, air permeability, filtration efficiency and formaldehyde absorption test were carried out as per standard test methods. Findings SPI-based membrane offers a great potential in air filtration/purification applications. Its potential to capture glancing pollutants at the molecular level is because of the presence of numerous functional groups on the soy protein surface, which enhances the adsorption of particulate matter and toxic gases, even bacteria and viruses to its surface. Originality/value The results are anticipated to provide a potential method to promote the development of a nanofibrous membrane, which can act as a high performance, dual function and eco-friendly air filter/purifier.

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Roll-to-Roll Production of Spider Silk Nanofiber Nonwoven Meshes Using Centrifugal Electrospinning for Filtration Applications

Molecules ◽

10.3390/molecules25235540 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 25 (23) ◽

pp. 5540

Author(s):

Fabian Müller ◽

Shakir Zainuddin ◽

Thomas Scheibel

Keyword(s):

Particulate Matter ◽

Pressure Drop ◽

Fine Particle ◽

Spider Silk ◽

High Efficiency ◽

Fine Particulate Matter ◽

Medical Applications ◽

Silk Proteins ◽

Roll To Roll ◽

Fine Particulate

Filtration systems used in technical and medical applications require components for fine particle deep filtration to be highly efficient and at the same time air permeable. In high efficiency filters, nonwoven meshes, which show increased performance based on small fiber diameters (e.g., using nanofibers), can be used as fine particle filter layers. Nanofiber nonwoven meshes made by electrospinning of spider silk proteins have been recently shown to exhibit required filter properties. Needle-based electrospinning, however, is limited regarding its productivity and scalability. Centrifugal electrospinning, in contrast, has been shown to allow manufacturing of ultrathin polymer nonwoven meshes in an efficient and scalable manner. Here, continuous roll-to-roll production of nonwoven meshes made of recombinant spider silk proteins is established using centrifugal electrospinning. The produced spider silk nanofiber meshes show high filter efficiency in the case of fine particulate matter below 2.5 µm (PM2.5) and a low pressure drop, resulting in excellent filter quality.

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