Arcadis  will Test Wastewater for Advance Warning of COVID

New Elastic Band Design by Purdue Could Extend Life of N 95 Masks

Germany Locks Down Area Around a Meat Plant

Wales Chicken Processing Plant Reports New Outbreak

Confused Mask Messages Continue and the Media is Only as Good as the Source

 EU Face Mask Production will Increase 20-Fold by November

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Arcadis  will Test Wastewater for Advance Warning of COVID

In response to the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States, Arcadis is seeking additional pilot participants for a new program designed to help organizations detect and control the spread of COVID-19 at their facilities.

“Tackling and preventing COVID-19 spread is the first priority of safety-driven organizations across the country. With limited testing and resources available to private and public organizations, we are proud to work with our clients on an alternative solution to keep their people safe,” said Kathleen Abbott, president of Arcadis’ U.S. environment business line.

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is spread by symptomatic and asymptomatic carriers. The virus is shed in oral and nasal secretions, as well as in fecal matter. Taking temperatures and monitoring for symptoms identifies some symptomatic carriers, at which point they may have already spread the virus to coworkers. To get ahead of potential outbreaks, Arcadis will work with participating organizations to test for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater.

With many outbreaks originating in essential workplaces and stay-at-home orders expiring across much of the nation, governing bodies and employers are grappling with how to safely return to work. Testing this new capability could prove to be a faster and more effective method for protecting employee health.

Using existing knowledge of wastewater collection, sampling and testing techniques as well as system design and monitoring capabilities, Arcadis will work with pilot participants to identify the appropriate locations for testing wastewater within their campuses or wastewater collection systems. Equipped with test results, Arcadis will then work with participants to identify and monitor potential hot spots by methodically adjusting sampling locations and frequency.

In addition to protecting employee health, testing wastewater for SARS-CoV-2 is an anonymous process that starts at an agreed-upon location in a facility’s collection system. As such, organizations avoid some of the privacy concerns raised by certain personnel testing and monitoring policies.

The pilot project came about as part of Arcadis’ QuickLaunch program, which invites employees to submit innovative ideas at any time and then fast-tracks the best ideas. Arcadis allotted $25,000 for the project team to explore implementation at participating client locations.

Candidates for the pilot study include automotive, food and beverage, chemical and medical device manufacturers, as well as other industrial companies and municipal organizations with large campuses. Organizations interested in taking part in this pilot study should contact Darcy Sachs at darcy.sachs@arcadis.com.

New Elastic Band Design by Purdue Could Extend Life of N 95 Masks

A Purdue University team has come up with an approach to extend the shelf life for an N95 mask. The Purdue innovators developed a technique that focuses on the elastic band that attaches to the front of the mask.

“The shelf life for an N95 mask is primarily affected by the elastic band holding the mask together, since the elastic disintegrates after a certain period of time,” said Hersh Rai, a graduate student at Purdue in computer and information technology. “We designed a way to create the masks using the same filter material on the front, but with different materials for the band and with novel attachment locations and methods.”

The Purdue team’s approach, which the innovators worked to patent through the Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization, is designed to extend the shelf life and the individual fit of the mask.

“We took our expertise in design and applied it to help fix a problem affecting the frontline workers during this pandemic,” said Nicholas Toan-Nang Vu, a graduate student at Purdue in mechanical engineering.

The team created several design options that work with elastic or different materials that can be attached to the front of the mask in different ways to allow the band materials to be swapped out so the mask can last longer. The designs provide more attachment points for the band materials, which allow for a more secure fit without contaminating the front material.

The team is looking for partners to continue developing their technology. For more information on licensing and other opportunities, contact Matt Halladay of OTC at mrhalladay@prf.org.

Rai and Vu are both active members of the U.S. Navy and worked on the project under the leadership of Eric Dietz, a Purdue professor who leads the Purdue Military Research Initiative.

Germany Locks Down Area Around a Meat Plant

The German state of North-Rhine Westphalia has imposed a new lockdown in the area around a meat processing factory hit by a coronavirus outbreak.

The state's Prime Minister Armin Laschet announced that the entire district of Guetersloh -- home to more than 360,000 people -- would be locked down for the next seven days.

Laschet said the new lockdown would mirror the measures imposed on a national level earlier in the Covid-19 pandemic.

Group meetings have been banned, and schools, daycare centers, museums, restaurants, pubs, swimming pools, gyms and other public places forced to close or drastically limit the number of people allowed in at any one time

Meetings between members of different households have been limited to two people at a time. Shops will remain open, but only with strict hygiene measures in place.

Laschet said the new measures were necessary because 1,553 workers at the Toennies meat processing factory have tested positive for the virus in recent days.

The plant has been shut since last week. All of its 7,000 local employees and their families have been ordered into lockdown, even if they have not tested positive for the virus.

Tönnies, which exports about half its products, has 16,500 employees worldwide and generated revenue of €6.7 billion ($7.5 billion) in 2018. Founded in 1971 by Clemens' late brother Bernd Tönnies, the company produces 850 tons of frozen and fresh meat a day and is Germany's single biggest pork processor, with 27% of the market. Tönnies slaughters tens of millions of pigs each year.

On Tuesday, those restrictions were broadened to cover the entire district. "You must stay in quarantine," Laschet said during a news conference on Tuesday, adding that police will enforce the lockdown if necessary.

Everyone working at the factory has already been tested, according to the district's website. Laschet said 100 mobile testing teams were combing through the district to identify anyone who may have been infected.

North-Rhine Westphalia is Germany's most populous state, with almost 18 million inhabitants.

In the seven days prior to Monday, the entire state reported 1,860 new cases of the novel coronavirus. That statistic suggests that while the outbreak has been severe, it has so far been largely confined to the factory and its workers.

Laschet said Tuesday that only 24 coronavirus cases have been identified outside the factory so far.

The lockdown Guetersloh marks the first time Germany has imposed a new lockdown, after easing many restrictions last month.

Wales Chicken Processing Plant Reports New Outbreak

Public Health Wales (PHW) has confirmed 25 more cases at the 2 Sisters chicken processing plant, which employs about 500 people in Llangefni on Anglesey.

Now three Welsh meat plants have Covid-19 among its workers - with 34 cases linked to Kepak in Merthyr Tydfil and 70 at Rowan Foods in Wrexham.

Wales' health minister said government will see if the sector should improve.

The chicken processing plant in Llangefni, the smallest of food giant 2 Sisters' 12 plants across the UK, has temporarily closed as a result of the outbreak.

"Incidents like this are a reminder that coronavirus is still circulating, sometimes invisibly, and that we all need to be vigilant," said Dr Graham Brown of PHW.

Birmingham-based 2 Sisters is one of the UK's biggest food manufacturing companies, employing about 18,000 people across the country and with an estimated £3bn annual turnover.

2 Sisters supply major outlets like Marks & Spencer, KFC, Asda and Aldi - although the company say none of their major customers are supplied from the Anglesey plant.

Confused Mask Messages Continue and the Media is Only as Good as the Source

The media is devoting lots of space to covering the coronavirus and technology solutions. But their reporting is no better than the information they are  gathering from  niche experts. The problem is that an niche expert in epidemiology is not an expert on travel of small aerosols nor on the efficiency of specific filtration media. McIlvaine has a concept of developing subject matter ultra-experts. These are niche experts who have access to organized systems to help develop their expertise to a new level. The result is  that any given decision should be impacted by the niche expertise of many narrow  ultra-experts rather than one semi expert. We believe that the Coronavirus Technology Solutions is an organized system which will benefit those who can make judgements and convey them to the media.

An example of a major newspaper conveying confused information is found in The Guardian  (a major UK newspaper) yesterday.

Different types of mask offer different levels of protection. Surgical grade N95 respirators offer the highest level of protection against Covid-19 infection, followed by surgical grade masks. However, these masks are costly, in limited supply, contribute to landfill waste and are uncomfortable to wear for long periods. So even countries that have required the public to wear face masks have generally suggested such masks should be reserved for health workers or those at particularly high risk.

These masks will not be in short supply if there is the demand. Our webinars show the availability of nanofibers and membranes.  So there is not a media capacity problem. Contributing to land fill waste is not a real issue. Polyester has a fuel value of 20,000 BTU per lb  and would be welcomed at waste to energy plants.

Ironically the UK is at the center of a whole program to proactively use Waste To Energy plants and biomass fired electricity generators to remove CO2 from the atmosphere through sucking the CO2 out of the air with tree growth and then combusting the chips and sequestering it in the North sea.

Opportunistic Biomass - CCS Program is the Route chosen by the UK and Japan

There is in depth reporting  on coronavirus by several  major news media.  We have been working with Keith Bradsher, Shanghai bureau chief of the NY Times for decades.  He has done in depth analysis of Sinopec, the large Chinese petrochemical company.  His article on Sinopec and meltblowns will be published soon.  Here is our correspondence with him this week.

Yes Keith

It seems difficult to understand why the U.S. does not divert more of its meltblown capacity to masks rather than other products.  One reason is contractual. The existing capacity is committed to customers. A second reason is that much of the capacity is dedicated to company products. So companies are making wipes or filters or other products. Another reason is due to manufacturing considerations.  The arrangement of equipment and the business structure do not lend themselves to making meltblowns for masks. Finally there is the reluctance to make a change if the market will disappear.

Our daily alerts indicate that it is a huge mistake to assume that the market will disappear. There is now proof that much of the virus spread is through small aerosols. The main defense therefore has to be an efficient mask. Meltblowns, nanofibers and membranes are the only media which will be effective.

Look forward to reading the article

Bob

From: Keith Bradsher <kebrad@nytimes.com>
Sent: Wednesday, June 24, 2020 2:25 AM
To: Bob Mcilvaine <rmcilvaine@mcilvainecompany.com>
Subject: Re: Sinopec position in meltblown mask media

Hi Bob,

My article is finally ready to run. It cites you and your eponymous research and consulting firm in Northfield as saying that China has raised its production of melt-blown fabric for masks to 150 tons per day up from 30 tons before the pandemic, while the U.S. is only at 10 tons even now.

Do you want to update those numbers, or are those still the most recent available?

Many thanks,
Keith

On Sun, May 17, 2020 at 7:43 AM Keith Bradsher <kebrad@nytimes.com> wrote:

Thank you, Bob. It looks like you are rapidly gathering good data from your subscribers, who represent a good source of collective knowledge.

I want to make sure that I am reading this chart correctly. Are you saying that the U.S., as of April 15, made only 10 tons per day of meltblown nonwoven fabric at a medical grade, and the rest of the 750 was non-medical grades for other filtration?

But the U.S. production of medical grade had been 2 tons per day as of Jan. 1?

Meanwhile, China increased its production of medical grade from 30 tons on Jan. 1 to 150 million tons on April 1?

Also, just to double check, your most recent estimates for China are for April 1 and for the U.S. on April 15?

Thank you,

Keith

 

Meltblown Production in tons per day
Sector	Total	Face Mask	Filter and Other
U.S. April 15 up 23% (but  maybe only face mask)	750?	10	741?
U. S  Jan 1	680	2	675
3M April  1 2020 (includes U.S. import)		15
3M  June  1  U.S. only		5
China and Taiwan Mask Import to U.S.    Jan 1 80% including 3M		5
China Jan 1	146	30
China government controlled Jan 1	42	42?
Sinopec April 1	18	18
China April 1	300	150
China government controlled including Sinopec April 1	75	75?

 

On Sun, May 17, 2020 at 7:11 AM Bob Mcilvaine <rmcilvaine@mcilvainecompany.com> wrote:

Hi Keith

Here is the analysis which shows that Sinopec is # 1 at 18 tpd for melt blown masks.  3M is # 2 at 15 tpd but 2/3 is from its Chinese plants. Chinese government controlled producers are increasing production from 40 to 70 tons per day.  This includes the 18 from Sinopec and 12 from others.

As you can see from our draft May 18 Alert, we are gathering the details on a daily basis.

When people realize that only N95 masks will protect them from the aerosols smaller than 5 microns, there will be a market potential of over 2000 tons per day. Let me know what other information I can provide.

Bob

 

EU Face Mask Production will Increase 20-Fold by November

EU production of face masks is set to increase 20-fold by November this year compared to pre-crisis times, according to EDANA. This means that EU-based producers will be able to make the equivalent of 1.5 billion three-layer masks per month, according to figures released today by the leading association serving the nonwovens and related industries.

Pierre Wiertz, EDANA’s General Manager, said: “These figures show how EDANA’s members in the nonwovens sector have responded in record time to the unprecedented challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic and the call by EU and national authorities to ramp up production of face masks to protect public health.”

“As soon as the European Commission and member states asked for an increase in the production of face masks, EDANA’s members worked flat out to increase the production of meltblown nonwoven web, which is essential for face masks, in the EU and to overcome global supply shortages,” Wiertz added.

Over the last three months, EDANA has been liaising with partner associations including MedTech Europe, ESF, and EURATEX to ensure sufficient supplies of essential public health equipment. Wiertz said that following this response, the industry faced some uncertainties which needed clarification. “The industry now needs clear official estimates of the current and future EU needs for medical-grade face masks and personal protective masks (FFP2/3) as well as guarantees that stockpiling and procurement procedures would favor EU players in the supply chain and enable their sustainable business development”. This would reward their efforts to produce quality single-use products compliant with European Standards, he said.

Jacques Prigneaux, EDANA’s Market Analysis and Economic Affairs Director, explained that at the start of the pandemic in March, “the main bottleneck in the global supply chain for face masks was a shortage of ultra-fine meltblown (MB) filament web, which is the indispensable high-tech filter layer used in all nonwoven masks. Once electro statistically charged, this nonwoven fabric is able to stop very fine particles and droplets carrying bacteria and viruses.”

Prigneaux said that thanks to the efforts of EU-based producers there would be enough meltblown capacity in the EU by November to produce the equivalent of 1.5 billion three-layer surgical masks per month. He added that it normally took up to 12 months to install meltblown production lines, but several contractors had managed to halve the time needed.

In contrast with the rest of the supply chain, where European players were no longer in a leadership position, the world’s most sophisticated technology platforms producing meltblown nonwovens belong to European machinery companies, he said.

Last week EDANA convened a new sector group representing face mask converters, nonwoven suppliers, testing laboratories and equipment manufacturers to work together to develop an independent and self-sufficient supply chain for medical face masks and personal protective masks in the EU. The group will work to ensure adherence to applicable European Standards and to encourage responsible product stewardship throughout the lifecycle of facemasks from raw material sourcing to end-of-life solutions.

In March 2020, EDANA offered rapid support in response to the call from EU member states and the European Commission to ramp up the production of face masks in the EU.

For more information, visit https://www.edana.org/how-we-take-action/covid-1