Coronavirus Technology Solutions
August 11, 2020
New Air Purifier Production Facility for EnviroKlenz® Air Purifiers
Need to Measure the One Stop as Well as Direct Flight Path for Viruses
Duke Researchers Observe that Some Masks are Aerosol Generators
Virus Penetrates MERV 15 Filters
Nanofibers are a Route to More Efficient Filters and Masks
Two Hundred Fifty Elmarco Nanospider Production Lines in Operation
Fibertex is a Major Nanofiber Media Supplier
Lime is a Major Supplier of Nanofiber Media
Upscale Building Lobbies are Upgrading Air Filtration Systems
Local HEPA Filter Systems Should be Considered by Schools
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New Air Purifier Production Facility for EnviroKlenz® Air Purifiers
Timilon Technology Acquisitions, parent-company of EnviroKlenz®, OdorKlenz®, and FAST-ACT®, announced the opening of its third and newest production facility in the United States. The facility will support the brand’s production of EnviroKlenz® air purifiers to satisfy customers’ demand during the pandemic, while maintaining its recognizable quality.
The EnviroKlenz® air purifier has a two-stage air filtration system, made up of its patented earth mineral technology air cartridges and HEPA filters. All units are produced in the United States and hand-crafted with a powder-coated metal assembly, which composes a safe and durable design. The new facility will maintain EnviroKlenz® high-quality standards and shorten the delivery time of the standard and UV mobile units.
“At EnviroKlenz®, our customers’ satisfaction is our number one priority,” said Director of Operations Eric Steward, “so we want to make sure they get the cleanest air as soon as possible. This expansion is a great opportunity for us to increase our production and decrease shipment time, especially now when Americans are spending most of their time indoors.”
EnviroKlenz® Mobile Air System Standard and UV Models are both equipped with medical-grade HEPA filters in addition to their patented earth mineral-based air cartridges. The UV Model has the added benefit of killing any bacteria, spores, and microorganisms that are caught on the HEPA Filter.
Need to Measure the One Stop as Well as Direct Flight Path for Viruses
To measure the potential virus transmission of airline travelers from Seattle to Atlanta you need to take into account one stop as well as direct flights. The same is true for masks and filters.
How much virus is captured as larger droplets on the filter media and then converted to small aerosols? Research is now showing that with inefficient masks and filters the one stop flight is a significant contributor.
The following two articles are just those we are posting today which show the mounting evidence. The first article shows that inefficient masks are aerosol generators within seconds of capturing a droplet. But all the tests so far are tests based on direct flight analysis. What is needed is to generate the aerosols and then blow clean air through the mask or filter for several hours and measure how much of the virus is ultimately released to move to a new destination.
Duke Researchers Observe that Some Masks are Aerosol Generators
A group of researchers at Duke University created a simple technique to analyze the effectiveness of various types of masks which have become a critical component in stopping the spread of the virus.
The most effective mask was the fitted N95. Three-layer surgical masks and cotton masks, which many people have been making at home, also performed well.
Neck fleeces, also called gaiter masks and often used by runners, were the least effective. In fact, wearing a fleece mask resulted in a higher number of respiratory droplets because the material seemed to break down larger droplets into smaller particles that are more easily carried away with air.
Folded bandanas and knitted masks also performed poorly and did not offer much protection.
"We were extremely surprised to find that the number of particles measured with the fleece actually exceeded the number of particles measured without wearing any mask," Fischer said. "We want to emphasize that we really encourage people to wear masks, but we want them to wear masks that actually work."
The full study is shown at https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/early/2020/08/07/sciadv.abd3083
Highlights were covered in a CNN article
Virus Penetrates MERV 15 Filters
A University of Oregon study has found viral RNA from SARS-CoV-2 in the air handling units (AHUs) of a healthcare facility. Larry Anderson, editor of HVACInformed says this raises new questions about the possible role of HVAC systems in spreading the novel coronavirus.
The study collected 56 samples from three different air handling units at the Oregon Health and Science University hospital in Portland, OR, on four days in May and June 2020. Three areas along the path of airflow were sampled, including pre-filters, finals filters, and supply air dampers. About 35% of prefilter samples, 17% of final filter samples, and 21% of air damper samples contained viral RNA at detectable levels.
The HVAC system at the buildings studied exceeded ASHRAE Standard 170-2017 Ventilation for Healthcare Facilities guidelines. The pre-filters are rated MERV-10, and the final filters are rated MERV-15. Based on engineering calculations and equipment documentation, the HVAC system is capable of cycling air from the ward, to the AHU, and back to the ward in a time between 90 seconds and five minutes, depending on travel distance to each room location.
The study, which has not been peer-reviewed, suggests that modern filtration at the highest level of purification in a healthcare environment is still not sufficient to rule out the passage of viral RNA and possible viral particles through an HVAC system. The researchers did not assess the infectivity of the samples.
“The presence of viral RNA in air handlers raises the possibility that viral particles can enter and travel within the air handling system of a hospital, from room return air through high-efficiency MERV-15 filters and into supply air ducts,” reports the study, which was published on the preprint server “medRxiv.”
Nanofibers are a Route to More Efficient Filters and Masks
A good summary of nanofiber potential was provided by Adrian Wilson in a January 2019 IFN article. The efficiency of nanofibers is unquestionably superior. the questions are relative to cost and availability
Nanofibers present lots more surface area at a given pressure loss. A useful illustration of the still untapped potential of nanofibers in applications such as nonwoven filter media –has been made by Brian Haynes, director of global nonwovens research and engineering at Kimberly-Clark.
A sugar cube of polypropylene with sides of 1.58 cm weighing 3.5 grams will suffice for the production of 15-micron spunbond fibers that would stretch 14 miles, he has observed, and the same amount of polypropylene employed to make 3 micron meltblown fibers meanwhile, would result in 350 miles of fiber.
That same sugar lump employed to make 300 nanometer nanofibers, however, would result in enough material to stretch 35,000 miles.
Cost and availability are the challenges. Fortunately many companies are developing products After more than ten years of research and the development of a unique multi-functional production line that is capable of producing a wide range of nano-based nonwoven products, the company says it is now ready to manufacture unique products for the filtration and medical industries.
Electrospun nanofibers were first developed and employed as filters in gas masks by Russia’s military back in the 1930s, while Donaldson in the U.S. has been employing them in many of its commercial filtration products for over 35 years.
Today, hundreds of laboratories worldwide are active in further researching the electrospinning process and developing new nanofiber materials. The end-use applications that have been proposed range from smart implantable devices and highly efficient lighting technology to supercapacitors and hydrogen storage.
The electrospinning process generally involves the formation of the nanofibers from a liquid polymer jet in a longitudinal electric field. The dominant mechanism is the whipping elongation that occurs due to bending instability. Secondary splitting of the liquid polymer streams can also occur, but the final thinning process is elongation.
However, electrospinning – as the first method for the production of such very fine submicron fibers to reach industrial production scale – has a number of limitations. These include the use of often dangerous solvents but also the relatively low productivity of the process, which has prevented many developments from getting beyond the laboratory stage.
These disadvantages have motivated the development of a number of alternatives in recent years.
Nozzle less electrospinning: Some efforts to scale up electrospinning technology have been based on a multiplication of the polymer jets, using multi-nozzle jet constructions as developed by NanoStatics Corp., based in Ohio, and also by South Korea’s Toptec, based on a design developed by Itochu in Japan.
Nansospider: see next article
Force spinning: An interesting alternative to electrospinning is the “force spinning” principle developed at the University of Texas Pan American and based on a high-speed rotating spinneret depositing nanofibers on a radial collector. The productivity of this process is of a much higher order than electrospinning.
The mechanical design of the equipment, however, is much more demanding, with parts rotating at tens of thousands of rpm, fed with liquid polymer. Radial deposition of the nanofiber materials produced could also be challenging where continuous roll-to-roll deposition of a thin layer to a supporting substrate is required.
A strong commercial drive was being made by FibeRio of Texas with its Force spinning systems, up until the company’s acquisition by Clarcor in 2016.
Clarcor itself was acquired by Parker-Hannifin, of Cleveland, Ohio, for $4.3 billion at the start of 2017, creating one of the world’s leading filtration companies with the most comprehensive offering of filtration solutions under a wide range of strong product and service brands.
As a consequence, FibeRio force spinning technology appears to have become very much proprietary to a multi-industry corporation with sales of $14.3 billion in 2018 and an estimated 455,000 customers worldwide.
https://www.filtnews.com/featured-articles-taking-the-technology-for-nanofibers-to-the-next-level/
Two Hundred Fifty Elmarco Nanospider Production Lines in Operation
The commercially-available Nanospider systems manufactured by Elmarco in the Czech Republic are now characterized by significant improvements in this nozzle-less technology.
The Elmarco machine employs stationary string electrodes supplied with polymer solution by a proprietary moving “painting” head. This results in a dramatic decrease of solvent evaporation during the process, which has to be removed from the exhaust air released from the machine. The polymer solution concentration is also stable, enabling the system to typically run for more than 24 hours.
There are now around 250 Elmarco Nanospider nanofiber nonwoven units in commercial operation worldwide and the company, headquartered in Liberec, Czech Republic, has recently released a reference product for air filtration.
The Nanospider is currently suitable for the production of fine filters in grades F7-F9 and E10-E12, with the ability to handle even finer aerosol grades under development. Here is an HVAC media example
1,6 m wide line producing PA6 nanofiber layer as part of three-layer composite used for HVAC applications. Final pleated gradient filtration media designed to withstand tested per ISO16890 protocol. Nanospider™ production line configured for low basis weight coating at high linear speed.
· Complete production line, 1.6 m coating width
· Full set of peripherals, incl. polymer preparation, AC unit, waste air treatment
· Roll-to-roll in 24/7 operation, three shifts a day
· Linear speed of substrate 20 m/min
· Polyamide 6 (Nylon 6) nanofibers coated onto synthetic substrate
· Final media tested per ISO16890 / IPA vapor exposure
·
Fibertex is a Major Nanofiber Media Supplier
Fibertex has invested in both a new nonwovens production line for filter media and a nanofiber line, to be used in combination with additional value-adding capabilities.
“In the late 2000s, we ran a number of research projects in collaboration with leading universities in the field,” said Fibertex Nonwovens CEO Jørgen Bech Madsen. “Nanotechnology was on everybody’s lips back then, but so far only a few industries have managed to develop commercially-sustainable products. Still, we have been firm believers all along that nanotechnology could become a game changer in our industry, and we’re now ready for a big-scale market launch of some quite unique products.
“Over the past year, we have been working to establish a state-of-the-art and highly flexible production line at our facility in Denmark that is capable of manufacturing a wide range of products with various nano-based properties.”
In addition to the new production line, which uses a range of polymers such as PU, PVDF and PA which can be tailored for a wide range of different applications, Fibertex has also invested in new lab facilities, new converting equipment and post-processing lines, including plasma treatment, to give the products quite unique and permanently hydrophobic properties.
The filtration market remains the biggest for nanofiber products and Fibertex reports that its new filtration media offers higher filtration efficiency with less pressure drop than in conventional products, for both liquid and air filtration.
“We see a huge potential in the filtration market, and our ambition is to become a leading global player capable of manufacturing filters with a wide range of different properties,” said Madesen.
“In addition, we have the facilities to produce these materials under fully controlled and certified production conditions, ensuring environmentally-responsible and sustainable production. All the equipment installed at the new premises is fully compliant with the highest environmental and safety standards.”
The commercially-available technology for the production of nanofiber-based webs that are reinforced with standard fabrics – primarily nonwovens, for use as filter media but also in applications such as medical materials, battery separators and acoustic insulation – has improved rapidly in the past decade or so.
Lime is a Major Supplier of Nanofiber Media
Lime (Finetex Ene) continues to develop innovative nanofiber filter medias (Technoweb series) for the global industrial filtration market. This South Korean company also has a production facility in the Philippines and built a plant in 2017 in China. It has supplied media to many Chinese filter manufacturers.
Technoweb nanofiber filter media can be applied in a wide range of different applications and are available in a variety of environments. It is used to protect gas turbine blades by improving the filtration efficiency in gas turbine generators and for more effective pulsing by allowing surface filtration, to improve efficiency and extend lifetime of HVAC, automotive engine, liquid, dust collectors and various other applications.
Lime Co. was unprofitable for a number of years and then turned a profit in Q3 f2017 followed by strong demands from technical textile and filtration business. Lime Co. Ltd. total revenue was 75 to 80 Billion KRW fin 2017
Since Lime reverse public listing via EnE Systems in 2006, it had stayed in the red for most of the 11 years. Despite the record, its market capitalization was over 200 Billion KRW.
Lime Co. Ltd. retains 511 patents related to nanofiber production and application.
Lime Co. Ltd. currently supplies its nanofiber membranes to global footwear/apparel brands in North America. The material is very consistent in quality with superior waterproofness and breathability than its counterparts. According to the company the air permeability of nanofiber membrane is vastly improved from fluoropolymer based ePTFE membranes.
Lime Co. Ltd. conducted a thorough field testing with Korea’s leading power generation plants for its bag filters and made an announcement in September 2017 of its superior filtration efficiency, filter life and energy savings than competing products. Lime Co. Ltd. is actively cooperating with global filtration companies and has developed into a filter manufacturer in Korea from a media manufacturer.
In addition, expansion into direct-to-consumer market has been helping the growth. Products for protection against fine dust, such as nanofiber face masks and window screen has shown high growth. The Chinese market is expected to be a growth driver with a new plant in Wuxi.
Upscale Building Lobbies are Upgrading Air Filtration Systems
High-potency air systems are pre-Covid lobby features in Waterline Square, a three-tower condo community on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. The project, developed by GID Development Group, incorporates MERV-13 and MERV-14 multi-filter setups. MERV, or minimum efficiency reporting values, designates the capacity of a filter to capture airborne particles of different sizes.
The prerequisite for clean air has pushed other developments to enhance their initial air systems. In Chicago, Llwellyn has updated the filters in the lobby from MERV-8 to the hospital-grade MERV-15. In Manhattan’s NoMad neighborhood, Rose Hill, a Rockefeller Group condominium, also upgraded its filters to MERV-15, from MERV-13.
Air filtration, however, may be hard to realize in elevators, a hurdle that, unless addressed, would undermine any efforts to fortify lobbies against Covid-19. Mr. Karmely, the developer behind 2000 Ocean, has found an answer— germ-killing UV lights, which turn on only when the two resident elevators are empty (hence, avoiding any harmful health implications). UV lights can also beam in 2000 Ocean’s package delivery room in the lobby, eradicating contaminants there.
Local HEPA Filter Systems Should be Considered by Schools
As schools prepare to reopen and more people are heading back to their offices and shared work spaces, Syracuse University Professor Jianshun “Jensen” Zhang offers a three-step plan to improve indoor air quality (IAQ) and help prevent the spread of COVID indoors.
Zhang’s plan is detailed in a recent editorial published in the journal “Science and Technology for the Built Environment” called “Integrating IAQ control strategies to reduce the risk of asymptomatic SARS CoV-2 infections in classrooms and open plan offices.”
“Classrooms and open-space offices present a special challenge because of their relatively large occupant density, which can lead to a higher chance of person-to-person cross infection in the space via airborne transmission as well as through direct or indirect contacts,” Zhang says. “As schools and businesses are making plans to reopen, how can the risk of such cross infection be minimized or prevented?”
The coronavirus disease is a respiratory illness that can spread from person to person. The virus that causes COVID-19 spreads, typically through respiratory droplets from coughing, sneezing, or talking. Some people without symptoms are able to spread the disease without knowing that they have it.
Dr. Zhang, a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Director of the Building Energy and Environmental Systems Laboratory, writes that source control, ventilation and air cleaning — and combinations of all three — can offer important tools in preventing the spread of COVID within indoor spaces.
At the building level, high-efficiency particulate (HEPA) filters in the recirculated or mixed air duct can reduce the cross contamination between rooms and increase the total clean air delivery rate (outdoor plus filtered air) for diluting the virus concentration in the ventilated space.
Standalone room air cleaners with HEPA filters can also be used as a supplementary measure to further reduce the concentration of virus in the occupied space. Research has shown a range of clean air delivery rate (CADR) from 170 to 800 m3/h (or 100 to 470 CFM) with a median cost of $361 based on a comprehensive survey of off-the-shelf air cleaners available from the most popular online shopping sites. The results were consistent with an earlier laboratory study in which six portable air cleaners were tested for both particulate and volatile organic compounds removal performance. Zhang says that an air cleaner with a CADR of 722 m3/h (425 CFM) can double the clean air supply for 25 people in a classroom or open plan office.
Zhang says this can be considered as a cost-effective supplementary measure for rooms where total ventilation airflow rate is insufficient. However, for spaces with displacement ventilation (DV), a room air cleaner should only be used with caution so that the desirable airflow pattern of DV is not disturbed.
https://scitechdaily.com/in-hepa-we-trust-how-to-make-the-indoors-safer-during-covid-19/
