Conference Speakers

Ivan Moldavchuk

University of Georgia

Distribution and Durability of Charge in Meltblown Electret Filter Media

Meltblown filtration media development and production increased in recent years, especially considering the high demand and usefulness during the COVID-19 circumstances. High filtration efficiency and relative inexpensiveness of meltblown Polypropylene (PP) fabrics and perspective biodegradable alternatives such as Polylactic acid (PLA) make the utilization of these materials in medical areas very desirable. Face mask and other PPE production is one of the examples where these materials are widely used. Physical properties of the meltblown polymer fabrics can assure filtration efficiency of about 60 % for PP meltblown nonwovens. The fabrication parameters (air temperature, air pressure, DCD etc.) and resulting morphology, such as (fiber diameter, porosity, fabric thickness etc.) and fabrication parameters (air temperature, air pressure, DCD etc.) are crucial to obtain high filtration efficiency values, while maintaining a fairly low pressure drop and (high breathability).

Most used approach for modification and improvement of physical filtration qualities of the filter media is implementation of electric charge. The presence of electric charge allows the capture of micro- and submicron particles, thus increasing filtration capability without increasing pressure drop. The N95 face mask which uses this method is able to filter at least 95% of the most difficult to filter particles in the air, and is a real-world example of electric charge’s effectiveness as a reinforcement factor. There areOf the multiple fabric charging techniques widely used, . The corona charging is a popular and effective charging method which is used to increase filtration efficiency of the filter media. Polymeric fabrics show increase in their filtration efficiency si