Coronavirus Technology Solutions
March 31, 2020
Overview
·
Demand is Greater than Supply
·
WHO Analyzes Mask Shortage
·
Shortage of Masks Sparks
Controversies Among Countries
Chinese Mask Supply
·
Sinopec Moving from Resin to
Mask Supplier
·
Chinese Car Companies become
Mask Suppliers
·
Chinese Supply vs Demand
·
Chinese Melt Blown Media Supply
and Suppliers
Suppliers and Associations
·
ASHRAE Guidance on Coronavirus
·
Johnson Controls and Chinese
Hospital
·
Medline encounters Supply
Problems
·
Monadnock has Range of Medical
Face Mask Media
·
Secure Mask Supply Association
battles for U.S. Based Supply
Capability
·
Superior Filter has Both Melt
Blown and Needle Punched Media
for Masks
·
SWM supplies Melt Blown Media
and Film for Surface Layer
______________________________________________________________________________
Overview
Demand is Greater than Supply
The problem with demand is that
individuals are buying the masks
and causing a shortage for
health care workers who need
them. If world demand per capita
reaches that in China, 5 billion
masks would be used each day.
This is far above world
capacity. Governments will have
to regulate mask sales so that
those at most risk receive them.
Here is the type of analysis
which is the basis for our
projections.
The mask production depends on
meltblown media. A ton of media
will make 1 million disposable
masks or 200,000 N95 masks. We
will be probing the demand and
capacity on a continuing basis
for each country.
Sinopec is a major Chinese
petrochemical producer. They
have teamed with mask makers and
are building assembly lines at
an astounding rate. The first
project completed a few days ago
took less than three months and
has two non-woven production
lines and three spunbond
production lines and can produce
up to 4 tons of melt-blown
fabric for 1.2 million N95
disposable masks or 6 tons for 6
million disposable masks per
day.
Sinopec plans to start
production at eight more
meltblown nonwoven fabric
production lines in Jiangsu
province by the middle of next
month. Upon completion, the ten
production lines will be able to
produce fabric for 3.6 million
N95 respirators or 18 million
surgical masks every day.
WHO Analyzes Mask Shortage
The World Health Organization is
sounding the alarm about a
growing shortage of personal
protective equipment (PPE), and
the issue extends well beyond
the much-publicized medical mask
shortage.
Shortage of Masks Sparks
Controversies among Countries
South Korea, Germany and Russia announced
export bans of masks and other
protective gear. They join
others nation or territories
including India, Taiwan,
Thailand, and Kazakhstan that
earlier put export bans in
place.
Before the epidemic, China
produced about half of the
world’s output of masks with
daily production of about 20
million units, according to
state media Xinhua. Factories
have since boosted production
more than five-fold and are
enlisting carmakers to
manufacture them. That’s still
not enough.
In the U.S., increased efforts
by mask makers 3M Co. and DuPont
De Nemours Inc. are also falling
short of demand. DuPont, which
makes masks and protective body
suits worn by first responders,
said it’s increased production
by more than three times its
usual global capacity. 3M, the
biggest American manufacturer of
N95 respirators, has increased
production since the outbreak in
China.
“We’ve added staff, we’ve added
overtime, we’ve added
technology, we’ve been
increasing manufacturing lines,”
said 3M spokeswoman Jennifer
Ehrlich. “We expect this demand
for respirators and other
supplies to continue to outpace
supply for the foreseeable
future.”
The dependence on China and a
few other countries for masks
has some calling for a rethink
of supply chains. The World
Medical Association, which
represents physicians, wants
governments to establish
factories in major markets like
the European Union and the U.S.
to ensure adequate supply of
critical drugs, vaccines and
other medical necessities.
The U.S only has about 1% of
the 3.5 billion masks it needs
to combat a serious outbreak,
Health and Human Services
Secretary Alex Azar
has said. The country plans to
buy 500
million surgical
masks and N95 respirators for
the national stockpile.
South Korea said on March 5 that
it will bolster its control over
the production of key materials
used for protective masks, as
the country is struggling to
expand the supply of sanitary
products amid the spread of the
novel coronavirus here.
The country will ban all exports
of melt-blown nonwoven fabric
filter, the key material
essential for the production of
protective masks, although
exceptions can be granted. The
country will help companies
expand their production
capabilities as well, while
reaching out to other countries
to import the fabric.
Sinopec Moving from Resin to
Mask Supplier
China Petrochemical Corp known
as Sinopec Corp, put its
first melt-blown non-woven
fabric assembly line into
operation at its Yanshan factory
in Beijing on March 6. The
Yanshan factory is a converted
3600 square meter old warehouse
that has found new life as a
global production base following
the challenges brought by the
coronavirus outbreak.
The 14,400-ton capacity Yanshan
facility is one of Sinopec's
two melt-blown non-woven fabric
assembly bases and is co-managed
with China National Machinery
Industry Corporation. The base
has two non-woven production
lines and three spunbond
production lines and can produce
up to 4 tons of melt-blown
fabric for 1.2 million N95
disposable masks or 6 tons for 6
million disposable masks per
day.
The new facility also takes
advantage of Sinopec's
integrated upstream supply-chain
by sourcing local materials from
Yanshan and support from the
on-site synthetic resin
production line.
"It normally takes about half a
year to complete the
construction of a 10,000-ton
melt-blown fabric factory - We
have done it in 12 days, 48
hours ahead of schedule. In a
challenging time like this,
saving 48 hours means that we
can produce an extra 12 million
disposable masks," said Lv
Dapeng, Spokesperson of Sinopec
Corp.
The largest medical material
supplier in China, Sinopec is a
significant supplier of
polypropylene, a key component
in the production of disposable
masks for medical use. The new
assembly line will ensure a
stable supply of medical
supplies, such as masks and
clothing, can be distributed
across the nation and
worldwide.
"We are privileged to support
those who are protecting us from
the virus. Sinopec will utilize
all of our resources to ensure
supplies to the frontline are
guaranteed," said Lv.
Sinopec plans to start
production at eight more
meltblown nonwoven fabric
production lines in Jiangsu
province by the middle of next
month after commissioning two
new units in Beijing on
Saturday. Upon completion, the
10 production lines will be able
to produce fabric for 3.6
million N95 respirators or 18
million surgical masks every
day, it said.
The price of meltblown nonwoven
fabric has been surging since
the outbreak started, from
around 12,000 yuan ($1,726) per
ton to 400,000 yuan per ton. The
price surged to 700,000 yuan per
ton on Feb 24, The market price
of the product is expected to
gradually come down from its
current peak, said Li Li,
research director at energy
consulting company ICIS China.
China's centrally administered
State-owned enterprises have
been accelerating work in the
production of meltblown nonwoven
fabric to help the anti-epidemic
fight, with daily production
capacity of meltblown nonwoven
fabric reaching 26 tons as of
March 6 and the same is expected
to grow significantly in the
coming weeks, said the
State-owned Assets Supervision
and Administration Commission.
Chinese Car Companies become
Mask Suppliers
Chinese automakers BYD Co. and
GAC Motor Co. are preparing to
produce face masks and
disinfectants to help motorists
and the public ward off the
ongoing coronavirus outbreak in
China.
Two BYD plants in the south
China province of Guangdong were
expected to be churning out 5
million face masks and 50,000
bottles of disinfectants a day
by the end of the March. The
first batch of face masks and
disinfectants was donated to
drivers of public buses, taxis
and ride-hailing fleets as well
as volunteers fighting the viral
outbreak.
Masks and disinfectant will also
be sold to the public at factory
prices. The two plants will keep
producing masks and disinfectant
until the end of the epidemic.
The company is currently
mobilizing employees to find
sources of meltblown cloth. It
is not only BYD that lacks
melt-blown cloth. Many companies
preparing to produce masks
across borders also face this
problem.
GAC, a state-owned automaker
based in the south China city of
Guangzhou, has dispatched a team
of employees to an equipment
manufacturer in nearby Dongguan
to learn how to produce face
masks.
Hainan Ganlin Technology Group
is a company engaged in
agricultural business. The
general manager of the company
said that because farmers could
not find sufficient and reliable
masks, which affected
agricultural production, he
purchased mask machines to build
production lines, hoping to
connect with sufficient
meltblown cloth resources. At
present, the company has
contacted Sinopec but found that
meltblown cloth is still scarce.
Chinese Supply vs Demand
Medical surgical masks and N95
masks generally use a multilayer
structure, referred to as the
SMS structure: a single layer of
spunbond on the inside and
outside; the middle is the
meltblown layer, generally
divided into single layers or
multiple layers.
Among them, the outer layer is a
non-woven fabric with a
waterproof treatment, which is
mainly used to isolate the
droplets sprayed by patients;
the middle melt-blown layer is a
specially-treated melt-blown
non-woven fabric with good
filterability. Shielding,
thermal insulation and oil
absorption, is an important raw
material for the production of
masks; the inner layer is
ordinary non-woven fabric.
Although the spunbond layer of
the mask and the meltblown
layer are non-woven fabrics, and
the raw materials are
polypropylene, the manufacturing
process is not the same.
Among them, the diameter of the
spunbond layer fibers on the
inner and outer sides is
relatively thick, about 20
microns; the fiber diameter of
the meltblown layer in the
middle is only 2 microns, and it
is made of a polypropylene
material called high-melt-finger
fiber.
China is the world’s largest
non-woven fabric producer. The
production volume of non-woven
fabrics in 2018 was about 5.94
million tons, but the output of
meltblown non-woven fabrics was
very low.
According to the statistics of
China Industrial Textile
Industry Association, the
production technology of China’s
nonwovens industry is mainly
spunbond. In 2018, the output of
spunbond non-woven fabrics was
2.971 million tons, accounting
for 50% of the total output of
non-woven fabrics, mainly used
in sanitary materials and other
fields; meltblown processes
accounted for only 0.9%.
From this calculation, in 2018,
the output of domestic meltblown
nonwovens was 53,500 tons /
year. These meltblown cloths are
used not only for masks, but
also for environmental
protection materials, clothing
materials, battery separator
materials, wiping materials, and
the like.
During the epidemic, the demand
for masks has increased
significantly. According to the
data of the Fourth National
Economic Census, the total
employment of domestic legal
entities and self-employed
households is as high as 533
million people. Based on one
mask per person per day, at
least 533 million masks are
required per day.
Chinese Melt Blown Media Supply
and Suppliers
Data from the Ministry of
Industry and Information
Technology shows that currently
the maximum daily production
capacity of domestic masks is 20
million as of January 2020.
The gap in masks is huge, and
many companies are beginning to
produce masks across borders.
According to the data of Tian’s
Eye Examination, based on the
changes in industrial and
commercial registration
information, from January 1 to
February 7, 2020, more than
3,000 companies across the
country have added “masks,
protective clothing,
disinfectants, thermometers,
medical equipment, etc.”
Compared to mask manufacturers,
there are not many manufacturers
of meltblown nonwovens.
The current companies producing
meltblown nonwovens are Hengtian
Jiahua Nonwoven Co.,
Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as
Hengtian Jiahua), Xinlong
Holdings, Sinopec, Shandong
Dongying Junfu Non-woven Co.,
Ltd., and Quantum Golden Boat
(Tianjin) Nonwoven Co., Ltd.
Hengtian Jiahua is a non-woven
fabric manufacturing enterprise
jointly invested in by China
Hengtian Group and Xiantao
Jiahua Plastic Products Co.,
Ltd. China Hengtian Group is the
world’s largest textile
machinery manufacturing company.
On January 27, Hengtian Jiahua
announced that the company’s
entire plant was put into
production and the output
reached 120 tons/day. The
products include non-woven
fabrics for face masks,
non-woven fabrics for meltblown
filtration, and non-woven
fabrics for bottom surfaces.
Xinlong Holdings was established
in Hainan Province in July 1993
and listed on the Shenzhen Stock
Exchange in 1999. It claims to
be the first listed company in
China’s non-woven industry, and
it is also the construction and
operation unit of the “National
Nonwoven Materials Engineering
Technology Research Center”.
Xinlong Holding’s meltblown
non-woven workshop for mask
bacteria filtering runs 24 hours
to ensure the supply of raw
materials to downstream mask
manufacturers. Xinlong Holdings
owns production bases in Hainan,
Hubei and Hunan.
Shandong Dongying Junfu
Nonwovens Co., Ltd. is a
non-woven fabrics manufacturing
enterprise jointly established
by Hong Kong Tianyi Industrial
Co., Ltd. and Guangdong Junfu
Group. The company’s total
investment exceeds 100 million
yuan, and the goal is to build a
large non-woven fabric
production base in northern
China.
The company is a meltblown
non-woven fabric manufacturer,
which mainly supplies raw
materials for the production of
daily protective masks, medical
masks and industrial dust masks.
Recently, in order to ensure the
production for the epidemic, the
company received advance funds
from Shandong provincial finance
and can use it for half a year
without compensation.
Quantum Jinzhou (Tianjin)
Non-Woven Co., Ltd. is also a
manufacturer of meltblown
fabrics, PP / PET two-component
nonwovens and other products. At
present, the company has two
meltblown cloth production lines
with a daily output of 4 tons.
In addition to large-capacity
enterprises, there are also
small-scale meltblown non-woven
enterprises with a daily output
of about 1 ton, such as Dalian
Hualun Nonwoven Equipment
Engineering Co., Ltd. and
Zhejiang Jiarui Filtration
Technology Co., Ltd.
Dalian Hualun Nonwoven Equipment
Engineering Co., Ltd. is a
company specializing in
engineering general contracting,
chemical fiber and non-woven
engineering design, and
equipment manufacturing. At
present, the company has
invested funds to transform the
original two meltblown equipment
production lines (production of
air filter materials) into mask
filter material production
lines. Since its upgrade it has
supplied 3.07 million BFE99
medical mask filters per day.
Mr. Huang from Dalian Hualun
Nonwoven Equipment Engineering
Co., Ltd. told Interface News
that the company’s meltblown
cloth production is currently 1
ton/day and the ex-factory price
is 70,000 yuan per ton.
On February 12, the price quoted
by a small meltblown cloth
manufacturer to the Interface
journalist reached 80,000 yuan
per ton.
On January 28, the client of the
People ’s Daily quoted that
according to local companies,
the market price of melt-blown
cloth for filter materials for
masks rose from the original
18,000 yuan/ton to 29,000 yuan/ton.
From this calculation, the
market price of meltblown cloth
has increased more than
threefold recently.
Dailian Jualiun says that in the
next seven days, it will be
able to expand production to 1.5
tons-2 tons/day; in the next two
months, the output of meltblown
cloth will be expanded to 3
tons/ day.
Zhejiang Jiarui Filtration
Technology Co., Ltd. also told
Interface News that the
company’s current meltblown
cloth output is 1 ton/day, which
can only supply small customers
and cannot meet the supply needs
of large companies such as BYD.
Suppliers and Associations
ASHRAE Guidance on Coronavirus
In response to ongoing
developments, ASHRAE has
released proactive guidance to
help address coronavirus disease
2019 (COVID-19) concerns with
respect to the operation and
maintenance of heating,
ventilating, and
air-conditioning systems. The ASHRAE
COVID-19 Preparedness Resources
webpage provides
easily accessible resources from
ASHRAE to building industry
professionals.
“The recent escalation in the
spread of coronavirus disease
2019 is alarming on a global
scale,” said 2019-20 ASHRAE
President Darryl K. Boyce,
P.Eng. “While ASHRAE supports
expanded research to fully
understand how coronavirus is
transmitted, we know that
healthy buildings are a part of
the solution. ASHRAE’s COVID-19
Preparedness Resources are
available as guidance to
building owners, operators and
engineers on how to best protect
occupants from exposure to the
virus, in particular in relation
to airborne particles that might
be circulated by HVAC systems.”
Available on the webpage is
ASHRAE’s recently approved position
document on Airborne Infectious
Diseases.
The Society’s position is that
facilities of all types should
follow, as a minimum, the latest
practical standards and
guidelines.
Superior Felt and Filtration has
Both Meltblown and Needle
Punched Media for Masks
Superior Felt & Filtration
manufactures and supplies a wide
array of nonwoven synthetic
fabrics for the manufacturing of
safety & personal protection
filters. It is among the top
nonwoven synthetic filter media
suppliers for medical and
emergency response textiles,
such as respirators and masks.
It is one of the largest
manufacturers of micron and
sub-micron filter media for
respirator and medical
applications in the U.S.
The company offers non wovens that
can be utilized in masks, air
purifiers, medical equipment,
personal safety apparel and
cleanrooms that are highly
efficient against 0.1 micron
particles. The electrostatically
charged high alpha perm melt
blown and needle punched
products can be easily molded
into masks, pleated and die cut
to offer protection over 99.9%
against 0.1 micron particles
which are considered to be the
most penetrating particle sizes
(MPPS). The electrostatic media
offers low air flow resistance
for more breathable masks or
devices that help reduce fatigue
& improve comfort levels.
Technostat® can also be utilized
with breathable laminates,
activated carbon and other
materials for combined dust and
gas filtration. For these
reasons, Technostat® is ideal
for nonwoven synthetic filter
media for respiratory
applications. In addition to
Technostat® filter media, the
company also offers Technostat®
Plus – a triboelectric media of
needle-punched felt that offers
20% improvement in filtration
efficiency over standard
electrostatic filter media. This
nonwoven synthetic fabric
produces its triboelectric
properties when 2 dissimilar
fibers used during the
manufacturing process create a
charge that enhances filtration
capabilities.
Superior Felt & Filtration also
provides electrostatic filter
media rolls (electrostatically-charged
synthetic needle punch fibers)
and melt blown fibers. These
nonwoven synthetic fabrics aid
in producing some of the highest
levels of filtration for health
care providers and emergency
responders.
SWM International says it
stands ready to supply
converters and manufacturers of
face masks with advanced
nonwoven materials necessary to
meet the global challenge
presented by the coronavirus
outbreak.
“SWM has a long history of
supplying high-quality media
integral to the construction and
performance of face masks used
in the dental and surgical
sectors as well as the
industrial sector,” said Bart
Sistrunk, SWM’s Commercial
Director – Filtration. “Our
DelporeTM meltblown
media is widely used in face
masks because it provides
excellent breathability without
sacrificing Bacterial Filtration
Efficiency (BFE) and its
lightweight nature allows for
comfortable wear.”
A leading producer of meltblown
media, SWM also offers DelnetTM apertured
film, a lightweight nonwoven
that is extruded, oriented, and
uniquely embossed for use as a
flexible surface layer for
medical facemasks or as a
comfort barrier in finger
bandages.
“SWM is prepared to prioritize
production of Delpore meltblown
media and Delnet apertured film
for customers who need materials
for face mask production,” said
Sistrunk. “We are committed to
continued support during the
current world health emergency.” Air Filtration
Can Coronavirus Spread through
HVAC System?
The CDC does not believe that
COVID-19 is likely to be
transmitted through duct work.
However, several university
studies show the opposite.
Coronavirus could spread around
buildings via air conditioning
systems or even on a draft, new
analysis has suggested after
scientists found traces of the
virus in a hospital air duct.
The results from swab analysis
of the rooms used by three
coronavirus patients indicate
that the disease may be more
contagious than previously
thought.
Even though the patient thought
to be responsible was suffering
only "mild" symptoms, scientists
from the National Centre for
Infectious Diseases in Singapore
found evidence of the virus in
the hospital's air exhaust. This
"suggests that small,
virus-laden droplets may be
displaced by airflows and
deposited on equipment such as
vents", they said.
Applications
New Air Filtration Needs for
Autopsies
In Iran bodies are piling up at
morgues. This presents several
challenges. Autopsies on
decedents with known or
suspected COVID-19 should be
conducted in Airborne Infection
Isolation Rooms (AIIRs). These
rooms are at negative pressure
to surrounding areas, have a
minimum of six air changes per
hour (ACH) for existing
structures and twelve ACH for
renovated or new structures, and
have air exhausted directly
outside or through a HEPA
filter. Doors to the room should
be kept closed except during
entry and egress. If an AIIR is
not available, ensure the room
is at negative pressure with no
air recirculation to adjacent
spaces. A portable HEPA
recirculation unit could be
placed in the room to provide
further reduction in aerosols.
Local airflow control (i.e.,
laminar flow systems) can be
used to direct aerosols away
from personnel. If use of an
AIIR or HEPA unit is not
possible, the procedure should
be performed in the most
protective environment possible.
Air should never be returned to
the building interior, but
should be exhausted outdoors,
away from areas of human traffic
or gathering spaces and away
from other air intake systems.
Transmission through Cruise Ship
Ductwork Diamond - Princess
Ductwork Debated
Anne Schuchat, principal deputy
director at the U.S. CDC, says
there is no current evidence to
suggest that the coronavirus
spreads through air-handling
systems. Eric van Dijk, employed
at Dutch HVAC specialist Heinen
& Hopman, agrees it is unlikely
for viruses to spread through a
ship’s HVAC system due to the
way air travels through the
system.
The cruise ship Diamond Princess
was quarantined in Japan. The
ship had 3700 people on board,
of which 620 people were
eventually infected by the
coronavirus. Some of the
passengers expressed worries
about the virus spreading
through the ship’s HVAC (heating
ventilation air-conditioning)
system to which the CDC
responded.
According to Van Dijk, whose
company did not supply the HVAC
system for this ship , ‘fresh
air is supplied on a cruise ship
by several air handling units.
The ducts connected to the air
handling units provide the
public areas and cabins with
fresh air. Within these units,
air passes through multiple
filters, at least EU4 pleated
filters.’ EU4 filters belong to
the category of coarse dust
filters with an over ninety per
cent arrestance.
‘Optionally, these units are
equipped with a HEPA filter
and/or UV light units to treat
polluted air further,’ adds Van
Dijk. These filters do not stop
viruses from spreading, however.
Van Dijk explains: ‘The filtered
air that enters a cabin is
filtered again in a fan coil
unit, but these filters are made
to fight bacteria, not viruses.
Viruses are so small, that you
would need a very strong filter.
When you need such a strong
filter, the air handling units
are possibly four times as big.
This means that the energy
consumption and emissions will
be many times higher.’ Not
something that is desirable for
a cruise ship, as these ships
already have a name for being
polluters and are working hard
to lower their environmental
footprint.
The system on board the Diamond
Princess was supplied by MCI
Namirei. In a statement, Diamond
Princess’ owner Princess Cruises
said, ‘the HVAC filtration
system on our ships is
comparable to those used by
land-based hotels, resorts and
casinos.’ This probably means
this system will also not be
able to filter out viruses.
However, Van Dijk points out the
chance of a virus spreading
through the HVAC system is still
very small. This has to do with
the way the air travels. He has
drawn the overview which shows
that, although not impossible,
it is unlikely for a virus to
travel from cabin A to cabin B.
The opposite conclusion was
reached by Qingyan
Chen, Purdue’s James
G. Dwyer Professor of Mechanical
Engineering. He has researched
the spread of air particles in
passenger vehicles and how to
track them. His team developed
models in the past for showing
how the H1N1-A flu and other
pathogens travel through
aircraft cabins.
When Chen co-led the Air
Transportation Center of
Excellence for Airline Cabin
Environment Research, his lab
made discoveries about
the airborne nature of SARS that
could inform understanding of
the coronavirus.
He told the media “It’s
standard practice for the air
conditioning systems of cruise
ships to mix outside air with
inside air to save energy. The
problem is that these systems
can’t filter out particles
smaller than 5,000 nanometers.
If the coronavirus is about the
same size as SARS, which is 120
nanometers in diameter, then the
air conditioning system would be
carrying the virus to every
cabin.
Cruise ships could minimize this
problem by just using outside
air and not recirculating it.”
Suppliers
Biosafe Air
The effectiveness of HEPA and
Filtrete filters was addressed
by Biosafe Air. How
effective can HEPA actually be?
The chart below, adapted from an
EPA report lists the MERV rating
of filtration material
corresponding to the typical
contaminant that they address,
along with the typical filter
type found in the MERV rating
group (from HEPA to “HEPA-like”
filters).
Even though the MERV value is
strictly performance based, you
can still derive some value from
the chart below, as it gives you
an indicator of the limits of
certain types (e.g. higher
efficiency pleated filters vs.
true HEPA filters). Generally,
HEPA is considered the
equivalent of a MERV 17.
Reputable air purifier companies
that have filtration-based units
should clearly state their MERV
rating, or state plainly what
the particle size and type of
contaminant their product can
actually address.
Biosafe Air uses the 3M
products.
Camfil
Camfil supplies air filters and
systems for many applications
including the most severe.
“There are more than 60
biosafety laboratories
classified as Level 4 (highest
risk) by an international
commission. Camfil has already
delivered containment solutions
for many of them in China,
France, Switzerland, Germany and
the U.S.A.
Camfil has issued some guidance
relative to coronavirus at https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/03/03/1993917/0/en/Camfil-USA-Update-Reduce-Risk-of-Infectious-Virus.html
This website also has links to
CDC and ASHRAE guidance
documents.
Livsdal
Livsdal has intensified the
development of a more affordable
and smaller version of its
premium air purifier. The new
air purifier under the name
Essential will have the same
capacity of capturing molecular
gases like formaldehyde,
nitrogen dioxide and ozone in
the size of 0.5 nanometer
particles, viruses like
SARS-CoV-2 that is 10 nanometer.
Viruses are in general in the
size range from 10-400 nanometer
that is equivalent to 0.01-0.4
micrometer. It will also capture
allergens, smoke, dust, pollen,
bacteria, odor, dander, mold to
mites in the size all the way up
to more than 10,000 nanometer.
The Essential is critical
equipment suitable for
hospitals, health clinics,
nursing homes and dental
offices, as well as in homes of
all people vulnerable to air
pollution. It is designed to
effectively capture pollutants
in rooms up to 75 square meter.
The height is 100 cm times 40 x
40 cm. Livsdal will start to
accept pre-orders with delivery
in autumn 2020.
The purifiers incorporate seven
long lasting, high capacity and
high quality filters.
·
Pre-filter-Catches regular dust
and larger particles
·
HEPA 13 Particle filter-Captures
dust, bacteria and viruses among
many other particles. 99.996 %
efficiency for particles of 0.3
μm and will capture particles
down to 0.005 μm.
·
Carbon Molecule
filters-Different activated
Carbon Molecule filters capture
toxic gas molecules as small as
c. 0.0005 μm. They are designed
to absorb odors, gases and car
emissions including nitrogen
dioxide, sulphur dioxide, ozone,
formaldehyde plus a list of
other compounds – all tested to
ISO 10121.
·
Post filter-The final safeguard
comes in the form of a metal
granular-filter, located on the
fan outlet to capture any carbon
particles that are released.
Johnson Controls
A team from Johnson Controls
went to Wuhan to meet the
emergency needs of a people hard
hit by the novel coronavirus
outbreak. The Johnson Controls
team was working hard to help
Taikang Tongji (Wuhan) Hospital
construct a makeshift hospital.
It took just 45 minutes for the
Johnson Controls team to make
the key arrangements and plan
for this mission, which was to
provide full support for
building the infrastructure of
the makeshift hospital,
including the communications
system, the safety system and
the elevator alarm system.
Johnson Controls engineers
testing the IT equipment and
installing wireless access
points
Within twelve hours, the
company's first batch of medical
protective supplies such as
protective clothing, goggles,
and masks had arrived. At the
same time, colleagues from all
over China sent forth material
goods and well wishes to support
the team.
On February 9 the Trion air
filters were delivered.
Pall
Viruses can typically range from
0.01 to 0.2 micron in size,
although they may cluster or
attach to larger particles. How
effective are Pall HEPA filters
at removing bacteria and
viruses? An independent test
laboratory has tested three Pall
cabin air filter elements using
two different bacteria;
Brevundimonas diminuta and
Bacillus subtilis and results
show that the bacterial removal
efficiency of the Pall cabin air
filters is greater than 99.999%.
Similarly, when challenged with
the MS2 Coliphage virus, the
virus removal efficiency of the
Pall cabin air filters is also
greater than 99.999%
Pall Aerospace engineers teamed
up with scientists from Pall
Medical group to develop and
validate the microbial removal
efficiency of aircraft cabin air
filters, following standard
practices used in the healthcare
and pharmaceutical industries.
Why cabin air filters do not
need an anti-microbial
treatment? In free air, most
microbes die within a few
minutes. Once captured by the
filter media, the survival rate
of microorganisms in the
aircraft environment is very
low. Most bacteria require high
humidity and a source of
nutrition to survive. The
conditions typically found in
the aircraft recirculation
system are 10-15% relative
humidity and lack of a source of
nutrition. Is there a danger to
maintenance personnel by
removing used cabin air filters?
There is no more risk involved
in replacing a cabin air filter
than carrying out general
maintenance on any aircraft part
that has been in service for a
number of years. Maintenance
staff should wear the same
personal protective equipment as
for other aircraft maintenance
tasks which require protection
against dust, and per the local
regulations. The used HEPA
filter should be placed and
sealed in a plastic bag. A
specific biohazard bag is not
required for disposal of the
HEPA filter in most
jurisdictions.
Peco Filter
PECO filter effectiveness was
evaluated by Consumer Reports.
Their analysis follows:
“Like so many brands that trend
on social media, the Molekule
Air is available only through
the manufacturer’s website—for a
whopping $800. It’s the sort of
niche product that Consumers
Reports wouldn’t necessarily
test, but given the buzz it’s
generated, “we felt a
responsibility to weigh in with
test data”.
“And because the Molekule
manufacturer claims to have
revolutionized air cleaning with
its proprietary PECO technology,
we dug a little deeper. Here’s
the story of our reporting and
our lab tests.
This acronym is short for
photoelectrochemical oxidation.
It isn’t new technology, per se,
but rather a boosted version of
PCO (photocatalytic oxidation),
which has been used for decades
to clean contaminated air and
water.
A typical mesh filter—HEPA, for
instance—captures only airborne
particles. PECO and PCO,
however, take it one step
further and also target gases.
It does this by coating filters
in a catalyst (PCO usually uses
titanium dioxide) that reacts
with UV light to oxidize gaseous
pollutants and breaks them down
into harmless molecules.
According to the Environmental
Protection Agency, PCO air
cleaners can break down many
types of gaseous pollutants, but
not many typically found in
indoor air. The process can also
react with some pollutants to
generate other dangerous
byproducts, such as ozone,
formaldehyde, nitrogen dioxide,
and carbon monoxide.
Because of these factors, the
EPA reports that to effectively
and efficiently eliminate common
gases and microbes found in
homes in a safe manner, PCO
technology needs to improve.
Molekule says it has done just
that.
“PECO was inefficient in
destroying pollutants, so we
fine-tuned all the parameters,”
says Jaya Rao, Molekule’s COO
and co-founder. “PECO
innovations happened on many
levels: the chemical coating,
the filter, as well as the UV
lighting.” Working together, she
says, these innovations make
PECO work faster and more
efficiently than PCO, allowing
it to destroy gases, bacteria,
viruses, and mold spores—without
producing any harmful
byproducts. Rao declined to go
into detail about what the
company uses for the catalyst.
CR tests for particle reduction
and not for gas or microbe
removal. James Dickerson, CR’s
chief scientific officer, was
asked whether Molekule’s claims
have any merit.
“Theoretically, PECO could work
to eliminate microscopic
airborne molecules,” Dickerson
says. “But our tests show that
the Molekule Air is not
proficient at catching larger
airborne particles, which
ultimately means it’s not
getting enough air passing
through the system.”
We put the Molekule Air through
our standard battery of air
purifier tests, and it almost
flunked: We put it into a sealed
chamber and injected particles
as small as 0.1 micron and up to
1 micron into the room—a range
that includes dust mite
allergens, cat allergens, smog,
smoke, and atmospheric dust.
(For reference, human hair has a
diameter of 100 microns). A
particle counter measured the
change in air-particle
concentration as the machine ran
for 15 minutes. As usual, we
tested at the highest speed and
again at a lower speed.
The Molekule Air gets a Fair
rating for smoke and dust
removal at high speed and a
Poor—the lowest score
possible—at low speed. It is the
third-lowest-scoring air
purifier of the 48 we tested.
The manufacturer says the
Molekule Air is sized for rooms
up to 600 square feet, but its
performance in our tests ranks
it among compact models that are
designed for small rooms. Based
on our lab’s calculated rate at
which it can process the air,
the Molekule Air wouldn’t be
able to handle any room larger
than 100 square feet.
We shared our methodology and
findings with Rao, and she took
issue with our testing.
“It’s a very limited assessment
of Molekule because
instantaneous removal of
particles is not the full
picture of what air purification
looks like,” Rao says. “And
while we may be destroying at a
slower rate, we’re still doing
something much more complicated,
which is truly purifying the air
at the nanoscale level and
making it safer.”
But if the Molekule Air isn’t
pulling enough air into the
machine in the first place, it
may struggle to clean the air at
any scale. “Even if the PECO
filter works and it purifies the
air of microscopic particles,
it’s still not effectively
catching the large particles,
which are also irritants,”
Dickerson says.
In addition to the Molekule
Air’s poor performance in our
testing for particle reduction,
there’s the price to consider.
The Molekule Air costs $800,
with an annual cost of $130 for
filter replacements, plus an
additional $50 a year for energy
use, based on our calculations.
(The model is not Energy Star
certified; unlike the majority
of air purifiers we test.)
It’s also not very quiet,
garnering a Fair score for noise
on the high-speed setting and a
Good score on the low-speed
setting. Our verdict? Pass on
the Molekule Air and opt for one
of CR’s recommended air
purifiers. Consumers Report say
there are three models,
that perform well in
particle removal tests and cost
hundreds less. air
purifier buying guide.
Terra Universal
Vanguard Healthcare Solutions
A portable operating theatre has
been set up in the car park of
one of Australia's biggest
hospitals.
Surgeons at Melbourne's The
Alfred Hospital have been
performing life-saving
procedures in the 'Laminar Flow
Operating Theatre' after a storm
wreaked havoc on one of their
primary theatres.
Vanguard mobile operating
theatres can offer a significant
increase in capacity during
times of refurbishment or
increased clinical need. A
Vanguard theatre gives hospitals
a reliable, safe answer to
capacity pressures across
a range of specialties and
procedure types. Mobile laminar
flow operating theatres have
been widely used across the NHS
for procedures including hip
replacements, knee replacements
and joint revisions. Vanguard
laminar flow theatre facilities
offer HEPA-filtered
environmental air that conforms
to Grade A EUGMP, with up to 600
air changes per hour passing
over the patient, and 25 fresh
air changes.
The World Health Organization
says that managing an epidemic
calls for partnerships with
service providers who can help
healthcare providers such as
hospitals add capacity –
preferably partnerships that
have been established in
advance. This means they can
call on them more speedily
should disaster strike, and
everyone knows what’s expected
of them.
So, what else would work?
Clearly, building extra hospital
or additional clinical spaces
from bricks and mortar isn’t an
option – so what can be done?
Organizations such as Vanguard
Healthcare Solutions work
alongside healthcare
organizations to create extra
capacity which is temporary but
much more robust and absolutely
clinically sound. The
environments are not temporary,
but they can be temporarily
used.
In an epidemic, units can be
quickly deployed to support
areas which are struggling to
meet the increased demand, or
where, if space has been
commandeered in one hospital to
create a ‘hub’ for the treatment
and containment of an epidemic,
they can be used to create a
more long-term ‘back-up’ in
other locations to make up the
shortfall – for example for
dialysis patients.
Patients in either instance can
be decanted to the mobile
solution – whether that is a
clinic, a ward or an operating
theatre. Or if additional or
faster turnaround of sterile
equipment is required to meet
the increased demand, a mobile
central sterilization unit can
help to bridge the gap.
The mobile units create spaces
which can be, if necessary,
completely separate from the
hospital creating an infection
control ‘oasis’, or can be used
for testing, triage or
supporting the ‘walking wounded’
in clinics and wards. They can
be used as additional ward space
or even, if needed, a welfare
area for staff who may have to
stay on site for an extended
period without going home. They
can also be used for additional
and self-contained morgue space,
minimizing the
cross-contamination risk.
Resources
ASHRAE Provides Guidance
In response to ongoing
developments, ASHRAE has
released proactive guidance to
help address coronavirus disease
2019 (COVID-19) concerns with
respect to the operation and
maintenance of heating,
ventilating, and
air-conditioning systems.
The ASHRAE
COVID-19 Preparedness Resources
webpageprovides
easily accessible resources from
ASHRAE to building industry
professionals.
“The recent escalation in the
spread of coronavirus disease
2019 is alarming on a global
scale,” said 2019-20 ASHRAE
President Darryl K. Boyce, P.Eng.
“While ASHRAE supports expanded
research to fully understand how
coronavirus is transmitted, we
know that healthy buildings are
a part of the solution. ASHRAE’s
COVID-19 Preparedness Resources
are available as guidance to
building owners, operators and
engineers on how to best protect
occupants from exposure to the
virus, in particular in relation
to airborne particles that might
be circulated by HVAC systems.”
Available on the webpage is
ASHRAE’s recently approved position
document on Airborne Infectious
Diseases. The
Society’s position is that
facilities of all types should
follow, as a minimum, the latest
practical standards and
guidelines. |