Coronavirus Technology Solutions
July 7, 2020
239 Scientists Say Small Virus
Aerosols are Causing Infection
in a Letter to WHO
Technology and Pharmaceutical
Solutions Suppliers Rather than
Countries Should be the Guiding
Force
China has been Preparing for
COVID since 2005
Mann + Hummel has Filter Cubes
for Public Spaces and Even for
Subways
Mann+Hummel Supplying the HEPA
Filter in the Ford-Produced
Respirator
Large-Scale Production and
Supply of Facemask Media
Ultrafiltraton Membranes to
Remove Multi Resistant Germs
from Wastewater
______________________________________________________________________________
239 Scientists Say Small Virus
Aerosols are Causing Infection
in a Letter to WHO
The coronavirus is finding new
victims worldwide, in bars and
restaurants, offices, markets
and casinos, giving rise to
frightening clusters of
infection that increasingly
confirm what many scientists
have been saying for months: The
virus lingers in the air
indoors, infecting those nearby.
If airborne transmission is a
significant factor in the
pandemic, especially in crowded
spaces with poor ventilation,
the consequences for containment
will be significant. Masks may
be needed indoors, even in
socially distant settings.
Health care workers may need N95
masks that filter out even the
smallest respiratory droplets as
they care for coronavirus
patients.
Ventilation systems in schools,
nursing homes, residences and
businesses may need to minimize
recirculating air and add
powerful new filters.
Ultraviolet lights may be needed
to kill viral particles floating
in tiny droplets indoors.
The World Health Organization
has long held that the
coronavirus is spread primarily
by large respiratory droplets
that, once expelled by infected
people in coughs and sneezes,
fall quickly to the floor.
But in an open letter to the
WHO, 239 scientists in 32
countries have outlined the
evidence showing that smaller
particles can infect people and
are calling for the agency to
revise its recommendations. The
researchers plan to publish
their letter in a scientific
journal.
Governments are by nature
reactive whereas manufacturers
are by nature proactive. A U.S.
mask maker who expanded at the
time of SARS was very prominent
in making the case that reserve
capacity was needed for future
outbreaks. So the proactive
aspect was working as needed.
The reactive aspect which should
have been funding from the U.S.
government or at least an
agreement with other governments
to work together in future
outbreaks was what was lacking.
The filtration industry is
completely internationalized.
Large American suppliers such as
American Air Filter have been
acquired by Daikin of Japan and
Tri-Dim was acquired by German
based Mann +Hammel and in turn
Mann + Hammel is building large
face mask lines in China (see
article below).
This international cooperation
has been becoming stronger for
decades. McIlvaine was a guest
speaker at the Filtration 2004
show in Shanghai. At the
scheduled International
Filtration Society 2020
exposition in San Diego
(postponed) Chinese companies
represented a large percentage
of the exhibitors.
A search under China in the CTS
shows that both purchasers and
suppliers are international in
their thinking. U.S. meat
processors are owned by Chinese
companies. Airlines fly around
the world. Hotel chains have
similar challenges in all the
countries in which they operate.
Automobile manufacturers have
the same cabin air filter needs
regardless of location.
Media and finished filter
suppliers have been
internationalizing rapidly over
the last decade. The result is
that governments try to control
commerce. You have China
forbidding 3M from exporting
masks from its Chinese plants to
the U.S. At the same time the
U.S. is ordering 3M to provide
all its masks to the U.S.
regardless of where they are
manufactured.
3M has been supplying masks the
U.S. from its Chinese plant
McIlvaine Coronavirus Market Alert
... ,
and that 3M was complying.
Earlier this week, it secured
approval from China to
export to the United States 10
million N95 respirators the
company makes in China ...
Terms matched: 1 - Score:
48 - 29 Apr 2020 -
URL:
http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/coronavirus/subscriber/Alerts/2020-04-06/20200406.html
Berry is a major media supplier
with plants in Europe, China and
the U.S.
McIlvaine Coronavirus Market Alert
... Expanding
Meltblown Capacity Berry
Switching to Mask Media at
Plants in the U.S. and China Unique
Process for Nanofiber Production
and Microfiber Process Rates
Fibertex Non Wovens has New
HEPA ...
Terms matched: 1 - Score:
45 - 29 Apr 2020 -
URL:
http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/coronavirus/subscriber/Alerts/2020-04-13/Alert_20200413.html
PFN is a global leading producer
of nonwoven textiles with
operations in Europe, USA and
Africa. It was acquired by a
Chinese company, Jofo Nonwovens
making it a global supplier
McIlvaine Coronavirus Market Alert
... Includes
Face Mask Line In Europe Jofo
Nonwovens, based in Weifang,
Shandong, China,
will acquire PFNonwovens' Wuxi,
China-based nonwovens operation.
PFNonwovens acquired the
operation ...
Terms matched: 1 - Score:
29 - 2 Jun 2020 -
URL:
http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/coronavirus/subscriber/Alerts/2020-06-01/Alert_20200601.html
Many filter media companies have
production sites in China as
well as on several continents
around the world.
Lydall reported that its
Chinese facilities were up and
running in the first quarter.
So world wide production
has a number of advantages
McIlvaine Coronavirus Market Alert
... PPE.
April volumes in the TAS
business were down almost 90% .
Our China sites
were back in operation in the
first quarter of 2020, while our
European ...
Terms matched: 1 - Score:
27 - 30 May 2020 -
URL:
http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/coronavirus/subscriber/Alerts/2020-05-29/Alert_202005029.html
Meat processors are major
purchasers of technology to
battle COVID.
Smithfield is one of the
worlds largest meat processor
and is based in the U.S. it was
acquired by a Chinese company.
This is therefore an
example of a purchaser will be
making worldwide decisions
the same is true for
hotel chains, restaurants and
many other purchasers of
technology
McIlvaine
Coronavirus Market Alert
... pork
in Los Angeles. What it wants is
to become the leading player in China."
Smithfield's website further
states that "Smithfield has not,
does not, ...
Terms matched: 1 - Score:
22 - 29 Apr 2020 -
URL:
http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/coronavirus/subscriber/Alerts/2020-04-16/20200416.html
The nature of COVID has been
peaks and valleys by region. The
demand worldwide is much
steadier than the demand in any
specific country or State within
the U.S.
Just as the U.S. needs to
have a nationwide policy the
world through WHO, the UN and
associations such as INDA,
EDANA, WFS, ASHRAE, and NAFA
needs one.
McIlvaine is reporting on the
activities of these disparate
groups in Coronavirus
Technology Solutions. This
effort should provide linkage
for these organizations as well
as for suppliers and users.
Hopefully the U.S. position
which has been dismissive of
worldwide cooperation will
change
In the following article
Keith Bradsher of the NY Times
provides considerable insight
into the Chinese strategy.
Considering, however, that there
is a very big opportunity
worldwide for Chinese companies,
the ultimate cooperation of the
government is likely.
Keith Bradsher, Shanghai editor
for the NY Times has been
working for many weeks on an
article related to Chinese mask
production It was published in
the business section yesterday.
Bob McIlvaine was in
contact with Keith throughout
the process.
He has worked with Keith
on other articles in the past.
Keith details how China saw both
a problem and an opportunity and
has made the most of the
situation.
Here are excerpts from
the article.
“Before the pandemic, China
already exported more
respirators, surgical masks,
medical goggles and protective
garments than the rest of the
world combined, the Peterson
Institute for International
Economics estimated.
Beijing’s coronavirus response
has only added to that
dominance. It increased mask
production nearly 12-fold in
February alone. It can now make
150 tons per day of the
specialized fabric used for
masks, said Bob McIlvaine, who
runs a namesake research and
consulting firm in Northfield,
Ill. That is five times what
China could make before the
outbreak, and 15 times the
output of U.S. companies even
after they ramped up production
this spring.
American companies have been
reluctant to make big
investments in fabric
manufacturing because they worry
that mask demand will be
temporary. But Texas required
on Thursday that most
residents wear masks in public
places, part of a broader
embrace of face masks in recent
days.
“It is a huge mistake to assume
that the market will disappear,”
Mr. McIlvaine said.
Ma Zhaoxu, vice minister of
foreign affairs, said that from
March through May, China
exported 70.6 billion masks. The
entire world produced about 20
billion all of last year, with
China accounting for half.
In 2005, after the outbreak of
SARS, which killed 350 people in
China, the Ministry of Science
and Technology announced that it
had developed respirators that
better fit Chinese faces.
In 2010, the government’s
five-year economic plan ordered
a “focus on developing basic
equipment and medical materials
that have high demand, wide
application and are mainly
imported.”
China also foresaw the
importance of nucleic acid test
kits, which can detect
coronavirus infections. In 2017,
the Ministry of Science and
Technology identified the kits
as a “targeted development”
industry.
The ministry’s decision was part
of the country’s
$300 billion “Made in China
2025” industrial policy
to replace imports in many key
industries, including medical
devices. The ministry called for
raising China’s share of the
local market by 30 to 40
percentage points in each
category of medical supplies. Chinese makers of medical gear enjoyed generous government subsidies. Shenzhen Mindray, a maker of ventilators and other intensive care equipment, received up to $16.6 million a year over the past three years, according to company documents. Winner Medical, a mask manufacturer, received $3 million to $4 million a year. Guangzhou Improve, a producer of masks and test kits, received $2.5 million to $5 million a year.
Hospitals began to buy locally.
Three years ago, the central
government required purchasers
to buy from domestic producers
that could meet requirements.
Local governments followed.
Sichuan Province, for example,
cut in half the number of
categories for which medical
equipment and supplies could be
imported. Only the top hospitals
could import anything, the
provincial government said,
while lower-ranked hospitals had
to buy everything in China.
At least three other large,
populous provinces — Liaoning,
Hubei and Shandong — made
similar announcements.
Such efforts helped put China
firmly at the front of the
industry, as Rakesh Tammabattula
discovered. An entrepreneur in
the Los Angeles suburbs, he
shifted his business making
nutrition supplements and
moisturizer to the production of
medical masks and hand sanitizer
in response to the epidemic. To
do that, he needed a machine
that could compress and cut
fabric to make masks.
“It’s not that we can’t make
this,” said Mr. Tammabattula,
the chief executive of QYK
Brands. “It’s just that we
haven’t focused on it.”
The Chinese government played a
major role in this year’s
medical-equipment build-out.
Sinopec, a state-owned Chinese
oil company, said it had worked
closely with the Chinese
Communist Party as it set out to
build a factory to make the
particle-trapping fabric needed
for surgical masks and
respirators.
Officials also accelerated
efforts to make land available
for new factories. The city of
Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province
transferred 1.6 acres to the
Jiande Chaomei Daily Chemical
Company on Feb. 15 for an
emergency expansion of
respirator production. Lanxi, a
county in Zhejiang, transferred
land to the Baihao New Materials
Company by the end of February
for respirator production.
Officials in Guangdong Province
and the city of Jinan in
Shandong Province approved more
lenient land policies for
medical supply businesses as
well. Government support for the medical supply industry is continuing. Guangzhou Aoyuan Biotech Company decided this year to expand from its usual business of making disinfectant into the manufacture of N95 masks. A top local official immediately visited the company, arranged land for it in an industrial park and approved all of the necessary forms.
A few economic policy experts in
China contend that their country
may be going too far. According
to Tianyancha, a Chinese data
service, more than 67,000
companies have registered in
China this year to make or trade
masks. Many start-ups with poor
quality control have already run
into trouble. The Chinese
government has imposed
increasingly stringent customs
inspections on exports.
“Many mask-manufacturing
enterprises — especially the
small and medium enterprises
that came into the picture much
later and do not possess strong
foundations — would have to face
closure when they have a surplus
of masks and profits begin to
plunge,” wrote Cai Enze, a
retired deputy mayor and
economic planner in central
China, in an essay in April.
“That marks the start of a
crisis.”
Still, the broader industry in
China appears to be better
prepared for the future.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/05/business/china-medical-supplies.html?smid=em-share
Mann + Hummel has developed air
filtration solutions for ambient
air. The filter cube can be
placed in any public space in
addition to traffic
intersections. So the value of
the Filter Cube is increased
with the additional advantage of
eliminating COVID aerosols.
According to the WHO, around 4.2
million people die each year
worldwide from outdoor air
pollution. The main cause is
particulate matter, which can
penetrate deep into the lungs
and trigger illnesses. Nitrogen
dioxide worsens allergies,
damages the respiratory tract
and can contribute to heart
disease.
MANN+HUMMEL has been a
filtration expert for 80 years.
M+H research and development
engineers continue to develop
new methods to remove
contaminants from air and
liquids. Three years ago, they
started specifically addressing
the subject of fine dust in
cities. They can also reduce
high nitrogen dioxide emissions
in places with high traffic
volumes. Meanwhile, they clean
more than 1.4 million m³/hour
outdoors at 15 locations on
three continents and project air
purification in subway stations
and other urban hotspots.
With fine dust filters for
vehicles, we are getting closer
to emission-free driving.
Brakes, road, and tire abrasion
are the biggest sources of fine
dust from vehicles. Whether
diesel or electric, MANN+HUMMEL
can improve the emissions
balance of vehicles and protect
the vehicle occupants.
The modular MANN+HUMMEL Filter
Cube helps to improve air
quality in places with high air
pollution - such as traffic
junctions or busy roads. Even in
particularly sensitive areas
such as schoolyards, playgrounds
or food courts, the use of
Filter Cubes helps to
efficiently reduce air
pollutants. The Filter Cube
technology can also be
integrated into existing
infrastructure such as bus stops
or billboards.
The decentrally applicable
Filter Cubes are able to bind
more than 80 percent of the
nitrogen dioxide (NO2),
ozone (O3) and fine
dust contained in the ambient
air that is drawn in. The core
of the technology is a newly
developed combifilter, which
includes a filter layer that
retains particulate matter. Due
to the large surface area of the
additional highly porous
activated carbon media, NO2 and
O3 is adsorbed very
effectively at particularly low
pressure drop and energy
consumption.
Depending on the requirements,
using a modular system means a
number of Filter Cubes can be
installed on top of each other
to form a filter column. A
filter column with three Filter
Cubes is able to clean 14,500 m³
of air every hour. The Filter
Cubes are equipped with an
intelligent mechatronic system
architecture. Available sensors
record air and weather data as
well as the pollution level and
transfer the data to a cloud.
This way the filter system
controls itself depending on
operating and environmental
boundary conditions and thus
saves energy costs since the fan
is only running when it is
needed.
The first step of the project is
the investigation of the
surrounding area, which has
particularly high levels of
pollutants. Whether it is an
open area on a busy road, an
inner courtyard of a business
district or a relatively closed
subway station, the experts make
calculations for each of these
conditions and consider
different measures. They check
where the fine dust and NO2
pollution is highest and how the
pollutants are spread through
the air. Afterwards they
determine how many Filter Cubes
are needed and where they should
be installed in the respective
area. With the help of a
simulation, these plans are
determined internally and then
checked by an independent
engineering office.
A Filter Cube requires 1 m² of
space and access to electricity.
Depending on the location and
customer requirements, a
foundation and a data connection
can be included. After the
preparation of the
infrastructure has been
completed on site, the
installation of the systems can
begin. Thanks to an intelligent
system architecture, the Filter
Cube controls itself depending
on the operating and ambient
conditions. However, the
operator can also control the
units by remote control and
access the system as required.
MANN+HUMMEL is supplying
the HEPA filter in the
Ford-produced respirator, which
will be worn by healthcare
workers when treating COVID-19
patients. To date, MANN+HUMMEL
produces, tests and ships 2,300
HEPA filter elements per day for
this application, from their
manufacturing sites in the USA
and Germany.
The respirators are equipped
with class H13 HEPA filters
according to EN 1822 or the
international norm ISO 29463.
These filter classes are also
used in operating rooms and in
the pharmaceutical industry to
reliably remove germs, viruses
and microbiological
contamination from the supply
air. The European standard EN
1822 classifies HEPA filters and
evaluates them according to
their performance at the MPPS
(Most Penetrating Particle
Size). The micro-glass fiber
media used in
pharmaceutical/healthcare
applications typically has an
MPPS close to 0.2 μm.
"These critical times call for
extraordinary actions and
cooperation. Using our
state-of-the-art HEPA filter
production, in-house cleanroom
test labs, and valued
relationships with partners
around the globe, we can blend
our talents and expertise to
help people in need. Our global
teams have been working tireless
to adapt to meet critical needs,
with rapid development and time
to market. I couldn’t be more
proud of our team’s efforts to
make a difference,” says Kurk
Wilks, President & Chief
Executive Officer of the
MANN+HUMMEL Group.
With the acquisition of the
European Vokes Air Group in
2014, Tri-Dim Filter Corporation
in 2018 and Hardy Filtration in
2019, MANN+HUMMEL added almost
90 years of leading air
filtration and cleanroom
technology expertise as well as
a state of the art HVAC and HEPA
filtration portfolio to its
unmatched portfolio of
automotive and industrial
filtration products and service.
“MANN+HUMMEL has repeatedly
demonstrated our competence in
successfully transferring
technology and know-how to new
applications. We now use our
filtration competence in
automotive to build up and drive
the production and supply of
media for facemasks in our LS&E
business segment. We have
several groups in different
countries all over the world
working on this important
initiative and we are extremely
proud of their efforts,” says
Kurk Wilks, President and Chief
Executive Officer of the
MANN+HUMMEL Group.
MANN+HUMMEL is in contact with
several textile manufacturers
for appropriate filter media
inlay supply to upgrade textile
mouth-nose masks, which leading
textile manufacturers have
started to produce.
In addition to filter media
inlays, MANN+HUMMEL has
implemented large-scale
manufacturing of filter masks
(daily protective grade) in the
new MANN+HUMMEL Center of
Manufacturing Operations in
Kunshan, China, and is preparing
the set-up of another production
line for medical grade (FFP2 /
N95) facemasks.
Manufacturing of filter masks
(daily protective grade) in the
new MANN+HUMMEL Center of
Manufacturing Operations in
Kunshan, China
There is evidence that COVID
aerosols can be released from
sewage wastewater. This makes
developments by MICRODYN-NADIR
of particular interest.
Micropollutants, multi-resistant
germs and microplastics in
treated waste water represent a
danger for people and the
environment. MANN+HUMMEL and its
subsidiary MICRODYN-NADIR are
meeting this challenge with
modern membrane technology. A
pilot project is showing the
first results.
"In the past, one thought that
if you can't see it, it can't
hurt you. Today we know this is
not true. In fact, the reverse
is true." Werner Ruppricht is
Senior Sales Director at
MICRODYN‑NADIR, a subsidiary of
MANN+HUMMEL with its
headquarters in Wiesbaden. "The
air contains harmful gases and
particulates. Water contains
micropollutants, multi-resistant
germs and microplastics. They
are not visible to the naked eye
but can represent a big risk to
the environment and human
health", he explains.
Invisible but present
everywhere. Microplastic
particles are formed naturally
as products made from plastic
disintegrate or are created
intentionally as ingredients for
cosmetics and cleaning agents.
The expression micropollutants
also includes waste material
from medicines and pesticides.
Then, in addition, there are
also multi-resistant germs which
are formed and spread through
the increased use of antibiotics
in the breeding of animals and
medicines. This all results in
an additional health risk for
people.
"These resistant germs,
micropollutants and
microparticles penetrate the
waste water which is treated in
sewerage plants via the water
system. Conventional processes
for the treatment of waste
water, however, are
unfortunately unable to
efficiently separate these
pollutants. Furthermore,
sewerage plants are the ideal
place for the multiplication and
dissemination of multi-resistant
germs", explains Ruppricht.
At the present time, the
operators of sewerage plants
usually use a process which is a
combination of activated carbon
and a sand filter located
downstream to separate
micropollutants. The activated
carbon and the sand filter
reduce the trace substances such
as pharmaceutical residues and
microplastics. But for
multi-resistant germs they are
not a barrier. In addition, the
sand filter is not able to fully
separate the activated carbon.
As a result, it is able to
partly enter and pollute the
ambient air. The objective of
the development from
MICRODYN-NADIR is to remove this
limitation of the process.
For some time now MICRODYN‑NADIR
has been testing a new process
in a pilot project in the
municipal sewerage plant in
Hünxe (North Rhine-Westphalia),
which is a combination of
activated carbon and immersed
membrane filtration. The results
have been positive, with the
combination of activated carbon
and the membrane stage able to
retain trace substances,
microplastics and activated
carbon from the treated waste
water. The use of
ultra-filtration membranes which
have a pore size a thousandth of
the diameter of a human hair
also allows researchers to
separate germs. "The combination
is a very efficient and economic
alternative to conventional
processes and is characterized
by its considerably superior
separation performance",
explains Ruppricht. "The testing
phase has already shown that our
process meets the high
requirements for the treatment
of waste water and in particular
sets new standards with regard
to the separation of
multi‑resistant germs. We are
therefore able to make a
valuable contribution to protect
people and the environment." |