Coronavirus
Technology Solutions
CATE Masks are the Future
Midwest Filter Cost Evaluations are Useful but
Need Interpretation in the Pandemic
HALO Life Inc Provides Tight Fitting Efficient,
Comfortable and Attractive Masks
Revolution Fibres Makes Rolls of Electrospun
Media
Rosmerta Group Produces 15 Million Masks per
Month in India
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Comfortable-attractive-tight fitting - efficient
(CATE) masks are the future not only for
the wealthy but for all the citizens of the
world. Tight fitting-Efficient
(TE) which are not comfortable or
attractive are worn by healthcare personnel. And
yet they walk through hospital waiting rooms and
offices which are anything but antiseptic. The
local hospital now has a player piano and floor
to ceiling drapes in the lobby. If hospitals see
the need for investments in attractiveness why
subject patients to skimpy surgical gowns and
hospital personnel to garments which are just as
unattractive.
It will be harder to make the argument for
comfort and attractiveness in hospital apparel
than it will be for the average citizen just
trying to protect himself from COVID.
Northern winters can be deadly. The
choice of ski hat is potentially a life or death
decision. However, the purchase decisions not
only take health into account but also
attractiveness and comfort.
Most available masks are not TE. Those that are
TE are generally
not CA. Previous Alerts by McIlvaine have
documented the need for TE masks. But unless you
add the CA, people will not wear them as much as
they should.
Most people will spend nearly all their time in
lower risk environments where the value assigned
to attractiveness and comfort is equal to that
of the tight fit and efficiency. McIlvaine is
forecasting a mask market of hundreds of
billions of dollars per year with most of it in
the low risk category where attractiveness will
be a major influence in the selection.
This assertion can be supported by the common
metric which measures all harm and good called
Quality Enhanced Life Days (QELD).
It is not an artificial mathematical
formula it is simply the
measurement of individual desires. the
average individual would rather live to 80,
socialize
and eat ice cream than live to 100 in
solitary confinement. McIlvaine introduced the
concept nine years ago to evaluate the choice of
single use vs reusable surgical gowns.
The selection of an attractive mask is
equivalent to eating ice cream, wearing $200 gym
shoes or
a hoodie. It adds QELD with no additional
health benefit. On the other hand if the
individual wears the mask more frequently
because it is attractive there is a health
benefit.
The CATE segment of the market will be far
larger than the TE market pre-COVID. When
considerations of air pollution, allergies, and
wild fires are added to the analysis it is
likely that the market will not spike and
retreat to previous lows but instead continue to
be very substantial.
Analysis of the technology is covered in Daily
Alerts and webinars which are part of
Coronavirus Technology Solutions
Click here for more information
Forecasts for the CATE mask market are included
in the High Efficiency Mask Market and Supplier
program Click
here to
view a video description or Click
here for
the power point display
Bob McIlvaine can answer your questions at 847
226 2391 or
rmcilvaine@mcilvainecompany.com
Midwest Filter Cost Evaluations are Useful but
Need Interpretation in the Pandemic
Founded in 1950, Midwest Air Filter, Inc. has
provided air filtration products to the
commercial, industrial, institutional and
residential HVAC marketplace for over 60
continuous years.
It stocks filters in three locations throughout
Michigan and fabricates special size products to
assure prompt delivery at competitive prices. It
has developed a Total Filtration Management Team
(TFM)
tailored to the customers’ specifications
while utilizing employee’s areas of expertise.
This allows a multi-disciplinary approach. It
does provide filters for COVID related
applications. It works
with facility
managers to help provide clean air solutions in
hospitals, assisted living facilities, nursing
homes, dentist offices, and operating rooms.
Midwest sells Filtration Group products. It also
sells niche products from a few other
manufacturers. This includes paint booth filters
and high temperature stainless steel filters.
The following analysis by Midwest was prepared
last year and needs to be interpreted for the
pandemic environment.
But the main theme is important which is
you have to balance pressure drop and dust
holding capacity to provide the optimum
combination of filter investment and energy
cost. In the COVID environment this means more
efficient filters but dust holding capacity can
be extended with the right pre-filter.
When evaluating multiple filters against each
other, it is very common to focus on the initial
DP as the primary indicator of Total Cost of
Ownership (TCO) of a given product. However,
that is only one part of the story. As it turns
out, the Dust Holding Capacity (DHC), or more
generically, the amount of dirt and other
particulates a filter can hold until it reaches
its maximum recommended operating pressure is
just as important.
In the chart below, they show three products
with three different performance levels – the
first is a pleat with an initial DP of 0.4” w.c.
and a DHC of 75g. The second pleat has ½ the
initial DP but the same DHC, and the third
product has double the DHC but the same initial
DP as the first pleat. In this scenario, they
find that products two and three have
essentially the exact same TCO, both saving 19%
compared to the first product when changed out
on the same interval.
Just because a filter lasts a long time, doesn’t
mean it should – change it out early.
Energy provider PG&E recommends regular filter
maintenance as the #1 way to save energy on
commercial and industrial buildings. Despite
that, there are products out there that
advertise a longer life than standard products,
which is driven by a higher than average DHC.
The best way to take advantage of that
performance is not to change it out at its final
life, but instead to change it out early. While
you could save around 45% on your filters
annually by using the better filter longer, it
actually drives up the TCO by around 5% in this
example because of increased energy usage.
Changing the same filter out at four months
instead allows for TCO savings of 17%.
Look at the whole system, not just each filter
individually.
Always remember the filters are a part of a
system and each filter should not be looked at
individually. Just because you have a spot for a
prefilter does not mean you need one. Products
with high amounts of media like 4-V bank
minipleats in low dust applications are probably
better without a prefilter to reduce the overall
system pressure drop. On the other hand, high
dust applications should have a higher MERV
(11-13) pre or secondary filter to protect the
more expensive efficiency filter to make it
last. Naturally, there are many “in-between”
installations that require a MERV 8-10 prefilter.
HALO Life Inc is a mask provider headquartered
in Santa Rosa CA.
Keith N Anderson is CEO. Until recently
he is chief marketing officer at Penny Inc. The
concept of the HALOmask was conceived four years
ago in New Zealand, When volcanoes erupted in
Indonesia, its masks protected many from toxic
silica ash. Wild fires and polluted air in Asian
cities are other common uses.
With the global outbreak of coronavirus, the
mission has become laser-focused to protect as
many people as possible with the most
comfortable, stylish and efficient mask on the
face of the Earth.
The company makes the following claims about its
masks
1.
Superior Nano-filtration that protects from a
wide range of airborne pathogens, pollens &
pollutants
2.
Superior
Design and ultra-comfortable contour-fit that
prevents air-leaks and can be worn for HOURS at
a time
3.
Superior Style that reflects
personal fashion sense
The HALOmask uses proprietary SETA™ Nanofiber
filters
HALOmask filters have been laboratory tested to
capture 99.99% of all airborne pollutants and
contaminants at PM2.5 microns, and 97.9% at 0.3
microns – which exceeds N95 filter standards.
Tests have been conducted by Nelson Labs.
The mask’s engineered contour-fit
design provides a tight seal and prevents air
leaks, the ultra-thin SETA nanofiber filter
allows maximum breathability and protection.
Four sizes are available.
HALOmasks are durable, reusable with replaceable
filters and fully adjustable to any face.
The mask sells for around $35 and a set of three
replaceable filters with a recommended life of
200 hours each can be purchased for about $15.
The company has responded to the global pandemic
by rapidly scaling manufacturing capacity to
produce millions of HALOmasks for use worldwide.
The immediate goal is to provide a safe,
comfortable and stylish alternative to cheap
paper and ineffective fabric masks.
The
proprietary filters are made in New Zealand, the
company is currently working with a third
generation garment manufacturer in Hong Kong
that manages manufacturing in China and in
Cambodia. It is also evaluating factories in the
United States, Mexico, Turkey, and elsewhere. It
ships from warehouses in Nevada and
Pennsylvania.
As the coronavirus recedes there are still
compelling reasons to wear a protective
facemask. Whether commuting, walking or biking
in traffic, being exposed to dust, ash or smoke,
suffering allergies or chemical sensitivity,
or living in industrial or agricultural regions,
wearing an effective facemask makes a WORLD of
difference, physically, emotionally and
psychologically! the company
predicts
that wearing a stylish facemask will become an
accepted part of fashion-forward society for
years to come.
This New Zealand Company was focused on air
filters in 2009 when it started developing sonic
electrospun nanofibers.
Today these are used in many applications
from fishing rods to filters. Known as SETA
nanofiber material it is used in products such
as the HALO mask.
Dr. Fabrice Karabulut RD & Implementation
Scientist has provided details on the
performance.
Most toxic particulate compounds are smaller
than 1 micrometer in diameter. Conventional
mechanical fibrous filters (such as MB filters)
remove micrometer-sized particles with high
efficiency. However, for particles in the
submicron range, ES NF are considered better as
they offer enhanced filtration performance. This
is due to their high surface area and small pore
diameter. Electrospun nanofibre are
characterized by a very large surface area,
which significantly increases the probability of
the particles depositing on the fibre surface -
thereby improving the filter efficiency. In
addition, ES NFs have low basis weight, high
permeability, and tight pore size that make them
appropriate for a wide range of filtration
applications. ES NF filters have a thinner fibre
diameter (10 - 300 nm), and a smaller and more
uniform pore size than common MB N95 face masks,
which are made of PP fibres with diameters in
the range of
∼
500 - 1000 nm.
Some particles in the nano range (∼
100 - 500 nm) are difficult to filter as they do
not behave entirely according to one capture
mechanism. Filtration of MPPS particles require
uniform multiple nanofibre layers, which defer
the particles so that they obey one of the
mechanisms. Multilayer filters are often
hindered by poor breathability and high pressure
drop, which is undesirable for filters. However,
electrospinning enables control of the porosity,
packing density, fibre diameter and surface area
of the nanofibers.
Breathing comfort is commonly associated with
pressure drop. However, moisture transportation
is another important factor to consider. A
recent study conducted breathability tests
through N95 MB and ES NF masks to evaluate their
water vapor transmission rates (WVTR). It was
observed that the WVTR of ES NF filters was
superior. MB filters have sponge-like structures
which resist moisture. Therefore, moisture takes
longer to pass through the filter.
A study was performed on the reusability of MB
and ES NF filters when cleaned with ethanol
(sprayed and dipped). The results showed that MB
filters are only effective for single use due to
the steep reduction of filtration efficiency
after ethanol cleaning (to
∼
64%). This is because the electrostatic charge
of MB filter is lost when cleaned, leading to a
dramatic drop in performance. MB filters lose
static electricity when exposed to water and
moisture, diminishing their filtering effect to
almost half the original performance. In stark
contrast, it was found that ES NF filters can be
successfully reused multiple times after
cleaning with ethanol as the filtration
efficiency remains constant.
https://www.revolutionfibres.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/MB-vs.-NF-White-Paper.pdf
The Rosmerta Group has been entrenched in the
transport sector of India for the last 20 years
through products like Smart Card Driving
License/ Vehicle Registration Cards, Speed
Limiting Devices, Vehicle Tracking Systems
(VTS/ITS), Inspection & Certification (I&C) Test
Lanes, Automated Driving Test Tracks and High
Security Registration Number Plates (HSRP). It
has a Pan-India reach with over 4,000 employees
spread across 300 offices in 20 states of India.
It serves
a diverse range of customers ranging from
Central & State Governments, Automobile OEMs,
State Transport Corporations and Private
Institutions.
Having felt the need to support clients and
employees during the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic,
it set up a state of the art manufacturing
facility for Surgical Masks as well as Filtering
Face Piece Respirators.
What started out as an experiment to use their
established distribution chain set up to help
OEM’s and dealerships with PPE like masks,
respirators and sanitizers led Rosemerta to
realize the huge gap in the market for quality
products at affordable prices. HALO was conceptualized by the idea of introducing internationally certified products to the masses at value for money price points. Each HALO product meets international standards. And the facility is slated to be one of the best in the country with one of the highest production capacity of over 15 million masks a month.
Rosemerta has evaluated the three different
kinds of masks available in India:
Cotton masks, surgical masks and FFPRs,
commonly known as an N95.
According to the company cotton
masks are nothing but cotton fabrics
woven into a mask. These are readily available
and can also be made at home. However, they
aren’t very effective as they absorb any
droplets they come into contact with. They are
mostly very thin masks and are highly
susceptible to the virus. They can get
penetrated by up to 97% of the viral particles
from the air.
The other alarming concern with cotton masks is
its loose fit which makes it insufficient to be
a protective barrier.
A surgical mask can be worn when visiting family
members, entertaining guests at home or at the
workplace with fewer employees.
Lastly, a
Filtering Face-Piece Respirator
(commonly referred to as FFPR) which is commonly
known as an N95 in India is a protective
respiratory device which is specially designed
to attain a very close facial fit and is
extremely coherent in filtering airborne
particles, viruses, bacteria, pollution making
N95 as the best protection against COVID-19 when
you are in a public space.
The surgical marks by HALO have three layered
filters.
The FFPRs produced by HALO have five layered
filters.
The top most exterior layer is Non-Woven Spun
Bond Fabric, followed by two layers of Virgin (MasterBatch)
Non-Woven Melt Blown Fabric. The next layer is
the Needle Punch Fabric, also commonly known as
the Hot Air Cotton. And the innermost layer is
the Hydrophilic Spun Bond Fabric. It is an
absorbent material, and as such soaks up sweat
and removes irritation of the skin (last/skin
layer). This ensures easy breathability and one
can wear the mask for a longer duration.
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