Coronavirus
Technology Solutions
WFI
Knows how
to Make a
Virtual
Conference
Valuable
Gates Says We
Will Not Be Back
to Normal Until
Sometime in the
First Half of
2022
Serum Institute
of India will be
a Critical
Vaccine Supplier
Allergens can be
Removed Along
with COVID Mann + Hummel Uses Nanofiber Media in Engine Air Filters as Well as Masks
______________________________________________________________________________
Waterloo
Filtration
Institute
conducted the
first session in
a two day
conference on
air filtration
and COVID. There
were meaty
presentations,
good questions,
and a smooth
transition
between
speakers. This
first day
focused on
filters while
the one tomorrow
will focus on
masks. Here are
summaries for
the first day.
Cleaning Air
during A Global
Pandemic, Dr.
Thomas Caesar,
Freudenberg
Filtration
Technologies
General:
Air filtration
has never been
under such a
high public
focus than it is
today, during
the Covid19
pandemic,
especially as
there is strong
indication that
the SARS-CoV2
virus can spread
as aerosols via
the air. As the
virus may attach
to smaller or
larger particles
(solid or
liquid), a large
range of
particle sizes
has to be
considered from
some micrometers
down to the nano
scale. Air
handling units
using high
quality and
efficient fine
filters and by
regarding
specific advice
given that the
pandemic times
do reduce the
virus
concentration in
buildings.
Together with
other measures
like keeping
distance and
wearing face
masks this can
reduce the
infection risk
significantly.
Insight:
It is complex to
select the best
combination of
tactics to
achieve maximum
cost
effectiveness.
Recent advances
in assessing the
role of
respiratory
droplets in
spreading of
COVID-19, Dr.
Abhishek Saha,
University of
California San
Diego
General:
Respiratory
droplets play a
critical role in
the transmission
of the SARS-CoV2
virus,
responsible for
the current
COVID-19
pandemic. Hence,
it is important
to understand
and analyze the
mechanisms of
evaporation,
precipitation,
and transport of
these droplets
ejected from our
oral or nasal
cavities during
respiratory
events such as
sneezing,
coughing,
talking, or
breathing. In
this talk,
Ahishek
highlighted some
key aspects
which control
the lifetime of
these droplets
and connect it
to a pandemic
model in an
effort to assess
the growth in
the infected
population. He
also discussed
the relative
probabilistic
contributions
from droplets vs
aerosol in the
transmission of
this virus at
given ambient
climate
conditions. He
concluded the
presentation
with a note on
the importance
of masks in
restricting the
transmission of
respiratory
droplets and
showed how
improperly
designed masks
can have
severely
opposite
effects.
Insight:
Droplets
evaporate and
create small
salts which will
penetrate
inefficient
media.
Impact of COVID
2019 on the Air
Filtration
Industry, Bob
McIlvaine,
The McIlvaine
Company
General:
The Coronavirus
is not
disappearing. As
school has
started in
Europe, new
outbreaks have
arisen. Experts
now warn that
the deaths in
the U.S. will
range from
300,000 to
600,000 by the
end of the year.
India is
registering
90,000 new cases
per day. A
vaccine is not
going to be 100%
effective. There
is increasing
evidence that
much of the
transmission is
through small
aerosols. MERV 8
filters will not
remove a high
percentage of
the virus and
are likely to be
aerosol
generators for
larger droplets.
These conditions
create a very
large market
opportunity for
the filtration
industry. The
market will not
experience a
sharp peak as
the benefits of
cleaner indoor
air become
permanently
established.
Insight:
Media
effectiveness
for masks or
HVAC filters is
efficiency minus
resistance.
Center of
Excellence in
Protective
Equipment and
Materials, Dr.
Ravi
Selvaganapathy,
McMaster
University,
Canada
General:
The current
COVID-19
pandemic caught
Canada on a flat
foot. The
country did not
have sufficient
local
manufacturing
capability nor
testing and
validation
facilities to
respond quickly
when supply
chains across
the world shut
down. In this
talk, Ravi
described one of
Canada’s most
comprehensive
responses in
assisting local
manufacturing
and
establishment of
a test facility
that has enabled
local
manufacturers of
apparel,
automotive
components, and
construction to
pivot to the
manufacture of
personnel
protective
equipment (PPE).
In assisting
these companies,
broad outlines
of an integrated
research and
development
program were
realized, which
led to the
establishment of
the Center of
Excellence in
Protective
Equipment and
Materials
(CEPEM) as a one
of a kind
facility in
Canada.
The COVID
pandemic and its
aftermath have
significantly
changed how PPEs
are used. These
changes in use
call for a
significant
redesign of PPEs
as well as the
development of
new materials
and
manufacturing
processes suited
for further use
cases. There is
also a need for
the development
of specific and
custom standards
for the
evaluation of
PPEs in these
settings.
Finally, natural
and sustainable
materials need
to be
incorporated
into PPEs
instead of
fossil
fuel-derived
materials in
order to reduce
the impact of
their increased
use. All of
these
considerations
are
interrelated,
and a
comprehensive
research program
is required to
address all
aspects of this
problem. In this
talk, Ravi
provided
some examples of
such an
integrated
approach to the
development of
PPEs.
Insight:
A combination of
face shield and
filter has a
large amount of
filter media.
Shifting
Paradigms for
the Future of
Air Filtration,
Hunter Most, AAF
Flanders
General:
Indoor air
quality is at
the forefront of
the public
consciousness
more than ever
as facilities of
all types
continue to be
reoccupied after
pausing
operations due
to Covid-19.
Once a passing
thought for many
facility
managers, air
filtration is
now extremely
important as
they strive to
address the
concerns of
occupants.
Thinking of air
quality as a
matter of
safety, as
opposed to
simply comfort,
has dramatically
changed the way
that consumers
make decisions
regarding the
products and
services used to
attain clean
air. The
approach to
solving air
quality problems
has
fundamentally
changed as
decisions have
been informed by
shifting
paradigms with
respect to
almost every
aspect of the
technology. A
previously
common view of
filtration as a
commodity
product has
given way to a
highly
engineered,
value-driven
selection
process.
Facilities have
a renewed level
of focus on
materials,
performance
verification,
and cost
optimization as
they explore new
use cases for
filtration
technologies.
These paradigm
shifts affect
multiple
professional
disciplines. It
is critical that
these factors
are prioritized
as the
filtration and
HVAC industries
mobilize to meet
these new
challenges with
novel and
innovative
solutions. A
comprehensive
grasp of this
information is
also essential
across facility
management, life
safety, and
academia.
Cooperation from
such a
cross-sectional
shared
understanding
will provide the
best possible
built
environments
today and ensure
that the
environments of
tomorrow are
even better. IAQ
Health and
Safety Solutions
Associated with
COVID-19
Insight:
One paradigm
shift is from
comfort to
safety as a
driving force.
How the onset of
the Coronavirus
Pandemic has
forever
influenced the
air filtration
industry, Joe,
Gorman, Camfil
General:
On March 11,
2020, the World
Health
Organization
announced
publicly that
COVID-19 disease
was officially a
global pandemic.
During the
proceeding
months, and as
COVID-19 cases
grew across the
globe, a lot of
speculation grew
around the path
of transmission
of the
SARS-CoV-2
virus. To this
day, there is
still debate
around the
primary path of
transmission,
even though
there are
numerous studies
and research
professionals
who suggest the
virus can in
fact be
transmitted
through the air.
In May of 2020,
through the
advice of
ASHRAE, the
Center for
Disease Control
announced
publicly that
the recommended
filtration
efficiency for
public HVAC
systems should
be a minimum of
MERV 13 in order
to provide a
safe
environment.
This
announcement
sparked an
unprecedented
demand for
high-efficiency
air filters
without the
preparedness of
the air
filtration
industry, the
nonwoven media
suppliers and
the facility
engineers who
were blind-sided
by the HVAC
system changes
that would need
to be made. Now
that the general
population is
aware that
high-efficiency
air filtration
is crucial to
the overall
health of the
building
occupants, the
air filtration
industry as a
whole will
forever be
driven towards
delivering
high-performance
air filters to
the market.
Insight:
MERV 13 charged
meltblowns
quickly loses
efficiency to
below MERV
8.
A Closer Look at
Air Filtration,
Indoor Air
Quality and
Covid-19, Jim
Rosenthal,
Tex-Air Filters
General:
The world of
Indoor Air
Quality has gone
through a major
transition since
January of 2020.
Researchers and
practitioners,
including those
in the air
filtration
industry, are in
high demand to
provide good
information on
how to deal with
the spread of
Covid-19.
Building owners
and managers
need answers to
the many
questions about
making their
facilities safer
so that they can
be used
productively.
This
presentation
focused on how
air filters
affect indoor
air quality and
how air filters
can be used to
limit exposure
to Covid-19
aerosols. It
covered filter
efficiency and
explained why
certain levels
of filtration
are being
recommended. But
also focused on
filter
“effectiveness”
and drew on
recent research
to cover how and
where filters
should be used
to obtain
optimum results.
Insight:
Some
charged
meltblowns do
not lose
efficiency
quickly. If high
resistance in
MERV 13 reduces
air changes per
hour then it may
be less
effective than
MERV 8.
The Digital
Transformation
of Clean Air
Management, Dr.
Ellie, Amirnasr,
qlair
General:
It is no secret
that our world
has become
rapidly
digitized, and
facility
management is no
exception. With
the introduction
of smart
buildings and
IoT devices,
digital
solutions are
being developed
every day to
help facility
managers save
time, money, and
energy. But
while we attach
sensors and
monitors to just
about every
piece of
equipment in our
buildings, we
often overlook
the world’s most
valuable
asset... clean
air. Utilizing
clean air
management
effectively
involves
selecting the
right sensors
for your
facility’s
goals,
compiling, and
analyzing the
data to develop
actionable
insights, and
ultimately using
these data to
make critical,
informed
decisions on
what to do next.
In doing so,
your facility
will realize
significant
energy,
material, labor,
and operating
costs savings.
Insight:
Continuous
monitoring of
CO2,
particulate, and
RH provide very
valuable air
quality
management
tools.
Gates Says We
Will Not Be Back
to Normal Until
Sometime in the
First Half of
2022
Bill Gates says
the recent
groundbreaking
developments in
vaccines are a
good sign that
the end of the
pandemic could
be in sight, but
it will be some
time until the
entire world
sees its
benefits.
"By the summer
of 2021, the
rich countries
will have more
vaccine coverage
than other
countries," he
told the
Hindustan Times.
"So, the rich
countries will
be going mostly
back to normal.
But I still
think because
the virus will
be in the world,
we still will be
somewhat
conservative
about large
public events,
we will still
have some
mask-wearing.
"We really need
to get this
virus
eliminated,
almost
everywhere or
else we have
seen even in
countries that
have done a
super good job —
like Australia
or Singapore or
Hong Kong or
South Korea —
they always run
a risk of
reinfection.
"So they've had
to restrict
tourism and
other travel,
but by summer
that will start
to open up.
"They won't be
totally back to
normal but
sometime in the
first half of
2022, I do think
we will be able
to say that
we're back to
normal."
In another
interview with
NBC, Gates
warned that "the
next four or
five months will
be quite bleak"
due to it being
winter in the
northern
hemisphere.
Serum Institute
of India will be
a Critical
Vaccine Supplier
The factory at
the Serum
Institute of
India, a
manufacturer of
immunobiological
drugs, appears
ready to play a
global role in
the production
of Covid-19
vaccines, once
they are
developed,
because few
manufacturers
can match the
scale of its
facilities.
As a leading
supplier to the
developing
world, it is
also in the
forefront of
efforts to
combat “vaccine
nationalism,” where
wealthy
countries such
as the United
States pay to
secure a massive
number of doses
to help their
citizens first,
while poor
countries wait
at the back of
the line.
“The only choice
the world
community has is
to fire as many
barrels as
possible to try
and get as many
vaccines as
possible so as
to improve our
chances of
dealing with
this disease,”
said Adar
Poonawalla, the
company’s chief
executive.
Normal as it
might seem to
want to stop the
virus at home
before worrying
about the rest
of the world,
health experts
warn that,
absent
international
immunization,
the virus will
continue to
spread.
“Covid anywhere
is Covid
everywhere” said
Melinda Gates of
the Gates
Foundation.
“Even if you
vaccinate the
entire Midwest
of the United
States or every
single person in
our country … if
you still have
Covid raging in
another country,
it’s going to
bounce back to
our borders.”
Since the start
of the pandemic,
which has
infected more
than 50 million
people
worldwide,
governments have
scrambled to
secure supplies
of any future
vaccine.
A study released
this month by
the Duke
University
Global Health
Innovation
Center found
that some rich
countries have
already struck
deals to procure
enough vaccine
to inoculate
their own
populations many
times over
before poorer
countries obtain
any vaccine at
all.
According to the
researchers, the
U.S. “already
has agreements
to purchase
enough doses to
cover 230% of
its population
and could
eventually
control 1.8
billion
doses—about a
quarter of the
world’s
near-term
supply.”
A leading
vaccine
candidate — from
the drug company
Pfizer, which
reported this
week that
initial trials
showed 90
percent efficacy
— is already
tied up in
advance purchase
agreements with
a handful of
countries,
including the
United States,
for 100-million
doses.
With more
vaccines nearing
approval, the
World Health
Organization is
calling for a
more equitable
distribution to
stop the
pandemic.
“The first
priority must be
to vaccinate
some people in
all countries,
rather than all
people in some
countries,” WHO
Director-General
Tedros Adhanom
Ghebreyesus said
in September.
“If people in
low- and
middle-income
countries miss
out on vaccines,
the virus will
continue to
kill, and the
economic
recovery
globally will be
delayed,” Tedros
said.
As the demands
of rich
countries have
already cornered
the market in
future vaccines
from European
and American
manufacturers,
Indian companies
will likely play
a large part in
meeting the
massive
worldwide
demand.
The Serum
Institute has
plans to
manufacture five
Covid-19
vaccines, to be
distributed half
in India and
half to the
developing
world.
The vials
rolling off
conveyor belts
at the institute
are filled with
the Covid-19
vaccine
developed by
Oxford
University and
licensed to
AstraZeneca,
which is in
late-stage
trials around
the world.
A worker at the
Serum Institute
of India was
shown holding a
vial of the
Oxford Covid-19
vaccine
candidate being
produced under
the name
Covishield.
Sheldon Healy /
NBC News
The vaccine has
not yet been
approved for
widespread use,
but Serum is
churning it out
anyway, so that,
if it is proven
effective and
passes
regulatory
hurdles, it will
be ready to
distribute
immediately.
The company has
agreed on a
deal, funded by
the Gates
Foundation, to
sell a combined
200 million
doses of the
Oxford vaccine
and another
candidate from
Noavax to lower-
and
middle-income
countries
through the
World Health
Organization-led
Covax facility.
Covax is a
program that
will pool
resources among
countries to buy
eventual
Covid-19
vaccines and
distribute them
more equally
globally,
avoiding the
bilateral
advance purchase
agreements that
countries have
been making with
pharmaceutical
companies.
So far, Covax
has lined up
deals for 700
million doses of
three vaccine
candidates from
AstraZeneca,
Novavax and
GSK-Sanofi.
The vaccines
Serum has agreed
to supply are
just a fraction
of the 2 billion
doses Covax aims
to distribute by
the end of 2021.
India itself is
desperate for a
vaccine. The
nation of 1.3
billion people —
about 17 percent
of the world’s
population — now
trails only the
United States in
the number of
coronavirus
cases.
Serum plans to
address both the
worldwide crisis
and the one at
home at the same
time by
reserving half
of its vaccines
for India and
exporting the
rest.
“We believe in
protecting the
rest of the
world as well as
India. And I'll
tell you why:
Not only because
of the ethical
question — but
also it's
logical,”
Poonawalla said.
“If other
economies don’t
restart … that
doesn’t help
India” he said.
“We are a global
economy.”
Serum’s plan to
export so much
of the vaccines
it is licensed
to produce is
also a business
decision.
The company says
that 65 percent
of children
around the world
receive at least
one vaccine made
by Serum in
their lifetimes.
Dr. Rory Horner,
a development
economist at the
University of
Manchester in
England, who has
been researching
India’s role in
the global
pharmaceutical
industry for
over a decade,
said Indian
companies have
long played a
major role
supplying
vaccines and
medications to
developing
countries.
He described it
as a “win-win”
for the country
that he expects
to continue with
Covid-19
vaccines.
“It’s good for
the industry,
but it’s also
good for
reputation
abroad,” Horner
said. “And we’re
going to see
elements of
vaccine
diplomacy and
not just vaccine
nationalism.”
As the world
fights to end
the Covid-19
pandemic, a
construction
site on the
Serum campus
foreshadows the
challenges of
the future.
It’s what
Poonawalla
called a
“pandemic-level”
manufacturing
facility, “which
basically means
I can make any
kind of product
there up to a
billion doses,”
he said.
“Eventually, I
think every part
of the world
will need a
facility like
this going
forward, because
this is not the
last pandemic. “
Allergens can be
Removed Along
with COVID
According to the
World Health
Organization,
allergies are
now the fourth
most common
chronic
illnesses
worldwide They
are also
exacerbated by
various
particulate
matter and
harmful gases in
the air, which
are at their
highest levels
in larger cities
and industrial
locations. In
general, it is
clear that the
proportion of
people who
suffer from
allergies is
particularly
high in
populous, highly
industrialized
regions.
In South Korea,
59 % of the
population are
treated for
allergy
symptoms, in
Japan that
figure is 44 %,
in the USA 28 %
and in Europe 20
%. In Germany,
35 to 40 % of
residents suffer
from
allergy-related
illnesses,
whereby 86 % of
allergy
sufferers suffer
from
pollen-related
allergies, while
40 % are
allergic to pets
and 14 % to mold
spores – those
figures continue
to rise
In particular,
the number of
those allergic
to pollen is
rising
worldwide. The
cost of treating
these patients
amounts to
approximately
Euro 240 million
annually in
Germany alone.
If pollen,
bacteria, mold
spores and other
tiny particles
make their way
into the
interior of a
vehicle through
the ventilation
ducts, they can
provoke allergic
reactions.
The protection
of vehicle
occupants is
therefore
increasingly a
focal point for
developers:
while the first
cabin filters
aimed to protect
the components
of an
air-conditioning
system against
contamination,
modern variants
protect the
passengers
against harmful
allergens and
germs in the
ambient air.
Common cabin
filters include
a particulate
filter and
frequently also
an activated
carbon layer.
This is also
true for the
cabin filters
from
MANN+HUMMEL. The
particulate
filter layer
almost
completely
separates coarse
particles such
as dust, pollen,
and tire debris
as well as the
smallest,
respirable
particles such
as particulate
matter. The
layer of
activated carbon
adsorbs harmful
gases,
unpleasant
odors, and ozone
almost
completely from
the air flowing
through the
system.
But these cabin
filters also
have a third
layer with a
special
biofunctional
coating
containing
polyphenols. Polyphenols
are natural
products with an
anti-inflammatory
effect and are
perceived to
promote good
health. They are
present in
plants such as
green tea and
pomegranates and
many others and
have the ability
to adsorb
allergens and
make them
harmless. This
mechanism is
exploited by
MANN+HUMMEL and
those suffering
from allergies
can breathe
freely.
Mann + Hummel
Uses Nanofiber
Media in Engine
Air Filters as
Well as Masks
Combustion air
always contains
particles which
should not be
allowed to
penetrate the
inside of the
engine. The
application of a
highly efficient
air filter is
therefore
essential in
order to protect
the engine and
its components
such as the
turbocharger or
mass air flow
sensor against
increased wear
and defects
caused by dirt
particles.
MANN+HUMMEL
develops
nanofiber coated
filter media for
the highly
efficient
separation, also
amongst others,
of fine
particles. These
filter media
from MANN+HUMMEL
are
characterized by
a verifiably
higher
separation
efficiency along
with the high
dust holding
capacity.
A high-tec
nanofiber coated
filter media
from MANN+HUMMEL
is the first
choice for
vehicles which
work in
environments
with a high
level of soot or
fine dust
pollution.
Typical
application
areas here are
dusty
construction
sites, mines,
and car rallies.
Nanofiber filter
medium before
and after
loading with
dust particles
Good particle
separation
performance
along with low
flow restriction
ISO 5011
separation
performance
tested with ISO
fine test dust
(ISO 12103-01:
A2). Results
from filter
elements with
same size under
typical
conditions for
heavy duty
engine air
intake.
Separation
performance
changes with the
changed test
conditions
(filtration
velocity).
Flat sheet test
with ISO fine
test dust (ISO
12103-01: A2).
Determination of
fractional
separation
efficiency
during the first
60 seconds. The
curves shown are
based on average
values.
Individual
values may
deviate
slightly.
Fractional
separation
efficiency
changes with
changed test
conditions.
MANN+HUMMEL has
successfully
used nanofiber
technology for a
number of years
in series
applications for
the commercial
vehicles sector.
The nanofiber
filter media
consists of a
carrier media
and an extremely
thin layer of
ultra-fine
polymer fibers.
The fibers with
a diameter of
less than one
micrometer are
approximately
200 times
smaller than the
fiber diameter
of the carrier
material. This
leads to a
considerable
improvement in
particle
separation. At
the same time
nanofibers offer
a further
advantage: In
spite of the
high separation
efficiency, the
flow restriction
remains very
low.
The high
separation
performance
ensures that
also smaller
particles are
separated by the
nanofiber layer
of the filter
media. In order
to determine the
separation
efficiency for a
certain particle
size, particles
with a defined
size are counted
in the air flow
upstream and
downstream of
the filter
media. The
results are
shown using
fractional
separation
efficiency
curves. The
nanofiber layer
applied to the
carrier
verifiably
reduces the
passage of fine
particles and
therefore offers
greater
protection for
the engine and
its sensitive
components.
R&D Tools
|