We are honored to have Dr. Behnam Pourdeyhimi, Executive Director and Distinguished Professor, NC State Univ., US , as our distinguished speaker in the session of Filtration Advances for Emerging Technologies at the upcoming World Filtration Institute 2024 Annual Conference (WFI 2024), December 3–4, 2024, 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM EST.
Dr. Pourdeyhimi is the William A. Klopman Distinguished Professor of Textile Materials and Associate Dean in the College of Textiles and an affiliated professor in Biomedical Engineering. Dr. Pourdeyhimi has received numerous awards. These include the ASTM D-13 Dewitt Smith Medal and the Fiber Society Distinguished Scientist award. He later served also as the vice president, and the president of the Fiber Society.
He is best known for his contributions to nonwovens. He received the O’ Max Gardner award in 2015 (The Highest award by the University of North Carolina System). In 2018, he received The Holladay Medal for Excellence (The highest faculty award bestowed by NC State). He was elected as a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors in 2020. He has published 3 books, over 500 publications, and holds 27 US and 60+ international patents.
Date: December 3, 2024
Time: 10:05AM- 10:20AM EST
Presentation title: Creating a More Sustainable, High-Efficiency Spunbond Filter Media
Abstract
From a supply-chain perspective, in 2020, the pandemic has challenged the availability of nonwoven materials that are employed for end-uses related to the COVID-19 response. Typical N95 respirators and surgical masks are a multi-layer structure of two or more spunbond layers that provide mask shape and protect the inner meltblown filtration layer. The meltblown layer is electrostatically charged to allow for high efficiency and acceptable pressure drops.
In response to the COVID-19 crisis, NWI was able to modify microfibrillation technology to form a new class of facemask filter medium with an ultra-low pressure drop. This new structure does not require electrostatic corona charging .There are no spunbond filters, as filtration media with similar properties and meltblown structures do not provide the same pressure drops. The material can be fine-tuned to produce facemask media targeting N95, N99, and N100 masks, as well as MERV 13 to 16 and HEPA filters.
NWI’s new approach uses a spunbond, hydroentangled nonwoven made from a PLA/PP bicomponent fiber that can be fibrillated by the waterjets during the process. The process uses novel jet strips that form a “quilted” structure. The degree of fibrillation can be controlled; partial fibrillation will result in a mix of fibers ~ (1-2 μm) and coarse fibers (15-25 μm), while full fibrillation results in a structure with fibers in the range of 1-2 μm.
Of note is that the process produces as much as 450 kg/m/hr. per beam. This is significantly higher that spunbond PP and far greater that the throughput on a meltblown system offering potentially lower costs and higher capacity.
About WFI 2024:
The World Filtration Institute 2024 Annual Conference (WFI 2024) will be held online, December 3–4, 2024, from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM EST. The theme of this conference is "Sustainable Filtration Solutions for a Cleaner and Healthier World." It will be an internationally leading expert conference addressing the latest advances in filtration and separation technologies and their critical roles in healthy living, surrounding environments, and a clean, sustainable world for current and future generations. The virtual conference will feature the following sessions:
1. Sustainable Filtration for A Healthier Indoor Environment
2. Filtration Advances for Emerging Technologies
3. Innovative Materials and Technologies for Sustainable Filtration
4. Circular Economy and Sustainable Water Solutions
5. Regulatory Trends and Standards Updates
6. Artificial Intelligence in Advanced Filtration Solutions
