Electrospun Nanofibre Air Filters for Particles and Gaseous Pollutants

Roberta Orlando, Merve Polat, Alireza Afshari, Matthew S. Johnson and Peter Fojan
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Roberta Orlando: Department of the Built Environment, Aalborg University, DK-2450 Copenhagen, Denmark
Merve Polat: Department of Chemistry, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
Alireza Afshari: Department of the Built Environment, Aalborg University, DK-2450 Copenhagen, Denmark
Matthew S. Johnson: Department of Chemistry, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
Peter Fojan: Department of Materials and Production, Aalborg University, DK-9220 Aalborg, Denmark

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 12, 1-18

Abstract: Nanofibre filters may offer new properties not available in commercial fibre filters. These include a higher surface area and the ability to include novel materials within the fibres. In addition the small size allows potential gains in performance due to the slip-flow phenomenon in which normal gas viscosity does not apply to objects smaller than the mean free path of the gas. We tested the properties of novel electrospun fibre filters generated from polyvinyl alcohol solutions, optionally embedded with nano-grains of photocatalytic TiO 2 and activated charcoal. The tested materials exhibited pressure drops in the range of 195 Pa to 2693 Pa for a face velocity of 5.3 cm/s and a removal efficiency greater than 97% for 12–480 nm particles. Basis weights for the filters ranged from 16.6 to 67.6 g/m 2 and specific surface areas ranged from 1.4 to 17.4 m 2 /g. Reactivity towards volatile organic compounds (VOCs) was achieved by irradiating the photocatalytic filters with ultraviolet light. It is necessary to solve the problems connected to the absorbance of VOCs and further reduce the resistance to airflow in order for these filters to achieve widespread use. The incorporation of reactive air filtration into building ventilation systems will contribute to improved indoor air quality.

Keywords: poly(vinyl alcohol); electrospinning; nanofibres; air filters; titanium dioxide; activated charcoal (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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