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Washable, light-chargeable air filter shows promise for masks and air purifiers
News brief35 minutes ago.
Laine Bergeson
Topics
Misc Emerging Topics
Public Health
An air filter that uses sunlight and indoor LED lights to charge has the potential to make face masks and air purifiers more efficient, longer lasting, lower maintenance, and less expensive, according to a new study published last month in Chem.
Many conventional filters use an electrical charge to help attract airborne particles from the air for purification. But that charge gradually dissipates and accumulated particles eventually clog the filtration material, “resulting in short service life and recurring costs,” write the researchers.
Filter recharges even in low light
For the study, a team led by researchers from Jilin University in Changchun, China, coated a polypropylene membrane with materials that convert light into heat to generate a continuous surface charge that captures airborne particles while allowing air to pass through.The filter achieved 99% filtration efficiency for a month without increased airflow resistance. Efficiency remained at 95% over the next two months, with only a slight increase in resistance.
When particles accumulate, the filter can simply be rinsed with water and exposed to light to restore its charge. Even low-energy indoor LED light and sunlight on overcast days provided enough energy to recharge the material to filter at N95- and N99-level efficiency, according to a Cell Press news release.
The study highlights the filter’s potential for real-world applications, say the researchers, who developed prototypes for face masks, outdoor screens, and biological equipment. But, they add, some aspects of the filter could be further improved, and more research will be needed to assess the possibility of mass production and integration with other products.
Yet, they conclude, a light-charged filter “provides a novel pathway to enrich applicability, such as indoor air purification, epidemic disease prevention, and personal hygiene protection.”
Quick takes: West Nile deaths in US; cholera in DR Congo, Yemen; avian flu uptick in US
News brief50 minutes ago.
Mary Van Beusekom, MS
Topics
West Nile
Cholera
Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)
- Two older adults from central North Carolina with underlying medical conditions have died of West Nile virus, according to the state’s department of health and human services. No vaccines or treatments are available for the mosquito-borne illness. No other details about the deaths were provided. Also, the European Union is experiencing its most intense West Nile season ever, with the virus encroaching further north into new areas, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control reports.
- Cholera cases are surging in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and in Yemen, the World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday. More than 51,400 people have been sickened by the diarrheal disease, and 1,487 have died, in 21 DRC provinces so far this year, as the country also battles a Bundibugyo Ebola virus outbreak. In Yemen, cholera infections are spiking after escalating conflict displaced more than 200,000 people in the last two months. Suspected cases have risen from 217 to 647 over the last three weeks. So far this year, Yemen has reported 8,034 infections, including 27 deaths. The outbreaks in both countries are being fueled by insufficient access to clean water and sanitation and health-service disruptions.
- As avian flu continues its assault on US birds, Politico reports that the US Department of Agriculture tabled plans to vaccinate birds against the virus after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. balked at the idea. Over the past week, avian flu has struck a 25,900-bird turkey farm in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota; a 50-bird backyard flock in Lajas County, Puerto Rico; 40 poultry in Washington state; and multiple flocks of geese in the Reno-Sparks region of Nevada.