COVID-19 anti-viral nanofibrous filtration media from renewable materials

该项目旨在创造抗病毒的非织造纳米纤维过滤介质，以最小的过滤器压降有效地捕获0.3微米大小的颗粒。这两个方面创造了最大限度减少呼吸阻抗的过滤介质，同时最大限度地提高了气溶胶颗粒的过滤效率。我们的研究小组正在积极地纺制适合使用生物聚合物木质素进行过滤的纳米级可再生纤维。在加拿大，木质素是从工业制浆操作中分离出来的，此前有报道称木质素具有抗病毒的能力。此外，PI的团队以前曾研究过用非浸出性季铵聚合物对木质素进行改性；季铵化合物是有效的病毒消毒剂，可用作来水湿纸巾的活性成分。这些化合物可以通过破坏外脂膜有效地灭活冠状病毒。因此，我们的目标是创建由木质素和季铵聚合物组成的抗病毒过滤介质，前者来自加拿大森工行业的供应链。这种纤维可以与纸浆纤维基材结合使用，以制造加拿大制造的可再生过滤介质。该提案预计将提供一种亟需的可再生生物聚合物过滤器，该过滤器将捕获并灭活SARS-CoV-2等病毒。 根据这项提案的结果，合作伙伴将了解制造这些高性能可再生过滤器所需的关键参数。从这些技术方面，合作伙伴将能够从技术方面、供应链机会和性能方面具体研究允许扩大技术规模的生产过程。因此，合作伙伴组织的努力将进一步将技术准备水平(TRL)提升到下一个关口，并为过滤介质的供应寻找和连接企业。该团队共同拥有快速开发加拿大供应的高性能、具有抗病毒特性的可再生过滤器以抗击这一流行病的所有组件。

This project aims to create anti-viral, non-woven nanofibre filtration media that effectively captures 0.3 micron sized particles with a minimum pressure drop across the filter. These two aspects create filter media that minimize respiration impedance while maximizing filtration efficiency of aerosol particles. Our research group is actively spinning nanoscale renewable fibres suitable for filtration using the biopolymer, lignin. Lignin is separated from industrial pulping operations here in Canada and previously has been reported to show anti-viral capacity. Further, modification of lignin with non-leaching quaternary ammonium polymers was previously studied by the PI's team; quaternary ammonium compounds are potent disinfectants against viruses and are used as active ingredients in Lysol wipes. These compounds can effectively deactivate coronaviruses by disrupting the outer lipid membrane. As such, our efforts are aimed to create anti-viral filtration media composed of lignin and quaternary ammonium polymers with the former sourced from a Canadian supply chain in the forest industry. The fibers can be used in conjunction with pulp fibre substrates to make renewable filtration media created within Canada. The proposal is expected to deliver a much needed renewable biopolymer-based filter that will trap and deactivate viruses such as SARS-CoV-2. Based on the outcome of this proposal, the partners will understand the critical parameters required to make these high performance renewable filters. From these technical aspects, the partners will be able to look specifically into production processes that will allow scale-up of the technology from the technical aspects, supply chain opportunity, and performance. Hence, the partner organization efforts will further advance the technology readiness level (TRL) scale to the next gate, as well as, seek and connect businesses for supply of filtration media. Together this team has all the components to quickly develop a Canadian-supplied, high performance, renewable filter with anti-viral properties to fight this pandemic.