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，有效地捕获0.3微米大小的颗粒，并使整个过滤器的压降最小。这两个方面产生了使呼吸阻抗最小化同时使气溶胶颗粒的过滤效率最大化的过滤介质。 我们的研究小组正在积极地使用生物聚合物木质素纺制适合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，以前有报道称它具有抗病毒的能力。此外，PI的团队先前研究了用非浸出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，并用作来苏湿巾的活性成分。这些化合物可以通过破坏外脂膜来有效地灭活冠状病毒。因此，我们的努力旨在创造由木质素和季铵聚合物组成的抗病毒过滤介质，前者来自加拿大林业供应链。该纤维可与纸浆纤维基材结合使用，以制造加拿大境内生产的可再生过滤介质。该提案预计将提供一种急需的可再生生物聚合物过滤器，该过滤器将捕获和灭活SARS-CoV-2等病毒。 根据该提案的结果，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，合作伙伴将能够具体研究生产过程，从而从技术方面，供应链机会和性能方面扩大技术规模。因此，合作伙伴组织的努力将进一步推进技术准备水平（TRL）规模到下一个关口，以及寻求和连接企业供应过滤介质。该团队拥有所有组件，可以快速开发出由美国供应的高性能可再生过滤器，具有抗病毒特性，以对抗这种流行病。

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.