Scalable pilot production of highly efficient 5-ply respiratory masks enhanced by bacterial cellulose nanofibers

This study presents the pilot-scale production of highly efficient real respiratory masks enhanced by bacterial cellulose nanofibers (BCNFs). The BCNFs suspension was deposited onto tissue paper substrates using fog spray technique with three BCNFs grammage levels of 0.5, 1, and 2 g/m², followed by freeze drying. Also, two continuous and batch welding processes have been used to construct the core structure of the masks. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) confirmed the uniform distribution and size of fog-sprayed BCNFs and their pore networks. With increase in BCNFs grammage, the adsorption efficiency of masks increased in both continuous and batch production methods. The mask produced through batch processing showed the highest efficiency of 99.2 % (N99) for the particulate matter of 0.3 μm, while the maximum corresponding efficiency value in continuous processing was 95.4 % (N95). The pressure drops of the masks increased with the increase in BCNFs grammage in both methods. The maximum pressure drops of N95 and N99 masks obtained were 112 ± 10 Pa and 128 ± 8 Pa, respectively. Notably, the filtration efficacy of masks was preserved when subjected to relative humidity fluctuations ranging from 30 % to 70 %. The successful findings of this study offer significant promise for future air filtration applications.