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14 June, 2021Special Award for Innovation in the social and health sector
20 June, 2021The new material is also filtering and hydrophobic, like the polypropylene commonly used for this purpose, and can be recycled
A team of researchers from the Aragón Health Research Institute (IIS Aragón), from the Institute of Nanoscience and Materials of Aragon (INMA)- joint institute between the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) and the University of Zaragoza (Unify)- and Carbochemistry Institute of the CSIC have obtained a new material to replace the polypropylene with which surgical masks, the most widely used, are made, which conforms to the principles of the circular economy.
The project has managed to develop filter media based on electrospun microfibers and nanofibers of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) obtained from plastic bottles, bags and other discarded plastic products, which in turn can be recycled to make new masks, with the consequent reduction in impact. environmental that is causing the mandatory wearing of a mask due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

By combining different sizes of microfiber or nanofiber it is possible to generate filter media with a wide spectrum of filtering efficiencies (surgical, FFP1, FFP2 and FFP3). Compared to the polypropylene usually used in masks, this material is equally hydrophobic, can be recycled and re-electrospun, and is made from discarded plastic, which is why it is considered more sustainable and environmentally friendly.
The developed mask is composed of three layers: two external layers, located on the internal and external sides, and a filter medium as an intermediate layer. The two protective layers show almost no loss of charge, but they do have high hydrophobicity. Both fabrics have been produced using electrospinning techniques. The fabric has a retention efficiency of more than 98% for particles between 0,5 and 3 microns and 100% for particles of 3 microns and larger. Thus, compared to the current surgical mask, the PET-based fabric has better performance in retaining fine and coarse particles.
These materials have been obtained in the facilities and with the resources of the IIS Aragón, the Institute of Nanoscience and Materials of Aragón (CSIC-University of Zaragoza) and the Institute of Carbochemistry of the CSIC (former Laboratory of Fluiddynamics and Combustion Technologies).
Impact on the environment
Although there is a wide range of masks with varying efficiency, from surgical and hygienic to filtering protective half masks, most commercial filter media are based on polypropylene production. Most mask models, regardless of their filtering capacity, are classified as non-reusable and the useful life of the product expires between 4 and 6 hours after continued use, depending on the manufacturers.
Taking into account that, according to 2020 data from the National Institute of Statistics, the Spanish population aged 6 years or older amounts to 46.440.788 inhabitants, if all of them used two surgical masks a day - complying with the recommendations -, it would generate a waste of 232 tons per day of polypropylene (2,5 grams per mask).
The team that has achieved this innovation is made up of Marta Baselga, principal researcher (IIS Aragón); Santiago Jiménez (LIFTEC); and Manuel Arruebo, Cristina Yus, Víctor Sebastián and Silvia Irusta (INMA). The project has been financed by the IIS Aragón within the framework of the intramural call 'Support action of the IIS Aragón Covid-19' of 2020 and by the University of Zaragoza within the framework of the call for aid for development cooperation projects and initiatives in the university environment 2020.