Biodegradable Particle Filtering Half-masks for Respiratory Protection

This article presents the results of research on developing a multi-layer particle filtering half-mask made from biodegradable nonwovens for protection against harmful aerosols. Currently, these half-masks are made from polypropylene (PP), which is a problem in the context of environment protection. Needle-punched nonwovens were used for the pre-fil tration stage, highly effective melt-blown nonwovens for main filtration and spun-bonded nonwovens as the tegument. The basic raw material for the production of the nonwovenswas poly(lactic acid) (PLA). In order to ensure a tight seal around the half-mask, head straps and a nasal seal, also made of biodegradable materials, were used. The developed biodegradable half-mask, designed for protection of the respiratory system from harmful aerosols, meets the requirements of the low (FFP1) and medium (FFP2) protection classes according to EN149:2001+A1:2009.