Aerosol filtration using electrospun cellulose acetate fibers

Abstract

Aerosol filtration using electrospun cellulose acetate filters with different mean fiber diameters is reported, and the results are compared with those for two conventional filter media, a glass fiber filter and a cellulose acetate microfiber filter. The performance of these filters was studied using two aerosols, one solid (NaCl) and one liquid (diethyl hexyl sebacate), under conditions of relatively high face velocity (45 cm/s). The experimental observations are compared to theoretical predictions based on single fiber filtration efficiency. Our results indicate that the mechanisms for single fiber filtration efficiency provide reasonable predictions of the most penetrating particle size (MPPS), in the range of 40–270 nm, percentage penetration from 0.03 to 70 %, and fiber diameter in the range from 0.1 to 24 µm. Using an analysis based on blocking filtration laws, we conclude that filtration by cake formation dominated in the case of NaCl aerosols on electrospun filter media, whereas filters with larger fiber diameter showed a transition in mechanisms, from an initial regime characterized by pore blocking to a later regime characterized by cake formation. The liquid aerosol did not exhibit cake formation, even for the smallest fiber diameters, and also had much smaller influence on pressure drop than did the solid aerosol. The electrospun filters demonstrated slightly better quality factors compared to the commercial glass fiber filter, at a much lower thickness. In general, this study demonstrates control of the properties of electrospun cellulose acetate fibers for air filtration application.