Facemask Market and Technologies
April 30, 2024, Tuesday
8:00am-10:00am, ET Canada & US
$USD 350
$USD 175 (Member Only )
Course Objective
The objective of this course is to provide the audience with the latest update on facemask market analysis and a depth understanding of the technologies used to make facemasks, especially meltblown electrostatic changing technologies, as a primary process used for making core protective filtration layers. We will also discuss new updates on test methods, certification standards, nanofiber technologies and other new developments, challenges, opportunities, and trends.
Course Outline
1. Introduction to Facemasks (Christine Sun)
General facemasks and types of use
Filtration principle of facemasks
2. Updated Market Analysis (Bob Mcilvaine)
Background
Market Variables
Market Forecast
3. Meltblown Processes and Electrostatic Charging Technologies (Peter Tsai)
Meltblowing process parameters and fabric properties
Electrostatic charging technologies and charge durability
Unique MB characteristics for masks to protect against SARS-CoV-2
4. Nanofiber Technologies in Facemask Applications (Christine Sun)
Methods to produce nanofibers
Nanofiber facemasks vs. meltblown electret PP facemasks
Value proposition
5. Face Mask Performance Requirements and Testing Industry Trends (Sarah Smit)
Overview of face mask products and test methods
Overview of ASTM F2100 test methods and performance requirements
ASTM F2100 current and future work and other face mask industry trends
6. New Developments, Opportunities and Trends (Mehdi Shirmohamadi, Iyad Al-Attar and All)
Instructor Biography
Dr. Peter Tsai
Instructor
Dr. Tsai. Professor of the Univerity of Tennessee, has over 40 years of expertise in development of meltblowing (MB) system and the electrostatic charging (EC) of materials for making air filter electrets. The MB and the EC technologies developed Dr. Tsai have been used in the industries worldwide making billion pieces of N95 of face masks, and many other applications in air filtration. He receives three most prestigious awards from the University of Tennessee (UT) in recognition of his contribution in technology innovation and transfer. Dr. Tsai is entitled by AFS as a Fellow Member, famous for his invention of electret meltblown technologies for N95 facemask and air filtration applications.
Panelist
"wix:image://v1/f92d3a_470a08d8dcce4fb4874513ec62637a61~mv2.jpg/Thomas%20Peter.jpg#originWidth=496&originHeight=618Dr.-Ing. Thomas Peters is an internationally renowned expert in membrane technology and environmental engineering. He has over 40 years of experience in the field of pressure-driven membrane processes for the treatment of water, process fluids, and wastewater. Related pioneering work was focused between others on the use of reverse osmosis for desalination of seawater, for the purification of landfill leachate and water reuse in different areas. He earned his Ph.D. in 1980 at the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg on the subject "Production of drinking water from seawater with reverse osmosis“. After leading management functions in a middle-sized and multinational company, he has been a high-level independent technology consultant since 1986, authored more than 100 publications and more than 50 oral presentations. He is co-editor of a landfill compendium. He received the Stanley Gray Award - Marine Technology 2000/2001 of the IMarEST, London, and the ATCP Award 2007, Concepción, Chile.
Dr. Sun, President of the Waterloo Filtration Institute, is a globally renowned technical and market expert in the filtration and nonwovens industry. With over 30 years of experience in academia and industry, she has in-depth knowledge of filtration and extensive hands-on expertise in product and business development, evidenced by her contribution of over 100 technical publications and patents in the field. She is also actively involved in the development of many air and liquid filter test standards, such as ASHRAE and ISO. Dr. Sun worked for Freudenberg Filtration Technologies from 2004 to 2011 as an R&D manager and then served as Technology Director for Donaldson Company from 2011 to 2013. She was the Chair of the American Filtration and Separation Society (AFS) from 2016 to 2017 and has received the AFS Fellow Award in 2019, the Sr. Scientist Award in 2012, and the best paper awards from INDA (Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry) in 2008. She is also an editorial board member for the Textile Research Journal and the Journal of Industrial Textiles. Dr. Sun received her B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, and her Executive Certificate from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, USA.
Sarah Smit, B.S, CQPA (ASQ)
Mrs. Sarah Smit, UT, USA, has been employed at Nelson Laboratories for over 12 years and is the Laboratory Operations Director in the Protective Barriers department of the company. As sub-chair of the F23.40 ASTM biological committee, which oversees the standards for medical face masks and gowns, she helps lead standard development for testing medical protective clothing. She received a BS in biology from the University of Utah.
Panel Speakers
Mr. Bob Mcilvaine is the President of the Mcilvaine Company, specializing in market forecasting, publishing, and technical Analysis. He founded the company in 1974. Filtration has been their major focus from the beginning. Bob is a globally well-recognized market expert in the filtration industry. Over the decades, he has led the company to provide market research and technical evaluations on liquid and air filtration technologies. He has been actively involved in various filtration applications and keeps updated with new developments in the dynamic filtration and separation market. During the pandemic, Bob and his team put great efforts into the facemasks and HVAC filtration for public education and safety. Bob is a graduate of Woodrow Wilson School of Domestic and International Affairs, Princeton University.
Dr. Mehdi Shirmohammadi is the R&D Manager of Termeh Mask Co., a key face mask manufacturer in Turkey, Iran, and the UAE. He has more than 20 years of experience (academic and industrial) in air filtration systems and respiratory masks. Mehdi is a recognized expert in textile fibers, high-efficiency filter media, and antibacterial adsorbents, involved in co-leading standard development committees at the ISIRI in writing standards for respiratory masks. During his air purification research, he worked through the chain of air cleaning processes from polymers, textile fibers, filter media, filter elements, filtration systems, testing instruments, and standardization. He has been focused on antimicrobial adsorber filter media since 2010 and has some patents and publications. Mehdi received his Ph.D. in Textile (chemistry and fibers sciences) from IAU, Iran. He is a Certified Filtration and Separation Specialist (CFSS) for air filtration, awarded as WFI’s Student of the Year in 2022.
Dr. Iyad Al-Attar, Dr. Iyad Al-Attar is a mechanical engineer and independent air filtration consultant. He serves as a Visiting Academic Fellow in the School of Aerospace, Transport, and Manufacturing at Cranfield University, UK, focusing on air quality and filter performance for land-based gas turbines. He is the Strategic Director and Advisory Board Member of the Waterloo Filtration Institute and was appointed as the first associated consultant for air filtration affairs by EUROVENT Middle East in 2020. Dr. Al-Attar received his engineering degrees (BSc, MSc, Ph.D.) from the University of Toronto (Canada), Kuwait University, and Loughborough University (UK), respectively. His expertise includes designing high-efficiency filters for HVAC and gas turbine applications, and he has authored numerous articles on air quality, filter design, and climate change. He contributes to various industry publications and serves as an editorial member and referee for the Filtration Society (UK) and the Journal of Cleaner Production.