Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Popmask (Poplar Fiber Based Sustainable and Antibacterial Face Mask Filtration Media) Reporting period: 2021-05-01 to 2023-04-30 Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project The coronavirus pandemic has led to an increased demand for disposable face masks. The huge numbers of discarded masks not only result in an alarming accumulation of plastic in soil and aquatic ecosystems, but they also create a shortage on the polypropylene supply chain. Polypropylene is a petroleum-based polymer that is the main filtering medium used in masks, but it does not filter out bacteria. To tackle this issue, the Popmask project, which received funding by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, aimed to develop filtration media using sustainable and antibacterial poplar fibres that should effectively remove ultra-small particles such as the coronavirus itself. This project had 3 main technical pillars:(i) Creating wet laid webs from poplar fibers(ii) Developing a surgical mask(iii) Developing a filtering facepiece respirators that can effectively filter ultrafine particles.Poplar trees are very fast-growing trees and are grown on 76 million decares of land in the world. Poplar trees are used as raw materials for industrial products such as paper, cellulose pulp, and plywood. Although poplar trees are widely used in the industrial field, the fibers of these trees have never been used for industrial purposes before. Poplar fibers have hollow lumen and highly hydrophobic. In this study, wet-laid nonwovens with various weight densities were produced using poplar fibers. These webs were employed as filtration media in surgical mask. Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far Poplar fibers were employed to create wet laid surfaces. Hydrophobicity of the poplar fibers resulted various problems in the web formation. However, employing surfactants resulted uniform webs. Depending on the employed fiber amount, wet laid webs with different thicknesses and weights (g/m2) can be produced. Application of these poplar based wet-laid nonwovens are investigated thoroughly in this study. 0.7g amount of fibers were employed to obtain wet laid webs with weight densities of 22.2 g/m^2. Bacterial filtration efficiency of these webs were measured according the the EN14683 standards. Mechanical press was applied on the webs to further increase their filtration efficiency. Both pressed and non-pressed samples exhibited sufficient performance to capture 3 µm particles in the EN 14683 test. Ultra-fine particle filtration efficiencies of the poplar webs were also investigated. EN 149 Test standard procedures were followed for this purpose. Automated Filter Tester T8130A instrument was employed to generate NaCl particles with a size of 0.3 µm and the air flow rate was 30l/min. However; webs showed low filtering efficiencies which makes them difficult to use in filtering facepiece respirators. Project results will be presented in two international conferences:FILTECH 2024, Germany and Cellulose 2024, Germany. Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far) Poplar fibers don't have industrial applications yet. They have not been converted into textile products such as yarns or fabrics. In this study these natural fibers were converted to wet laid nonwovens. Project results indicate that these webs are suitable for surgical face filtration media. Creating new applications for these non-conventional fiber would be a sustainable alternative to petroleum products. In addition, harvesting and cleaning processes of poplar fibers can create economical impact on the lives of local farmers and villagers.During the project, an Erasmus student completed his internship at this project and gain new knowledge and skills. Popmask Surgical Mask Prototype
