An improved mechanical electrostatic filter assembly for filtering an air stream from particulates, comprising either a single cartridge or multiple cartridges positioned in a consecutive manner, either close together or separated from one another via air gaps, each of the multiple cartridges comprising inner filtering media, each of the multiple cartridges haying a back wall and a front wall, each of the back wall and each of the front wall having multiple openings through which the air stream is passing.

As the air stream with particulates approaching the improved mechanical electrostatic filter assembly, and hitting an outer surface of the front wall of a first cartridge, friction is established and the particulates get electrostatically charged, wherein the air stream with the electrostatically charged particulates passing through the multiple openings of the front wall and the electrostatically charged particulates are electrically coupled to the inner filtering media, the air stream exiting the first cartridge can pass through at least one additional cartridge for filtering the particulates remained in the air stream.

A blood isolation and extraction method includes: providing a predetermined amount of blood; utilizing a platelet filter unit to filter the predetermined amount of blood to generate a filtered blood; utilizing a plasma separation unit to divide the filtered blood into a plasma layer and a blood cell layer for separating blood cells from blood plasma; and extracting the blood plasma from the plasma layer and the blood cells from the blood cell layer. In another embodiment, the blood isolation and extraction method further includes: providing a platelet-washing unit to wash the platelet filter unit with a solution to produce a platelet solution; and mixing the platelet solution with the blood plasma to produce a platelet and plasma mixed solution.

The present invention relates to a belt comprising a warp yarn and a weft yarn, wherein the belt comprises a fused region along each longitudinal edge of the belt, said fused region being formed from the warp yarn, the weft yarn and a yarn provided for fusing the warp yarn and the weft yarn together.

Disclosed are exemplary embodiments of woven filtration fabrics that include core-sheath spun yarns in either or both of the warp and weft directions.

Use of an electrically charged nonwoven fabric that is made of a fiber predominantly composed of an amorphous polymer provides a novel filtration material having improved performance compared to that of conventional filtration materials, and having excellent heat resistance and excellent flame retardancy as well as an electrically charged nonwoven fabric for use in the filtration material. It is preferable that the surface charge density is greater than or equal to 1×10.sup.−10 coulomb/cm.sup.2. It is preferable that the collection efficiency for collecting a dust particle with a particle diameter of 1 μm flowing at a fabric-passing velocity of 8.6 cm/second is greater than or equal to 40%, the QF value is greater than or equal to 0.05, and the decrement of the dust-particle collection efficiency after being allowed to leave at 100° C. for 24 hours is less than or equal to 10%.

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to coated substrates having, e.g., anti-viral properties, to articles including the coated substrates, and to processes for making such coated substrates and articles. In an embodiment, a mask for preventing infection by a virus is provided. The mask includes a coated substrate having a breathing resistance (95 L/min, EN 149:2001) of about 6 mbar or less and a water droplet absorption time of less than about 5 seconds. The coated substrate includes a non-woven fabric having a weight of about 120 g/m.sup.2 or less according to ASTM D3776, and mineral oxide particles, iron oxide particles, or both, coupled to at least a portion of the non-woven fabric.

An air filtration device is provided. The device comprises a frame member with a detachable filter element, and the filter element comprises a fabric, textile, or similar pliable material that is operable to be washed by various methods. Methods and devices include a filter element and various attachment mechanisms for securing the filter element to a frame and selectively removing the filter element for cleaning and replacement purposes.

A face mask is disclosed. The face mask includes a mask pad adapted to cover a nose and a mouth of a wearer and allows a passage of air therethrough to the wearer and restricts a passage of microbes. The mask pad has at least a surface protected by a sulfonated polymeric layer for killing at least 90% microbes within 120 minutes of contact with at least a surface of the face mask. The sulfonated polymeric layer consists essentially of a sulfonated polymer, the sulfonated polymer being selected from the group of perfluorosulfonic acid polymers, polystyrene sulfonates, sulfonated block copolymers, sulfonated polyolefins, sulfonated polyimides, sulfonated polyamides, sulfonated polyesters, sulfonated polysulfones, sulfonated polyketones, sulfonated poly(arylene ether), and mixtures thereof.

A nanofiber nonwoven product is disclosed which comprises a polyamide with a relative viscosity from 2 to 330, spun into nanofibers with an average diameter of less than 1000 nanometers (1 micron). In general, the inventive products are prepared by: (a) providing a polyamide composition, wherein the polyamide has a relative viscosity from 2 to 330; (b) melt spinning the polyamide composition into a plurality of nanofibers having an average fiber diameter of less than 1 micron, followed by (c) forming the nanofibers into the product.

An apparatus and a method are provided for a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) home air filter to remove airborne molecular contaminants and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from air within residential spaces. The HVAC home air filter comprises a supportive frame having a shape and size suitable to orient the HVAC home air filter within a residential HVAC system. A filter medium is retained within the supportive frame to remove the airborne molecular contaminants and VOCs from air flowing through the residential HVAC system. The filter medium comprises a combination of media layers configured to exhibit a relatively high filtration efficiency and a low air pressure drop across the filter medium. The supportive frame comprises a plurality of elongate sections and corner sections disposed along perimeter edges of the filter medium to support the filter medium within the residential HVAC system so as direct air through the filter medium.