A provided stretched porous polytetrafluoroethylene membrane has an air permeability of 4 cm.sup.3/(sec.Math.cm.sup.2) or more, as expressed in terms of Frazier air permeability, in a thickness direction, and has a total cohesion of 1.9 (N/20 mm).sup.2 or more, the total cohesion being expressed by a product of a peel cohesion in a first in-plane direction and a peel cohesion in a second in-plane direction perpendicular to the first direction. The above stretched porous membrane is highly air-permeable and, for example, when included in a filter member, being less likely to suffer breakage at the time of handling the member or placing the member on a housing or the like.

A spunbond non-woven fabric includes a nonbonded projected part and a bonded recessed part. Bending resistance in a machine direction of the spunbond non-woven fabric is 20 mN or more and 40 mN or less, and in a non-woven fabric cross-section, a thickness from one surface to another surface of the projected part is determined to be t.sub.A, a thickness from one surface to another surface of the recessed part is determined to be t.sub.B, and respective distances from one surface of the projected part to one surface of the recessed part are determined to be t.sub.C and to (t.sub.C<t.sub.D), and the spunbond non-woven fabric has a relation represented by formulas (1) and (2) below:

0.5≤1−t.sub.B/t.sub.A<1.0  (1)

0.35<t.sub.C/t.sub.D<0.65  (2).

The present invention provides a depth filter which contains fine particles and coarse particles, and which exhibits excellent filtration precision with respect to a high concentration fluid and/or a high viscosity fluid. This depth filter enables filtration for a long period of time, while maintaining a low filtration pressure.

The present invention is a depth filter which is obtained by winding a fiber sheet into a cylinder, and which comprises a pre-filtration layer and a microfiltration layer; the pre-filtration layer and the microfiltration layer are formed of a fiber sheet; the fiber sheet is composed of a nonwoven fabric or a web; the average fiber diameter of the fiber sheet continuously decreases from the pre-filtration layer toward the microfiltration layer; and the average weight per square meter of the fiber sheet continuously decreases from the pre-filtration layer toward the microfiltration layer.

This disclosure describes a filtration medium that is preferably glass-free or substantially glass-free. In some embodiments, the filtration medium preferably exhibits capacity and efficiency comparable to or better than similar glass-containing filtration media. The filtration medium includes bicomponent fibers, efficiency fibers (for example, PET fibers), and microfibrillated fibers. The efficiency fibers include fibers having a fiber diameter in a range of 1 micron to 5 microns and fibers having a fiber diameter of at least 0.1 micron and less than 1 micron.

A provided stretched porous polytetrafluoroethylene membrane has a node-fibril structure including a plurality of nodes and a fibril connecting the plurality of nodes. A ratio of an average length of the plurality of nodes in a thickness direction of the stretched porous polytetrafluoroethylene membrane to a thickness of the stretched porous polytetrafluoroethylene membrane is 10% or more. The above stretched porous polytetrafluoroethylene membrane is less likely to suffer breakage. In the above stretched porous polytetrafluoroethylene membrane, assuming that there is a cuboid region having an upper surface and a lower surface respectively positioned at one membrane surface and the other membrane surface of the stretched porous polytetrafluoroethylene membrane, the number of the nodes included in the region may be 4 or less per micrometer thickness, the upper surface and the lower surface each having dimensions of 280 μm×280 μm.

Provided is a porous polytetrafluoroethylene membrane in which an absolute value of a difference in lightness between one principal surface and the other principal surface is 1.0 or more, where the lightness is lightness L* of CIE 1976 (L*, a*, b*) color space specified in JIS Z8781-4: 2013. The porous polytetrafluoroethylene membrane may be colored black or gray. The porous polytetrafluoroethylene membrane provided can have properties with a reduced coloring-induced deterioration.

A filter medium is disclosed having a nonwoven layer, which has bicomponent fibres, and a melt-blown layer, which comprises polyester fibres having an average diameter (d1) of less than 1.8 μm. The thickness of the nonwoven layer is less than 0.4 mm at a contact pressure of 0.1 bar. At least 25% of the polyester fibres of the melt-blown layer have a diameter (d) of less than 1 μm.

The present invention is generally related to a high capacity, high efficiency nonwoven filtration media comprising a gradient pore structure. In particular, the filtration media can comprise thermoplastic synthetic microfibers, fibrillated fibers, staple fibers, and a binder. Furthermore, the filtration media may be produced without the use of glass fibers or microglass fibers. Consequently, the filtration media of the present invention does not cause the same issues as conventional filtration media that comprises glass fibers and/or microglass fibers. Moreover, the filtration media can be used to treat fuel, lubrication fluids, hydraulic fluids, and various other industrial gases.

The present application relates generally to filter media useful for manufacturing air filters for residential and commercial office's Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC), particularly to filters and filter media comprising soybean-based materials. The present invention provides an inexpensive, effective, environmentally friendly, and sustainable media for manufacturing HVAC air filters for residential and commercial buildings.

A spunbond non-woven fabric includes a thermoplastic continuous filament. A CV value of air permeability of the non-woven fabric is 15% or less, bending resistance in a machine direction of the non-woven fabric is 40 mN or more and 80 mN or less, the non-woven fabric includes a projected part and a recessed part, and in a non-woven fabric cross-section, a thickness from one surface to another surface of the projected part is determined to be t.sub.A, a thickness from one surface to another surface of the recessed part is determined to be t.sub.B, and respective distances from one surface of the projected part to one surface of the recessed part are determined to be t.sub.C and t.sub.D (t.sub.C<t.sub.D), and the non-woven fabric has a relation represented by formulas (1) and (2) below:

0.5≤1−t.sub.B/t.sub.A<1.0  (1)

0.65<t.sub.C/t.sub.D<1.0  (2).