Chitosan nanofibres and polypropylene meltblown substrate based multilayer respiratory filter for byssinosis prevention

Byssinosis is a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease very common in textile cotton workers due to inhalation of fine cotton dust and gram negative bacteria. A three layer composite respiratory filter was developed for Byssinosis prevention by using the combination of polypropylene (PP) based meltblown layers and chitosan nanofibres (CSNF). Filtration efficiency against fine particulates ranges from 100 nm to 2.5 μm and anti-bacterial activity against Pantoea agglomerans were investigated. Chitosan nanofibres were produced by using the electrospinning process and were sandwiched between two PP layers to improve the overall surface area of the filter as well as providing a protective barrier against bacterial pathogens. The filter sample with just 2 hour’s CSNF coating showed more than 99% filtration efficiency with a low pressure drop of 71.6 Pa and a high quality factor value 0.082. The antibacterial performance of CSNF layers achieved up to 91% against the Pantoea agglomerans. Finally, results concluded that the developed respiratory filter can potentially reduce Byssinosis in textile workers.