PAPER making! FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF PAPER TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL ® FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF PAPER TEC Volume 11, Number 2, 2025
Moldable Nonwoven Aerosolized Particulate Filters Made from Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch and Hairy Cellulose Fibers DHARU FEBY SMARADHANA 1,2 , JOANNE LI 1 & KOON-YANG LEE 1,3 and Plastic-Free Addressing the environmental impact of conventional air filters made from fossil-derived polymers is critical for advancing sustainable air filtration materials. This study presents plastic-free nonwoven air filters produced from oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) fibers using (hairy) cellulose fibers as binders through a manufacturing process akin to papermaking. Refining the cellulose fibers introduces ″hairy″ microfibrils and fines, which enhance the structure and performance of the nonwovens. With only 10 wt% hairy cellulose pulp refined for 30 min, the EFB/hairy cellulose fiber nonwoven achieves a filtration efficiency of 98% for PM1 and a high quality factor of 36 kPa −1 , demonstrating excellent filtration performance with low pressure drop. These nonwovens also exhibit exceptional formability, allowing direct molding from the never-dried state or remolding via steam rewetting with minimal loss in filtration efficiency (less than 1.5%pt). Lifecycle assessment (LCA) results indicate that the production of EFB/hairy cellulose fiber nonwovens has significantly lower impacts in global warming potential and all end point categories (human health, ecosystem quality, and resource scarcity) compared to polyester-based air filters. Our work paves the way for upcycling oil palm waste into high-value air filtration materials, reducing the reliance on fossil-derived air filters.
Contact Details: 1 Department of Aeronautics, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K. 2 Mechanical Engineering Department, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Surakarta 57126, Indonesia. 3 Institute for Molecular Science and Engineering, Imperial College, London SW7 2AZ, U.K.
ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2025, 13, 6209−6221 https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.5c00041 Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
The Paper Industry Technical Association (PITA) is an independent organisation which operates for the general benefit of its members – both individual and corporate – dedicated to promoting and improving the technical and scientific knowledge of those working in the UK pulp and paper industry. Formed in 1960, it serves the Industry, both manufacturers and suppliers, by providing a forum for members to meet and network; it organises visits, conferences and training seminars that cover all aspects of papermaking science. It also publishes the prestigious journal Paper Technology International ® and the PITA Annual Review , both sent free to members, and a range of other technical publications which include conference proceedings and the acclaimed Essential Guide to Aqueous Coating .
Article 8 – Moulded Fibre Products
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