Effectiveness of Activated Carbon Mask

The air quality that is increasingly carrying out pollution as a result of pollution by human activities is of concern to the world, both developed and developing countries. The impact of air pollution is unavoidable, especially for health. Several efforts have been made to suppress the occurrence of pollution starting from the control of sources, media, and protective efforts in human beings. Focusing on protective efforts, this study was carried out by designed respiratory masks capable of adsorbing toxic gases in ambient air by utilizing mask materials on the market with the addition of activated carbon; the study was carried out with an experimental approach. Testing distinguishes the ability of cotton, spunbond, melt-blown, and activated carbon as a respiratory mask to absorb toxic gases such as COx, NOx, and SOx. Test statistics are using the ANOVA test with a confidence level of 95%, α = 5%. The results show that combining activated carbon, spunbond, and melt-blown is more effective compared to respiratory masks made from spunbond and melt-blown (surgical masks) in absorbing toxic gases.

While the N95 respirator mask is designed to protect the wearer from the environment, surgical masks and N95 masks are designed to filter viruses and bacteria, and dust. All types of respiratory protection have not been able to filter and absorb exposure to toxic gases such as COx, NOx, and SOx. To overcome this, it is necessary to change the respiratory protection (face mask) which has more ability, which can filter bacteria, dust, and gas at once. The material is made from facial ingredients, namely, spunbond and melt-blown by combining activated carbon. activated carbon has a relatively large micropore and mesopore, so it has a large surface area. It is expected to absorb toxic gases.

Facial masks (breathing masks) are made of materials consisting of spunbond, melt-blown, and activated carbon.
activated carbon is used in a granular form with dust content below 10% according to the activated carbon standard required.
activated carbon is applied between spunbond and melt-blown.

Material masks are simulated and exposed to toxic gases using the aid of gas suckers at the same speed as humans. The flow rate used uses the flow rate for heavy workers which is 85 L/min.
Data analysis is used to decide the difference in decreasing toxic gases between controls by treatment types of mask material. Test statistics used analysis of variance to decide differences between treatments tested by t-test. To determine the effectiveness of the gas absorbs mask material; the result says the activated carbon combination mask model group has a higher ability than other mask models in absorbing COx. The average results of the examination of exposure to COx exhaust emissions without using a mask (PPE)/control of 3.40 ppm (inhaled gas) are higher than using other masks, namely, cotton cloth material 3.39 n/mm3, spunbond, and melt-blown 1.13 ppm and a mask of activated carbon combination material, spun-bond, and meltdown of 0.10 ppm.

Control of toxic pollutants SOx, NOx, and COx is carried out in several ways, including nontechnical methods such as presenting environmental information, setting quality standards, industrial areas, and applying environmental impact assessment and techniques such as changing industrial activity processes, installation of graphite deposition, and collector cyclone, while controlling the combination of technical and improving community discipline, namely, familiarizing people using personal protective equipment in the form of masks.
To prevent exposure to toxic substances in the air, either gas or particulate, several efforts are carried out, namely, technically, nontechnically, and administratively. Nontechnical control includes, for example, determining the area or industrial area, setting quality standards, and determining the environmental impact analysis. Meanwhile, technical control is the combustion engine to reduce the number of pollutants formed during combustion, filters.
For this reason, it is necessary to design a mask that can filter or cut airborne pollution in or through the mask. The results of the study revealed that the mask combination with activated carbon and spunbond and melt-blown could protect gas exposure. Combining activated carbon and spunbond and melt-blown is very meaningful filtering toxic gas material inhaled compared to other types of markers, namely, COx, SOx, and NOx (p <0.05).

The ability of the combination mask material made from spunbond melt-blown has advantages and is a combination of several mask ingredients. Combination masks as one of the ingredients are spunbond and melt-blown which is a mask commonly used for hospitals, as surgical masks. This model is for filtering dust and bacterial droplets. Besides that, the combination mask also adopted the N95 type which can filter bacteria and dust size between 1 and 10 u to 95%, while other functions are as a respirator mask that can be used as an ingredient to filter and absorb substances contaminating toxic particles such as heavy metals or poisonous gases such as NOx, COx, and SOx. A mask is used as personal protective equipment for workers, children, and the community. This is because a combination-type mask besides having spunbond and melt-blown ingredients also added granular activated carbon.

Masks using combination materials, especially absorption of activated carbon, showed a high ability compared to others, namely, being able to filter and absorb highly, so that toxic gas pollutants escaped very small, namely, COx 2%, NOx 0.3%, and SOx by 0.7%. Masks or PPE made from activated carbon and spunbond and melt-blown are very meaningful filtering (filtering) and absorbing toxic gas material inhaled compared to other types of markers, namely, COx, SOx, and NOx (p <0.05). Masks other than spunbond and melt-blown filter and absorb dust, bacteria, and particulates in the form of other harmful metals; this combination mask is made from activated carbon. activated carbon is used in the form of a granule. activated carbon absorbs gases that cannot be absorbed or filtered with ordinary masks or surgical masks and N95% masks. Use of activated carbon as a filter or absorbent to absorb gases including CO2.