Hosokawa Micron Powders is making good use of its expertise in the field of ultrafine grinding for the manufacture of a product which could just develop into a milestone in the fight against the coronavirus. More precisely, we are talking here about the micronisation of glass which is then employed among other things in particle-filtering protective masks and which lends them very special properties.
For the production of these masks, first of all Hosokawa Micron Powders grinds the glass extremely finely and then in a special process, our customers dope it with metal ions. These ions are bactericidal, i.e. they inactivate many bacteria or even destroy them completely. The metal ions employed here also have a virucidal effect and can therefore also render certain viruses harmless. Among these are enveloped viruses such as the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
During the production of the filter medium for the protective masks, the doped and then re-ground glass powder is embedded in the fibres of the filter medium. The filter medium is then used to manufacture the protective masks.
A new generation of protective masks is thus created which not only hold back the germs but also efficiently inactivates them. In this way, the mask can provide longer and better protection against pathogens than conventional masks and thus reduce the risk of infection. The current COVID-19 pandemic is now helping this revolutionary technology to make a breakthrough.
In April 2020, initial quantities of glass powder were ground finely on a pilot scale at Hosokawa Micron Powders which suffice for the manufacture of around 1 million antimicrobial protective masks.
Series production of this powder will start at Hosokawa Micron Powders in the coming weeks in order to meet the globally increasing demand for protective masks.