Fabrication and Evaluation of Electret Melt‐Blown Polypropylene/Polybutylene Succinate Nonwovens for Air Filtration Application

Abstract

ABSTRACT New generation biodegradable polymers not only reduce environmental impacts but also offer a sustainable alternative to traditional petroleum‐based polymers in terms of mechanical strength, processability and functional modification, paving the way for innovative solutions in many areas such as filtration, packaging and medical applications. The aim of this study is to produce and evaluate the morphological, physical, chemical, thermal mechanical and filtration performances of composites obtained by adding biodegradable polybutylene succinate (PBS) to polypropylene (PP) based nonwovens produced by the meltblown method. PP/PBS blends containing different amounts of PBS (10% and 20%) were produced in different layer numbers and physical properties such as fiber diameter, thickness, weight, air permeability, contact angle, chemical and thermal characterizations with FTIR and TGA, and mechanical behaviors were investigated with tensile tests. Filtration tests were carried out in accordance with the EN 149 standard, with 0.3 μm particulate matter (PM) aerosols and a flow rate of 95 L/min. Fiber diameter decreased with PBS; contact angle and thermal stability decreased; 10% PBS additive provided ductility, while a 20% additive provided stiffness. Corona charging increased filtration efficiency in all samples; the highest value was observed as 99.05% in the 3‐layer 20PBS/80PP sample. The highest quality factor (1.6 × 10 −2 Pa −1 ) was obtained in the 1‐layer 20PBS/80PP sample, and this value was maintained after 90 days. The results demonstrate that with appropriate PBS additives and electret application, both environmentally friendly and high‐performance meltblown filter materials can be produced. In this context, the study makes a significant contribution to the applicability of biodegradable composites in filtration technologies.