Trapping virus-loaded aerosols using granular protein nanofibrils and iron oxyhydroxides nanoparticles

Abstract

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has revealed that developing effective therapeutics against viruses might be outpaced by emerging variants, waning immunity, vaccine skepticism/hesitancy, lack of resources, and the time needed to develop virus-specific therapeutics, emphasizing the importance of non-pharmaceutical interventions as the first line of defense against virus outbreaks and pandemics. However, fighting the spread of airborne viruses has proven extremely challenging, much more if this needs to be achieved on a global scale and in an environmentally-friendly manner. Here, we introduce an aerosol filter made of granular material based on whey protein nanofibrils and iron oxyhydroxides nanoparticles. The material is environmentally-friendly, biodegradable, and composed mainly of a dairy industry byproduct. It features remarkable filtration efficiencies between 95.91% and 99.99% for both enveloped and non-enveloped viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, the influenza A virus strain H1N1, enterovirus 71, bacteriophage Φ6, and bacteriophage MS2. The developed material is safe to handle and recycle, with a simple baking step sufficient to inactivate trapped viruses. The high filtration efficiency, virtually-zero environmental impact, and low cost of the material illuminate a viable role in fighting current and future pandemics on a global scale.

Recent advances and future perspectives in engineering biodegradable face masks

“…138 For instance, efficient bactericidal and virucidal air filtration membranes were produced from cellulose/polyvinylpyrrolidone, 139 ZnO@ PVA/konjac glucomannan 140 and amyloid nanofibrils/iron oxyhydroxides nanoparticles. 141 Moreover, CS/PEO, 142 BC/curcumin/CS, 143 CS/essential oil (containing allyl isothiocyanate as the active ingredient) 144 and PCL/grapefruit seed extract 145 have been used to develop packaging films.…”