At the Heart of the Pandemic Response: An Overview of Meltblown Mediafor PPE

Speaker: Dr. Syamal Tallury

Dr. Syamal Tallury is currently working in the Polymer Products Technology group at ExxonMobil Chemical, Baytown TX. His work specializes in Polypropylene and Vistamaxx™ products with applications in hygiene and medical industries as well as plastics recycling. Sam has been working for ExxonMobil since 2013, holding various positions in Research and Technology. Prior to joining ExxonMobil, he was a researcher at the Nonwoven Institute, Raleigh NC and developed shape memory polymer articles and devices. He obtained his doctorate in Materials Science & Engineering and Fiber & Polymer Science in 2013 and Masters in 2009 all from North Carolina State University. Dr. Sam Tallury has co-authored 3 book chapters, 6 patents and 12 peer reviewed articles. He hails from southern India and has obtained his Bachelors of Technology from Osmania University

During the current COVID19 pandemic, the sudden surge in demand coupled with broken supply chains have resulted in severe shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as face masks, and medical apparel. Meltblown filter media arecritical functional material employed to filter micro-organisms including virus. Although this technique has been in commercial practice for over half a century (Wente 1956, Buntin et al. 1970), continuous advances in technology have enabled highly functional articles capable of specific usein filtration, waterproof fabrics, medical gowns and sorbents. This talk details the history of technology of meltblowing and showcases the efficacy of the technique in fighting microbial pandemics. A broad survey of related developments is presented to inform the wide audience in the wake of a revival of this technology in the western hemisphere.