Separation of Liquid Drops from Air by Glass Fiber Filters Augmented with Polystyrene Nanofibers

Expanded polystyrene (EPS) was recycled into a useful nanofiber for which large lengths are produced per mass of polymer. These nanofibers are mixed with micro glass fibers to modify the glass fiber filter media. The filter media are tested in the separation of oil droplets from air. The filtration experiments show that the addition of small amounts of polystyrene nanofibers significantly improves the removal of particles and the quality factor of the filter, but also increases the pressure drop of the filters. An optimum in the performance occurs with the addition of 7% or less by mass of 500 nanometer average diameter polystyrene nanofibers to glass microfibers (average fiber diameter of about 5 microns). This optimum balances the desired improvement in coalescence efficiency and the undesired increase in pressure drop.