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ITRI Unveils Unique Detoxification Mask
2007/08/09
The government-backed Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) recently unveiled a unique detoxification mask, which can instantly convert poisonous carbon monoxide (CO) in the air inhaled through the mask to non-toxic carbon dioxide (CO2) with a marvelous filter.
 | | Nano Yang personally demonstrates the ITRI`s patented chemical-detox mask by wearing it. |
What makes the filter work is nanotechnology and the nano material is 99.9999% purified gold. "Gold is a noble metal. However, the passive nature of the metal is completely changed as soon as it is ground into nano particles. This technology turns the metal into an active catalyst," says Ph. D. Shian-jy Wang, Deputy General Director of the Material and Chemical Research Laboratories of ITRI.
The nano substance is applied to the honeycomb structure inside the filter. Wang`s laboratory gave birth to the technology. Her lab, under government sponsorship, began developing the technology in 2001, presented prototype in 2004 and tested the product in the following year. Total investment cost is around US$700,000. The technology has won patents in the United States and Taiwan.
"This mask is ideal for emergency escape in fires. The filter can handle carbon monoxide for 30 minutes in a fire where CO particle density ranges from 2,500 to 10,000 ppm, air flow at 30 liter per meter and humidity higher than 90%," Wang reports. In this environment, the filter uses only 0.3 grams of gold, an amount which can immediately reduce the ppm reading to only 60. The laboratory`s specialists note that people can die in few minutes after inhaling air with 200 ppm of CO. In normal environment, the filter`s service life is 200 hours.
According to the laboratory`s specialists, the filter can covert CO into CO2 at a rate five to 10 times more efficient than existing filters also equipped with gold catalyst.
Compared with chemical-gas filters using cooper-managanese alloy as filter core, the new filter has more advantages, including its wider range of working temperature, instant reaction, and wider application range. A researcher named Wu at the lab says the lab`s filter can even work at 70C below zero. "In addition, gold can be recycled whereas cooper-managanese alloy can not," he says.
This new filter can start conversion as soon as it is exposed to CO. Besides converting CO to CO2, the filter is equipped with structures to handle other toxic gases like cyanide-based gases and chloride-based gases.
The mask is made of DuPont`s patented Kapton PI film, which is noted for good transparency and can withstand high temperature up to 437 Celsius.
Wang`s lab has licensed the nano-gold technology to Novax Material & Technology Inc., a local manufacturer of special materials, for NT$10 million (US$303,000 at US$1:NT$33). The company`s president, Nano Yang, points out that the technology is suitable for stores and homes. "We will target the United States, Europe, Japan and the Middle East as our major markets, with electronics factories, entertainment premises and homes being our most wanted customers," he says.
(by Ken Liu)
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