Homegrown PPE: Chemists Team Up with Nova Scotia Forestry Industry

N95 respirator masks are critical in the fight against COVID-19. Amid the pandemic, as borders began to close and global exports began to drop, Canadian healthcare workers were scrambling to secure an adequate supply of masks and personal protective equipment (PPE) to help keep them safe. In response, a team of Nova Scotian chemists got to work on a homegrown solution.

Find our transcript here: https://researchns.ca/beyondresearch-homegrown-ppe-chemists-team-up-with-nova-scotia-forestry-industry/ 

In Season 1, Episode 4 – Homegrown PPE: Chemists Team Up with Nova Scotia Forestry Industry, we cover: 

1:14 – Using a local material to produce N95 masks

2:46 – Potential to support broader forestry industry

4:57 – Partnership with Port Hawkesbury paper

5:48 – How different environments and pulping processes come into play

7:34 – Environmental benefit

9:08 – Potential additional applications for medical grade pulp

10:51 – Future research goals and aspirations

13:16 – Multidisciplinary work that brings multiple societal interests together

Thank you to our guest:

Dr. Christa Brosseau is a professor of chemistry at Saint Mary’s University and Tier II Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Chemistry & Materials. Her research team is striving to meet the needs of front-line healthcare workers and support the struggling Nova Scotian pulp and paper industry, while developing an ecologically conscious product.

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