A new type of reusable mask developed by a Ningbo-based company has recently entered the market, according to local media reports.

Unlike disposable surgical masks, this new product, developed by Rontex (Ningbo) Co Ltd, has a replaceable nanofiber filter.

Laboratory tests and a third party report show that the mask, which uses nanotechnology developed by a research team from the Zhongyuan University of Technology, has achieved the same quality standards of the N95 mask, which can filter 95 percent of tiny objects with a diameter of at least 75 nanometers.

According to the paper, the novel coronavirus has a diameter of about 100 nanometers, while the fine particulate matter found in air pollution, known as PM 2.5, is 2,500 nanometers or 2.5 microns in diameter.

The mask can also resist repeated sterilization with boiling water, alcohol, or disinfectant, meaning that people only need to change the filter after wearing it for 12 hours and wash it regularly in hot water at a temperature between 56 and 70 degrees Celsius for long-term use.

The mask is currently divided into two grades priced at 6 yuan ($0.89) and 9 yuan, respectively. Both are equipped with two replaceable filters.

Customized masks for children that are more skin-friendly, permeable to air, and have anti-allergenic benefits are also available for purchase.

Rontex, which mainly produces clothing for infants and children for the European market, shifted its focus to producing face masks after the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Zhang Haifei, the company's general manager, said that Rontex now has a daily production capacity of 100,000 masks.