Air Filtration Industry Articles, News And Resources

Overview Of Activated Carbon

November 29th, 2023 | Posted in Air Cleaners

What Is Activated Carbon? This is an extremely porous material. It has been described as a microporous inert carbon matrix. Activated carbon is generated in a two-step process. First a material high in carbon such as wood, coal, peat, or in case or activated carbon for removal of airborne odor and hydrocarbon contaminants, coconut shells. This material is heated to 600 to 900 degrees Celsius in an oxygen-deficient atmosphere creating a carbon “char”. In the…

Mist Collector Benefits Beyond Employee Health And Safety

June 19th, 2023 | Posted in Air Cleaners

MistBuster installed on Mazak machine in shop

When working to very close tolerances, variations of 10 or 20 in shop temperature can make a difference in critical part dimensions. For example, the thermal expansion coefficient of stainless steel (which varies somewhat depending on the alloy) is approximately 5.2 to 9.6 millionths of an inch/inch diameter per degree Fahrenheit[i]. Therefore a 20 degrees F difference can make a dimensional difference of 118 to 192 millionths, or about 1 or 2 tenths of a thousandth…

Is HEPA Filtration Really A Big Deal?

March 2nd, 2023 | Posted in Air Cleaners

We read a lot about HEPA filtration when dealing with indoor air quality concerns. That leads one to ask: “What’s so special about HEPA?” High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters (also known as H13 or H14 filters in many countries) are media-type filters with an extraordinarily high filtration efficiency. By definition, new HEPA filters can remove airborne particles of 0.3 microns in diameter with 99.97% efficiency. The 0.3 micron criterion is selected because that particle…

Pollution Control Units (PCUs) for Restaurant Kitchen Exhaust

February 6th, 2023 | Posted in Air Cleaners

Many people enjoy the smell of a grilled steak or hamburger, or Chinese food sizzling in the wok. For those living next door to a restaurant, however, these cooking aromas can quickly become cooking “odors” and are often considered to be tiresome and may result in odor complaints. These complaints may lead to the landlord of a leased restaurant space requiring the restaurant to install a kitchen exhaust Pollution Control Unit (PCU) to address these objections. It…

Mist Collection Technologies

January 11th, 2023 | Posted in Air Cleaners

There are three common types of mist collectors: Electrostatic Precipitators Media Filtration Centrifugal Collectors Let’s look at how they work and their relative strengths and weaknesses. Electrostatic Precipitators or Electronic Air Cleaners Coolant mist removal starts with an impinger section. This typically consists of either a series of chevron-shaped plates or a coarse metal mesh. The larger spray and mist droplets impact the impinger and adhere to the plates or mesh. The accumulated coolant flows by…

Coolant Mist From Metal Removal And Your Health

November 22nd, 2022 | Posted in General

Metal removal by machining and grinding creates friction and consequent heat. Excess heat can reduce tool life, affect surface finish and may affect finished dimensions due to thermal expansion of the parts being manufactured. In order to reduce friction and heat, coolants are frequently applied. These coolants or metal working fluids (MWF), are available in a number of formulations. These include: straight oils (such as petroleum oils), water-based fluids, which include soluble oils, and semisynthetic/synthetic…

Are Respirators A Solution For Workplace Airborne Hazards?

October 14th, 2022 | Posted in Air Cleaners

That seems like a perfectly sensible question to ask. If there is an airborne health hazard, wouldn’t it be reasonable to use respirators to control employee exposures? It is not, however, as simple as just calling up the safety supply house and ordering some respirators. There is a federal regulation, 29 CFR 1910.134, that governs the use of respirators for controlling health hazards in the workplace. This is the OSHA Respiratory Protection Standard and it imposes a number…

Backdraft Bench For Welding Fumes

September 22nd, 2022 | Posted in Welding

We noted previously that the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) recommended a number of possible engineering control solutions for welding fume. In the ACGIH volume, “Industrial Ventilation: A Manual of Recommended Practice for Design,” the ACGIH recommends ventilation controls for welding fume in the following order of preference: Enclosing hoods Vacuum nozzles (for MIG and FCAW) Fixed slot or plenum hood on a worktable Movable hood hanging freely Overhead canopy Dilution ventilation So…

Discover the Benefits of Using Portable HEPA Air Cleaners in School Nurses' Offices

August 1st, 2022 | Posted in Air Cleaners

Keeping our kids safe is a top priority, especially in higher-risk areas like school nurses’ offices. Although your nurse’s office space may be cleaned and disinfected frequently, it’s important to take precautions that will minimize the potential transmission of airborne viruses. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the use of portable air cleaners with HEPA filters, which are some of the products we offer at Air Quality Engineering. What Are…

Cleaning An Electronic Air Cleaner Cell

July 19th, 2022 | Posted in Air Cleaners

How do electronic air cleaners work? Two stage electrostatic precipitators are composed of two sections, a charging section and a collection section. The charging section uses ionizer wires to impart a positive charge to the incoming smoke, fume and dust particles. The charged particles are then drawn into a secondary electric field where they are collected on a series of metal plates. Then, the electrostatic precipitators re-circulate clean air into the general airstream. Over time, the collector section metal plates become…