subject: Scrubbers and Air Filtration [print this page] Scrubbers and Air Filtration Scrubbers and Air Filtration
In the mining and industrial sectors,air filtrationis an important consideration to ensure thehealth and safetyof your employees. There is a lot of technology available to makeair filtrationeasier and more effective includingscrubbersand other air filtration devices. But to understand whichscrubbers and airfiltration devicesare suited for your needs, it is important to know what they are and what they do.
Air filtrationis, as the term suggests, the action of filtering air to remove impurities and contaminants from the air. Inminesand in heavy industry, the air is often saturated with various particles resulting from the normal processes occurring. While dust makes up the majority of these particles, they also contain other, more dangerous elements that airfiltrationand scrubber devicescan remove.
There are two main types ofair filtrationtechnologies that are routinely used inscrubbersand other devices: particulateair filtrationandchemical air filtration. Particulateair filtrationuses fibrous materials, like cotton, paper or fibreglass to remove solid pieces of the air like dust, pollen, mold and bacteria from the air. A static electric charge is often applied in particulateair filtrationto make them more effective asair scrubbers.
Chemical air filtration, on the other hand, is used to remove chemical contamination from the air.Chemical contaminationrefers to gasses and molecules too small for normal particulate air filtration to filter out. In scrubbers using this method of air filtration, a sorbent or catalyst is used that reacts with specific molecules in the air trapping them in the filter. In this way, chemical contamination is removed from the air and made safe. This is very useful for gasses like methane and carbon monoxide.
While air filtration may be part of the ventilation of a mine or factory, often scrubbers are used as auxiliary methods of air filtration. A scrubber is a device used for air pollution control that removes particulates and gasses from the air.Scrubberscan be small for personal use or large and able to clean a vast volume of air and provide clean air for many people. A scrubber uses one of the methods ofair filtrationdescribed above to clean the air and make it safe, making them an important part of anyair filtration system.
To keep employees healthy and safe in mines and factories,air filtrationis a necessity. The technology available today offers a range of devices like scrubbers that ensure that, no matter what the business, you can keep the air clean for your employees.
