Technical and economic feasibility of the characterization of virgin and used filter media for air filtration

• Grant number: 20/05855-8
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Innovative Research in Small Business - PIPE
• Start date: February 01, 2021
• End date: October 31, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Bruno de Araujo Lima
• Grantee: Bruno de Araujo Lima
• Company: B A Lima Caracterização de Meios Filtrantes Ltda
• CNAE: Atividades profissionais, científicas e técnicas não especificadas anteriormente
• City: São Carlos
• Associated scholarship(s): 21/00878-2 - Technical and economic feasibilty of the characterization of virgin and used filter media for air filtration, BP.PIPE

Abstract

The concentration of particulate matter in the air is an important quality factor for both indoor and outdoor environments. One way to avoid or mitigate this type of pollution is the use of filtering materials (or filter media), such as bag filters, used in various branches of industry, air conditioning systems for indoor environments, among others. Another type of use of filtering materials that is much discussed today is the individual protection masks and respirators. The proper selection and use of the filter material that makes up these filters is very important. The knowledge of characteristics of the filtering material, such as mechanical and thermal properties, permeability and collection efficiency, is essential for the filtering material to fulfill its role in the filtration process in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Currently, industries have high expenses with filters, as they need to comply with the current regulations and legislation on the emission of particulate matter, which are increasingly more stringent. The choice of filter material and the correct time for its replacement are often determined only on the basis of information from vendors or manufacturers. In addition to information from manufacturers, there are laboratories around the world that perform material characterization tests. However, most of them work with materials such as metals, ceramics and polymers, that is, few laboratories in the world focus on filtering materials or filters for industrial air and gases. The companies that provide material characterization services that most resemble the filtering materials are laboratories specialized in textile fabrics, carrying out some identical mechanical tests for filtering materials. In fact, in Brazil, there is only one laboratory that provides services aimed at characterizing air filters. However, this laboratory is focused on the filter, and not on the filtering material used in its manufacture. As there is a lack of this type of specialized service for filtering materials for industrial air and gases, this project aims to establish a company focused on the characterization of filtering materials, both with regard to physical tests and performance tests. In addition, the company will seek as an innovation to develop protocols to characterize "dirty" filtering materials, that is, after their use, since no company provides this service, and few academic laboratories in the world are studying this subject. With this type of service, it is expected to be able to contribute to the issue of maximizing the use of the filtering material, as well as in determining the moment of its replacement and in the investigation of filtration processesof failures, which can increase the cost benefit of the material for the client. It is intended to evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of efficiency tests for particle collection of different sizes, permeability, filter cake porosity, particle penetration in the filter medium and the behavior of the residual pressure drop of the filter medium as a function of time of use. It is expected to propose methodologies for such tests, in order to obtain results to assist decisions making of potential customers in the manufacture of materials, in the purchase of materials for their process, in the improvement of performance and in the discovery of process failure. (AU)