Many industries rely on industrial filtration and have since the advent of environmental compliance regulations. One of the first industries to rely on industrial filtration is the mining industry. Mining coal and other types of ores requires a certain amount of blasting to get to the core of lodes. In these confined work spaces, miners absorbed much of the dust from constant blasting. The first industrial filter began as masks that prevented inhalation of dust. Later, hi tech industrial filters with induced draft fans pulled always dust from the interior of mines.
These filters have two significant functions:
- To create a healthy and safe workplace
- As a capture for precious metals or end waste from products that create dust
Some of the industries that rely mostly heavily on industrial filters include:
- Cosmetic manufacturers
- Pharmaceutical manufacturers
- Metals extruding
- Precious metals recapture
How Does Industrial Filtration Work?
An industrial filtration system basically contains an inlet that draw into a “baghouse” dust in work rooms and manufacturing production areas. The baghouse looks similar to a large enclosed room or building, depending on the volume of dust to be collected. Inside this area is a network of grids from which industrial bag filters are suspended. The grid is connected through duct work to an inlet and an induced draft fan that pulls dust particulate into the system. Once inside the baghouse, a bag filter “collects” dust particulate and filtered air exits the baghouse via an outlet.
Bag Filter Media
Bag filters are manufactured from a specific type of fabric. They are coated with anti-statics to allow dust particulate to adhere to the interior surface of bag filters. The size of a bag filter depends on the size of the grid. Some bag houses require fabric filter bags that can be more than twenty feet in length and up to three feet in width. All industrial filters are required to be installed under EPA and OSHA regulations where the dust particulate emitted into the air requires containment. In precious metals reclamation, for example, bags may be slightly smaller in size to contain gold, silver, copper and titanium dusts. By containing dust from precious metals, the bag filter allows the reuse of the dust for other purposes.
How Dust Collectors Reduce Contamination
In many industrial processes, dust particulate can be toxic. For example, micro fiber dust from silica can build up in the human body. Manufacturers whose products are composed of silica are required to have a dust collector to ensure the health of employees as well as to prevent exposure to interior and exterior air streams. This is how dust collectors that perform as industrial filtration systems reduce contamination and air pollution.