Textiles in air filtration

ABSTRACT

Fossil fuels are a major source of energy although they generate toxic pollutants that cause harm to human beings and the environment. To control these toxic pollutants, various environmental regulations have been imposed and improved filtration technologies have been developed and adopted in response. Multinational agreements have been signed in order to tackle fossil fuel emission as a global problem. Whilst efforts to reduce emissions include the switch from fossil fuel to renewables such as solar, rain and wind, renewables like solar and wind sources and technologies are currently expensive as compared to fossil-fuel technologies. Nonwoven filter media are currently the dominant means by which the fly ash particles that are generated during fossil-fuel combustion are removed; they are widely used because of their high filtration efficiency and low pressure-drop properties. This issue of Textile Progress focuses on the filtration market, the manufacturing techniques used for nonwoven filters, the filtration of fly ash and the mechanisms used to control emissions to meet environmental regulations. Important properties of filter fabrics, their areas of application and disposal issues are discussed and possible reasons are presented for the failure of filters during operation. It addresses the problems faced in achieving effective filtration, not only in fossil fuel power plants but also across a number of other important industries.

KEYWORDS:

• Air filtration
• environmental regulations
• filter media
• fly ash
• nonwovens
• pollution
• nanofilters

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Erratum

Acknowledgments

This work is based on the research supported in part by the National Research Foundation of South Africa (grant-specific unique reference numbers (UID) 96714 and 104840). The authors acknowledge that opinions, findings, and conclusions expressed in any publication generated by the supported research are those of the authors, and that the sponsors accept no liability in this regard. Also, authors and publishers acknowledge the help of following sources for giving permission to reproduce figures and tables in this issue of Textile Progress: Elsevier, John Wiley and Sons Inc., Taylor and Francis Group LLC Books, Taylor and Francis, The Textile Institute, Springer Nature, American Chemical Society, Chemical Engineering and Technology, Journal of Applied Polymer Science, Journal of Electrostatics, Journal of Membrane Science, Filtration and Separation, Progress in Energy and Combustion Science, Fuel, Environmental Science & Technology, Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

National Research Foundation of South Africa [grant number 96714], [grant number 104840].