Degrading air quality and global warming have forced countries to imposestrict air emission regulations on industries to reduce the pollutants releasedin the air. This is an opportunity that could drive the industrial air filtersmarket in the country over the next few years, writes Mehul Panchal. 
 

“As developing regions rapidlyurbanize, filtration systems will continue to be needed along with theconstruction of water, power, communication and transportation systems. Morevehicles on the roads also will contribute to the growth.”Mehul Panchal, Chairman, Founder &Managing Director of Filter Concept Private Limited., a global Filtration &Separation company headquartered in Ahmedabad, India

Filters growing in Efficiency and Criticality 

Sophisticated and efficientfiltration and separation solutions play a key role in industries and our day-to-daylife as well. According to various estimates,the global filters market size was valued at US$70.38-billion in 2020 and is expected to grow at CAGR of 4.7 per cent from 2021 to 2028.

Industrialfiltration is a process of removing and treating unwanted contaminants from variousindustrial fluids (oils, lubricants, chemicals, etc.) gases and water. Industrialfilters being different from conventional household filters, are designed for highvolume and even toxic tasks, system properties, and operating conditions. Theyare critical for the functioning of various industrial sectors, such as petrochemicalindustry, power plants, paper industry, and the automotive industry.

Furthermore,filtration is a critical requirement in various food industries, such as thedairy, sugar, edible oils, chemicals, and the pharmaceutical industry. Another critical task of industrialfiltration is to protect machinery, human life, and environment from thehazardous substance.

The futuregrowth prospects for Industrial applications look highly promising. A few keydrivers are:

• Thegrowing emphasis on the reduction of emissions from automotive and industrialapplications is expected to further fuel market growth.

• Therehave been numerous cases of legionellosis bacteria all over the world with anaverage lethality of 1,500 deaths per year. These mostly breed in open coolingtower circuits from where they reach the surrounding environment. Finefiltration is able to eliminate the cause of their build-up while extending thelife of the towers.

• Asmore and more equipment get sophisticated, its protection will be vital. Filtrationor separation of contaminants will be a necessity for smooth operation of theseequipment.

Few key pointers for industrialfiltration markets are:

• Increasing adoption of bagfilters for large scale industries applications to remove suspended solids fromliquids is set to boost the industrial filtration market.

• Stringent regulations tominimize air and water pollutions due to emission of ozone gases, and industrialwaste are also propelling the industrial filtration industry.

• Adoption of activated carbonfilters in water treatment industry for removing chlorine, and other effluentshas been driving the industrial filtration market.

• Non-woven materials in theglobal filtration market continue to enjoy steady growth and were expected toreach 747,000 million tons by the end of 2020, according to INDA’s WorldwideOutlook for the Non-woven Industry report.

• Metal Filtration Media is hardto beat when applications are challenging.

• A very relevant but mostlyunknown type of filtration is the magnetic filtration.

In our day-to-day life, we aresurrounded by filters in different applications, such as increasing product use in several consumer goods, like Airpurifiers, and Water purifiers. As cities andour homes get more and more polluted, the need for right kind of filters arebeing felt across the globe. Today, more and more homes, hotels, publictransport services have started upgrading with use of Air purifiers.

Newawareness on health and clean environment is also expected to have a positiveimpact on the market growth. The rapidly growing adoption of air purifiers inhomes, hotels, restaurants, airplanes, and train compartments for the killingof harmful microbes, such as bacteria and viruses, is expected to open newopportunities for market growth.

Implementationof effective fire protection standards is a fundamental obligation on allEuropean railway networks and filters need to comply to this requirement.

As developing regions rapidlyurbanize, filtration systems will continue to be needed along with theconstruction of water, power, communication and transportation systems. Morevehicles on the roads also will contribute to the growth. Environmental concerns leading to more stringentregulation for clean air and water are creating market opportunities forfiltration technologies around the globe.

One of thebiggest factors contributing to filtration growth is automotive emissionregulations being implemented globally to reduce the discharge of carbondioxide (CO₂), sulfur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx) andparticulate matter into the environment.

According to WHO, air pollution isthe greatest environmental risk to health. Microscopic air pollutants, such asparticulate matter (PM10, PM2.5), airborne lead, VOCs, ozone, nitrogen dioxide,sulphur dioxide, and more create serious illnesses, such as asthma, cancer,heart diseases, and internal chemical burns. Such health risks also prevail inindustries across various segments.

Industries use high-capacityblowers and engine, either in their utility or different processes where theyneed to use atmospheric air, which contains these hazardous pollutants. The airquality needs to be improved before they are further utilized in the processes.Otherwise, these industries risk the health of their employees and machinery,leading to higher operational and maintenance costs.

This is leading to increase indemand for air filtration systems in the industrial sector. Three-dimensionalpore geometry may well be the next break through that makes industrialfiltration processes efficient, precise, and economical.

Based on climatic conditions,industry requirements, and government guidelines of various countries,filtration companies should, according to me, perform application analysis toidentify the air quality of the region, what range of air pollutants need to beremoved, and how much healthy air they must have to operate their factories. Basedon this application analysis, companies can select the right product, designsthat meets Indian and international design standards like ISO, ASME, DIN, ENBS, etc.

I strongly vouch for the fact thatthe need of the hour is for filter consultants to be the doctors for theirrespective industries. It is critical to diagnose each industry’s challengesand suggest optimized solutions according to their locations and otherparameters.

Whether we call it a customerappreciation or credential, our solutions deliver 99.9 per cent accurateresults, which enable us to develop better solutions. To help industriesoperate without affecting their employees, machines, and environment, there isdire need to undertake continuous innovations in the industrial filtrationtechnology that contributes to a healthy environment across the world.

I suggest investing heavily inresearch and development and integrating various technical aspects of thefiltration industry to homogenize the end product, which will lead to overallincrease in customer satisfaction.

Current environment-friendlyindustrial solutions have encouraged various industries to minimize theiremission level, be it in air, water, and power. Over the years there has beenan increase in awareness on environmentally friendly solutions for Industries. Selectingthe right kind of filtration system can contribute to a better environment.

Filtration and separation as atechnology comes with its own set of challenges. One of the major challenges isthe higher foot print, high cost, and energy consumption of industrial filters.In addition to these, the maintenance of industrial filtration systems isdifficult as they can’t handle continuous work when the system is notself-cleaned and blocked by waste particles. Further, high capital andmaintenance cost hampers the growth of the industrial filtration market.

However, replacement of traditionalfilters with filters with newer material and automations is helping userindustries to reduce breakdowns, enhance production, and meet stringent regulatorynorms.

The concern is not confined to theindustrial sector alone. In the household or domestic market too, people arefervently concerned about ‘breathing clean air or living in a clean environment’.There is an urgency to acknowledge this need. The liquid filter media segment is expected toaccount for the larger market size, while, air filter media is expected to bethe faster-growing segment.

(Filter Concept Private Limited is aglobal Filtration and Separation company headquartered in Ahmedabad, India.)

“Filtration and separation as atechnology comes with its own set of challenges. One of the major challenges isthe higher foot print, high cost, and energy consumption of industrial filters.”