Iranian Researcher Produce Dust Collector Bags to Tackle Air Pollution

Dust collector bags, sometimes referred to as filter bags, are made of fabric or membrane material and act as a filter container. When polluting air passes through the filter bag, dust and polluting particles are separated inside it.

These filters, which are a kind of air filters, are considered as a favored solution in air pollution controling projects due to their capability to separate micrometer-sized particles and high efficiency in reducing air pollutants. They absorb and remove dust and other particles before they are released into the air, therefore, these filters are used in air conditioning systems, factories, industries, cooling towers, etc.

When the contaminated gas enters the filter, it is returned to the exit funnels by means of a baffle. After the dusty gas enters one of the filter houses, the large sized dust particles move towards the hopper under the pressure of their own weight.

With the efforts of a group of researchers in the fields of nanotechnology, polymer chemistry and textile, nano fibers of industrial dust collector bags were produced in one of the knowledge-based companies. By designing and building an industrial electrospinning machine, these researchers managed to produce nano-fiber air filters, with increasing the capability to absorb contaminants and separating nano-sized particles as some of their features.

“After two decades of research and development, we have become a manufacturer of dust bags,” Mehdi Taghavi, a member of the board of directors of that knowledge-based company said in an interview with local Iranian media.

These air cleaning bags that operate like a filter, in which dust collector bags are placed, absorb dust particles.

"We have used nanotechnology in producing the products in the company since 2011," adding, "The use of nano technology has increased filter efficiency and reduced costs, while its use in industrial sectors has increased the efficiency of industries by 20%."

Emphasizing that the use of nano technology in these filters allows the filtration to be performed on the surface of the filter, Taghavi pointed out, “Since nano fibers are layered on the filters, the dust absorption and filtration process takes place on the filter surface and the dust does not infilietarte into the fiber fabric.”

Saying that filter cloths can absorb particles up to 5 microns, he added, "When we layered nano fibers on this filter, it is able to absorb particles up to 300 nanometers."

He considered these dust collector bags as useful in steel, cement, tile and ceramic, and flour factories and any other industries that produce dirty air.

“Sometimes we see that white plumes of smoke are released into the air by factories, which shows a malfunction in their dust collection system,” he continued to explain.

According to Taghavi, Isfahan's Mobarakeh Steel Company, Isfahan Steel Company, National Copper Industries, Tehran Cement, flour factories, as well as tile and ceramic factories among the customers for their products.

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