July 24, 2023 Improve Manufacturing Recycling with Filter Cleaning

Cost savings and protecting the planet can go hand-in-hand with simple solutions like industrial filter cleaning.

Dust collectors are a vital part of many manufacturing operations. The filters associated with these collectors are typically thought of as disposable, destined for the dumpster after a single use. Each year tens of thousands of dust collector filters are thrown away in landfills. Technology now exists that allows manufacturers to clean these filters and extend their useful life. Depending on the material being collected, filters can be cleaned up to 8 times and show direct bottom line cost savings for the company.

Savings for the company and the environment

Depending on the size of the dust collector system and the number of filter changes throughout the year, a manufacturer can spend tens of thousands of dollars replacing filters for their systems. All those filters take up dumpster space and add to the company’s waste disposal costs. The costs of transportation and disposal at landfill continue to increase, so the disposal cost of filters will continue to grow.

This technology uses only air to clean dust collector filters, no water or solvents necessary. The technology cleans the filters on both the exterior and interior and removes the dust that the “pulse jet” systems — common on dust collectors — cannot remove.

The implementation of a dust collector filter cleaning program is a simple one. Instead of throwing the filters away at each change out, filters are collected and shipped to a company for cleaning. Prior to shipping the filters, the manufacturer is asked a few simple questions to evaluate their systems, materials contained in the filter media, and in many cases test filters can be sent in for evaluation to determine if the system will work for their filters. Once the company starts a dust collector filter cleaning program, cost savings are immediate by eliminating disposal and saving on the costs of purchasing new filters.

A thorough cleaning process

The filters are received, inspected, cleaned and tested for airflow prior to being shipped back to the client. The filter cleaning company can track the performance of each filter cleaned and can historically evaluate the performance of each filter over time. Using flow meters, filters are tested for performance when the filter arrives and after it is cleaned. Using this data, filters can be evaluated to ensure the cleaned filters will perform as expected, and filters that fail the airflow test are recycled and the company is notified to reorder those filters.

Implementation of a dust collector filter cleaning program costs less than the cost of purchasing new filters and significantly reduces the costs associated with disposal.

Filters that are used in the abrasive blasting industry, dealing with steel shot, brown fused aluminum oxide, glass bead, and other blast media are excellent candidates for filter cleaning.  Other industries served are those in the aerospace and powder coating industries.

Helping the triple bottom line

The introduction of a dust collector filter cleaning program for any manufacturing company is a positive move towards the company’s participation in the Circular Economy. This concept generally means that a waste by-product can be utilized as a new ingredient in a new product. Filter cleaning tightens the circle by having the generator of the waste, in this case dust collector filters, return directly to the generator and allows the company to reuse a product that was once a single-use throwaway item. In many cases, the dust removed from the filters can also be recycled into other products, ensuring a company can control their waste and help reach their sustainability goals.

About the Author:
Mike Wright is the CEO of Wisdom Environmental, Inc. Wisdom specializes in the development of recycling programs for the business, industrial and manufacturing sectors. Wisdom works with clients to identify, define, and channel waste streams into the recycling market, resulting in cost reductions for the client and benefiting the environment. For the past 17 years Mike has directed Wisdom’s operations and has helped to provide solutions for a variety of clients in a broad range of industries. Mike has overseen the creation of Wisdom’s Filter Clean and SteelCrete divisions that were created to address specific waste streams where recycling outlets were not available.

For More Information contact:
www.wisdomenvironmental.com

Subscribe to Industry Today