Since the global pandemic struck, the market for air filtration systems (part of the heating, ventilation and cooling of HVAC sector) has been growing strongly. Air purifiers are now not only used in medical and industrial settings, but also increasingly in places of work, institutions, on public transport and the domestic sphere. The problem is they eat up a lot of energy – amounting to 70 percent of the overall cost of operation.

Researchers from the Institute for Mechanical Process Engineering (IMVT) at the University of Stuttgart have teamed up with the filter manufacturer MANN+HUMMEL to reduce the energy consumption of these units in the NanoFil project. With around 3.7 million filters sold annually, they hope to save up to 1.24 terawatt hours of energy, amounting to 670,000 tonnes of CO2 every year. And with rapidly growing sales predictions, that’s a lot more savings in future.

Air filtration systems protect people from bacteria, colloids, particulates and other contaminants by sucking tiny particles into a complex web of fibres, where they are held, while the purified air is pumped out. The NanoFil researchers are working on approaches that map filtration processes across geometric “scales” to reduce air pressure (which they calculate could be 10 – 20 percent lower over the entire operating time) and increase particle separation. The result is greatly reduced energy consumption overall.

Over the next three years, scientists at the IMVT will develop simulation techniques in the micron and submicron (less than 300 nanometres) range towards the development of next generation filtering technology. The finest filtration systems made with nanofibers are capable of removing the tiniest biological molecules including enzymes and endotoxins. Thanks to advances in nanotechnology, tomorrow’s air filters will be better for health and for the planet.