air purification vs ventilation

Industrial Air Filtration vs. Air Ventilation: What’s the Difference?

In industrial settings, maintaining clean air is critical for the health and safety of workers. Unfortunately, many industrial facilities produce pollutants that may cause long-term health damage. There are many ways to maintain clean air, with air filtration and ventilation being two of the most common methods.

Although air filtration and ventilation serve the same purpose, they work differently and have unique benefits and drawbacks. This article will examine the critical differences between industrial air filtration and air ventilation to help you decide which is best for your facility.

Understanding Industrial Air Treatment Systems

Industrial air treatment systems are designed to clean and purify the air in industrial facilities. These systems use various technologies to remove harmful pollutants and make the work environment healthier. The most common types of air treatment systems are filtration and ventilation systems.

Industrial Air Filtration vs. Air Ventilation: What’s the Difference?

Although some people use “air filtration” and “air ventilation” interchangeably, they are not the same. These processes have different impacts on the quality of air in your facility. While air filtration cleans and reuses the same air, ventilation works by pushing out the old air and bringing in clean, fresh air.

Industrial air filtration, or purification, often involves using filtration systems to filter out airborne contaminants, dust, and particulates. This process improves air quality in a facility and makes the work environment safer. On the other hand, industrial air ventilation involves using ventilation systems to improve indoor air quality.

Air Filtration vs. Air Ventilation

Air filtration (purification) vs. air ventilation – Here’s everything you need to know about the two systems.

What is Air Filtration?

Air filtration involves capturing airborne particles at the source using specialized filters such as carbon gas or HEPA filters. After removing these particles from the air, the filter releases clean air back into the environment. It’s important to note that air filtration doesn’t introduce new air into the environment. Instead, it cleans and reuses existing air. Different types of air filters are designed to capture various sizes of airborne particles.

You have two options for industrial air filtration systems: ambient and portable units.

  • Ambient air filtration units can work as stand-alone systems or together with other capture systems to provide cleaner air.
  • Portable air filtration units must be placed directly in the work environment to filter out particles and improve air quality.

air filtration

What is Air Ventilation?

Air ventilation involves the distribution of fresh air across a building or facility. Public buildings need ventilation because stagnant air can be dangerous to breathe. In addition, ventilation systems help transfer outdoor air into the building. However, unlike filtration units, they do not filter the particles.

There are two categories of air ventilation: spot and whole-home ventilation,

  • Spot ventilation: Spot ventilation, also known as local ventilation, involves pulling polluted air out of a specific area of the room. An example of spot ventilation involves using bath fans and range hoods to transfer air from a building. Spot ventilation is commonly used in bathrooms, kitchens, or areas with high amounts of pollution in commercial facilities. Spot ventilation helps pull out fumes and humidity from the air before it circulates to other areas of the room.
  • Whole-room ventilation: Whole-room ventilation works similarly to spot ventilation. However, it replaces old air with fresh air throughout the room.

Choosing the Right Air Treatment System for Your Business

There is no clear winner between air ventilation and air filtration. It all depends on the type of facility and the actions carried out in the building. Air ventilation systems are ideal for buildings where you need to dilute pollutants and bring in fresh air. They work well in buildings with good air quality outside. However, they are ineffective at removing pollutants such as chemicals, smoke, or biological contaminants.

On the other hand, filtration systems are better for businesses that need to remove harmful particles and pollutants from the air. They capture pollutants but do not bring in fresh air like ventilation systems.

Discover Advanced Air Filtration Systems from NiGen

NiGen specializes in top-of-the-line air filtration systems that use the latest technologies to purify the air in your building. Our systems are designed to remove even the smallest particles of pollutants so that you can breathe clean and healthy air.

Contact us today to learn more about our air filtration systems.