The French health safety agency, responsible for assessing health risks, is increasingly warning of the deterioration in air quality. Industrial processes still generate numerous particles that have a negative impact on indoor air quality in industrial premises and factories. Combustion products, dust from metal or woodworking, welding fumes or solvent vapors – the industrial environment is full of dust and solvents. Whether for ambient air, work surfaces or machine surfaces, industrial extraction is the solution for improving indoor air quality.
But what is dust in industry? And what is an industrial solvent? Answer below…
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Dust in the industrial environment
Dusts are solid particles generated by industrial processes. There are various systems that generate these particles, and a wide range of machines and installations for capturing and treating them.
Dust-generating systems
Examples include :
- burning, working or cutting wood, which generates particles that are highly hazardous to health;
- metal grinding and machining generate metal particles, which must be captured at source in filters to avoid any risk of inhalation;
- laser cutting and marking
- degreasing activities, which can generate dust ;
- cement manufacturing activities, which release large quantities of very fine dust, posing a risk to workers and requiring the installation of fume and dust extraction systems;
- printing, which produces many solid particles.
- In-plant handling (forklifts) that raise dust.
Some dust collection and dedusting techniques
There are a number of different systems for ridding premises of the particles that degrade ambient air quality. They depend on dust size, type and quantity:
- Capture at source: Dust is captured at source by means of a capture device (arm, hood, table, etc.); it is then conveyed to a dust collector, which filters the polluted air via one or more filtration stages;
- Room treatment Several solutions are available:
- The use of an industrial air purifier enables these particles to be captured and extracted from the ambient air;
- Installing an air-handling unit or centralized ventilation system cleans the air in the rooms of the industrial premises concerned;
Solvents in the industrial environment
The French health and safety agency pays close attention to the use of solvents in the workplace, and has published a number of fact sheets on their impact on health. Solvents in industry are more specifically generated by the activities of the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. They consist of vapors and gases. Most of the time, these pollutants can present health risks for employees.
Where do solvents come from?
They come from several lines of business:
- Degreasing activities ;
- The combustion of certain metals can generate solvents;
- Printing activities ;
- resins for composite materials
- Gluing processes
- Paint spraying.
- Parts cleaning in the automotive, plastics and metal industries.
- The treatment of certain fabrics in the textile industry.
- Renovation or repair work involving gluing or varnishing
- Pharmaceutical activities (mixing, coating, etc.)
Some solvent capture and treatment techniques
There are various techniques for capturing and extracting solvents:
- Mobile suction unit: usually located as close as possible to where solvents are produced to capture them at source, thanks to articulated arms which trap the solvents in filters;
- Ventilation system: thanks to ducts, the ventilation system continuously removes solvents emitted by the processes;
- central vacuum system with external discharge
- a room air purifier to treat ambient air and fix solvents on an activated carbon filter
What do ATEX regulations say?
ATEX (for ATmosphères EXplosives) regulations require an assessment of industrial explosion risks, and impose the definition of ATEX zones. Each of these zones must have :
- an industrial extraction system to capture pollutants at source;
- ventilation ductwork ;
- a dust extraction unit compatible with the explosive dusts and extraction solvents concerned.
