In response to the Department of Health’s new emissions standards that will come into effect this year, air-pollution control and dust extraction systems supplier Kentech is supplying smoke and dust control solutions that will help companies comply with the new requirements, says Kentech director Noel Gardner.

Through the standards, the department aims to achieve a 67% reduction in particulate, or ash, emissions by 2025, as well as a 29% reduction in nitrogen oxide emissions and a 30% reduction in sulphur dioxide emissions by 2030.

“These emission limits will also affect items such as boilers and high-temperature applications. For those applications where one cannot use a multicyclone efficiently, the use of a bag filter will also be required,” notes Gardner.

He adds that a company will have its operating licence revoked if it continues to emit more than 250 mg/Nm3, but this limit may be lowered in certain conditions, such as a factory close to a residential area. In this case, the relevant department of health could set a limit of 120 mg/Nm3 or 150 mg/Nm3. These figures apply to boilers, but many other processes will have different limits. He says companies will need to contact the local Department of Health for clarification. Those not complying may well receive a fine of up to R5-million “to finally discourage companies from simply paying fines without fixing their behaviour – government wants South Africa to meet international air-quality standards”.

Gardner says Kentech, in collaboration with its partner, Italian antipollution company Coral Antipollution Systems, offers companies industrial filters to help clear the air of smoke and dust.

The company is supplying fabrication company Lulatec with Grindex filters to deal with the smoke and dust emitted during grinding and welding in the manufacture of electric panel boxes.

“Lulatec now has a solution to prevent its operations from emitting smoke and dust into the atmosphere, which also prevents its workers from falling ill, as a result of smoke and dust inhalation,” says Gardner.

Kentech also distributes Aircom and Aircompact filters on behalf of Coral Antipollution Systems. However, Kentech will soon start to manufacture some of the filters at its plant in South Africa.

Coral Antipollution Systems engineer Massimo Farina explains to Engineering News that the filters work with a compressor, which creates a vibration that causes the filter to create a reverse pulse. The dust is collected and directed into a retainer, where the vibration of the cartridge drops the dust into the base of the filter, which is cleaned out when required.