Air Filtration for Agriculture Facilities

Agriculture is one of the biggest industries and important segments in contributing to the economic growth of any country. This is the only industry that is feeding millions of crowds on this planet.

Under the umbrella of the agricultural industry, several sub segments play an important role. These are

• Plant biotechnology
• Horticulture
• Animal husbandry
• Fishery science
• Genetics
• Plant breeding
• Plant pathology

Plant biotechnology techniques will use various methods like tissue culture and genetic engineering techniques to produce modified plants that exhibit new or improved desirable characteristics. For these kinds of environments, quality indoor air will play a crucial role. It may require sophisticated equipment air filters, air purifiers to avoid possible contamination and emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC).

Horticulture is the art of cultivating plants in gardens to produce food and medicinal ingredients. Horticulture experiment stations may need testing of seeds, plant materials, soil analysis, and water analysis. Quality indoor air is a prerequisite condition to conduct all these testing activities.

Animal husbandry is a branch of agriculture that deals with animals produced for meat, fibre, milk, or other goods. Even minor changes in the quality of an indoor atmosphere in animal rising habitats will impact the health of an animal and animal products.

In the current modern world environment, we are facing interminable trends of population explosion, decreasing water resources, rapid urbanization, and unpredictable climate change. This has allowed the innovation of traditional agricultural methods to modern farming methodologies.

Indoor farming or vertical farming is one of the trending methodologies in agricultural farming. Growing crops in vertically stacked layers inside the building premises (commercial buildings, residential structures, gated communities), shipping containers, tunnels, and abandoned mine shafts, etc., is what this procedure entails.

Protect Your Product and Customers

Maintaining clean air inside facilities helps prevent infectious outbreaks among animals, tainting of farm products, unpleasant odors, and other problems, ultimately avoiding the loss of profits for the farm. Additionally, government regulations limit farm emissions and impose certain qualification regulations on the agriculture industry. Proper air filtration is key to making sure that the particle concentration levels meet the mandated standards, ensuring a safe and healthy working environment for both humans and animals alike.

The air inside agricultural and farming facilities can contain:

• Mold, spores, pollen
• Milling dust
• Bacteria and byproducts
• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) used in processing agricultural raw materials
• Fumigants

Filtration Prevents Cross-Contamination During Production and Storage

Air filtration on a farm is vital in preventing cross-contamination during manufacturing and storage, ensuring consistent and superior quality products, and protecting people and process equipment. Cross-contamination can lead to production downtime and product loss, both of which impact yield and profitability.

It can also lead to spoilage of the final product, bacterial outbreaks, recalls, and potential lawsuits. Having a well-sealed environment is the first step to preventing cross-contamination and having airtight filtration is key to maintaining the integrity of the process and safety of the product.

Optimize Your Filtration and Improve Your Environment

Air filtration, regarding the growing and refining of grain and crops, is significant for both particulate and gaseous contaminant remediation. Concerning grains and other agricultural products, particulate filtration is of substantial importance. Air filtration systems in these buildings must handle large quantities of air with varying sizes of particulates. For applications like wet corn milling, gas-phase filtration can remove contaminants like SO2 and H2S that are present, preventing corrosion in control rooms. Because of that, investment in a specialized and quality filter will help reduce maintenance costs as well as energy consumption eventually.

A thorough air filter audit of your HVAC system is the first step that AAF recommends providing you with professional guidance and analysis for cost savings and liability reduction opportunities.

By conducting this audit, we document your current state and advise you on how your facility could perform better, helping you save money, save time, and reduce risk.

Contact your AAF representative to schedule an audit and find out how the insights from intelligent data tools, including TCO Diagnostic® and Sensor360®, can improve operational outcomes and save you time and money.