The capture, or extraction, of polluted air in industrial environments is the initial phase of its purification process from all pollutants, which then continues with the filtration . During aspiration, the contaminated air containing toxic substances, such as fumes, dust, oil mists, gases and solvents, is removed from the environment in as localized a manner as possible.

Since this process inevitably takes place in the immediate vicinity of the operators, and therefore the use of air capture systems is directly integrated into their work, it becomes essential to design solutions that combine the necessary efficiency – in terms of safety and regulations – with ease of use, so as not to hinder the normal work process of the people.

In industrial environments, as we have said, air capture is the phase that precedes filtration and emission into the environment. Its necessity is evident, given that the polluted air must be forced to flow through the filters to be purified, and the reasons are equally transparent and similar to those of filtration:

First and foremost, the protection of the safety and health of workers, who are best protected by highly localized and efficient air extraction, which immediately removes pollutants from the air they breathe right at their workstation.

Secondly, economic motivations influence both the need for aspiration and the importance of careful design of the systems used to do so. If, as with filtration, the criterion that aspirating valuable reagents or substances allows one to avoid wasting them and to recover them for reuse also applies here, in the case of air capture it also becomes important to know how to calibrate the aspiration power of the system, so as to ensure that only the volatile part of the substances used – pollutants or not – and not that which is part of the process, is aspirated. The consideration regarding the timely removal of particulates and dust that could damage machinery if they were to accumulate remains valid.

Thirdly, correct aspiration ensures that pollutants are not left suspended in the air, and is therefore an environmental protection measure, as it guarantees that the entire contaminated flow is treated and purified during filtration. This translates into protection from pollution that is increasingly necessary today.

All the old regulations regarding aspiration and workplace safety – topics, as we have seen, closely linked – have been replaced by Legislative Decree 81 of 2008, which also overlapped with issues previously regulated by the famous law 626.

Air capture is therefore rigidly regulated, and each company must therefore equip itself to fully comply with the law and avoid incurring even substantial penalties.

The fundamental principles of the relevant regulations are linked to the maximum protection of personnel health, and suggest aspiration as localized as possible near the point where the pollutants – gases, oil mists, dust – are generated or used.

Bruno Balducci srl designs and manufactures its own solutions for localized air aspiration, which puts us in a position to customize the shape, performance, dimensions and appearance to fully satisfy any specific application situation or particular need of each client.

We can therefore offer both static hoods and mobile and orientable arms, as well as solutions for large volumes such as aspiration walls.