Education has been a key part of the AFS mission since our founding. One hallmark of this mission is our well-known selection of short courses at all our conferences, and as official host, we are bringing this suite of courses to World Filtration Congress 13.

Our half-day short courses, which kick off the Congress on Wednesday, October 5, include 12 options for fundamental filtration and separation instruction. Opportunities to learn about these topics are difficult to find, especially at this level of expertise. Leading scientific experts and industry veterans in filtration and separations are the course instructors, and access to these professionals is uncommon.

For professionals interested in earning the AFS Certified Professional (AFSCP) Designation, all required courses are being offered in August. These include 20 hours of AFS education in three basic filtration courses: Introduction to Air/Gas (8 hours in 4 parts), Introduction to Filter Media (4 hours in 2 parts) and Introduction to Solid/Liquid Separation (8 hours in 4 parts).

The four parts of Introduction to Air/Gas Filtration will be offered on August 2, 4, 9 and 11, and will be taught by Dr. Thad Ptak. The course provides fundamental information on air filtration principles, filter media and filters, applications and testing. More information about each course and Dr. Ptak is available here. 

In keeping with our mission to advance the exchange of technical knowledge, the American Filtration and Separations Society has announced a suite of filtration and separations virtual courses available to professionals everywhere. For practitioners, scientists, academics and researchers, AFS courses provide valuable insight into various aspects of the filtration and separations industry.

The following live, virtual courses are now open for registration:

The AFS Learning Center provides a great wealth of technical knowledge for filtration and separations professionals. Our hub of educational resources represents the many years of technical knowledge we have assembled.

The AFS Learning Center contains two-hour and four-hour virtual courses on a variety of topics designed to educate both novice and expert filtration professionals and taught by leading experts in the filtration industry. Courses are priced affordably with discounts for AFS members and for the employees of AFS Corporate Sponsors. Learn more about joining as an individual or becoming a corporate sponsor here.

AFS FiltCon 2021 included a plenary presentation from Brian Lane, expert filtration industry consultant and retired Vice President of Engineering, Technology and Innovation at Parker Hannifin. His presentation, “How Global Mega Trends, Particularly the 'Race to Zero Emissions' and COVID, are Impacting the Filtration Industry,” provided valuable insight into the state of the filtration industry, especially in light of the events of 2020.

Brian began by referencing the 2017 AFS Point of View Publication, written by former AFS Chair Tom Ramsey. Brian highlighted six global mega trends that formed the basis for chapter two of the report, emphasizing that after four years, all are still vigorous drivers of change in the filtration and separations industry: Population Growth and Social Change, Disruptive Digital Technology Changes, Rapid Urbanization on a Global Scale, Climate Change and Natural Scarcity, Transformative Healthcare Advances, and Reduce, Reuse and the Race to Zero Emissions/Discharge. In fact, the events of 2020 even accelerated the pace of change for several of them, most notably in the social change, healthcare and emissions areas.

A primary mission of the American Filtration & Separations Society (AFS) is to provide a forum for the exchange of information among engineers, scientists and technologists from all areas of our industry. One initiative that upholds this mission especially well is our upcoming major conference, FiltCon 2021.

FiltCon 2021 will be held virtually April 19-21, and our full conference schedule is now online. The conference will feature two plenary presentations, 42 technical presentations, an expo and a student poster competition. New Product Awards for 2019 and 2020, as well as Honorific Awards for 2020, will be announced at the awards ceremony on Tuesday morning.

PureAir Filtration’s FiberShield^TM is a Nylon 6,6 nonwoven spunbond microfiber material impregnated with silver (Ag) ionic nanoparticles. The silver ionic mesh creates an antimicrobial Zone of Inhibition around and in between the fibers that deactivates viruses, bacteria and fungi. For example, FiberShield deactivates >99.89% of the SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19).

FiberShield^TM has a basic weight of 34 g/m² per layer and a pressure drop of 0.11 iwg (27 Pa). The thin and light substrate allows for more pleats in the same size filter housing, increased media surface area and dirt holding capacity, lower pressure drop, and smaller and lighter weight filters. The particle filtration capability is rated as MERV 4. The melting point of the fiber is 265^oC, and its heat capacity is 1.47 J/g*K, with thermal stability that can withstand 150°C consistently.

The AFS Learning Center is now fully launched, providing a great wealth of technical knowledge for filtration and separations professionals. Our hub of educational resources represents the many years of technical knowledge we have assembled.

The AFS Learning Center contains two-hour and four-hour virtual courses on a variety of topics designed to educate both novice and expert filtration professionals. Courses are priced affordably with discounts for AFS members. Learn more about joining here.

The American Filtration & Separations Society will devote its entire fall conference on December 2 and 3 to the air filtration industry’s response to COVID-19: What we have witnessed, what we have learned, and what is on the horizon. To accommodate a wide range of time zones, the virtual conference will take place from 10am to 2pm CST on both days.

The conference includes a keynote address each day:

The American Filtration & Separations Society will devote its entire fall conference on December 2 and 3 to the air filtration industry’s response to COVID-19: What we have witnessed, what we have learned, and what is on the horizon. To accommodate a wide range of time zones, the virtual conference will take place from 10am to 2pm CST on both days.

The conference is offering six sessions covering various industry areas responding to the pandemic:

The American Filtration & Separations Society will devote its entire fall conference on December 2 and 3 to the air filtration industry’s response to COVID-19: What we have witnessed, what we have learned, and what is on the horizon. The conference has been timed from 10am to 2pm CST, to accommodate a wide range of world time zones.

To drill down into specific filtration areas that are responding to the pandemic, the conference is offering six sessions:

The American Filtration & Separations Society will devote its entire fall conference on December 2 and 3 to the air filtration industry’s response to COVID-19: What we have witnessed, what we have learned, and what is on the horizon.

To drill down into specific filtration areas that are responding to the pandemic, the conference is offering six sessions:

The American Filtration & Separations Society will devote its entire fall conference on December 2 and 3 to the air filtration industry’s response to COVID-19: What we have witnessed, what we have learned, and what is on the horizon.

To drill down into specific filtration areas that are responding to the pandemic, the conference is offering six sessions:

The filtration industry has been thrust onto center stage during the COVID-19 pandemic. Never before have we had to confront so immediately and intensely the power of an airborne pathogen to endanger the lives of millions, rock public health and lay waste to the world economy.

The American Filtration & Separations Society will devote its entire fall conference on December 2 and 3 to the filtration industry’s response to COVID-19: What we have witnessed, what we have learned, and what is on the horizon.