MyCelx Air Filters Remove Smoke, Diesel and Hydrocarbon

Emission from Hospital Air Filtration

The Background

Northeast Georgia Health System (NGHS) serves more than 700,000 people from more than 15 counties in northeast Georgia. A full range of health care services is offered through two hospital campuses including advanced cardiac care.

Hospital is located by a busy road with construction underway. Hospital is surrounded by parking lots and periodically employs a high-powered diesel generator for back-up power. The diesel engine emits fumes which are then drawn into the hospital by the air handlers. Intake air also has pollutants from parking lot and construction activities.

The hospital was experiencing unacceptable air qualities in areas of hospital due to in take of toxic and odiferous compounds from the various sources listed above.

The Problem

Contributing factors to the odors include construction at the hospital, ambient traffic, emissions from diesel vehicles, evaporative materials and volatile organic compounds present in construction materials such as glue, etc.

Additionally, facilities staff described a causal relationship as follows:

• Air intake always has to be turned off when the diesel generator is activated.
• If air intake is not turned off, immediate complaints from inside the hospital result.
• The diesel generator usually operates two to three times a month for 3-4 hours each time. See pictures attached.

The Solution

MyCelx engineers inspected the air processing equipment and filters with facilities staff at the hospital and both parties agreed on strategic placement of MyCelx filters and target membranes in order to gauge the possible beneficial impact. Specifically, filters were placed at the air intake immediately adjacent to the exhaust of the diesel generator and in the air intake to the administrative building (the air to this area is drawn from the parking lot).

The diesel generator was activated approximately 10 times within a period of 3 months without de-activating the air intake. Filter samples were collected by MyCelx and analyzed for hydrocarbons by GCMS using headspace and extractive techniques.

The Results

• Detection of odors by hospital staff during operation of diesel generator.
• The diesel generator was operated approximately 10 times at 3-4 hours per event over a period of three months without disabling the air intake directly above the diesel exhaust. The staff was not informed. No complaints were registered with facilities regarding ambient air quality.
• Organic Removal: approximately 2-3 times the number of compounds are detected on MYCELX filters as compared to standard filters.
• Oil holding capacity for MyCelx filters in excess of 9 times as for standard filters.
• Recent arrestance and particle holding capacity are approximately double for MYCELX filters as compared to standard filters.
• MyCelx CPS membranes were successful in arrestance of smoke particles caused by fires in South Georgia as reported by hospital staff.