Improving indoor air quality by using the new generation of corrugated cardboard-based filters

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is strictly affected by the concentration of total suspended particulate matter (TSP). Air filtration is by far the most feasible suggestion to improve IAQ. Unfortunately, highly effective HEPA filters also have a few major weaknesses that have hindered their widespread use. There is therefore a renewed interest in developing novel, cost-effective filtration systems. We have recently reported the development of cardboard-based filters for bacterial removal that were further implemented and tested herein.

A parallelepiped filter manufactured by aligning strips of corrugated cardboard and surrounded by a cardboard frame was specifically designed with an internal pocket holding a partially cut antistatic pleated fabric (HP). This filter, together with its parent version (CTRL) and a commercially sourced specimen (CAF), were assessed comparatively in a long-time test to assess their effectiveness on TSP removal.

We found that the TSP abatement efficiency (E%) of the HP filter was relatively high and invariable over the 93 days of test and the pressure drop (PD%) decrease because of filter clogging was moderate. Most important, the HP filter was the most effective if assessed in terms of overall yield (Y%) and its performance was quite constant over the entire period considered.

This work disclosed this novel class of corrugated cardboard-based filters as promising tools to ameliorate IAQ in light of their good TSP removal properties that endure over time. Moreover, cardboard is a lightweight, inexpensive, and eco-friendly material and corrugated cardboard-based air filters are very easy to shape and mount on and/or replace in existing ventilation systems.