Air Filtration & Treatment

Air problems fall into two groups. Particles are filtered: Sampson HVAC pleated filters, the MERV 13 Green Pleat and the Dafco Titan FP fit standard air handlers. Gases, vapours and odours are treated, mostly by adsorption on activated carbon: ERE builds air treatment systems, from drum-size UltraSorber units to UltraSorber-Air vessels of up to 5,000 cfm and the AirGuard 1250 for 12,500 CFM of ambient air, and supplies eight UltraSorber air-phase carbons, including impregnated grades for mercury, H2S and ammonia. For smells, there are carbon odour-removal filters and odour control products such as Odour Skunk™ and CannaSorber™.

Tell us what is in the air, the airflow and the site, and we will propose a filter, a unit or both.

Air filtration and treatment FAQ

Filter or treat?

Filters stop particles such as dust, pollen and mist; their MERV rating tells you how fine. Gases, vapours and odours pass through a particle filter, so they need treatment: an activated-carbon bed that adsorbs VOCs and odour compounds, or an impregnated carbon for gases carbon alone holds poorly. Many systems do both, with a pre-filter ahead of the carbon.

See our air scrubber guide for the treatment technologies.

Which carbon for my contaminant?

Standard air-phase carbon such as UltraSorber-BC or coconut-shell UltraSorber-CNS handles VOCs and general odours; MER-Carb is sulphur-impregnated for mercury vapour, KOH-Carb targets H2S and acid gases, AMMO-Carb ammonia, and CannaSorb the terpenes of cannabis odour.

Can a carbon HVAC filter solve an odour problem?

For intermittent odours, often: Sampson odour removal pleated filters are carbon-enhanced MERV 5 and 6 filters that fit existing HVAC systems, and a low-cost way to test whether carbon works before buying a larger unit.