Circular Design and Sustainability in Air Filtration
October 14, 2025, Tuesday
8:00 AM – 10:00 AM ET, USA
$USD 350
$USD 175 (Member Only )
Course Objective
This course will explore the application of circular economy principles to air filtration systems, emphasizing sustainable design strategies, energy efficiency, reuse, and recyclability. Participants will learn how to assess filtration solutions through the lens of total cost of ownership (TCO) and life cycle cost (LCC), enabling more informed and cost-effective decisions. The course will also address the environmental impact of filter materials, manufacturing processes, and end-of-life management. Recent developments in sustainability-related standards and regulations will be reviewed, along with a penal discussion on emerging technologies and new materials, trends, and opportunities.
Course Outline
1. Introduction to Circular Economy in Filtration
– Key concepts and drivers
– Relevance to air filtration industry
2. Sustainable Filter Design Principles
– Material selection, durability, and reuse
– Design for disassembly and recyclability
3. TCO and LCC in Air Filtration
– Cost analysis methods
– Comparing traditional vs. circular solutions
4. Energy Consumption: Theory and Reality
5. Environmental Impact and Life Cycle Considerations
6. Standards and Regulatory Developments
7. Emerging technologies, Trends, and Opportunities (panel discussion)
Instructor Biography
Mr. Tobias Zimmer
Lead Instructor
Mr. Zimmer is an experienced air filter specialist with more than 20 years of experience in the international ventilation industry. Since 2009 Mr. Zimmer has been employed by Camfil, an industry leading air filter manufacturer based in Sweden. He has held various positions within the Camfil Group and his current position is Senior Vice President Public Affairs, Sustainability & Corporate Communication. Mr. Zimmer serves actively in numerous working groups of several international standard committees including ISO TC142 (Cleaning equipment for air and other gases), CEN TC195 (Air filters for general air cleaning), CEN TC156 (Ventilation for buildings). Mr Zimmer is the convenor of the WG7, Environmental product declarations for air cleaning equipment in CEN TC 195 as well as Vice Chairman of PC-Fil at Eurovent Certification and an advisory board member of the Waterloo Filtration Institute. In addition, he is active in various international ventilation & engineering industry associations and committees including Eurovent, REHVA, Eurovent Middle East, Eurovent International, VDMA and EHEDG. In this context, Mr. Zimmer co-authored several guidebooks and technical guidelines related to air filtration and ventilation.
Dr. Jenny Berens
Co-Instructor
Dr. Jenny Berens, Director, FFT Industrial, Filter Engineering, Freudenberg Filtration Technologies, North America, earned her M. Sc. in Chemical Engineering at Kungliga Tekniska Hogskolan, Stockholm Sweden, and her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at University of Kentucky, KY, USA. After postdoc work at the Valvoline Research Center in Lexington KY, she has continued to dedicate her career to R&D, specializing in material technology, particulate science, and filtration. Since 2017, Dr. Berens has been employed by Freudenberg Filtration Technologies. Dr. Berens is actively contributing to industry guidelines at ASHRAE and ISO and is currently serving as a board member on the TC2.4 (Particulate Air Contaminants and Particulate Contaminant Removal Equipment) and the ASHRAE 52.2 (Method of Testing General Ventilation Air-Cleaning Devices for Removal Efficiency by Particle Size) committees as well as a member of the ISO/TC US TAG 142 - Cleaning equipment for air and other gases.SHRAE, the Egyptian Syndicate of Engineers, and the Kuwait Society of Engineers.
Dr. Iyad Al-Attar
Panelist
Dr. Al-Attar is a mechanical engineer and an independent air filtration consultant. He is also a Visiting Academic Fellow in the School of Aerospace, Transport, and Manufacturing at Cranfield University, consulting for air quality and filter performance relevant to land-based gas turbines. Dr. Al-Attar is the strategic director, instructor, and advisory board member of the World Filtration Institute. In 2020, EUROVENT Middle East appointed Dr. Al-Attar as the first associated consultant for air filtration affairs. Dr. Al-Attar received his engineering degrees (BSc, MSc, Ph.D.) from the University of Toronto (Canada), Kuwait University, and Loughborough University (UK), respectively. Dr. Al-Attar’s area of expertise focuses on designing and performing high-efficiency filters for HVAC and land-based gas turbine applications, particularly on the chemical and physical characterization of airborne particles. Dr. Al-Attar is a columnist in the EUROVENT Middle East newsletter, Climate Control Middle East Magazine, ES Engineering, USA, and Caloryfrio Magazine, Spain. He has authored many articles on air quality, filter design, performance, particle characterization, and climate change, which were translated into Arabic and Spanish. Dr. Al-Attar is an editorial member/referee in the Filtration Society (UK) and the Journal of Cleaner Production.
Panelists
Mr. Philippe Wijns is a Certified Expert in Sustainable Finance, Climate Finance, and Renewable Energy from the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management. He began his professional journey with global leaders in the nonwovens industry before transitioning to the filtration sector, where he specialized in filtration technologies across a wide range of applications and markets—including industrial and automotive systems, HVAC, household appliances, medical and life sciences, as well as power storage solutions such as fuel cells, hydrogen systems, and battery separators. Over the years, he has established himself as a recognized expert in filtration media.
Building on a successful career with global market leaders in these fields, Philippe recently founded CleverSustainability, a consultancy dedicated to sustainable business development. Through this platform, he helps companies develop and implement sustainability strategies, ensure compliance with the EU legal reporting requirements, and enhance their sustainable business growth, product portfolio and development, and market positioning. Philippe holds a bachelor's degree in medicine and chemistry from the Catholic University of Leuven, an MBA in Strategic Marketing from the Maastricht School of Management, and a postgraduate degree in International Business and Finance. Born in Brussels and now based in Frankfurt, he considers the city his home.
Mr. Nick Agopian is President of Reviveaire, USA. With 30+ years of Filtration, HVAC & energy-recovery experience, Nick focuses on Indoor Air Quality and improving the human condition indoors. Nick’s has held executive positions of VP for various businesses like Circul-Aire, Dectron Internationale, President and General Manager at SEMCO, a Fläkt Woods company, and Vice President at RenewAire. Nick is highly involved with ASHRAE,where he sits on numerous technical committees, such as ASHRAE 62.1 & 62.2, ASHRAE Position Document - Human Health and Wellness in the Built Environment, TC 2.3, SPC 145P, TRG4.IAQP, TG 9, etc. He’s also served on a special board for filtration part of the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), Additionally, he served on the Board of Directors for the Missouri Innovation Center’s Life Sciences Business Incubator, Board of the local Chamber of Commerce, and Chairman of the Board for the Home Ventilating Institute.
A committed lifelong learner, Agopian’s undergrad was in Mechanical Systems Engineering from Vanier, Quebec, Canada, and an International M.B.A. from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.
Dr. Christine Sun, President of the World Filtration Institute, is a globally renowned technical and market expert in the filtration and nonwovens industry. With over 30 years of experience in academia and industry, she has in-depth knowledge of filtration and extensive hands-on expertise in product and business development, evidenced by her contribution of over 100 technical publications and patents in the field. She is also actively involved in the development of many air and liquid filter test standards, such as ASHRAE and ISO. Dr. Sun worked for Freudenberg Filtration Technologies from 2004 to 2011 as an R&D manager and then served as Technology Director for Donaldson Company from 2011 to 2013. She was the Chair of the American Filtration and Separation Society (AFS) from 2016 to 2017 and has received the AFS Fellow Award in 2019, the Sr. Scientist Award in 2012, and the best paper awards from INDA (Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry) in 2008. She is also an editorial board member for the Textile Research Journal and the Journal of Industrial Textiles. Dr. Sun received her B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, and her Executive Certificate from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, USA.