Filtration Technologies in Sustainable Transport
July 15, 2025, Tuesday
8:00 AM – 10:00 AM ET, USA
$USD 350
$USD 175 (Member Only)
Course Objective
This course will highlight the crucial role of filtration technologies in promoting sustainable transportation and protecting public health and well-being. Filtration is imperative, as it effectively captures harmful pollutants across various transport modes, including road, rail, aviation, and maritime. We will explore key areas of filtration technology, examining its applications across various transport modalities and demonstrating how we can actively manage air quality to protect the health and well-being of passengers. The course explores basic filtration principles, including the mechanisms through which filters remove contaminants, and the types of filters used to achieve the required performance in different settings. It covers the parameters that impact filter performance in terms of design and media considerations, providing criteria for selecting appropriate filtration solutions for various transportation applications. The course will also focus on rail transport, addressing concerns about air quality in trains and the filtration technologies used to reduce passengers' exposure levels.
Attendees will explore the impact of improved air quality in passenger cabins and the role of filtration innovations in Aviation, trains, and buses in protecting passengers and advancing sustainability in transportation. The course examines future trends in transport filtration, rendering sustainable transport healthy and suitable for use. The instructors will conclude by highlighting predictive filter replacement and maintenance, as well as the increasing demand for healthier and more sustainable services while utilizing sustainable transportation infrastructures.
Course Outline
• Definition, principles, and benefits of sustainable transport
• Role of filtration in sustainable transport
• Filtration in various modes of transport (road, rail, air, and sea)
• Consideration of application sensitivity in filtration technologies and selection
• IAQ and filtration for sustainable transport
• Impact of filtration on passenger health and well-being
• Emerging filtration technologies in sustainable transport
• Filter media selections for various pollutant types
• Predictive filter maintenance and air quality monitoring in the cabin air quality
• Economic and environmental impact of filtration in sustainable transport
• Operational challenges of filtration and so
Instructor Biography
Dr. Iyad Al-Attar
Instructor
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.
Dr. Christine Sun
Panelist
Dr. 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.
Mr. Nick Agopian
Panelist
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.
Panelists
Dr. Jenny Berens, Director, FFT Industrial, Filter Engineering, Freudenberg Filtration Technologies, Noth 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. Mehdi Shirmohammadi is the R&D Manager of Termeh Co., UAE. He has more than 20 years of experience (academic and industrial) in air filtration systems and respiratory masks. Mehdi is a recognized expert in textile fibers, high-efficiency filter media, and antibacterial adsorbents, involved in co-leading standard development committees at the ISIRI in writing standards for respiratory masks. During his air purification research, he worked through the chain of air cleaning processes from polymers, textile fibers, filter media, filter elements, filtration systems, testing instruments, and standardization. He has been focused on antimicrobial adsorber filter media since 2010 and has some patents and publications. Mehdi received his Ph.D. in Textile (chemistry and fibers sciences) from IAU, Iran. He is a Certified Filtration and Separation Specialist (CFSS) for air filtration, awarded as WFI’s Student of the Year in 2022.
Mr. Peter Cantone founded Smart Air Defense in May 2020 with a mission to improve indoor air quality (IAQ) in K–12 schools using cost-effective, third-party-verified solutions that exceed CDC and ASHRAE 241 standards. Through strategic partnerships with leading mechanical engineers and HVAC experts, the company simplifies IAQ upgrades while helping schools reduce airborne pathogens and contaminants. Recognizing that funding is often the biggest barrier to facility improvements, Peter secured a breakthrough contractual model in 2025 that enables Smart Air Defense to design, implement, and fully fund projects using savings from energy and operational efficiencies. This holistic approach supports broader infrastructure upgrades without requiring schools to raise capital.
Smart Air Defense’s work with districts such as Boston Public Schools and New Rochelle highlights its commitment to scalable, proven solutions. Products and services are available through OMNIA and TIPS contracts, making them accessible even to budget-constrained schools.