Circular Economy and Filtration Technologies
October 1, 2024, Tuesday
8:00am-10:00am, ET Canada & US
$USD 350
$USD 175 (Member Only)
Course Objective
This course provides an overview of the principles of the circular economy and how they can be applied to air and water filtration, addressing the current industry trends. Participants will learn how to position filtration systems to promote sustainable performance, repurpose and reuse filter elements and used filter media. The course will also cover integrating innovative technologies such as air quality monitoring and responsive systems to meet the various filtration needs of built environments. Additionally, participants will gain insights into global policies, economic models, and best practices for implementing circular filtration in cities.
Course Outline
Understanding the foundations of circular economy
Definition and principles of the circular economy in the context of filtration technologies.
Circular Economy Applied to Air and Water Filtration
Waste Reduction in Filtration Systems
The essence of sustainable filter performance
Technologies enabling material recovery and reuse in filtration.
Comparison between linear and circular economic models
Key benefits and challenges of implementing a circular economy in the filtration field
Lifecycle and system thinking in filter design
Economic Models for Circular Filtration Systems
Governance and financial incentives for sustainable filtration systems
Future outlook and trends for air and water filtration in sustainable cities
Instructor Biography
Dr. Iyad Al-Attar
Instructor
Dr. Al-Attar, Strategic director of the Waterloo Filtration Institute. 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. 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.-Ing. Thomas Peters
Instructor
Dr.-Ing. Thomas Peters is an internationally renowned expert in membrane technology and environmental engineering. He has over 40 years of experience in the field of pressure-driven membrane processes for the treatment of water, process fluids, and wastewater. Related pioneering work was focused between others on the use of reverse osmosis for desalination of seawater, for the purification of landfill leachate and water reuse in different areas. He earned his Ph.D. in 1980 at the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg on the subject "Production of drinking water from seawater with reverse osmosis“. After leading management functions in a middle-sized and multinational company, he has been a high-level independent technology consultant since 1986, authored more than 100 publications and more than 50 oral presentations. He is co-editor of a landfill compendium. He received the Stanley Gray Award - Marine Technology 2000/2001 of the IMarEST, London, and the ATCP Award 2007, Concepción, Chile.
Mr. Richard Lydon
Instructor
Mr. Richard Lylon, CEO, Molymem, Secretariat of The Filtration Society, UK
Mr. Lydon is a leading expert in the global filtration and separation industry, with a 33-year career holding leadership positions in both public and private businesses. He has driven global growth through M&A, venture capital, and private equity, working with companies like Muon Group/Veco Precision, Filtration Group/Clear Edge, Gamma Holding/Madison Filter, Scapa, and Porvair plc. Currently the CEO at Molymem Ltd., Richard has also served as a Visiting Professor at Loughborough and Leeds Universities in the UK, and as Secretariat of The Filtration Society. He chairs the External Advisory Board (Materials) at the University of Manchester, supporting STEM graduates and potential spin-outs in the ESG space. A prominent figure in the industry, he co-chaired the WFI Annual Conference from 2021 to 2024, contributing significantly to professional education and sustainable development.
Penalists
Mr. Tobias 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 Vice President Global Product Management and International Standards. 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.
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. Sneha Swaminathan earned her PhD in Chemical Engineering from The University of Akron. She started her career as scientist in Hollingsworth & Vose and progressed to her current role as Senior Director of Technology. Her primary area of expertise is fibers, nanotechnology and filter media. She has 6 granted patent applications and numerous journal and conference papers. She has served American Filtrations and Separations (AFS) in committees and in leadership positions including the Board of Directors. Sneha is six sigma and project management professional (PMP) certified. Sneha has won several awards such as Frank Tiller Leadership award and young professional awards from SAE, TAPPI & AFS associations.
Lisa Greenfield, Drake University graduate and experienced educator with 20 years teaching in public schools and the Head Start and Early Head Start Early Childhood Program, is currently the Business Development and Marketing Manager for FilterPro USA. Lisa is a dedicated consultant for the education of others regarding the importance and impactfulness of implementing technologies to mitigate indoor air pollution. Additionally, Lisa is serving as the Fellowship Coordinator for SAFE Indoors ASAP, a nonprofit project sponsored by the Mission-Next Foundation 501(c)(3), committed to ensuring indoor air quality as a basic human right. She is focused on educating education’s decision makers on the importance and non-negotiability of quality indoor air. Lisa Greenfield is an experienced indoor air quality expert and educator of almost two decades. She is deeply committed to creating healthier and safer shared indoor spaces. Her passion for promoting optimal indoor environments extends beyond the classroom, as she believes that all shared spaces should prioritize the health, safety, and comfort of their occupants.
Dr. Christine Sun, President of WFI, USA
Dr. Sun is a renowned technical and market expert in the global filtration industry. With over 30 years of experience in both academia and the industry, she has an in-depth knowledge of filtration, and extensive hands-on expertise in product development, with over 100 technical publications and patents. She is also actively involved in many air/liquid filter standard test developments. Dr. Sun received her Ph.D. from Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, and her Executive Certificate from Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management. From 2004 to 2011, Dr. Sun worked for Freudenberg Filtration Technologies as the R&D manager and Technology Director for Donaldson 2011-2013. She was the AFS Chair from 2016 to 2017 and received the AFS Fellow Award in 2019, Sr. Scientist Award in 2012, and the best paper award from INDA in 2008. She is also an editorial board member for Textile Research Journal and Journal of Industrial Textiles.