Filtermist offers a wide range of products and services for UK food manufacturers and food processing companies.
Our dedicated Dust Team can help you find the best dust collector for flour and other food ingredients including cereals, spices and sugar, and our Oil Mist Team can ensure airborne release agent and vegetable oil particles are effectively removed from workplace air.
The food industry often uses ingredients in powder or solid form that generate airborne dust as a by-product of various manufacturing and processing methods. This is not only a result of grinding or milling, but also of other bulk handling methods such as tipping, conveying, packaging and transportation. Read more about dust & powder extraction.
Typical food ingredients include sugar, salt, flour, flavourings and othered powdered ingredients, and the extraction of dust and powders caused by these ingredients, is important for several reasons:
Inhaling food dust can cause respiratory issues in workers and potentially lead to long-term health problems.
Certain food dusts and powders, such as those from flour or sugar, are explosive under certain conditions, posing a severe safety risk.
Dust and powder in the air can lead to cross contamination and inconsistencies in the foodstuffs, affecting the overall quality and safety of the end products.
Whilst most food-based products by their nature are not hazardous, any processes that are vented to atmosphere have a legal obligation to comply with emissions according to the Environmental Protection Act 1990’ (EPA).
Powder and dust extraction contributes to operational efficiency. A build-up of dust can interfere with machinery operation and lead to more frequent shutdowns for cleaning and maintenance.
Contact our experts to discuss your needs so we can recommend the right dust extraction system for you.
Oils used in industrial food processing in applications such as cooking, frying, baking and roasting can result in nuisance oil mist, fume and smoke.
Oils can cause fire hazards and some oils may solidify at room temperature - clogging equipment and causing housekeeping issues. Production environments can get greasy and floors may become slippery and hazardous to walk on. Mist from oils can also reach other parts of the factory causing product cross contamination and / or reach ducting systems and make the ducting oily or cause blockages.
Fume and smoke extraction systems such as ventilation hoods, ductwork, filters, and fans can negate fumes and odour and oil mist filtration can be used to capture oil mist.
Contact our experts to discuss your needs so we can recommend the right oil mist & fume extraction system for you.
Due to the nature of the processes involved in food production, dust caused by applications such as tipping, grinding and milling is one of the main risks to employee health within a food manufacturing facility – with the HSE citing exposure to flour dust as the UK’s second most common cause of occupational asthma.
“Efficient powder and dust extraction systems are critical components in food processing facilities.”
Using Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) to reduce dust generated by food ingredients is an approved way of minimising the risk to employees, as well as guaranteeing companies are operating within the legal emissions limits.
Once an appropriate LEV system is installed, visual checks should be regularly undertaken to ensure the system is performing as intended, and it should be thoroughly tested by a competent person at least once every 14 months under COSHH Regulations.
It is the duty of employers to ensure that the health and safety of employees – as well as others entering their manufacturing facilities – is protected. Comprehensive assessments should be carried out to identify where any potential risks lie, and procedures and policies put into place to control and minimise them. Employers should understand their duties under HSE regulations, and should also undertake regular consultations with their team to provide information, instruction and training in relation to their health, safety and welfare.
Flour dust is combustible so the best dust collector for flour is one that has been certified as being suitable for use in ATEX Zones and compliant with DSEAR (Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002). The design should include venting or suppression to minimise the effects of any explosion; Dustcheck and AD dry dust collectors can all be supplied with explosion relief panels, flame deflectors and flameless explosion vents depending on where the filter unit is being sited.
The HSE recommends using suitable rotary valves as ‘explosion chokes’ where explosible dusts are handled, to prevent an explosion propagating from one vessel to another. A rotary valve is a mechanical device which is fitted to the bottom of a dust collector. It lets collected dust drop out at a constant rate while keeping an airtight seal between the inside of the dust collector and the discharge collection method. This helps to prevent dust build-up and also minimises the risk of flame/explosion propagation between connected equipment.
The AD range from Absolent and all Dustcheck dry dust collectors can be fitted with rotary valves if required.
Flour dust is also an asthmagen so exposure must be reduced to as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP). It has a Workplace Exposure Limit (WEL) comprising a long-term exposure limit of 10mg/m3 (averaged over 8 hours) and a short-term exposure limit of 30mg/m3 (averaged over 15 minutes).
This means that high-performance filtration is required to ensure very fine particles are captured. Anti-static, PTFE-membrane filter cartridges and automatic pulse-jet cleaning provide the best combination as they are able to handle very fine, combustible dust powders at a stable differential pressure.
PTFE-membrane filters are highly efficient – they have a good product release on sticky particles, are resistant to moisture and can be provided as an anti-static option. All Dustcheck dry dust collectors can be supplied with PTFE-membrane filters for food applications.
Hygienic construction is also a key consideration for dust extraction units used to collect flour dust. Ledge-free, circular construction minimises dust accumulation points inside the extraction unit, providing hygienic capture and filtration of food-based particulates. The circular design of the compact Dustcheck AirGuard dust collectors series makes it perfect for use in food applications.
It is very important that the dust extraction unit is sized correctly to ensure it meets the needs of the capture points. Too much airflow can be as harmful as too little when it comes to effective flour dust extraction.
Contact Filtermist’s dust extraction experts for extensive advice on the best dust collector for flour.
Dust from many ingredients used in the food industry can be combustible and must be controlled to comply with DSEAR and COSHH Regulations. Generally, the finer the particle size, the higher the risk of combustion if combined with oxygen and an ignition source.
The fine nature of dust particles from ingredients including maize, corn and wheat starch, dextrose/glucose powder, icing sugar, custard powder, cocoa powder, milk powder, and pea/soy protein isolates mean they can all be highly combustible.
LEV and other equipment used in environments where this type of dust is present must be correctly specified to ensure it is suitable for use with combustible dusts.
Any food ingredients which are combustible must be controlled using equipment that ensures compliance with DSEAR regulations. Maize, corn and wheat starch, dextrose/glucose powder, icing sugar, custard powder, cocoa powder, milk powder, and pea/soy protein isolates can all be highly combustible and must be controlled using ATEX rated equipment if located in an ATEX rated zone. This can include venting or suppression to minimise the effects of an explosion.
More information about the ATEX Directives can be found on our ATEX page.
Areas in food production facilities where an accumulation of dust can be common include:
Effective ATEX rated dust extraction plays a key role in minimising the build-up of food dust powders which can be combustible. Filtermist provides a wide range of dust collectors and venting filters suitable for use in ATEX Dust Zones 21 and 22 – find out more.
Using an ATEX rated industrial vacuum cleaner with a carbon fibre wand set can also help to keep food production facilities clean and safe. The Kerstar vacuum range, manufactured by Filtermist, includes electric and compressed air powered ATEX certified vacuums widely used in food production plants.
There have been many famous explosions in recent memory caused by a build-up of food-based dusts, some resulting in fatalities. These include:
These examples are worst case scenarios of what can happen if food dust is not properly controlled or if a fire breaks out at a premises where combustible powder or dust is present. Undertaking a comprehensive risk assessment, installing and using control measures including ATEX compliant LEV and cleaning equipment, and maintaining thorough housekeeping can all help to reduce the likelihood of major incidents like this occurring.
Filtermist provides oil mist collectors in over 60 countries worldwide