Is Particle Counting Taking a Big Bite Out of Energy Consumption Globally?

In the recent years, particle counters have become increasingly important as air pollution has become a growing concern. According to the World Health Organization, air pollution is responsible for an estimated 3.2 million deaths every year. As a result, governments and organizations around the world are taking action to monitor and reduce air pollution levels.

Moreover, in a recently published report of Research Dive, it is found that the rising investments in R&D and manufacturing activities in life sciences and medical devices are expected to create wide growth opportunities for the global particle counters market in the coming future. The particle counters market is predicted to register $936.8 million in revenue and rise at a CAGR of 10.3% during the analysis timeframe from 2022 to 2031. The major players of the market include Particle Measuring Systems, TSI, RION Co. Ltd., Beckman Coulter, and many more. 

Presently, due to the growing energy prices, several cGMP and non-cGMP companies are widely incorporating continuous particle counters in their cleanrooms. The continuous particle counters are only required in Grade A and Grade B environments, and not in other cleanroom environments till now. In addition, companies are interested in making investments in online particle counting systems as they found that these systems are more efficient.

As energy saving is a hot topic across many companies operating in cleanrooms, they make various innovative approaches to save energy in different manners. Some of the major ways are discussed below:

• Previously, particle counters did not consider several factors existing inside specific cleanrooms, such as the number of operators the number of processes carried inside the cleanrooms, or the rate of contamination of machines. This led to creating an overkill of germs or pollutants in terms of air change rates and resulted in  high energy consumption. However, with the integration of a continuous particle counter, real-time integer data can be extracted based on contamination. Then depending on that data, it can be determined how many air changes are required to attain certain cleanliness classifications.
   
• Secondly, maintaining relatively high humidity inside the cleanroom can consume more energy. Therefore, with the implementation of VIX systems which operate without any pressure because of the existence of energy-efficient EC fans on the extraction side, the RH limits can be shifted which can actively maintain the air quality inside the cleanroom without humidity control.
   
• Furthermore, often, the particle level is good inside cleanrooms for different critical environments. So, by applying the VIX concept, companies can lower the Air Change Rate (ACR) at any time inside the cleanroom without any pressure.
   
• Additionally, developing a cleanroom eco-design by using artificial intelligence (AI) can save energy. To maintain a critical environment, constant particle sampling is required. With the help of AI, data can be collected continuously in shorter sampling intervals so that Air Change Effectiveness (ACE) can be regulated which can help in maintaining the required air quality inside a cleanroom with minimal energy expenditure. 

Now, the question is “can air pollution be completely eradicated?”

Mostly, air pollution is caused by the natural processes of our daily lives rather than the superstitious throwing away of toxins into the air. These natural processes include combustion, atmospheric chemistry, and activities of daily living, both indoors and outdoors. Therefore, it is difficult to eliminate all chemically defined gaseous pollutants. 

For instance, fly ash, a non-combustible residue of burning coal, and aerosol, the largest industrial particles, are some of the major outdoor air pollutants that can be regulated or controlled with the implementation of advanced machinery. Similarly, indoor air pollutants, such as NO2 from sources like gas stoves, ultrafine cigarettes, and candle smoke totally depend on the behavioral approach of humans in their daily lives.

However, the growing penetration of particle counters across several industries is expected to deliver significant implications for controlling air pollutants.

How is Particle Counting Penetrating Various Pharmaceutical Applications?  

Nowadays, particle counting is dominantly intersecting pharmaceutical industries. It is very necessary to maintain a pharmaceutical cleanroom or clean device with optimum hygiene. Particle counting in pharmaceutical applications can be classified into three categories including certification, qualification, and monitoring. These categories contain risk-based environmental monitoring, such as understanding the processes for particle counting in a critical environment, evaluating sampling methods, understanding sampling parameters, understanding critical control points, and many more. 

About the Author(s)

Princy A. J

Princy holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the prestigious Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. University at Chennai, India. After a successful academic record, she pursued her passion for writing. A thorough professional and enthusiastic writer, she enjoys writing on various categories and advancements in the global industries. She plays an instrumental role in writing about current updates, news, blogs, and trends.