Sterile Air

Sterile compressed air can be utilised both in the process as well as a conveying and control air. Its designation comes from the characteristic that the compressed air utilised must be sterile. This means that the compressed air must be free of propagating germs.

This requirement is specified everywhere where the operating standards for hygiene are particularly high. These are mainly the foodstuff and luxury food industries, pharmaceutical industry, chemical industry, packaging industry and medical technology. The reason for this is that bacteria, viruses, oil, water and dust can result in adverse effects in many areas for the product and will ultimately be responsible for causing health problems for the end user.
A sterile filter is mostly utilised in order to create sterile compressed air. In order to ensure that the sterile filter remains sterile, it must be sterilised at regular intervals with saturated steam. Another possibility is cleaning the compressed air with a catalytic converter. 

Process safety is essential for retaining and inspecting the sterility of the compressed air because failure to comply with the requirements can lead to reduced product quality, to recalls of products and therefore damage for end consumption as well as for the corporate image. Associated financial losses must also be considered.