Clean air in the city

Ludwigsburg (Germany), 28 June 2021 - 1,960,000,000. In words: 1.96 billion. That is the amount of liters of air the Filter Cubes installed by MANN+HUMMEL clean per hour. Worldwide.

In terms of per capita consumption, this means that the 403 Cubes now installed around the globe (in total: 140 columns) permanently provide purified air for 4.1 million people. Enough to supply all the inhabitants of Berlin and neighboring Potsdam with clean air.

"Many people think intensively about the one kilo of food and the three liters of liquids they consume every day. But we very rarely think about the quality of the approximately 12,000 liters of air that each of us breathes every day," says Jan-Eric Raschke, Director Air Solution Systems at MANN+HUMMEL.

In order to avoid having to worry about the air quality in Ludwigsburg (Germany) in the future and to be able to breathe easy, the Filter Cubes developed and produced by MANN+HUMMEL will clean the air along Schlossstrasse from June. When the project is completed, a total of 15 columns will ensure a significant reduction in the concentration of fine dust and nitrogen dioxide along the street. The Filter Cubes are distributed over a total length of 250 meters.

"We all agree: it would be best if our air was so clean that it didn't need to be cleaned at all," said Raschke. "Unfortunately, it is not. Cities and metropolitan areas in particular face enormous challenges. At MANN+HUMMEL, we have made it our mission for eight decades to separate the useful from the harmful. Providing clean air with state-of-the-art filter technology is one of our main goals."

Efficient air filtration - scientifically proven

MANN+HUMMEL’s solution for particularly polluted roads and junctions: the Filter Cubes. They draw in the polluted air and bind over 80 percent of the nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM10). The heart of this technology is a combination filter, which comprises a highly effective particle filtration layer and activated carbon layers that adsorb nitrogen dioxide. These activated carbon media adsorb NO2 very effectively due to their large surface area. The technology is characterized by a particularly low pressure drop. As a result, it effectively cleans the air with very little use of energy. Thanks to their modular design, the Filter Cubes can be assembled to form a filter column.

In addition to various locations in Germany, MANN+HUMMEL Filter Cubes are also used in Brazil, China, India and South Korea, among other places. Further projects are currently being planned in Hong Kong, Mexico, Colombia, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand.

The first systems were installed in December 2018 in Stuttgart, the capital of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. In 2020, a scientific report that examined the effectiveness of the installations along the street Am Neckartor concluded that, on average, a reduction of nine percent in nitrogen dioxide pollution was achieved, and in the area of the sidewalk and close to the buildings even a decrease of ten to 19 percent. The studies focusing on particulate matter PM10 showed an average reduction of more than ten percent.

Numerous awards

Since their launch in 2018, the Filter Cubes have repeatedly received awards for their innovative technology, amongst others the German Industry Award and a nomination for the CES Awards 2019. Just recently, the technology was awarded second place in the International Paul Pietsch Award by AUTO MOTOR UND SPORT. The jury's statement: "Filter columns from MANN+HUMMEL have already proven at several locations around the world that they can noticeably reduce the concentration of particulate matter and nitrogen oxides in the air. In this way, they increase the quality of life of people living along busy roads."