Industrial facilities across Europe face increasing scrutiny over airborne emissions. Whether operating in biomass, waste-to-energy, metal smelting, or chemical recovery, companies must demonstrate compliance with stringent particulate and gas emission limits set out by the EU Industrial Emissions Directive (IED). At Glosfume, we don’t just aim for compliance—we engineer systems that routinely deliver emission levels far below regulatory thresholds, helping operators reduce environmental impact while building resilience against future policy shifts.
Understanding the EU Emissions Landscape
The Industrial Emissions Directive requires facilities to apply the Best Available Techniques (BAT) to reduce emissions of pollutants such as particulate matter (PM), hydrochloric acid (HCl), sulphur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and dioxins. For example, the IED limit for PM from incinerators is typically 10 mg/m³. Many member states enforce even stricter local limits, especially for PM2.5 and dioxins in sensitive zones or urban applications.
Meeting these thresholds with conventional filters can be challenging—especially in high-temperature or chemically aggressive processes. Glosfume addresses this challenge head-on with ceramic filtration systems that offer exceptional fine particle retention and acid gas compatibility.
Ultra-Low Emissions with Ceramic Filtration
Unlike fabric bag filters, which typically achieve PM emissions between 5 and 10 mg/m³, Glosfume’s ceramic hot gas filters routinely deliver particulate levels of below 3 mg/m³, with many installations operating at ~1 mg/m³ or lower. In independent tests—including trials by French nuclear fuel facilities—our filters have achieved PM results as low as 0.0017 mg/m³.
This level of control is possible due to our proprietary ceramic element design, including micro-porous coatings that trap PM10, PM2.5, and even nano-scale particles.
Acid Gas and Dioxin Control with Dry Scrubbing
Many emission limits apply not only to particulates, but also to corrosive gases and persistent organic pollutants. Glosfume systems are fully compatible with dry scrubbing techniques using sodium bicarbonate and/or activated carbon. These reagents neutralise HCl, SO2, HF, and adsorb dioxins, even at temperatures above 400°C—where bag filters would fail or burn.
Our filtration housings are CFD-modelled to ensure even reagent distribution and pollutant exposure across the full filter bed, delivering high capture efficiency with lower reagent consumption and less waste to landfill.
Real-World Results Across Industries
Over more than 1,000 installations, Glosfume systems have consistently exceeded regulatory expectations. In carcass incineration, a sector governed by strict DEFRA guidelines, our filters reduced emissions to:
- PM: 0.7 mg/m³
- HCl: 1.4 mg/m³
- SO2: 4.9 mg/m³
- Dioxins: 0.013 ng/m³ (vs the 0.1 ng/m³ limit)
In biomass boilers, especially in urban settings with low PM2.5 limits, our systems enabled project approvals that would otherwise have been blocked. Similarly, in metal smelting and uranium oxide recovery, ceramic filters reduced visible emissions and removed the need for dilution air—improving both quality and safety.
Building Resilience for Future Regulation
As net-zero goals accelerate, future EU and UK regulations are expected to tighten emission limits even further—particularly for PM2.5, ammonia slip, and VOCs. Operators installing systems near current limits may face expensive upgrades in coming years. Glosfume’s systems are already future-ready, designed to perform below current limits and adaptable through modular expansion and integrated scrubbing.
This long-term resilience protects CAPEX and ensures compliance not just at commissioning, but well into the next regulatory cycle.
Glosfume filtration systems go beyond basic compliance. With in-house ceramic filter manufacturing, proven dry scrubbing integration, and emission data that consistently outperforms EU limits, we deliver clean air solutions engineered for the realities of industrial operation and the pressures of modern legislation.
