Air treatment is the process by which compressed air is thoroughly cleaned and dried after compression. When a compressor draws in air and compresses it, the resulting compressed air is naturally contaminated with:
If left untreated, these contaminants can cause corrosion in air lines, damage to pneumatic machinery and tools, quality issues in finished products, and increased maintenance requirements for the system.
A complete system typically consists of a combination of the following components:
The result is compressed air with a defined air quality (for example, in accordance with ISO 8573-1) and the correct dew point, suitable for use in both industrial and sensitive applications.
| Type | Function | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Refrigerated dryer | Cools the compressed air, causing water vapor to condense and be drained | Dew point around +3 °C or higher; simple and energy-efficient |
| Adsorption dryer | Moisture is bound to a desiccant (adsorbent) | Very low dew points (often −40 °C or lower); suitable for critical applications such as paints/coatings, pharmaceuticals, and electronics |
| Membrane dryer | Water vapor selectively escapes through a membrane | Few moving parts, low-maintenance, suitable for moderate quality requirements and limited space/energy |
In practice, an air-handling system is often configured as a series: prefilter → dryer → fine filter → (optional) activated carbon filter, depending on the desired final air quality.
Proper air treatment ensures that compressed air is suitable for its intended use—whether for heavy-duty industrial applications or sensitive processes where contamination could have catastrophic consequences for the end product. The choice of the right type of dryer and filter depends on factors such as the required dew point, the desired ISO air quality class, capacity/flow rate, working pressure, and whether the application is continuous or intermittent.
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