Improving ambient air quality for staff and nearby residents
08.10.2026
What if we could considerably improve ambient air quality for both our staff and neighbours by deploying giant air filters on the airport site? That is what is being tested at Brussels Airport using a 12-metre mobile air filter. The device, developed by technology company Safran Aero Boosters, draws in air, filters out (ultra)fine particles and releases cleaner air back into the environment. To assess its effectiveness, Stargate partner VITO measured particle concentrations before and after the air passed through the installation.
Smart energy solutions keep the tests running
Testing this solution also highlighted a practical challenge. At the second test location, the available grid supply was insufficient to operate the installation at the desired capacity.
To overcome this, Brussels Airport and its partners first deployed a large 500 kWh battery provided by Locquet Power & Light. The battery was gradually charged using the available electricity connection and then supplied the high power levels needed during the filtration tests.
After successfully operating with the battery for 2 months, the project team added an additional solution to extend the daily test window from 4 hours up to 8 hours. We deployed an 80kW hydrogen-powered generator from EODev equipped with a Toyota fuel cell, with ISO 14687 fuel-cell-grade hydrogen supplied by Air Products (900 litres at 300 bar). This setup created a larger test window using green energy.
The combination of battery storage and hydrogen power demonstrates how innovative energy solutions can support temporary high-power operations while reducing local emissions.
Promising results
The mobile air filter system demonstrated promising filtration efficiency across a wide range of particle sizes, from PM10 to PM0.1, during the tests conducted at Brussels Airport.