Most likely you have a compressed air system in house with the usual desiccant—typically activated alumina or silica gel. While these materials work well initially, their drying performance decreases over time. This can compromise air quality, which means more maintenance. Another issue: as loose desiccant decomposes, it releases dust into the system, requiring additional filtration and maintenance—and increased maintenance costs.

Atlas Copco has recently come up with a more durable and effective, patented solution called Cerades. Its ceramic desiccant material consists of several small structural ducts, which compressed air passes through freely, with a low pressure drop. For this reason, energy costs are lower when using a dryer with this desiccant. Cerades provides users with ISO 8573-1:2010 class 2 air purity for particles without additional filters.