There are applications where the total control of airborne microorganisms is not required. In these cases, the cosorption benefits of sorption dehumidifiers alone provide an extremely cost effective solution. Additionally, when there is a requirement for maximum removal of airborne microorganisms such as in a sterile or clean room environment, it is common practice to incorporate HEPA filtration within the dehumidification system. Bry-Air dehumidifiers using solid desiccant have been widely accepted in the food and pharmaceutical industries for those applications where a significant lowering of bacteria levels is important. This significant lowering of bacteria levels combined with simultaneous dehumidification can be of paramount importance when air-conditioning systems are utilized in hospitals, laboratories, food and pharmaceutical manufacturing environments.
Most sorbents also remove odors, although with lower efficiency than activated charcoal.
Odor removal as a cosorption benefit to dehumidification is a simultaneous function since the design criteria for automatic dehumidifiers requires periodic reactivation with a fairly low useful concentration of adsorbed moisture. As a result, continuous odor removal is obtained. Drying of carbon dioxide gas used in breweries and bottling plants has verified the practical aspects of this benefit.