The AFS conference brought filtration and separation professionals to Pittsburgh for two days of learning and networking.
Pittsburgh served as the backdrop for the recent American Filtration and Separations Society (AFS) FILTCON26 conference. Under the theme “Energy Transition & Regulatory Compliance,” approximately 150 members of the filtration and separations industry gathered to learn, network and collaborate.
One day ahead of the conference, AFS hosted short courses on solid/liquid filtration taught by a team of instructors composed of Chris Wallace, Filtration Technology Corp., filtration expert Dr. Wu Chen, and Dr. Wenping Li, director of research and development, Agrilectric Research Co.; a “Polymer Aerogels as Filter Media” course taught by Dr. Sadhan C. Jana, B.F. Goodrich endowed chair and professor in the School of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering at The University of Akron; as well as a course on Liquid Filter Testing taught by Dr. Nicholas Petillon, chief technology officer at France-based Institut de la Filtration et des Techniques Séparatives (IFTS).
Both days of FILTCON26 began with a keynote speech. On day one, Dr. Rigoberto Advincula, a Governor’s Chair Professor from Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee, gave his talk on the topic of “Critical Minerals Separations: AI/ML-Driven Laboratories and DOE Opportunities.” He spoke about how artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have transformed the way processes are optimized and conducted in the research lab and outlined funding opportunities with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
Greg Hoverson, vice president and chief technical officer at Nashville, Tenn.-based Atmus Filtration Technologies, was the keynote speaker on day two of the conference. His presentation titled “Filtration: The Unsung Enabler of the Energy Transition” examined the role of filtration in the move from carbon-intensive systems toward cleaner and more efficient energy solutions.
After each of the keynotes came conference sessions organized along three tracks. The deeply technical programming highlighted advances in filtration and separations processes and technology.
Interspersed with the rich technical program were lunchtime panel discussions about data center water realities and reusable water, tabletop exhibits, a student research poster competition, and the 2026 AFS awards. Dr. George Chase received the inaugural AFS Legacy Award and he was joined by his family during the recognition. A full list of the 2026 honorees as well as the winners of the student poster competition is available at afssociety.org/awards-recognitions.
To cap off the conference, AFS organized two facility tours for interested attendees — one at a data center and a second at a public waterworks. These tours connected the week’s technical discussions to real-world infrastructure, highlighting filtration’s role in critical systems.
“FILTCON26 reinforced that the filtration and separations industry is operating in a period of rapid change, driven by evolving technologies, sustainability goals and regulatory expectations,” shared AFS Executive Director Stefan Bradham. “What stood out most was the willingness of industry professionals to come together, share knowledge and learn from one another. The conversations that began in Pittsburgh will continue well beyond the conference, and AFS looks forward to building on that momentum at FILTCON27 in Raleigh, North Carolina, April 20-22, 2027.”
