Various fibrous filter media, including surface filter media, depth filter media, woven and nonwoven filter media, were tested and particle loading capacity was calculated using bench-scale setup via a new estimation approach which was proposed and experimentally verified with Novick-Kozeny model. Multi-element structured arrays (MESAs) developed by our research group were evaluated as well for particle loading capacity and filter lifetime on 24 '' x 24 '' full scale test rig (based on ASHRAE 52.2 Standard). Effects of varying filter media type, filter depth, pleat count and MESAs' element count on salt particle loading performance were experimentally investigated. The experimental studies showed that nonwoven activated carbon fiber filter media have allowed significantly higher salt particle loading capacity and longer useful lifetime compared to woven or nanofiber entrapped media. Furthermore, MESAs were able to significantly enhance loading capacity for salt particles and useful lifetime due to higher filtration area and lower filtration velocity. (C) 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 62: 3739-3750, 2016