Evaluation of an Air Cleaning Device Equipped with Filtration and UV: Comparison of Removal Efficiency on Particulate Matter and Viable Airborne Bacteria in the Inlet and Treated Air
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, improving indoor air quality (IAQ) has become vital for the public as COVID-19 and other infectious diseases can transmit via inhalable aerosols. Air cleaning devices with filtration and targeted pollutant treatment capabilities can help improve IAQ. However, only a few...
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Published in | International journal of environmental research and public health Vol. 19; no. 23; p. 16135 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Switzerland
MDPI AG
02.12.2022
MDPI |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Since the COVID-19 pandemic, improving indoor air quality (IAQ) has become vital for the public as COVID-19 and other infectious diseases can transmit via inhalable aerosols. Air cleaning devices with filtration and targeted pollutant treatment capabilities can help improve IAQ. However, only a few filtration/UV devices have been formally tested for their effectiveness, and little data is publicly available and UV doses comparable. In this research, we upgraded a particulate matter (PM) air filtration prototype by adding UV-C (germicidal) light. We developed realistic UV dose metrics for fast-moving air and selected performance scenarios to quantify the mitigation effect on viable airborne bacteria and PM. The targeted PM included total suspended particulate (TSP) and a coarse-to-fine range sized at PM
, PM
, PM
, and PM
. The PM and viable airborne bacteria concentrations were compared between the inlet and outlet of the prototype at 0.5 and 1.0 m
/s (low and high) air flow modes. The upgraded prototype inactivated nearly 100% of viable airborne bacteria and removed up to 97% of TSP, 91% of PM
, 87% of PM
, 87% of PM
, and 88% of PM
. The performance in the low flow rate mode was generally better than in the high flow rate mode. The combination of filtration and UV-C treatment provided 'double-barrier' assurance for air purification and lowered the risk of spreading infectious micro-organisms. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 1660-4601 1661-7827 1660-4601 |
DOI: | 10.3390/ijerph192316135 |