The Home Air Purifier Meets Photo Catalytic Oxidation
The home air purifier was beginning to make headway in the industry. Its results were very good but it relied heavily on a technology that had become the target of many criticisms from its opponents. Ozone had become the "hotbed" of controversy. This issue was about to become a non-issue.
Photo Catalytic Oxidation
Cleansing air and water with light energy In the early 1970's, researchers in Japan discovered that water cleavage could be induced when ultraviolet light came in contact with titanium dioxide electrodes. Since then, photo catalysis with TiO2 has attracted attention as an alternative technology in purifying water as well as air.
The Science Conventional Photo-Catalytic Oxidation (PCO) air purifiers draw air into a chamber to be purified. Inside the chamber is a high intensity UV-C ultraviolet bulb and a titanium dioxide catalyst. The resulting photo-catalyst becomes highly reactive and attacks the chemical bonds of the pollutants, converting them into benign end products: carbon dioxide and water.
More powerful than ozone
Hydroxyl radicals are powerful cleansing agents that occur naturally in the Earth’s atmosphere. They are created when oxygen atoms pull a hydrogen atom from water vapor, which then form the radical. Hydroxyl radicals are 1,000,000 times faster at destroying pollutants in the air than ozone. They are the most powerful method of neutralizing mold, bacteria, and viruses.
Second only to that of fluorine, Hydroxyl radicals surpass ozone and far exceed the oxidation power of chlorine. They make a great addition to an air purifier.
Conventional PCO technology has been in use for quite awhile now and has many practical features:
High efficiency at room temperatures
High oxidation for gas and odors
Complete oxidation to CO2 and H2O
Many VOC's and bio-aerosols treated
Low residual ozone (well below safety standards)
No chemical additives
Low energy requirements
Works in humid conditions
Long service life
The conventional PCO technology has its own limitations however. For residential applications it can incur a rather expensive installation. It is not very effective on all odors. It only treats the air that contacts the activated target as it passes through the unit.
Ok, so we still don't have the final solution The next major development towards the ultimate home air purifier required the involvement of a true leader in the industry. RGF Environmental Group from West Palm Beach, Florida would step forward to make the
next advancement in a home air purifier.
