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Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)
Contaminants affecting Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) can enter a facility from communication with
outdoor air, or they can originate from sources within the facility.
Examples of contaminants include; pollen, dust, spores, nearby industrial emissions, vehicle
exhaust, smoke, pesticide treatments, cleaning agents, volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
from office furnishings, communicable bacteria or viruses, and biodispersants (mold spores) derived from
moisture and standing water in drip pans, cooling coils, and ductwork.
Generally, good practices in HVAC equipment operation and preventive maintenance,
facility housekeeping, and proper material handling and storage will maintain a comfortable
IAQ environment, however, on-line cleaning is highly recommended.
There are five technologies that control the contamination of indoor air:
- Particulate Filtration
Physically trap airborne suspended solids in a fiber matrix. Efficiencies vary from low to
high along with particle size retention. High Efficiency Particulate Filters (HEPA) may be
sized to remove certain bacteria.
- Electrostatic Precipitation
Another form of physical particle retention where the electrostatic precipitator employs a
charged surface to "attract" oppositely charged particles. Since they ionize or "charge"
the air, low levels of ozone may be produced and affect susceptible persons.
- Negative Ion Generation
This process uses a similar principle to that of the electrostatic precipitator, however,
the device expels ions into the atmosphere and cause suspended particles to cling to walls,
floors, and other surfaces. Typically, they are mounted in a room as opposed to ductwork
installation. Since it charges the air, low levels of ozone may be produced and affect
susceptible persons.
- Gas Sorption
This technology uses a chemisorptive media such as activated carbon to remove dissolved
gases such as VOCs, ozone, smoke, and nitrogen oxides. There may be limited physical
filtration capability due to the presence of adsorption media.
- Ultraviolet (UV) Light Inactivation
UV has been proven in both air and water applications to inactivate bacteria and viruses to
prevent them from reproducing. Typically, a either a single UV lamp, or a "bank" of UV lamps
can be installed directly into the HVAC ductwork, or adjacent to cooling coils to prevent
accumulated biogrowth.
Of the above technologies, only HEPA filtration and UV are capable of efficiently preventing
the accumulation of microorganisms in the circulating air system.
In addition to designing filtration and UV systems for indoor air quality enhancement,
Catalyx has developed a "sixth" cleaning technology. It is a photocatalytic system that
incorporates a photocatalytic membrane with UV lamps. The membrane has filtering capability
and when exposed to UV light, its functional ceramic surface produces highly oxidizing species
to disinfect bacteria, viruses and spores, and break down volatile organics, amines and NOx.
All three levels of treatment (particulate filtration, oxidation, and disinfection) in the
photocatalytic system can be obtained with a lesser pressure drop than a comparable HEPA /
carbon filter assembly, thus saving on energy consumption.
In addition to our standard designs, we customize modules to purify any airflow capacity.
For more information, please contact us.
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Catalyx technologies, llc •
PO Box 137 •
Media, PA 19063 •
Ph 610-892-9405
Fax 610-892-9407 •
www.catalyxtech.com |
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