The best solutions for indoor air pollution.

Indoor air pollution may result in serious health issues and can come from many sources: what your building is made of, what’s in it, what you do in it, who lives in it, and also polluted air entering from outside. (see this post: Indoor Air Pollution Causes)

But what are some solutions for indoor air pollution?

Well… solutions for indoor air pollution come down to 2 main choices: removing indoor air pollution sources (easier said than done!) or using air purifiers to clean our indoor air.

As our homes are very active environments and have so many things influencing the indoor air quality, it’s without doubt easier to find solutions to filter and purify our indoor air, than to eliminate all the indoor air pollution causes. So, let’s concentrate on ways to purify indoor air…

Filtration and purification solutions for indoor air pollution

None of us want to wear breathing masks in our own homes, so we should look at air purifiers, of which there are many types:

• HEPA Air Filters (High Efficiency Particulate Air)
  HEPA air filters are very effective at removing airborne particulates, but they don’t remove chemical vapours, gases or odours. To achieve this, it would be best to use HEPA filters in combination with some form of activated carbon. Also, HEPA air filters don’t work so well in humid environments.
  
  
• Activated Carbon Air Filters (including carbon granules)
  Activated carbon air filters are very effective at adsorbing pollutants such as: volatile organic compounds (VOCs), chemical vapours, gases, smoke and odours, but they aren’t so effective at removing airborne particulates.
  
  
• Synthetic Fiber Air Filters
  Other types of air filters are made from synthetic fibers such as fiberglass and polyester. Although perhaps cheaper, these tend to be less effective, especially with ‘finer’ particulate. However, they can work well when combined with other types of air purifier.
  
  
• UV Air Purifiers
  Ultraviolet radiation is very effective at destroying microorganisms, such as bacteria and viruses. (Can you really kill a virus? See this post: Best Air Purifer for Viruses) But UV doesn’t remove airborne particulates and would require a HEPA filter and/or an activated carbon filter to be more effective. The reaction of UV radiation with other molecules in air can also cause (harmful) ozone gas! And a UV lamp requires a power source.
  
  
• PCO Air Purifiers (Photocatalytic Oxidation)
  These work with broad-spectrum UV radiation and a metal catalyst to create a reaction with water vapour. During the reaction, air pollutants circulated through the purifier’s chamber are destroyed. They are extremely effective but they can also be very expensive… and it’s best to find one that doesn’t produce ozone gas!
  
  
• Negative Ion Air Purifiers
  Through the use of negatively charged ions, these air ‘purifiers’ attract airborne particulate, causing the particles to accumulate / agglomerate until too heavy to remain airborne. But negative ion air purifiers don’t actually purify the air, they simply cause the pollutants to re-distribute around a room’s surfaces, once they are too heavy. With time the heavy agglomerations of pollutants may disintegrate and re-circulate back into the air!
  
  
• Ozone Air Purifiers
  Although ozone air purifiers may be effective at destroying some airborne microorganisms, they don’t filter out particulates and need to be combined with some other filtration method. Ozone can also be slow to act on household vapours etc., however the main concern is that ozone itself can be very harmful, and use of these types of air purifiers goes against health professional recommendations.
  
  
• Other air filters and purifiers
  There are more types of air filtering / purifying appliances, such as PECO air purifiers (similar to PCO, but even more expensive: check on Amazon!), others that work with electrostatic charges (similar to Negative Ion purifiers), then there are ‘spray’ purifiers that work with sterilizing chemicals and of course more absorption types of air filters. But these others are mostly similar to some of those already described.
  

What air purification solution would we recommend?

If it were not for the cost and maintenance (of the UV lamp), we might recommend the use of a HEPA air filter, in combination with an activated carbon filter and a UV air purifier. But we think we have a better solution and certainly more cost saving; our extremely effective E-Carbon Fabric Air Purifying Filters:

No need to buy expensive air purifiers.

Fitted with our E-Carbon Fabric (ECF) filters, your standard air conditioning units can be used to purify the air in your home, rather than simply re-cycling ‘bad air’. Our filters can remove particles as small as 0.01 microns – that’s small enough to even filter out viruses! Viruses coming into contact with our ECF filter’s structure will be ‘deactivated’ and bacteria can be killed due to the breaking-down of their cells. The E-Carbon Fabric’s internally activated electrolytic process will also absorb ‘wet’ particles and vapours and work in humid conditions, unlike other filters that are water repellent.

How do ECF air filters purify your air?

Advanced technology carbon nano-fabric will filter, adsorb and purify. Millions of negatively charged micro and nano pores (BET 110 m2/gm) rapidly adsorb molecules deep into the loop structures. Viruses, bacteria, pollen, dust, oil, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other pollutants are filtered out as the air cycles through the ECF filter, returning out as cleaner, healthier, fresher, purified air.

Simple, effective, cost saving solutions for indoor air pollution.

Our DIY ECF air purification filter packs, for your home, office, car or boat’s air conditioner, are easily fitted and low maintenance. For business and industrial installations we can also provide fully customized, ready-built solutions. Can you afford not to clean up the air that you, your family, clients and customers are breathing? Contact us now!