Feature
• It kills or deactivates more than 99 % of airborne viruses
• There is a more than 95 % reduction in microorganisms such as bacteria and spores of molds
• A reduction in TVOCs ( total volatile organic compounds )
• Less headaches , fatigue , infections , asthma and breathing disorders
• Less absenteeism and greater productivity
• Air purification systems come in different modes and sizes and can be installed in central HVAC systems to serve a building or provided to single spaces .
“ The SARS CoV-2 virus that carries Covid-19 is not going away anytime soon , as experts expect to be trying to contain mutations for the next ten years . UV-C radiation is a known disinfectant for air , water and non-porous surfaces , while UV light is known to kill superbugs like MRSA , VRE , K pneumonia and C difficile and are helping hospitals to reduce the transmission of superbugs that linger in hospital rooms causing new infections . UV-C has proven successful in reducing the spread of bacteria such as tuberculosis .
“ UV-C has shown it can destroy the outer protein coating of the SARS coronavirus , leading to the deactivation of the virus . UV-C can only inactivate a virus if the virus is directly exposed to the radiation . If the virus is covered by dust or other contaminants such as bodily fluids UV-C is not as effective .
“ There are different quality UV-C lamps on the market with the lower quality lamps requiring a longer exposure time to provide effective inactivation of the microbiological bacteria or virus . For safety reasons UV-C lamps must be installed in an enclosure such as a duct or air handling unit . Direct exposure to UV-C lamps can cause damage to the human skin within seconds and can damage your eyes .”
Donnelley adds that UV-C lamps by themselves do not save energy . He explains : “ UV-C lamps can be installed to clean coils , filters and drain pans of any build-up of microbial bacteria . This in turn minimises the pressure drop across a coil and therefore reduces fan power which saves energy .”
BI-POLAR IONISATION . Navigating the Covid-19 pandemic and its aftermath is one of the biggest business challenges of our time . The health and safety of the workforce is management ’ s top priority , safeguarding their well-being being paramount because no plan to resume normal operations can succeed without them , he notes .
“ Businesses now have the chance to improve the indoor air quality of their premises thanks to a technology that removes airborne virus particles from the air , supporting the safe reopening of offices and businesses for staff and customers . Ionair emulates nature ’ s natural cleaning process by enriching the indoor air with oxygen ions which clean the air naturally ,” says Donnelley .
“ The air near a waterfall is perceived as invigorating and fresh .
The reason for this is its extremely high ion content . This indicates that natural fresh air has a high ion concentration . A natural ratio of ions in the air supports absorption of oxygen by human beings and makes a significant contribution to healthy indoor air . Ionisation occurs naturally in the environment , found in places such as rays from the sun , thunder or lightning strikes or wherever water collides with itself like a waterfall or on the ocean shore .
Ionair was recently tested in the Fraunhofer Institute of Building Physics in Germany which concluded that ionair reduced the concentration of viruses by 99.5 %.
DISINFECTANT SPRAY BASED ON NANO SILVER TECHNOLOGY Dusan Stefanov , mechanical engineer at ODA Design & Drafting explains that nanotechnology is an advanced field dealing with the manufacturing of different nano-materials which have biomedical application .
‘ Nano ’ – one billionth of meter : nanoscale materials have achieved considerable attention as novel antimicrobial agents due to their high surface area-to-volume ratio and distinct physical and chemical properties .
“ Silver is a natural antibiotic and has been used as an antimicrobial agent for centuries . It is effective against a broad range of pathogens such as bacteria strains , yeast , fungi , germs , viruses and protozoa . All pathogens are single cell anaerobic organisms . An anaerobic organism or anaerobe is any organism that does not require oxygen for metabolism . Instead their metabolic functions are dependent on a certain enzyme . Nano silver ’ s effect is primarily to disable this enzyme , hence it affects only pathogens including bacteria , viruses , fungi , germs and more ,” says Stefanov .
He explains that regular use of such a spray on coils and filters of indoor and air handling units ( AHU ) improves overall indoor air quality , with the following benefits :
• Aids in relieving respiratory conditions – allergies , asthma and cough
• Eliminates and destroys airborne bacteria , viruses and dust mites
• Non-toxic and safe for humans and pets
• Environmentally friendly
• Use of nano silver-based spray is highly recommended in the following facilities :
• Health care facilities , applied on AHU coils and primary and secondary filters
• Offices , especially open plan offices
• Restaurants
• Hotel rooms
• Shopping malls
• Individual households
• Cars ’ pollen / air filter RACA
www . refrigerationandaircon . co . za RACA Journal I February 2023 35