There are so many air pollutants out there and as a result there are many types of air filtrations as well. To be honest I don’t like filters because I believe that we have to reduce and avoid generating pollutants in the first place, but sometimes it’s hard.
HEPA filters are designed to catch particulate matter >1µm to >0.3µm with an efficiency of 85% to 99.999995%. We can translate that into:
Pollen (5-100 µm)
Mold (2-20 µm)
Pet Dander (0.5-100 µm)
Dust Mite Debris (0.5-50 µm)
Bacteria (0.3 -10 µm)
Green: Pollutants | Grey: HEPA Filter Class E10-U17
Carbon Air Filters
Activated Carbon filters have small absorbent pores that chemically react to pollutants like VOCs as they pass through the filter. The activated carbon absorbs the odors and gasses and neutralises them by bond the pollutants with the carbon. They always combine HEPA filters with active carbon filters because they can’t remove dust and other allergens alone.
Silver Nanoparticles Coated Filter
Silver Nanoparticles Coated Filters have a range of negative effects on virus strains and bacteria and they can destroy the membrane of a cell and deactivate them. They use silver as a natural antibacterial as result there are HEPA filters with Silver Nanoparticles Coated that have been proved to be 98% effective against common flu virus.
Ionic Air Filters/Purifiers
Typically, they produce negatively charged ions aka anions, which then attract positive particles in the air. As the particles make contact with the anions , these particles become too heavy to remain airborne and fall to the floor. Some ionisers are armed with some static plates which trap all those particles, but you have to clean them regularly. A very negative aspect of Ionic air filters is that they produce ozone O3 as a by-product**, which has classified as a toxic gas that causes lung damage. Some companies claim that their ioniser doesn’t produce Ozone but it’s hard not to.
Removes ultra-fine particles as small as 0.01µm
Sterilizes bacteria, viruses, smoke, and other toxic fumes
UV Light Air Purifiers
High intensity UV-C light (240-280 nm) is strong enough to break down most carbon based organic compounds like bacteria and other pathogens by breaking the molecular bonds in their DNA. As a result they are designed to destroy micro-organisms such as germs, bacteria and mold and not to catch allergens and dust like a HEPA filter. This is why many companies combine a HEPA filter and UV Light. This is not a quick process, the pathogens must pass through the UV light multiple times in order to be destroyed.
NTP Non Termal Plasma Purifiers
This is fairly new technology also called Cold Plasma that works like an Ionizer but it splits Oxygen O2 molecules into positive and negative ones. These single oxygen atoms are highly reactive and stick to particles, bacteria, viruses or gases to destroy them or to turn them into harmless substances. They also produce Ozone as a by-product** but in less quantities around ∼0.0058PPM, the World Health Oraginization, EPA and many country standards have set the maximum level of ozone concentration at 0.05PPM.
**The shocking truth is that many devices in your home produce ozone by-product like TVs, computers, electric mixers, hair dryers and ceiling fans.
Foobot also called your good air guru and maybe it is a good guru, thanks to all of its sensors. One of the most powerful device on the market that it is actually available to order right now is equipped with a great variety of sensors like a tVOC: Volatile Organic Compounds (Formaldehyde, Benzene, Xylene,Toluene etc.), PM2.5, PM5 and PM10 Particulate Matte, CO2/CO Conversion from tVOC/Cross sensitivity of tVOC sensor and of course Temperature and Humidity (Full Datasheet).
They have came up with a great design, very futuristic and this is actually the second version of a formerly Alima. The only negative part of the device itself is the plastic case. They use an ABS Glossy and rubber finish which I am not a big fun, hopefully in the future they will have the budget for an Aluminium case.
A gesture friendly device that allows you to check air quality with and without internet connection or a smartphone by just turning it upside down or by tapping it. The RGB LEDs will change colour between 6 levels of orange/blue.
They also have an API that allows to see and export the data on a computer in case you are an advanced user and you need to study the data in a more sophisticated way, although the app for iOS and Android is well build with history browsing, instant readings and alerts or advices to improve your indoor air that getting better over time thanks to machine learning.
Nowadays a product is nothing without a good support from the company. They are active socially through Twitter and Facebook and you can always reach them and ask them questions about their product. Also their Blog is an awesome place (like mine) to learn how to improve your indoor air quality, one of the best article that I really love is Cigarette smoke – Polluting your indoor air.
Spathiphyllum aka Peace Lily or Spath is a native to tropical regions of the Americas and southeastern Asia.
With wide leaves, mostly white flowers and over 40 species, Peace Lily is well known for its air-purifying abilities. It’s great at breaking down and neutralizing toxic gases such as carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, benzene, trichloroethylene, toluene and xylene.
Spathiphyllum is mildly toxic to humans and animals when ingested. The Peace Lily is not a true lily from the Liliaceae family. True lilies are much more toxic to cats and dogs. The Peace Lily contains calcium oxalate crystals, which can cause skin irritation, a burning sensation in the mouth, difficulty swallowing, and nausea.
Peace lilies love shade and some indirect light. They like a consistent temperature between about 65°F/18°C and 80°F/27°C. Peace lilies like to be watered a lot at once, but also need a chance to dry out afterward. The plant will drop a bit when thirsty, telling you when it needs water. Remember to clean its leaves when dust accumulates.
It’s in my opinion a beautiful plant for the living-room.
Breathing ozone O3 can trigger a variety of health problems, particularly for children, the elderly, and people of all ages who have lung diseases such as asthma. Ground level ozone can also have harmful effects on sensitive vegetation and ecosystems.
Awair monitors indoor air, gives solutions when air quality turns unhealthy and communicates with other smart home devices so you can stay healthy.
Apart from the beautiful design, Awair’s sensors monitor the six most important factors of indoor air quality & well-being.
Temperature: -40 to +125°C / -40 to +257°F
Humidity: 0 to 95%
CO2: 0 to 4000 ppm
VOCs: Air Hydrogen, Hydrogen Sulfide, Ammonia, Ethanol, Toluene to name a few, ranging b/w 0.1~30 ppm
Dust: Particles PM2.5 from 0 to 500 μg/m3. (On their site they mention, dusts and particles under 2.5mmg)
Ambient light
Awair is one of the tools I will use to monitor my indoor air quality (TZOA is the other one). It has awesome design and I love the walnut timber, high quality of course and is painted without harmful VOCs. It will constantly show me the AQI inside my bedroom which is the most important room in my home. During day we are more aware about air quality but during night we aren’t, so I will be able to see if my bedroom offers me more than a bed and a regular night sleep. During sleep our bodies rebuild and our minds refresh, so do we offer them the best conditions?
During day and night time I will conduct experiments with it. Measuring CO2 with and without plants, VOCs with different cleaning products plus furnitures and dust particles from mattresses and bed clothing. All of these experiments will be published here on #SeetheAir.
Temperature and humidity sensors are very import inside a room for many reasons as well. First by knowing the temperature inside a room you can have optimum sleep during night time, in general is recommended slightly cool temp 65ºF/18.5ºC. Second low humidity may cause respiratory problems, itchy eyes and skin. On the other hand, high humidity will result in molds that serve as breeding ground for bacteria. Also dust mites love high humidity. The optimum humidity level is 35-45%.
I live on the coast and humidity levels are so high here so I had to invest on a dehumidifier but I did a smart purchase because I bought an A/C with dehumidifier, this way I control temperature and humidity. Awair is capable of communicating with smart home appliances and turn them on/off via IFTTT. In case your home appliances aren’t smart enough you can boost them with TADO The Smart A/C Control.
Finally the app is elegant and simple for the everyday use but with valuable infos.
Chemically, black carbon or BC is a component of fine particulate matter PM ≤ 2.5 µm. It is formed through the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, biofuel, and biomass.
Black carbon causes human morbidity and premature mortality. Short-term and long-term exposures to PM2.5 are associated with a broad range of human health impacts, including respiratory and cardiovascular effects as well as premature death.
BC stays in the atmosphere for only several days to weeks, while carbon dioxide (CO2) has an atmospheric lifetime of more than 100 years but the impact of BC is much stronger because BC interacts with clouds, warms the Earth by absorbing heat and light in the atmosphere and by reducing albedo (reflectivity) when deposited on snow and ice.
Sources
42% Open biomass burning (forest and savanna burning)
18% Residential biofuel burned with traditional technologies
14% Diesel engines for transportation (Probably lot more)
10% Diesel engines for industrial use
10% Industrial processes and power generation, usually from smaller boilers
6% Residential coal burned with traditional technologies
Impacts
Public health
Climate
Global warming
Solutions
Reducing emissions of BC immediately! Thank you Volkswagen for all those years of contamination! (#diselgate)
First, harmful substances and VOCs waft from countless sources in our daily lives, including adhesives, ceiling tiles, photocopiers, wall paint, furnitures, upholstery etc.
We can find the key to our answer from NASA’s experiment, they found that plants absorb airborne pollutants as part of their normal “breathing” process (CO2 carbon dioxide in, O2 oxygen out) and transport them to their roots, where microbes feed on and detoxify them.
As result we need to have in mind that that roots and the soil are very important for optimum results. I will talk about this in the future.
The scientists have measured the filtering capacity of specific plants by putting them into sealed chambers and releasing toxic chemicals, then measuring how much of each chemical remains at 12-hour intervals. The results have been stunning. They found that the most effective plants had a high transpiration rate and they emit more moisture into the environment. This is the result of a natural pumping action. As plants pull air down to their roots, they pump moisture out. They have also found that over time at least one plant, the lady palm, actually becomes more efficient at disposing of the gas.
Is recommend using a mix of plants, two or three plants in 8-inch or 10-inch pots for every 100 square feet of floor space. Now be aware that the more plants you have more excessive humidity you will get, which can contribute to the growth of mold and bacteria. To help prevent that, don’t let your plants sit in stagnant water. Once the water has drained through the soil into the tray below, remove it. Sub-irrigation planters are a fair option but you have to discourage mold from growing on top of the soil by covering it with moss or gravel.
My personal recommendation is to keep a plant on top of your work desk, on top of your night stand and next to your sofa which are your personal breathing zones.
See The Air 