More than 20 years after NASA put the first man
on the moon, NASA began to prepare for future man missions into deep
space by growing their own fruit and vegetables in space. They had to
find a way to reduce ethylene gas which was destroying the plants and
vegetables when they would ripen. NASA developed an ethylene scrub air
purification machine using a titanium dioxide catalyst in conjunction
with UV lamps to remove the ethylene gas. Subsequent tests revealed
that this PCO/TiO2 technology also helped destroy harmful organisms
such as bacteria that passed through the system.
Air Oasis has utilized this early NASA technology
to develop a line of air purifiers. Every Air Oasis air purifier
contains a PCO Cell coated with our proprietary nano Nickel HCT
catalyst that is permanently bonded to the PCO cell structure. When
photons from the germicidal UVC lamp excite water and oxygen molecules
on the catalyst surface, redundant oxidizers, including hydroxyl
radicals, are formed. Organic compounds that collide with the catalyst
are greatly reduced. The Air Oasis air purifiers have been tested by
Nabarun Ghosh Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biology, Department of
Life, Earth and Environmental Sciences at West Texas A&M
University. They have been proven to greatly reduce mold, bacteria,
VOCs and other aeroallergens.
The proprietary patent-pending Air Oasis
nano Nickel HCT catalyst is superior to any PCO catayst currently on
the market. Imitation air purifiers use cheap titanium dioxide
(TiO2) alone as a catalyst. TiO2 is the cheapest, most available
catalyst metal on the market. It's often used as the white pigment
in standard house paint costing only pennies. The nano Nickel HCT
contains five rare catalyst metals. We also use nano size
metals to increase the kinetic rate of reaction.
Our American made UV lamps utilize a
proprietary LongLife coating allowing them to outlast any UV lamp on
the market. Don't be fooled by cheap imitations.
Our proprietary LongLife+™ technology is a
specialty coating which can be applied to all our germicidal lamp
products, eliminating the common problem of accelerated depreciation
associated with higher intensity lamps.
A standard quartz lamp maintains 65% of its UVC
output at 9,000 hours. With LongLife+™ technology, Light
Sources’ UVC lamps maintain up to 80% of their output at 16,000
hours *.
* Life claim testing done under laboratory
conditions. Actual performances depend on operating conditions.
How LongLife+™ Works
We apply a chemical compound to the inside of our lamps,
enabling them to be longer lasting and more efficient.
Economically Efficient
With LongLife+™ technology, our OEM customers can run our UVC
lamps longer with fewer lamp replacements and improved end-of-life
performance.
Environmentally Friendly
Because our LongLife+™ technology allows for fewer lamp
replacements, lamp waste is reduced over the lifetime of operations.
Waste reduction minimizes recycling processes, which helps maintain
our valuable natural resources.
By utilizing a broad spectrum 254 nm UV light
we achieve the same oxidizing and ionizing benefits found in nature,
created by the sun. By combining the UV light with our
patent-pending nano Nickel HCT™ catalyst we achieve unparalleled
results.
There are many "knock off" air
purifiers on the market that claim to use PCO technology. If not
used properly PCO technology will do little to purify your air. In
fact it can cause an increase in harmful contamination.
Researchers have found with many PCO air
purifiers that because of incomplete decomposition of the VOC's in
the air stream there is a net production of formaldehyde,
acetaldehyde, formic acid and acetic acid. Of particular concern was
that the outlet concentrations of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde were
3.4 and 4.6 times the inlet concentrations, respectively. Both
formaldehyde and acetaldehyde are recognized as important indoor
toxicants. Formaldehyde is classified as a human carcinogen.
Governmental guidelines suggest keeping indoor concentrations of
formaldehyde and acetaldehyde at very low levels.
Many brands of air purifiers are beginning to
use cheap imitations of PCO technology in their product. Most use
cheap titanium dioxide (the basic white pigment in paint) as their
catalyst. They then combine this with a cheap foreign UV lamp and
call it a PCO air purifier. These air purifier will not usually
provide any University studies to validate any claims.
Air Oasis developed a proprietary
patent-pending five metal nano catalyst that is far superior to any
cheap imitations on the market. Our UV lamps use a proprietary long
life coating to more than double their life over the competition.
Preliminary results from West Texas A&M University show huge
reductions in formaldehyde and other VOCs. Rapid reductions in odors
where also observed. We will be posting the final results when all
testing is concluded.
Don't risk your family's health and waste your
hard earned money on cheap imitations.
Are PCO Air Purifiers Better Than HEPA Filters?
By Jeanie Wong Platinum Quality Author
HEPA air purifiers have been on the market for a while, but there
have also been some recent advances made in air purification
technologies as of late. Many air purifier manufacturers are now
utilizing Photocatalytic Oxidation (PCO) technology as a way of
removing toxins from the air. This purification method may be the
most advanced one yet, and some leading air purifier manufacturers
are beginning to add PCO air cleaners to their product lines.
For years, has been FDA approved for reducing bacteria in meat
processing plants, and it is even used to cleanse pesticides from
the fruits and vegetables we eat. Essentially, filtration can be
summed up as such: An intense light is reflected onto a metal
surface which in turns oxidizes toxins from the air. In chemistry,
photocatalysis is defined as the acceleration of a photoreaction in
the presence of a catalyst, and an example of this would be the
oxidation of organic contaminants such as bacteria and mold using
magnetic particles coated with titanium dioxide nanoparticles, and
agitated using a magnetic field that is exposed to UV light.
Therefore, this type of air purification technology converts harmful
particulates and toxic gases into safer compounds such as carbon
dioxide and water.
Air purifiers use broad-spectrum UV light which reacts with a thin
film of catalyst which, in the presence of water, creates hydroxyl
radicals and super-oxide ions that "burn" VOCs and
microorganisms adsorbed on the catalyst's surface. With that in
mind, many consumers may mistake UV air purification with
technology, and rightfully so. However, while both types of air
purifiers are similar in that they harness the oxidation properties
of ultraviolet light, purification systems utilize UV lamps with
additional wavelengths. These additional wavelengths ensure a
quicker reaction rate when it comes the degrading of toxic compounds
that are polluting the air you breathe.
Because PCO technology is an extremely powerful purification method,
PCO air purifiers have the ability to eliminate particles as small
as 0.001 microns, including the tiny penetrating particles that can
absorb into your lungs and cause damage (HEPA filters are only able
to filter out particles as small as 0.3 microns). Studies have also
shown that in addition to VOCs, toxic gases, and chemicals,
photocatalytic air purifiers can also render gases like carbon
monoxide and nitrous oxide harmless - pollutants which can often
escape standard air purifiers utilizing HEPA or ionic technology
alone.
Those concerned with the possible health effects associated with air
purifiers will be glad to know that PCO air cleaners have been found
to be much safer than ozone and ionization, and they work
wonderfully well for those with asthma, allergies, and multiple
chemical sensitivity.
Jeanie Wong is a marketing writer with extensive knowledge of
heating, cooling, and air purification systems.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeanie_Wong
