Occupied Spaces
Indoor Air Quality
Like the water we drink and food we eat, the air we breathe has a great impact on our state of health. We spend 90% of our lives indoors, where according to EPA report, air quality is frequently more polluted than the air outdoors. Infact the American college of Allergists states that 50% of illness are caused or aggravated by poor indoor air quality. Every person inhales over 12,000 liters of air every day. Children inhale more particles for their size than adolescents or adults.
Introduction
Air fills our space invisibly and we directly depend on it for our life breath. Good air for us means:
1. Free from unpleasant odours
2. Free from disease causing micro-organisms and cross contamination
3. Full of freshness
4. Full of oxygen to breathe
Need for Indoor Air Quality Control
Outside air is more and more polluted due to exhaust gas from increasing number of automobiles, smoke from factories.
Smaller Green Area
Green area is getting smaller due to urbanization and centralization of population into city, which causes construction of more buildings, apartments and factories.
More Polluted Indoor Air
Indoor air is getting more polluted from harmful pollutants like formaldehyde and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) because more petrochemical construction materials are being used.
Tightly Sealed Buildings and Houses
Polluted indoor air is trapped, because buildings are tightly sealed for energy saving with smaller windows, which reduces air change amount and interrupt the input of outside air and discharge of polluted indoor air.
Sick House & Building Syndrome
Polluted indoor air causes symptoms like tiredness, headaches, skin & eye problem, difficulty in breathing, high fever, asthma, and even pneumonia.
Ozone is enriched oxygen, presents three atoms of oxygen, is unstable and decomposes into normal oxygen and incipient oxygen, which is a strong oxidant. Due to this characteristic, it acts with great efficiency as disinfectant. Ozone is considered as the disinfectant with the best micro-biocide efficiency and it requires quite short contact times, it is also able to eliminate odour. It’s because of that, we will obtain a pleasant atmosphere free of odour, tobacco tars, smoke, virus and bacteria etc. If we improve the quality of the atmosphere, we’ll obtain a greater comfort and we’ll eliminate part of stress in the work.
Ozone As An Effective Tool For Indoor Air Quality Management
Ozone is increasingly being employed commercially for air treatment odour control (removal of VOCs from the air). This is conveniently and practically achieved by integrating the ozone generator system into the HVAC system. Ozone sensors are installed to maintain ozone concentrations at an optimum level. HVAC systems used in commercial spaces fitted with ozone systems has a high return on investment in systems which create and maintain high quality air. Ozone has been used for about a century to treat water for pathogens, minerals, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other impurities. Only in the last decade or so, however, has ozone been applied on a large scale to heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.
Major reasons for this surge of interest in ozone treatment of indoor air include:
- Heightened public awareness that something can be done about indoor air quality (IAQ)
- Increased IAQ problems due to sealed buildings and less makeup (outside) air metered into HVAC systems.
- Increased public intolerance for smoking and the realization that many common chemicals contribute to poor IAQ.
- New ozone generator and ozone monitor designs that make system control a reality.
- Attractive payback economics due to savings in energy and in replenishments for carbon filters which have been eliminated.
Why Ozone Air Treatment Is Cost Effective
It has been found that there is a high return on investment in systems which create and maintain high air quality by ozone. Air treatment with ozone requires two basic steps: filtration for removal of particulates, and various methods to remove chemicals and pathogens.
Savings in Filters:
In air treatment systems carbon filters have been used to remove airborne chemicals and micropore filters have been used to block the passage of pathogens. These filters are now just beginning to be replaced by ozone because the filters have high periodic replenishment costs, and overcoming the pressure drop they cause consumes costly energy.
Savings in Makeup Air:
All HVAC systems need “makeup air” in air systems. When carbon dioxide, VOCs or other contributors to poor air quality exceed set-points, increased make-up air (air from the outside) is metered into the building HVAC system. This seemingly simple solution leads to two problems: the energy required to heat or cool the additional make-up air can add significantly to the system operating cost, and the make-up air can bring in more contaminants such as dust and VOCs.
It has been found that ozone works well with particulate filters. It eliminates the need for costly carbon VOC filters and reduces the makeup air required which is costly to condition. Paybacks for ozone systems are typically about one year.
Ozone Dosage
The ozone concentration in public areas must be kept below harmful levels. This is accomplished by new technology ozone generation and monitoring equipment combined as a self-controlling system. Safe concentrations generally are listed over the range 0.05-0.10 ppm. Most ozonated HVAC systems with automatic controls are programmed not to exceed concentrations ranging from 0.03 to 0.05 ppm. These concentrations are below naturally occurring outdoor levels in many regions, but are just high enough to reduce VOCs significantly. Furthermore, the ozone concentrations are much higher in the supply ducts, where the ozone generators feed in (typically 0.3-0.5 ppm). Bacteria, mold, mildew, and VOCs are greatly reduced in those ducts, and thus eventually in the entire HVAC system. Ozone drops in concentration by a factor of 10 or so due to these reactions as well as due to normal “half life” reversion back to oxygen.
Technozone Ozone Purifiers When Used In Ahu / Hvac Has The Following Advantages:
1. Kills all microbes (bacteria, virus etc), moulds, fungus etc., in the ducts
2. Enriches air with oxygen so that the room occupants feel energetic
3. Removes the closed room syndrome/ headache caused by deficiency of oxygen
4. Stops cross contamination / spread of air borne / transmitted deseases by Killing microorganisms permanently
5. Deodourises air and does not mask odour as done by other aerosol sprays
6. Keeps room continuously fresh.
7. Reduces power consumption by 20 to 30% as fresh intake of air every day is Reduced
8. Technozone introduces ozone based air purifier to priovide you contaminent Free, oxygen rich, clean air.
9. Technozone air purifiers are free from chemicals, smoke, and can be used for Both air purification and industrial exhaust treatment.
10. Technozone air purifier makes use of a unique system of ozone purification Which not only removes toxins but also enriches air with pure oxygen, a Speciality given by nature only to ozone.
Where Can Ozone Be Used Effectively
Control Household Odours…
One of the most powerful and effective eliminators of smoke and a myriad of other odours is ozone. Ozone Generator machines utilize ozone to destroy tobacco smoke and its inherent impurities plus odours from pets, cooking, mold, mildew and other household sources. Elimination of these hazards provides a much healthier atmosphere and a more comfortable living environment.
Control Indoor Air Pollution…
Indoor air pollution is recognized as one of the major health concerns facing the nation today. This condition has been created by the search for more energy efficient buildings, work places. Through the use of an ozone treatment we can dramatically reduce the pollution contamination, creating a much safer atmosphere indoors. Restaurants, lounges, beauty shops, dry cleaners, restore and many other public areas can be cleansed of odours by destroying the source with ozone. Customers will enjoy the clean air in your establishment that an ozone treatment provides.
Cigarette & Cigar Smoke Elimination…
NOTHING drives potential buyers out of a property faster than a strong stagnant odour of cigarette and cigar smoke. Ozone treatments work faster than any smoke remover, ionizer or air filter for the removal of smoke odours. Save on paint and carpet costs, and simply remove the odour permanently with ozone treatment.
Mold Control & Removal…
Mold is a major problem in today’s airtight environments. Medical studies have found that mold & mildew are the #1 causes of allergic symptoms. Stachybotrys Chartarum (atra) is a greenish-black fungus found worldwide that colonizes particularly well in high-cellulose material, such as straw, hay, wet leaves, dry wall, carpet, wallpaper, fiber-board, ceiling tiles, thermal insulation, etc. The fungus (mold), before drying, is wet and slightly slimy to touch. This toxic mold grows in areas where the relative humidity is above 55%. Breathing in even dried molds of this kind can causes respiratory problems. Use of an ozone treatment can help eliminate and retard mold growth in your home.
Hotel / Motel Room Odour Removal…
Ozone treatments keep rooms and lobbies smelling fresher and cleaner. Actual cleanup time required is reduced enabling rooms to be in service faster. Rooms stay fresher longer and customers will appreciate the fresh clean aroma. Ozone treatments clean the air and reduce the risk of bacterial, viral and other infections. Applications are quick and easy as units are portable and only require 20-40 minutes to treat the average room.
Vehicle Restorations…
Automobiles, vans, trucks, buses can be effectively deodorized & disinfected with ozone. Ozone has proven itself invaluable for used auto sales and restorations. Odours in vehicles can be very strong and persistent. With simple ozone shock treatments vehicles can be made to smell fresh. A fresher smelling vehicle will always sell faster and for more money after an ozone treatment.
Fire Restorations…
Fire & flood odours are easily taken care of with an ozone treatment. These odours, some of the most difficult to remove, can only be effectively removed with a powerful ozone treatment. Shock treatment of high concentrations of ozone attacks these leftover odours so that rooms are again habitable.
Controlling Pet and Animal Odours…
Pet area odours are very difficult to control. In residential homes, veterinary offices and kennels Ozone can treat odour holding surfaces and make the presence of animals hardly noticeable. The use of high ozone “shock treatments” helps remove foul pet odours. Disinfecting pet areas of molds, and bacteria is beneficial for pets and their owners alike.
Controlling Insects and Vermin…
Insects and vermin are driven away from high levels of ozone. Ozone not only helps remove their odours it keeps them from coming back. Ozone used in a basement can retard mold growth, as well as keep insects and mice out. Ozone used in the attic can keep birds, squirrels or other critters out of your house.
Technozone Air Ozonizer Products
Technozone air purification system can also be automated with sensors, so that we can enjoy pure pristine air without any break or much human
interference. It is for this reason the world’s best known airports are all ozonised through air. Technozone is capable of providing odour elimination solutions in fish markets, systems of extraction of kitchens, slaughter houses, laboratories and diverse industrial applications. It is important, that the ozone equipment and the suitable mixing system must control odour without excess of ozone, mainly in those places in which are people and also control and to have the ozone concentration in correct levels. So Technozone always recommends the installation of systems of measurement and control of the environmental ozone concentration.
Conclusion
Filtration will remove particulates and the small percentage of the gas-phase pollutants that have adsorbed to the surface of the dust. But particulate filters don’t remove the majority of gas phase pollutants, and the high-efficiency filters required for tobacco smoke particulate have a very considerable impact on airflow. High ventilation-rate systems also waste tremendous amounts of energy, even when energy recovery ventilators (an extremely maintenance-intensive device in a heavy smoke application) are implemented. Carbon is effective at removing the VOCs from the air that flows through the carbon, but with a huge replenishment expense in heavy VOC environments. Carbon reduces VOCs only in the air that is returned through the HVAC system, and most commercial HVAC systems don’t produce the airflow patterns which drive the contaminated air back through the HVAC system. Carbon does nothing to remove residual odors and VOCs from finish surfaces. Ozone reduces VOCs more effectively than carbon, has no replenishment expense, oxidizes residual VOCs from finish surfaces, reduces demand for outside air, and through the “stat” effect, eliminates the growth of microbial matter inside the condensate drip pans, coils and heat exchangers, and ductwork. Sometimes reducing the VOCs by ozone eliminates the need to increase the makeup air when the area population increases. This in turn eliminates the additional energy otherwise required to heat or cool the additional make-up air. Using ozone for IAQ problem requires cautions when being implemented. Installations must cover a variety and complexity of commercial ventilation systems, along with a multitude of environmental and human factors. When implemented correctly, ozone offers superior performance to any other method currently in use for gas, odor, and VOC control; has benefits which none of the other strategies offers; and results in lower ownership costs due to lack of replenishment expense and decreased make-up air heating and cooling requirements.
Air Purification Comparison Chart
HEPA Filtration: Very effective at removing airborne particulates that circulate through the HVAC system. Has no effect on VOCs, odors, or ozone. Provides limited bioaerosol reduction outside of the HVAC system and no surface disinfection effect.
UV Lights: No particulate, VOC, or odor reduction. UV lights product ozone therefore, air quality must be monitored if in use. UV lights do have some beneficial effect on bioaerosols, however, surface disinfection is only on immediate hard surfaces exposed to UV radiation. UVradiation is harmful to many surfaces including plastic electrical wire insulation.
Ion Generators: Systems are effective at reducing airborne particulates. Charged ions has a limited effect on VOC and odor reduction. Ion generators produce ozone. Generators can reduce bioaerosols however, system must be cleaned often to be effective. Limited surface disinfection has been observed. This is from the production of ozone.
Ozone Generators: No particulate reduction. Ozone is very effective against VOCs, Odors, Bioaerosols, and surface microbes. Because Ozone can be harmful if the levels are not controlled, it is critical to control ozone generation by proper sensors and timers to maintain within prescribed norms.
TiO2 Systems: Charged ions reduce the level of airborne particulates. Hydroxyl radicals are effective against VOCs and odors within the HVAC system.TiO2 systems do reduce bioaerosols within the immediate treatment area. Laboratory research has shown significant reduction of surface contaminates within confined treatment zones.