Indoor Air Quality: A Review of Cleaning Technologies

Abstract

Aims: Indoor air quality (IAQ) has attracted increased attention with the emergence of COVID-19. Ventilation is perhaps the area in which the most changes have been proposed in response to the emergency caused by this virus. However, other strategies are possible, such as source control and the extraction of pollutants. The latter incorporates clean technologies, an emergent area with respect to IAQ. Method: Various air treatment technologies can be used to control contaminants, which are reviewed and discussed in this work, including physicochemical technologies (e.g., filtration, adsorption, UV-photocatalytic oxidation, ultraviolet disinfection and ionization) and biological technologies (e.g., plant purification methods and microalgae-based methods). Results and interpretation: This work reviews currently available solutions and technologies for “cleaning” indoor air, with a focus on their advantages and disadvantages. One of the most common problems in this area is the emission of pollutants that are sometimes more dangerous to human health than those that the technologies were developed to remove. Another aspect to consider is the limitation of each technology in relation to the type of pollutants that need to be removed. Each of the investigated technologies works well for a family of pollutants with similar characteristics, but it is not applicable to all pollutant types. Thus, the optimal solution may involve the use of a combination of technologies to extend the scope of application, in addition to the development of new materials, for example, through the use of nanotechnology.

Sick building syndrome and its impacts on health, well-being and productivity: A systematic literature review

“…In this context, a practical solution would be air disinfection, 127 which can be accomplished using several techniques. Some of them include bipolar ionization, 128,129 biofiltration, 130 natural and mechanical dilution, 131 mechanical filtration, 132 ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) indoors, 133,134 use of silver nanoparticles, 135 photocatalytic oxidation, 136,137 microalgae-based methods, adsorption, 138 among other available options. However, Aydogan and Cerone 139 stated that although numerous technologies remove toxins from the air, there is still a gap regarding methodologies capable of removing them completely.…”

High selectivity and sensitivity through nanoparticle sensors for cleanroom CO2 detection

“…This will not only impact the quality of work produced by the personal, but it can develop into a significant health and safety risk for the life of the cleanroom worker (if the person faints to due to high CO 2 levels in the room), or upon exposure to hazardous chemicals used in the cleaning and manufacturing processes. Additionally, in the cleanroom, several other gases (such as nitrogen and argon) and fumes from volatile solvents (such as acetone and isopropanol) are routinely present, which may lead to an increase in CO 2 content or interfere with the detection of CO 2 [5,[7][8][9].…”

Kinetic Aspects of Benzene Degradation over TiO2-N and Composite Fe/Bi2WO6/TiO2-N Photocatalysts under Irradiation with Visible Light

“…The development of advanced oxidation processes, such as photocatalytic oxidation (PCO), is permanently advanced to solve acute problems of environmental pollution and public health risk [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]. The PCO method has been shown to be effective in killing microorganisms and degrading hazardous chemical micropollutants in water and air environments [ 5 , 6 , 7 ].…”