If it comes to air purification the first thing many people think of is the HEPA filter. In fact, it is one of the most common solutions to filter out and remove airborne contaminants.
Depending on type, some HEPA filters can extract select airborne organisms of microscopic size improving air quality.
However, they don’t provide 100% protection. Why?
Typically, HEPA filters are made up of randomly structured fiberglass ranging from 0.5 to 2 µm in diameter. The key factors of the filter’s effectiveness are: the diameter of the fibers, the thickness of the filter and the surface velocity of the air passing through it. The space between the threads of HEPA filters is more than 0.3 µm.
As airborne viruses and pollutants are much smaller in size than the diameter of the fibers, the smallest contaminants can easily pass through them.
Additionally, HEPA filters merely trap contaminants, it’s unclear when they are clogged, the filters wear out losing efficacy and they require frequent replacement.
What’s more, the aerosolized contaminants extracted from air are not destroyed.
Some HEPA-based filtration systems are loud and/or consume a high amount of energy.
This next-generation air purification device eliminates airborne pathogens including bacteria, viruses, pollen, mold, yeast, allergens, VOCs and odors.