Photocatalytic Oxidation (PCO)

Photocatalytic Oxidation (PCO) is a very powerful air purification technology and has the ability to de­stroy particles as small as 0.001 microns (nanometer) whereas HEPA filters can only filter particles as small as 0.3 microns.  Photocatalytic oxidation destroys microbes, vola­tile organic compounds (VOCs), and chemically active compounds (CACs). 

How PCO Works

The Photocatalytic Oxidation process combines UVC irradiation with a substance (catalyst) titanium dioxide (TiO₂) which results in a reaction that changes malignant contaminants into wa­ter, carbon dioxide and detritus. The air purification process of using photocatalytic oxidation often works by using an existing air system that pulls air through an air conditioning unit (HVAC) which passes through the professionally installed ultraviolet light/ titanium dioxide chambers. As the malignant contaminant-filled ambient air circulates through these chambers the microbes are "attacked" by free hydroxy radicals and super-oxide ions (created by UV light and titanium dioxide) breaking their cellu­lar structure apart and destroying both the intracellular mass and DNA/HNA chromosomes. The result is harmless water molecules, carbon dioxide and detritus (see diagram above). To learn more about photocatalysis,see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photocatalysis.

The ZANDAIR 100C and 100P portable units use fans to draw the air through the photocatalytic oxidation chamber. These units are very effective in smaller rooms.

 The ZANDAIR PCOC 3 commerical system is an in-duct unit system for large lab installations.

Attachments:

File	Description	File size
molecules-21-00056.pdf	Removal of Indoor Volatile Organic Compounds via Photocatalytic Oxidation: A Short Review and Prospect	451 kB