Photocatalysis & Lennox Pureair

[tbnelson]

As undergrad, I have done some research with PCO (primarily UV-B&C activated titania/zirconia oxide catalysts). As Lennox seems to have one of the more complete purification systems on the market, I am interested to learn more about the Pureair system. Has anyone installed the unit to notable success? In regards to the catayst, what is the cell size of the mesh screen? Are there multiple layers? Does the activated catalyst facilitate a reaction site on its own or is the efficacy of the process primarily in the reactions of hydroxls with influent air?

Also, a concern of mine is PCOs creation of CO2 as a biproduct of the oxidation reaction. With global concerns over carbon emmissions, at what point must we reconsider PCO as a viable solution to the IAQ problem?

I welcome any opinions...

[lonnirat]

Oh God, another engineer.

[Special Ed]

TBNelson, you seem to have forgotten that all humans & animals exhale CO2.... What do ya think we should do - kill all the animals & then ourselves to save the planet?

[airman1]

we have installed them ... they are very effective and are odor eaters ... but expensive installed but worth it to those who suffer ... unlike Puratech they have a great company behind them ... and they really do work!!!

[manfromsocal]

what is the main difference between lennox pureair and pureatech. is it the catalyst?

[airman1]

yes and the unit is engineered from the ground up ... these are the only uv lights that work because they shine on a grid ... uv lights in the airstream have little effect on the air stream ... the grid is excited to destroy voc in the normal air stream a;png with filtration ... wow is what i say

[acg]

The Tittan III is a good one.The Photo-Cat is used to help slow down pollutants ect...and coated with Titania what makes white paints white!so it can reflect the UV light and rays better.The newer technology is Plasma generation,over
a hundred times more eff!!!!!

[ss cares]

airman: what does a typical retrofit install run on the lennox pure air system. I have been told that uv rays do not bounce or reflect. Does any one know?

[drk]

Thought some one had made a better mouse trap tell I saw the UV

[airman1]

1800 to 2500 installed ... not for everybody but it is real good on odors ... like dogs

[Edited by airman1 on 04-03-2005 at 04:07 PM]

[classical]

nevermind

[Edited by classical on 04-03-2005 at 12:49 PM]

[mark beiser]

Originally posted by classical
You haven't installed 1800 actually less than 20.

I'm reasonably sure he was responding to ss cares question about how much the typical installed price is on them, he just didn't put the $ in front of the numbers.

[classical]

You are correct Mark I misread I apologize.

[MadeinUSA]

Mark

I bet classical would appreciate it if you would edit your post and not show his quote since he went back and corrected his.

Just a thought. :D

[cashcow]

Airman,

With regard to the odors, Lennox makes the claim of 50% odor removal. Do you find that to be about right or does the Pure Air do better than 50%.

Also, how well would you say it works for an "old house smell" for lack of a better term. No mold problems, just an old wood smell to the house.

Thanks,
Cash

[refermanatl]

My question is what if the grid gets coated by oils in the air or whatever. I would think that it would diminsh its ability to function over time wouldnt it? Just a thought.

[mark beiser]

Been looking the PureAir over. I still think the best way to deal with VOCs and odors is with fresh air.
IMO, spend the money on insuring proper air changes and controlling the quality of the fresh air intake and you will be better off than spending money on equipment that tries to make the stale air in the house less stale...

[airman1]

i dont know the amount of odor removal ... the customer was very happy with the results ... old house smells that are a DANKY odor should have humidity kept at 45% no higher ... smells can be imbeded moisture in or under the structure ... think about it ... any dehydrated substance has very little odor

[genesis]

I was doing searchs on Photocatalytics and rans across this thread. To start with I develop PCO systems for differant applications in the market place and have been buliding these systems for over 5 years. And I will try to answer some of your questions and concerns I have read in this post. To start with the CO2 biproduct from the catalysis is miniscule compared from what it is removing from the air stream and can barely be measured with test equipment. Next the UVGI C band width will only reflect off polished aluminum or a few exotic metals and the UVGI bulb can have an effect on the air stream by its self, lets say you have a 36 watt Tuv Phillips bulb it only has an affective kill range of about 12 inchs from the bulb, this bulb has a coating on it to keep it from produceing Ozone most UVGI bulbs don't. Just because you have killed the organism that passed it, you did't remove the VOCs that you have now just created by killing it. Now the Lennox unit is useing the A band with UV bulb not C Band (Gemicidal). A catalysis can be activated by sunlight but not having a UVGI presence before the bulb reduces the removal rate. With some of our catalysis I have acheaved up to 95% kill at 1500 CFM and can be documented. The slower the residance time across the catalysis the better the removal rate is.
Next retro fits are expensive for the residential person every install is differant and the complaint I hear most from contractors it makes my bid to high. Well my biggest problem to date is educating the public about indoor air quality's importance for the future. There are alot of misconceptions out there and these ozon commercials and such just feed the fire. If you are not moving enough air you are not cleaning it. Its like throwing a sponge in a tub of water, sure you soaked up alot of water but the tub is still full.
Photo Catalytic Oxidation is the future in Indoor Air Quality . The maintanance and operations cost are low compared to systems like charcoal or electrostatics.

[syntropicsystems]

1.5 years ago EcoQuest came out with an initial Photocatalytic Oxidation (PCO) unit called the Fresh Air, combining PCO, O3 production, and ionization. 8/2004 they announced acquisition of RGF Environmental's residential and light-commercial divisions. They released additional products based on RGF's PCO technology and upgraded their original Fresh Air unit. Only 2 units have O3 option available (even though EPA 1998 study showed addition of O3 to PCO reaction increased VOC removal by an order of magnitude - guess O3 has too much of a "scare" to it!)
RGF's technology uses a quad-metal catalyst and proprietary UV bulb (polycarbonate coating, 25000 effective life) - and shows effective odor reductions within the indoor treated facility of 90%, along with microbial (bacteria, virus, mold) reductions up to 98% of airborne and surface testing. I haven't seen Lennox or anyone else's lab test results posted. Hang onto your hats - all of their PCO products are being peer-reviewed and confirmed.
The Chinese government was buying their duct units by the thousands because they found it effective against SARS - guess it worked, since the spread was stopped!