PCO Air Purifiers - The Newest in Air Purification Technology?

Concern about indoor air quality (IAQ) has recently been driven by health problems attributed to exposure to airborne particulates, microbiological contaminants, gases, and chemicals, and in response to this growing awareness, there has been an increase in regulatory controls for air quality. With that said, this growing epidemic of poor IAQ has led to a recent boom in the air purification business, with many well-known appliance manufacturers such as Honeywell and Whirlpool even manufacturing their own line of air cleaners.

Although air purification is a relatively new industry, great strides have been in the development of new air cleaning methods for both home and commercial use. While some of the most common air filtration methods such as HEPA have been used for years, one of the most recent air purification technologies involve a process known as photocatalytic oxidation.

How PCO Technology Works

Photocatalytic oxidation, or PCO, was developed and used in space technologies for both air and water purification. PCO involves photocatalysis, and in chemistry, this process involves the acceleration of a photoreaction in the presence of some sort of catalyst - namely catalyzed photolysis and photogenerated catalysis. While this may seem somewhat complicated, the PCO process used in PCO air purifiers is quite simple and effective, and involves the following steps:

1. A metal surface coated with a metal light is irradiated with UV light to produce hydroxyl radicals and super-oxide ions.
2. These radicals and ions break the molecular bonds of chemicals (such as formaldehyde and toluene) they come into contact with and slice them into smaller compounds.
3. These compounds are then further broken down until only carbon dioxide and water vapors are left.

Essentially, a PCO air purifier uses short-wave UV light to sterilize and kill up to 99.9% of bacteria and viruses, and independent research has also confirmed its effectiveness in eliminating contaminants such as bacteria, viruses, mold, and VOCs.

There is some importance placed on the specific type of metal oxide coating used in PCO air purifiers, and many air purifiers use titanium dioxide (TiO2), as this has been proven to be the most effective and efficient way to break down a wide range of chemicals without producing harmful byproducts such as ozone.

PCO air purifier manufacturers claim that PCO air cleaners can destroy germs and VOCs by breaking the molecules down until they turn into water and carbon dioxide, and that they also have the ability to remove particles down to 0.002 microns from the air, including tiny lung penetrating particles that can significantly impact your health (HEPA air purifiers remove particles down to only 0.3 microns).

Proven to Be Effective By Scientific Studies

Although many consumers may seem skeptical, there is some truth to these claims. In a study performed at the University of Colorado at Denver, scientists found that the use of UV radiation combined with a TiO2 catalytic surface showed promise in the overall reduction of VOCs in the air. This study found that PCO air purifiers provided significant advantages for the mitigation of pollutants associated with poor indoor quality, as they reduced the absolute toxicity of gaseous pollutants such as formaldehyde and acetone by nearly 100 percent.

General speaking, PCO air purifiers have not proved in and of itself to be a filtering technology, as particles are not trapped in some sort of filter. Instead, they are intended to destroy organic and gaseous pollutants by oxidizing them from the air you breathe, and PCO air purifiers almost always use a combination of other purification technologies to clean the air.

Recommended PCO Air Purifiers

Two PCO air purifier manufacturers stand out in particular - Airsopure and Airpura. The Airsopure MS-980 air purifier offers a six step air purification process - pre-filter, hospital-grade HEPA, gas absorption media, UV light, ionizer, and PCO technology. On the other hand, the Airpura P600 air purifier combines activated carbon, HEPA filtration, UV sterilization, and their own patented TitanClean Photocatalytic Oxidizer which creates an oxidation process that instantly breaks down molecular bonds and reduces airborne chemicals.

Therefore, if you are concerned about airborne chemicals and organic compounds, a PCO air purifier may be just the solution you need to start breathing healthier, cleaner air.