Purifier Technology

By Author: Jewell Lewis
Total Articles: 16
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Nowadays, a lot of purifier systems are marketed with various claims of improving health and well-being. Purification systems can mainly be divided into two categories based on the medium they are used upon: air and water. This article takes a look at the various purifier technologies available for air and drinking water and examines their effectiveness.

Air Purification:

Air purification is usually useful for people with conditions such as asthma and other allergies. It can also be effective in improving the overall atmospheric hygiene of buildings and improving well-being by preventing the onset of several allergies.

Several types of air purifier systems that differ in the methods of purification are available. Depending on the mechanism of action in the purifier, they are capable of removing smoke, dust, spores, pollen, and other microscopic particles from air. Below are the most popular air purification technologies.

* UV Purifier: Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation passes air through ultraviolet lights. It sterilizes the air by killing or inactivating 99% bacteria and microorganisms there. But ...
... it does not remove dust or particulate matter. The purifier is available as stand-alone and for forced-air units. The latter is more effective and energy efficient.

* Air Ionizer: It uses highly charged electrical surfaces to ionize particulate matter. These ionized particles are removed by passing through opposite charged filter. The filtering effectiveness of air ionizers vary widely. Some models produce excessive ozone which can be harmful.

* HEPA: High Efficiency Particulate Absorbing devices use filters capable of arresting 99.9% of particles at 0.3 microns. It is most effective when it's part of a forced-air system. There are no emissions, but it can be expensive if regular filter changes are needed.

* PCO: Photo catalytic Oxidation purifier units include a combination of all three technologies previously listed. These are extremely effective devices, which provide the highest levels of air purity. But, they are also the most expensive technology. They are available as both stand-alone and for forced-air systems.

Drinking Water Purification:

Drinking water purification technologies are also credited with improving well-being. There's quite a bit of evidence to substantiate these claims. Although a wide range of methods exist for water purification, only a few processes are relevant to drinking water.
The most widely used methods are listed below:

* Boiling: It sterilizes water of most bacteria by heating to boiling temperatures. However, it does not guarantee continued sterility once the water cools down. This is an energy intensive method. It does not remove salts or foreign particles and can render water more concentrated (salty).

* Microporous Ceramic Filtration: This is the simplest type of water purifier that uses a ceramic filter with tiny pores in it, which allow water to pass through. It is time-consuming to process large volumes of water with micro porous ceramic filtration. Plus it's not very effective with smaller microbes.

* Carbon Filtering: It cleans water by passing through layers of adsorbent activated charcoal. It is most effective only with sediments, so it is often combined with other methods in a multi-step process.

* UV Water Filtration: This type of a purifier device typically includes a filtration such as carbon filtering, and sterilization through exposure to UV. It eliminates particulate matter and bacteria, but again, it does not maintain sterility for long.

As you can see, each purification technology has its own pros and cons. Different methods have varying levels of effectiveness. Keep these considerations in mind when choosing a purifier for your home or office.

Healthy Air and Water Purifiers deals in UV Air and Water Purifier products, which improve the quality of air by destroying virus and bacteria, and protect from various kinds of allergies.