A Comprehensive Review Of Air Sterilization And Disinfection Methods, Which One Is Your Ideal Choice?
When it comes to air disinfection and sterilization, the first reaction of many people may be that "buying an air purifier is enough" or "buying an air purifier can achieve the goal."
But in fact, the purifier mainly performs physical interception work. However, the disinfection and sterilization behavior of destroying bacteria and viruses in the air requires proactive actions to achieve it.
Especially during flu season, allergy season, or if there are elderly and children in the home, filtration alone is often not enough.
On the market, there are various methods of disinfection and sterilization, from traditional ultraviolet rays to emerging chemical technologies. Each has its own unique strengths and weaknesses.
Which one is more suitable for your home?
Today we will take a big inventory and break down these methods and explain them clearly.
Ultraviolet disinfection: efficient but bad at “eyesight”
Ultraviolet disinfection is a method that everyone is familiar with.
Its principle is to use direct irradiation with ultraviolet light of a specific wavelength, usually UVC. This irradiation will destroy the internal DNA or RNA structure of bacteria and viruses, making them unable to reproduce and thus lose their activity.
The advantages of this method are quite obvious. Its sterilization efficiency is very high, and it belongs to the category of physical disinfection. It does not add chemical substances. As long as it is used properly, it will basically not cause secondary pollution.
It is used in many hospitals and laboratories.
However, its shortcomings are also obvious.
The ultraviolet ray is a "direct player". It cannot make detours, and the areas it cannot reach are areas that cannot be disinfected.
If it is blocked by dust in the air or placed in a corner, the effect will be greatly reduced.
Moreover, its bactericidal spectrum has certain limitations. For some microorganisms that are resistant to ultraviolet rays, the required irradiation time will be relatively long.
More importantly, people cannot be at the scene when the ultraviolet lamp is working. When the skin and eyes are exposed for a long time, it will cause damage.
Therefore, it is more suitable for centralized disinfecting in unmanned situations, such as in offices after get off work or in idle rooms.
Ozone disinfection: powerful but "temperate"
Ozone disinfection is another physical and chemical method.
Ozone has strong oxidizing properties and can indiscriminately decompose the cell walls of bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms, while also decomposing their internal substances. Its sterilization spectrum is extremely broad and the efficiency is very high.
For some venues that have just been renovated, and for spaces that need to completely remove odors, ozone machines can be considered a good choice.
It does not have a dead spot like ultraviolet light, and the gas can spread to every corner of the room.
But ozone is a double-edged sword.
It is highly irritating to the human respiratory tract and can even damage the lungs when the concentration is too high.
Therefore, when using ozone for disinfection, personnel must evacuate, and after the disinfection is completed, they must be thoroughly ventilated and wait until the ozone is completely decomposed (generally it takes half an hour to an hour) before they can enter.
If people from ordinary families use it, they must pay special attention to controlling the concentration and time. Otherwise, it is very easy to end up in a situation where you kill one thousand enemies but lose eight hundred to yourself.
Therefore, it is not suitable for daily protection scenarios that require coexistence of humans and machines.
Chemical disinfectants: Straightforward but “irritating”
Spraying with disinfectants is also one of the traditional methods, such as 84 disinfectant, peracetic acid, etc.
They directly kill microorganisms in the air through chemical action, and the effect is immediate.
This method is simple to operate and is more effective in environments with obvious pollution sources.
But its shortcoming is the "sequelae".
Many chemical disinfectants themselves carry pungent odors and may produce harmful substances during the volatilization process. Long-term use may also cause corrosion to furniture and floors.
After spraying a large area indoors, if the ventilation is poor, the remaining chemical substances will turn into a new health hazard.
For those families with pregnant women, infants, or people with respiratory sensitivities, such a method must be more cautious. When using it, the concentration must be strictly controlled and strong ventilation must be maintained.
Filtration sterilization: safe but “passive”
The core principle of our most common air purifier is Filtration sterilization .
It uses a fan to suck the air in, and uses a high-efficiency filter such as HEPA to trap bacteria and particles such as viruses.
This method is safe, has no side effects, and can achieve the coexistence of man and machine. It is the priority choice of many families.
But its essence is to "intercept" rather than "kill".
Bacteria and viruses are only adsorbed on the filter. If the filter is not replaced for a long time, there is a possibility that they will multiply on the filter and even be blown back into the air again.
Moreover, filtration and sterilization cannot do anything for bacteria that are already attached to the surface of objects.
Therefore, when using this type of equipment, it is crucial to replace the filter regularly. Otherwise, not only will the purification effect be greatly reduced, but it may also cause secondary pollution.
Negative ion purification: fresh but "accompanied"
The negative ion generator discharges at high voltage to make the air negatively charged.
Positively charged particles such as dust and bacteria will be actively adsorbed by negative ions, and then they will condense and settle, making the air feel fresher.
This technology is quiet, requires no fans, and requires few consumables.
However, while it produces negative ions, it may also be accompanied by ozone .
Although regular products can control ozone within a safe range, you still need to pay attention if it is used in a closed space for a long time.
In addition, its "sedimentation" function only transfers pollutants from the air to the ground or surface of objects. It does not really make them disappear. Instead, it is easy to rise again during cleaning.
In addition, the electrodes and filters in the negative ion generator must be cleaned and maintained regularly, otherwise the efficiency will be significantly reduced.
Puxian Series: New Ideas for Continuous “Active” Protection
Recently, there is a certain type of product on the market, just like the Puxian series, which presents a unique set of technical lines.
Its principle is to use active ingredients to react with moisture in the air, thereby continuously releasing chlorine dioxide gas in a low concentration form.
Chlorine dioxide is classified by the World Health Organization as an A1-level safe and efficient disinfectant. It can penetrate into the interior of bacteria, thereby preventing the bacteria from metabolizing. It can also penetrate the capsid protein of the virus, thereby preventing the virus from replicating, and ultimately achieves efficient killing.
The advantages of this approach are "continuous" and "active".
It does not passively wait for the air to be extracted for filtration, but actively forms a dynamic "protective circle" around the body, continuously disinfecting the air around the clock.
Especially its portable style, which can be worn on the body, is extremely friendly for commuting, going to school, and going to public places.
As an indoor air sterilization ultrafiltration machine, on top of the basic conditions of filtration and sterilization, it adds the function of continuously releasing sterilizing gas, which is equivalent to the dual guarantee of "interception + active sterilization".
Its shortcomings are that there is still room for improvement in terms of appearance design, and the indoor version, like traditional purifiers, requires regular replacement of the filter element and sterilization package to maintain stable effects.
Ultimately, no one method is perfect.
Ultraviolet rays are suitable for space disinfection, ozone is suitable for in-depth treatment, and filtration is suitable for basic purification. However, solutions like Puxian that emphasize continuous, active, and safe are more suitable for daily scenarios that pursue long-term and dynamic protection.
When making a choice, the key is to look at the usage scenarios you are facing: Is there a need for temporary rapid disinfection, or is there a requirement for long-term human-machine coexistence protection?
Are there sensitive people at home, or is the office crowded with people?
Only by comparing the advantages and disadvantages of the needs and methods can you choose the most suitable one.
