Exhaust air purification
How to destroy exhaust air odors
How do I get rid of the expensive activated carbon filters?
Exhaust air odors are annoying, unpleasant and not easy to remove. Or is it? The most common method is to use expensive activated carbon filters. However, these only have a certain lifespan, and that is until the activated carbon is saturated. In the hemp industry, this is changed on average every 3-6 months, or should be changed. This information varies from manufacturer to manufacturer and in connectionwith the thickness and therefore the price. This creates recurring costs which grow proportionally to the area under cultivation.
We asked ourselves how these costs could be reduced, or even completely eliminated. During a series of tests, we came across the application possibility in the hemp industry by chance. In one test, we were able to successfully destroy the odors.
A one-time investment!
It is the UV-C technology which offers the solution for this. The combination of UV-C and titanium dioxide results in photosynthesis (photocatlysis). This is like the leaf green in forests, a natural purification process is created, which divides volatile nitrogen oxides, carbon compounds as well as odors into individual components (molecules) and are thus no longer present (recognizable).
The technology is not new!
Natural air purification thanks to titanium dioxide
TiOx air purification technology is a sophisticated technology to destroy odors. It is used on meat waste and in storage cold rooms to eliminate the stench. An aluminum honeycomb coated with titanium dioxide is activated with UV-C radiation. A photochemical reaction creates photocatalysis in the honeycomb structure, which eliminates odors.
Exhaust air purification at large snack bar chains
Global "fast food restaurants" such as Mc Donalds or Burger King have been using the technology for years.
In kitchens, where there is a lot of grease and unpleasant odors, the UV-Smell units have been used for a very long time. Ozone-forming lamps are intentionally used here, which split the fat molecules, saving a lot of money on cleaning the exhaust ducts. The UV-Smell successfully destroys the taste of frying oil.
UV Smell Modules:
The test version for a Growth Box
We are currently working on a version for grow boxes. This will be a version made of sheet metal with various sizes of connections for air hoses. So this can be easily mounted after the fan. The fan pushes the air through the box with almost no air resistance. With activated carbon filters, the fan requires much more energy to move the same amount of air per minute. 2 years in continuous operation nothing to do with it. After 2 years the bulbs (UV-C lamps) should be replaced. The titanium dioxide filter never needs to be replaced.
The picture below shows our test trial. Wood was used for the functional model, as it was easier and faster to build. We successfully registered the very strong reduction (about 80-90%) of the emitted odors. For this purpose we used titanium dioxide filters from an air purifier (UV-FAN-XS) side by side and 2 pieces of UV-DUCT-FCU-25. We are working on a box made of aluminum or steel plate with the optimized TiOx filters. This should achieve an even better reduction (approx. 90-98%) of odors.