Does PECO Technology Work?
The overall quality of the air within personal indoor environments, such as office buildings or a home, has been held under heavy scrutiny as research has been introduced to the world about the potentially drastic levels of pollutants inside these indoor spaces. According to research conducted by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), it was found that indoor air pollution was ranked among the top five environmental health risks to human health. This information has driven the market to develop and create different product offerings for the utilization of improving the air quality within indoor environments, which has led to the popularity and increased consumer need of an air purifier for personal indoor environments like a home.
Air purifiers are devices that are designed to remove airborne contaminants from the air in an indoor space, these devices are vast with many options, technologies, and manufacturers of air purifiers available for consumer selection. Among air purification devices there are several popular devices that many consumers lean towards when purchasing an air purifier, and this will include the highly advertised PECO technology.
Some air purifiers utilize a technology called PECO (Photo Electrochemical Oxidation) that has been closely analyzed and researched on how effective the technology is against airborne contaminants including VOCs, allergens, and microorganisms (such as bacteria, viruses, and mold).
Below we are going to go further into the workings of this technology and learn just how effective PECO is against these airborne contaminants indoors.
How PECO Technology Works
The PECO technology was developed by Dr. Yogi Goswami, a Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of South Florida, as he used principles of solar technology, light, and nanotechnology to develop this technology.
PECO works through a process where incident light enables a semiconductor material to promote a catalytic oxidation reaction. The creators explains it as a reaction when light shines on a specifically designed nanoparticle coated filter, the action of light on the surface of the filter creates a reaction that is able to completely oxidize pollutants in the air.
Is PECO Technology Effective
The manufacturers of this technology claim that the PECO technology has been extensively tested by third-party laboratories, including the University of Minnesota and the University of South Florida, as a few of these studies are published on their website for review.
However, upon further research, some inconsistencies have appeared as conflicting research has been presented on the effectiveness of PECOs technology. This research was performed in response to claims made from former customers, as they experienced issues with the technology and this air purifiers off-gassing odor inside their indoor space after use, among other complaints.
EnviroKlenz performed extensive studies against PECO technology and the other popular air purification devices to provide consumers with the knowledge of how effective each of these air purifiers are in comparison to one another.
Comparing the Effectiveness Against Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) Removal
In this chamber study, a volatile organic chemical was released in an environmental chamber under ambient conditions. The various air systems and technologies were remotely controlled to not disturb the environment. The IQAir was the air system that was able to remove the chemical the quickest, but since the system uses carbon media, the chemical has the potential to be released back into the atmosphere with an increase in temperature or changes to humidity and pressure. In some of our real-world evaluations, we have seen carbon systems start to desorb VOCs as the temperature rises towards only 80 degrees.
The EnviroKlenz Air System out performed the Blue Air and MoleKule system, while also offering more than just physical absorption. The EnviroKlenz Air Cartridge works though a combination of physical and chemical mechanisms.
Comparing the Effectiveness Against Formaldehyde
In the study against formaldehyde, the IQAir was able to reduce the compound the fastest from the chamber due to having a much higher loading of media.
The Molekule did not have much impact on the formaldehyde in this study.
The BlueAir HEPA media and bare carbon filter did show some physical absorption of formaldehyde, but physical absorption is very prone to releasing whatever it may have absorbed over time since there is no chemical interaction. The EnviroKlenz Air System does actively react with the formaldehyde through adsorption and polymerization on the oxide surface of the EnviroKlenz media.
Particulate Filter Media Comparison
EnviroKlenz Air System uses a HEPA filter that has more square feet of media when compared to the ones used in the IQAir and the BlueAir. The MoleKule does not have a HEPA filter, so the square feet of the prefilter was used for this comparison. The prefilter, in addition to the having fewer square feet of media, is also significantly less efficient at removing particulates when compared to HEPA or better filters of the EnviroKlenz, IQAir and BlueAir systems.
The EnviroKlenz Air System has the highest amount of particulate matter filter media with over 56 square feet, IQ Air has approximately 50 square feet, Blue Air approximately 28 square feet, and the MoleKule particle filter has around 3 square feet of particulate filter media.
The more square feet of particulate matter media results in a filter that can capture more particulate matter before needing to be changed.
The Cleanest Air
Your Home Has Ever Had.
EnviroKlenz Mobile Air System
(Standard Model)
$699
“Truly clean air is finally
achievable,without compromise.”
EnviroKlenz Mobile Air System
(UV-C Model)
$799
“Truly clean air is finally
achievable,without compromise.”
