A Novel Air Purification Technology: Assessment on the Reduction of Aeroallergen, Dander and Particulate Matter 2.5 (PM 2.5)

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10_Dr. Nabarun Ghosh.pdf (1.47 MB)

Date

2020-03-05

Authors

Ghosh, Nabarun

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WTAMU Cornette Library

Abstract

One of the top environmental concerns of the world today is air pollution. It is affecting our health every day. There is a gradual rise in allergy and asthma cases all over the world. Particulate matter of size 2.5 microns are a major health concern of the present decade since when inhaled they can reach deep into our lungs and tissues via the bloodstreams. PM 2.5 stands for the Particulate Matter 2.5 floating in the air that is the size of 2.5 microns. In this study, we analyzed the aeroallergen and the PM 2.5 in the Texas panhandle and conduct studies with AHPCO nanotechnology to reduce the aeroallergen. There are a high number of fibers coming from the feedlots. Pollen is not the only microscopic aeroallergen that affects humans; there are fibers, Trichrome (plant hair), insect parts and more. All of these PM 2.5 aeroallergens can affect human health. Humans spend most of their time indoors; bio analyzing PM 2.5 and using air purifiers inside can help maintain cleaner air indoors. I used a Leica DM-750 Digital microscope with LAS V4.9 to analyze the PM 2.5 and the aeroallergen that are prevalent in the Texas panhandle. Allergies, asthma and hospitalizations for respiratory diseases are rising worldwide caused by air pollution of aerosols in the form of Particulate Matter 2.5 (PM 2.5) in correlation with other aeroallergens. The PM 2.5 is largely responsible for air pollution all over the world, which leads to serious health hazards and death because of its size. Studies on improvement of outdoor air quality are extremely important for everyone’s health. There are many reports of poor air quality measuring above the prescribed safe level found in Beijing in China, Delhi in India, Istanbul in Turkey, Hanoi in Vietnam, Southeastern Brazil, Los Angeles and New York in the U.S. In some locations like Beijing, wearing a mask during commutes is common practice because of high pollution concentration of PM 2.5. Advances have been made in the air purification system by using the Advanced Hydrated Photocatalytic Oxidation (AHPCO) and Plasma-technology used in the unit called i-Adapt developed by Air Oasis in Amarillo, Texas. We measured the natural rate of decay and compared that to the i-Adapt unit to assess the proficiency of this newly developed air purification unit. After the fans ran for 24 hours the unit i-Adapt was turned on and reading of PM 2.5 representing the air quality was taken at 24, 72, and 120 hours with a Temtop M2000C air quality meter. Our evaluation and assessment with aeroallergens like pollen and molds, fibers and dander showed that the i-Adapt air purifier stands in the front of the world’s air purification system involving a hybrid technology to improve the indoor air quality. Further studies should be conducted to establish the applications of the i-Adapt Unit to the various facets of our lives.

Description

The unit was tested to evaluate the quality of performance resulting in the removal of PM 2.5 in a fiberglass chamber. In this experiment, we used dust containing Particulate Matters (PM) with an average size of 2.75micrometers (ISO 12103-1 Ultrafine Dust Particle, PTI Powder Tech., Minnesota) in order to measure particle concentration. The i-Adapt unit was placed into a fiberglass chamber to exert its effects on the circulating dust. We measured the natural rate of decay and compared that to the i-Adapt unit to assess the proficiency of this newly developed air purification unit. After the fans ran for 24 hours the unit i-Adapt was turned on and reading of PM 2.5 representing the air quality was taken at 24, 72, and 120 hours with a Temtop M2000C air quality meter. The average PM 2.5 count was 51.2 after spreading and saturating the air in the chamber using four fans in the corners of the fiberglass chamber. The count went down to 17 after the first 24 hours on running the i-Adapt air purifier. The PM 2.5 counts were down to 9.3 and 4.3 after 72 and 120 hours of running the unit. The gradual reduction of the PM 2.5 count revealed the high efficiency of the i-Adapt air purifier. In the next part of the experiment, we exposed the petri-plates prepared with Brain Heart Infusion Agar (DIFCO) in a room with a size of 100sq. ft. (NSB 215). The exposure periods were 48hrs. 72hrs. and 120hrs. We found the development of colonies of fungi and bacteria distributed on the petri plates on incubation for 24 hours in the incubator at 37oC. In the next step, we ran the i-Adapt for 48hrs. 72 hrs. and 120 hrs. and placed the petri plates for exposure in the closed room. We restricted the entrance in the room to avoid any external contamination into the room. We found development of no colonies after the stated exposures. AHPCO and Bi-polar ionization technology proved to be very efficient in sanitizing the indoor air, reducing the PM2.5 and the mold concentration. This Ionization nanotechnology could be promising to decrease the incidence of allergic rhinitis, asthma and other more extensive lung conditions in the future. Our evaluation and assessment with aeroallergen like pollen and molds, fibers and dander showed that the i-Adapt air purifier stands in the front of the world’s air purification system involving a hybrid technology to improve the indoor air quality. Further studies should be conducted to establish the applications of the i-Adapt Unit to the various facets of our lives.

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Citation

N. Ghosh, P. Banerjee, A. Howard, J. Bennert, J. Vitale (2019). Association between exposures of Particulate Matter 2.5 and Pollen Antigens with acute precipitation of respiratory symptoms: A perspective study in adults in a city. Collection Vol. of IASTEM International Conference, New York, USA, March 2019:17-22 2. Ghosh, N. Sherali, N. Hiranuma, P. Banerjee, J. Rogers, J. Bennert, J. Vitale, C. Revanna. (2018). Air pollution with 2.5 micron particulate matters and testing the decay of the aerosol concentration as a function of time to compare the efficiency of AHPCO® and Bi-Polar units in reducing the indoor particle counts. European Scientific Journal, February 2018 edition Vol.14, No.6: 26-40 ISSN: 1857 – 7881 (Print) e - ISSN 1857- 7431 3. N., Ghosh, Sherali, N., Banerjee, P., Rogers J., Bennert, J., Vitale, J. (2018). Increase in Allergic Rhinitis, Asthma and Respiratory Ailments, AHPCO® and Plasma Nanotechnology as the remedy for improving the indoor air quality by reducing the indoor aeroallergen and particle counts. IASTEM 118, (2018): 12-15 4. N. Ghosh, G. Estrada, Veloz, M., Bouyi, D., Bennert, J. Bennert, J., Saadeh, C. and Revanna, C. (2017). Meteorological and clinical analysis of aeroallergen data: Increase in allergy and asthma cases in Texas Panhandle. ALLERGY AND ALLERGEN IMMUNOTHERAPY: New Mechanisms and Strategies (2017):101-124. Book Chapter, Apple, CRC Press, New York 5. N. Ghosh, A. Howard, N. Sherali, C. Revanna, C. Pratt, C. Saadeh, J. Bennert, J. Bennert, K. Mullan and J. Rogers. (2017). Reduction of MRSA populations and Aeroallergens on using AHPCO® and Plasma Nanotechnology for Air Purification. International Journal of Advances in Science, Engineering and Technology, ISSN: 2321-9009, Vol-5, Issue-3-1, Aug.-2017:10-12. 6. Nabarun Ghosh, A. Howard, N. Sherali, P. Bannerjee, C. Revanna, J. Bennert, C. Saadeh and C. Revanna. (2017). Increase in 2.5 Micron Airborne Particulate Matters, AHPCO and Plasma Nanotechnology in Reducing the Symptoms of Asthma and Allergic Rhinitis. European Scientific Journal, September 2017, ISSN: 1857 – 7881. pp. 61-68. Web Link: https://eujournal.org/index.php/esj/article/view/10125

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11310/299

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2020 Faculty Research Poster Session and Research Fair