Understanding How UV Air Purifiers work

UV air purifiers have become increasingly popular as air cleaners for home and business environments. Available in a large range of sizes for different room dimensions, they effectively remove pollutants from the air with minimal maintenance.  Their quiet operation and low maintenance design make them an attractive solution for most home or business owners. 

UV air purifiers work by a process known as “photocatalyst.”   The translation of photocatalyst is composed of two parts, “photo” to mean “light, and “catalyst” to mean a substance which acts to modify the rate of a chemical transformation without alteration of the reactants.  When used for air purification, the photocatalyst process oxidizes organic germs, fungi, and odors within an enclosed area.  In a natural environment, purification of the air is accomplished by the ultraviolet rays of the sun and the ozone that is produced from thunderstorms.  This is what causes the air to smell so pure and fresh after a storm.  What is known as “ion generation” occurs naturally from lightning and ultraviolet radiation. 

UV air purifiers attempt to emulate that same process indoors by changing the ionic atmosphere and balance.  Ions are air particles that are electrically charged, and will be negative or positive.  In nature, the ion’s negative to positive balance is naturally occurring, and maintained at an approximate ratio of 6 positive ions to 5 negative ions.  However, in an enclosed atmosphere, this balance is critically off due to the high number of positive ions and low number of negative ions.  This disruption of balance is caused primarily by indoor pollutants such as smoke, dust, pollen, formaldehyde, and bacteria that result in the negative ion losing its charge. This creates an abundance of negative air particles which then attract positive particles until the air is saturated.  A UV air cleaner produces negative ions to counter this imbalance, and produce a cleaner, fresher air.

The UV air cleaner technology emulates nature through the creation of ultraviolet light rays, safe ozone levels, and passive negative ions.  With all three elements the air is purified.  This technology should not be confused with air cleaners, which use filters for cleaning the air, as it does not clean the air, but purifies and revitalizes it.  A fourth process that takes place is the titanium dioxide catalyst, which when activated, results in the generation of hydroxyl radicals and super oxide ions.  What all of this means to the home or business owner is an indoor environment that is as pure and clean as mountain air.