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There have been many experiments with new technologies when it comes to air cleaners. Some air cleaners add chemical adsorption media and some try different types of filters. The newest technology that is being tested out by the air cleaning market is chemical injection. Chemical injection is a different process than what an air cleaner goes through with its air. There is no actual air cleaner involved and the air is simply injected with a chemical to rid it of toxins. With injection, an agent that is active is injected into the environment. The agent should be able to interact with the contaminants in the air and chemically changing them. Although it sounds like a process that could work, injection is found to have many drawbacks that may do more harm than good to the air that is trying to be cleaned.
One type of air cleaner that uses chemical injection technology injects ozone into the air in order to clean it. Ozone is a type of molecule made of oxygen that has an extra oxygen molecule. The ozone gives up the extra molecule of oxygen as soon as it meets a chemical, which oxidizes the chemical. The chemical is then turned into a regular oxygen molecule and the harmful contaminant is gone. The oxidation process may seem to eliminate the chemicals from the air but there are many drawbacks to this process. The oxidation of chemicals can give off elements into the air that may be harmful for humans to breathe. The element of ozone itself is also proven to be dangerous. Ozone is important for the environment but when humans breathe in too much ozone, it can cause harm to their respiratory systems. It is especially harmful to people that already suffer from previous respiratory conditions or are sensitive to chemicals. Ozone has been found to even kill smaller animals when they inhaled it.
Negative ions are another type of injection technology that is used in air cleaners. These are molecules that have an extra electron they are charged with. They are charged this way by using a high voltage needle and inserting the extra electron. The negative ion then gives up its extra electron when there is another element it encounters. The molecule that the negative ion has encountered now has an electric charge. This electric charge causes it to stick to the nearest solid item it can find. The particles or dust that have been electrically charged due to the negative ion air cleaners are taken out of the air. Although the dust particles and fumes are taken out of the air, they are then stuck to walls or other grounded structures that are in the vicinity. The dirt and dust that is taken out of the air is still present since it is now stuck to the surrounding walls. Therefore, the negative ions never really cleaned the environment and made it safe. They simply moved the pollutants in the air to the walls. The use of negative ion is not proven to be as effective as the use of an air cleaner. They also do have the drawback of not completely cleaning the environment and eliminating toxins but simply moving them to the surrounding walls. Negative ions are generally used in large chicken coops in order to eliminate the dust that can rise. This process is also known to be used in United States submarines. Although this process is used by certain industries, it is not as efficient or useful as an air cleaner.
There are many types of processes that are being discovered to clean the air. Chemical injection technology is one the most recent processes that has been discovered and is already being used in a few select industries. However, injection technology has been proven to not be as effective in air cleaners when it comes to removing particles from the air. Although it seems that chemical injection air cleaners do their job at removing toxins, it can have harmful side effects and is still not as useful at cleaning air than a regular air cleaner. An air cleaner with HEPA technology or electrostatic technology still ranks higher at effectiveness in producing clean and safe air.
Chemical Injection Technology in Air Cleaners
