What does active and passive air treatment mean?

We know how critical the air quality we breathe is to our health and overall wellbeing. When it comes to air quality, most people don't realise the difference in technology, and how it can impact performance.

11.01.2022 Air Purity

This article addresses the differences and why specifically designed technology should be considered as part of your overall solution.

What is passive air?

Passive air treatment is the term used when the removal of airborne impurities in an indoor space is reliant on the air being passed through a filter or over ultraviolet light. Passive technologies, which are limited to treating air only and not surfaces, are commonly situated inside ductwork, external to the space being ventilated. In other words, when a pollutant or virus becomes airborne indoors, in order to be caught or deactivated it must first pass through the indoor space towards an extract grille on the ceiling. It then travels through ductwork and is hopefully collected by a filter. Or in the case of UV light, the virus must pass close enough to a UV light, at the correct speed to be deactivated. By the time that happens the pollutant or virus may have passed through an occupied space and infected many other occupants in the room. These types of methods also require regular maintenance, such as filter cleaning or replacement lighting which come at additional cost.

What is active air purification, and why is it different?

It treats pollutants from all 3 categories (microbials, VOCs/gases and particulates) and its effect is felt throughout the entire indoor space simultaneously and continuously. This means any pollutant in the air or on surfaces anywhere is instantly treated, deactivated, or removed from the air. In other words, it treats pollutants and viruses at the point of transmission. This is different to passive processes like filtration, UV-C, PCO and ionisation, which rely on the pollutant to pass close to or through the unit to be treated and offer nothing for surface contaminations. This simultaneous and continuous effect throughout the air and surface space adds protection, especially against SARS-CoV-2 and other viral transmissions.

Active air purification negates the need for recurrent fogging processes in buildings. This can yield significant savings. Further, current COVID mitigation guidance recommends increasing ventilation and filtration, but this can often lead to thermal comfort issues that impact productivity and building energy efficiency. Active air purification technology negates the need to follow this measure and avoids these problems. Because it is always working everywhere and is not dependent on the actions or behaviours of people, it is an essential tool in the box for indoor R rate control of any virus.

Active air purification is the most effective strategy for improving indoor air quality in any indoor space, primarily if used in addition to existing measures. Anecdotal feedback shows it consistently leads to improved productivity, reduced absenteeism, improved patient outcomes in healthcare, and enhanced health and wellbeing in other settings, leading to a reduced burden on healthcare systems and improved societal, economic performance.

It’s time to get active.

At Diatom, we solve challenging problems with good products, and believe in making tomorrow a better place to live.

If you’re not sure where to start, don’t hesitate to get in touch.