Purify the air with an air purifier
You tackle the following challenges:
That's how you do it
The concentration of indoor pollutants is determined by the outdoor air and by indoor pollutant sources. The most efficient way to improve indoor air quality is to remove, or at least reduce, these sources and ventilate the room as much as possible with fresh outside air. Air purifiers are a supplement to this: they do not replace ventilation. The device only takes care of filtering out certain particles, not for the supply of oxygen, nor for the removal of CO 2 and other polluting particles.
Tips
- An important point of attention for air purification systems is the cost. Take into account not only the purchase price, but also energy consumption, maintenance costs, filter replacement...
- Proper installation and correct setting of the air purification system are very important for proper functioning: where do you place the air purifier, the system is adjusted to the size of the room and the activities that take place there...
- Regular maintenance of air purification systems is also very important. This way you ensure that the installation continues to work properly and that filters do not clog. In addition, in some systems, harmful by-products such as ozone can be produced; that is also why regular maintenance and inspection is a necessity. In systems that work with mechanical filtration, it is important that the filters are fine enough to capture, for example, diesel soot
Knowing more
There are all kinds of air purification systems that use different techniques such as mechanical filtration, electrostatic filtration… There are systems that can be built into a central ventilation system and stand-alone appliances. Depending on the situation and the air quality problem you want to tackle (particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, pollen, viruses...), certain systems are preferable to others:
- Mechanical filters can be installed in pipes of buildings with central heating and/or air conditioning. They can also be used in portable devices with a fan that draws the air through a filter, such as the 'High Efficiency Particulate Air' filters.
- Electronic air purifiers use an electric field to trap charged particles. They can also be built into central heating and/or air conditioning ducts, or consist of portable units with a fan. Electronic air purifiers usually consist of an electrostatically charged filter.
- Ion generators also use static charges to remove particles from the
More information
- How much fine dust is there in the house and what is the use of air purification devices for this (Department of Environment, Flanders)
- Air cleaners and air filters in the home (EPA, US)
- Air purifiers and COVID-19 (RIVM, the Netherlands)
- Clean air project (Flanders, Netherlands)
