White Paper: The Importance of Reviveaire Aireshield’s Pathogen Disinfection Conformance to ASHRAE 241
Introduction Indoor air quality (IAQ) plays a critical role in public health, comfort, and productivity. The global pandemic underscored the urgent need to address airborne pathogens and ensure environments are as safe as possible. To meet these challenges, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) introduced Standard 241, “Control of Infectious Aerosols.” This standard provides guidelines for reducing airborne pathogen transmission in buildings through ventilation, filtration, and air-cleaning technologies. Reviveaire’s Aireshield technology stands out as a premier solution by not only conforming to ASHRAE 241 but also addressing key challenges in pathogen control, ultrafine particle elimination, and biofilm removal without harmful byproducts.
The Need for ASHRAE 241 in Layman’s Terms Imagine a crowded room where invisible germs and harmful particles float in the air, increasing the risk of illness. ASHRAE 241 exists to provide a blueprint for ensuring that the air in these spaces is as clean and safe as possible. By setting performance standards for air-cleaning systems, the standard ensures technologies can effectively remove or neutralize pathogens without introducing other hazards. This is particularly crucial in schools, hospitals, and workplaces where maintaining health is a top priority.
How Reviveaire Aireshield Aligns with ASHRAE 241
- Pathogen Disinfection Performance
Reviveaire Aireshield utilizes advanced non-thermal plasma (NTP) technology to neutralize airborne pathogens at a molecular level. This cutting-edge approach disrupts the cell walls of bacteria and viruses, rendering them inactive and preventing transmission. By targeting pathogens directly, Aireshield meets and exceeds ASHRAE 241’s rigorous performance criteria for disinfection efficacy. - Ozone Generation and Byproducts Compliance
ASHRAE 241 emphasizes safety, ensuring air-cleaning systems do not emit harmful byproducts like ozone. Reviveaire Aireshield is engineered to operate within the strictest guidelines, producing ozone emissions conforming to UL-2998 limits. Furthermore, its design ensures no harmful secondary byproducts are generated during the disinfection process, maintaining a clean and safe indoor environment. - Elimination of Ultrafine Particles and Biofilms
Ultrafine particles, often smaller than 0.1 microns, pose significant health risks because they can penetrate deep into the respiratory system. Biofilms, meanwhile, are resilient microbial colonies that adhere to surfaces and contribute to persistent contamination. Aireshield’s non-thermal plasma technology excels in agglomerating ultrafine particles and breaking down biofilms, ensuring comprehensive pathogen control that goes beyond conventional filtration systems.
Key Advantages of Reviveaire Aireshield
- Conformance to ASHRAE 241
By meeting the performance standards outlined in ASHRAE 241, Aireshield provides confidence to building operators, engineers, and occupants that it is a reliable and effective solution for airborne pathogen control. - Innovative Technology
Unlike traditional air-cleaning methods, Reviveaire’s non-thermal plasma technology delivers enhanced disinfection without relying on consumables or generating waste, aligning with sustainability goals. - Safe and Eco-Friendly
With zero ozone production and no harmful byproducts, Aireshield ensures safety for occupants and the environment alike. Its low-maintenance design eliminates the need for chemicals or frequent part replacements, reducing operational costs and environmental impact. - Enhanced IAQ and Health Benefits
Aireshield not only neutralizes pathogens but also improves overall IAQ by removing ultrafine particles and biofilms. This comprehensive approach reduces the burden on HVAC systems, enhances energy efficiency, and supports healthier indoor environments.
Conclusion Reviveaire Aireshield’s conformance to ASHRAE 241 underscores its leadership in advanced air disinfection technology. By addressing critical challenges such as pathogen control, ultrafine particle removal, and biofilm elimination, Aireshield provides a holistic solution that prioritizes safety, sustainability, and effectiveness. As we face increasing demands for healthier indoor spaces, Aireshield emerges as a cornerstone for achieving superior IAQ and safeguarding public health.
Comparison with Other Technologies
- UV Technology
UV-C light is commonly used for air disinfection by disrupting the DNA or RNA of pathogens. However, this method can inadvertently generate ozone, which is a known carcinogen, and other harmful byproducts. Additionally, UV systems are less effective against ultrafine particles. And requires expensive consumables for UV bulb replacement. (Citation: ACS Publications) - Photocatalytic Oxidation (PCO)
PCO systems use ultraviolet light and a catalyst to oxidize airborne contaminants. While effective in breaking down some organic compounds, these systems often generate reactive byproducts, including formaldehyde (known carcinogen) and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Their efficacy against ultrafine particles and biofilms is also limited. (Citation: Concordia University) - Ionization Technologies
Bipolar and needlepoint ionization systems release ions into the air to neutralize pathogens and particles. However, these technologies can produce ozone (known carcinogen, Citation: EPA). Moreover, their performance consistency across diverse environments has been questioned, particularly regarding biofilm elimination. - Ultrafine Particle Challenges in UV-Based Systems
UV systems, while addressing some pathogens, may lead to the generation of ultrafine particles through photolytic reactions. These particles can exacerbate respiratory health risks and undermine the overall IAQ improvements intended by such technologies. (Citation: ACS Publications)
Conclusion: ASHRAE 241 is indeed a comprehensive and strict standard, that has recently been implemented. In the rush to show compliance, some manufacturers have resorted to false unfounded claims not being third-party validated.
As an example, some manufacturers vary airflow based on the test focus. For pathogen disinfection, they increase airflow and intensity to temporarily comply to ASHRAE 241. In order to lower Ozone and/or by-product generation, they may lower airflow or intensity.
This is why full compliance must be conducted with high and low airflow for both pathogen performance, and Ozone/by-product generation.
The Reviveaire Aireshield technology meets and exceeds ASHRAE 241 and the required performance for increased pathogen disinfection at both low and high airflow modes including the absence of by-product formation.
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