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. 2022 Jul 4:2:84.
doi: 10.12688/openreseurope.14771.1. eCollection 2022.

Nanosized titanium dioxide particle emission potential from a commercial indoor air purifier photocatalytic surface: A case study

Antti Joonas Koivisto  1   2   3 , Sara Trabucco  4 , Fabrizio Ravegnani  4 , Francescopiero Calzolari  4 , Alessia Nicosia  4 , Benedetta Del Secco  4 , Marko Altin  5 , Elisa Morabito  6 , Magda Blosi  7 , Anna Costa  7 , Franco Belosi  4
Affiliations

Nanosized titanium dioxide particle emission potential from a commercial indoor air purifier photocatalytic surface: A case study

Antti Joonas Koivisto et al. Open Res Eur. .

Abstract

Background: Photocatalytic air purifiers based on nano-titanium dioxide (TiO 2) visible light activation provide an efficient solution for removing and degrading contaminants in air. The potential detachment of TiO 2 particles from the air purifier to indoor air could cause a safety concern. A TiO 2 release potential was measured for one commercially available photocatalytic air purifier "Gearbox Wivactive" to ensure a successful implementation of the photocatalytic air purifying technology. Methods: In this study, the TiO 2 release was studied under laboratory-simulated conditions from a Gearbox Wivactive consisting of ceramic honeycombs coated with photocatalytic nitrogen doped TiO 2 particles. The TiO 2 particle release factor was measured in scalable units according to the photoactive surface area and volume flow (TiO 2-ng/m 2×m 3). The impact of Gearbox Wivactive on indoor concentration level under reasonable worst-case conditions was predicted by using the release factor and a well-mixed indoor aerosol model. Results: The instrumentation and experimental setup was not sufficiently sensitive to quantify the emissions from the photoactive surfaces. The upper limit for TiO 2 mass release was <185×10 -3 TiO 2-ng/m 2×m 3. Under realistic conditions the TiO 2 concentration level in a 20 m 3 room ventilated at rate of 0.5 1/h and containing two Gearbox Wivactive units resulted <20×10 -3 TiO 2-ng/m 3. Conclusions: The release potential was quantified for a photocatalytic surface in generalized units that can be used to calculate the emission potential for different photocatalytic surfaces used in various operational conditions. This study shows that the TiO 2 nanoparticle release potential was low in this case and the release does not cause relevant exposure as compared to proposed occupational exposure limit values for nanosized TiO 2. The TiO 2 release risk was adequately controlled under reasonable worst-case operational conditions.

Keywords: Nanomaterial; TiO2; emission; exposure; indoor aerosol; indoor air purifier; photocatalytic oxidation; release.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: AJK works as an independent consultant in Air Pollution Management (APM). MA is employed by Witek srl.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Gearbox Wivactive air purifier main components (reproduced with permission from the copyright holder, WITEK ( WITEK, 2022)).
1) a prefilter, 2,3 and 4) photoactive honeycombs, 5) a light emitting diode light, 6) a fan.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.. Test 1 experimental set up where the Gearbox Wivactive recirculates the air inside a closed chamber.
CPC, condensation particle counter; OPC-N3, optical particle counter Alphasense; HEPA, high efficiency particulate air.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Scheme of the Test 2 experimental set up where A) laboratory air is aspirated through the Gearbox Wivactive and B) air is recirculated in a sealed circuit.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.. Single condensation particle counter measurements over three days.
The concentration pattern is increasing due to external air infiltration ( Koivisto et al., 2022).
Figure 5.
Figure 5.. Time derivative of the particle number concentration inside the box (each point is 15 minutes averaged concentration).
See Koivisto et al., 2022.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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