Removal of Indoor Airborne Bacteria by Nano- as Photocatalyst: Feasibility Study in Museum and Nursing Institutions
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 137, Issue 3
Abstract
Deterioration of indoor air quality attributable to airborne bacterial consortia is a widespread environmental problem. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of applying the syngetic effect of nano- as a photocatalyst and UV light to enhance the disinfecting capability of full-scale bacterial restraining equipment on-site in the National Museum of Natural Science and a medical-nursing institute. The influence of initial counts of total airborne bacteria and volume of space on the efficiency of bacterial restraining have been studied. In the case of museum application, a higher initial total bacterial count leads to better bacterial restraining rates; Site A (initial total bacterial counts = ) has the best bacterial restraining rate (92%) as compared with Site B (69%, initial total bacterial counts = ) and Site C (80%, initial total bacterial counts = ) after 24 h of operation. Higher initial counts of total airborne bacteria lead to an increasing bacterial restraining rate. Approximately 92% (Site A) and 74% of restrained bacterial rate were observed in a museum and nursing institutions, respectively, under the similar initial total airborne bacterial counts (506, ). The results illustrate that changes in the volume of space do not have significant inhibitory effects on the efficiency. The proposed equipment can disinfect air to restrain bacteria effectively, as demonstrated on-site in museums and nursing institutions; the results will be valuable references for designing a full-scale commercialized device for large-scale applications in the future.
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Acknowledgments
The National Science Council of Taiwan supported this research through Grant No. NSCTNSC 98-3114-E-167-001. This support is gratefully acknowledged. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the writers and should not be construed as the opinions of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
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Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 137 • Issue 3 • March 2011
Pages: 163 - 170
Copyright
© 2011 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jan 15, 2010
Accepted: Jul 22, 2010
Published online: Jul 24, 2010
Published in print: Mar 1, 2011
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