LIKE NATURE INTENDED
Aircode ™ can imitate nature’s own way of clean air by adding a rich and balanced amount of positive and negative ions.
CLEAN AIR
The Aircode ™ brand is today comprised of ionization products that can purify the air we work and live in.
Aircode ™ contributes to increased productivity, efficiency, health and well-being by delivering energy-efficient, environmentally friendly and bacteria-reducing solutions.
The technology can create a cleaner indoor climate both in industrial processes and in commercial buildings and public premises.
The products control that ion concentration without chemicals or additives, which gives clean fresh air and no airborne particles.
HOW DOES THE TECHNOLOGY WORK?
The technology binds the pollutants that increase in size and mass, sink to the floor or get stuck in filters due to the increased mass, which can clean the air we breathe.
The air consists of both negative and positive ions. Air that we feel good about contains a good balance between negative and positive ions.
Humans, however, affect that balance by producing positive ions. This is done, among other things, through pollution, the use of central heating, air conditioning, computers, lighting and cars.
Pollutants also cause the air to leach onto negative ions and the air thus has poorer quality. The pollutants can be divided into micro and macro particles, the first of which do the most damage. Most of the particles are filtered out by inhalation or fall to the ground by themselves, but they also cause permanent problems for sensitive and allergic people.
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ABOUT AIRCODE™
The Aircode line of products generate a rich balance between positive and negative ions – providing an even and energizing environment that is beneficial and comfortable to all.
HOW DOES THE TECHNOLOGY WORK?
Matseco’s Aircode™ products supply the indoor air with negative and positive ions through cold plasma reduction. The ions attract positively charged particles in the air and cause the particles to bond to nearby objects. The airborne particles clump together and then fall to the surface with the help of their own weight. They are then bonded by static electricity and will be easily be removed by normal cleaning. This method can be used to clean all types of particulate matter from the air. The Aircode process reduces the pollutants in the air and prevents them from being inhaled.
When the ions are neutralized, the molecules that hold the particle together are separated and the original coalescence is lost. This means that odors and bacteria literally “disappear” from the air.. By adjusting the introduction of positive ions, varying levels of particulate matter and airborne organic compounds can be controlled. If positive ions were not added, particles would adhere to objects or people or remain airborne and be inhaled.
A lot of positive ions are formed in our immediate proximity during the heating or air conditioning process as well as around computers and other electrical equipment. Synthetic materials in curtains and clothing attract negative ions. When these phenomenon are combined, air quality is compromised by an imbalance between negative and positive ions.
Air that is beneficial to us contains an even and rich balance between positive and negative ions. To achieve that beneficial balance Aircode™ uses a bipolar ionization technique which, in addition to cleansing the air also balances the air so that there are no static charges.
Benefits of Aircode™:
Reduces dust and mold particles. Binds the pollutants that increase in size and mass, sink to the floor or get trapped in filters, which cleans the air we breathe.
Reduces static electricity. Neutralizes the air and eliminates static charges.
Reduces bad odor. Break down odor at source and eliminate it.
Reduces VOC (volatile organic compounds). Degrades toxic gases from dangerous chemicals such as cleaning products, pesticides, paints, solvents.
Reduce bacteria and viruses. Bipolar ions affect bacteria and viruses to protect you from diseases.
Minimal maintenance. Simply replace the Aircode ™ tubes after about 9000 hours.
IONIZATION
The human body is fantastic at filtering things but it is sensitive to high concentrations of micro particles. Humans suffer considerable long-term effects from particulate matter that enters and remains in the lungs.
FRIGHTENING INFORMATION
Particles are continuously on the move in the air. Less than 10% of these are macro-particles that can be seen with the naked eye. The remainder are called micro- or nano-particles and are so small that they are perceived as fog or smoke in higher densities.
Today’s ventilation filters and installations have great difficulty eliminating nano-sized particles. Filtration systems are incapable of capturing these in the vast majority of air handling installations. The fact is that most particles enter nearly every commercial and industrial environment – effecting employee health and safety.
Will everyone suffer from allergies in the future?
Air that is beneficial to us contains a good balance between positive and negative ions. The negative ions seem to give us a general and energized feeling of well-being and they also have a favourable effect on our bodies. A good indoor environment is important for avoiding health problems. This is particularly important for people with asthma, allergies and other hypersensitivities since they often react sooner and to a greater extent to inadequacies in the indoor environment than those who are healthy. We spend 90% or more of our time indoors and indoor air is often of a poorer quality than outdoor air.
When more people than usual experience difficulties and these are linked to being in a particular building we normally talk about a “sick building” syndrome. Moisture and mould damage, inadequate ventilation, poor cleaning, and air pollutants (chemical emissions), may all be contributors to a “sick building”. It has also been discovered that people can develop asthma in poor indoor environments such as houses with moisture problems.
The link between coronary illnesses and air intake systems that introduce high counts of harmful foreign particles into a building has been shown in a number of government studies.
Studies in Sweden show that 350 people in Stockholm and Gothenburg die every year from heart and coronary diseases cause by particles. The primary source is particles from diesel and gasoline engine emissions, rubber tires and even wood burning. The problem is only getting worse as more types and higher volumes of nano-particles find their way into our homes and our workplace environments.
Nature’s own method
It is well known that plants, trees, active earth and radioactive substances produce ions. Our forests play a strong role in maintaining the ion balance as they generate a large number of negative ions. Fresh, clean air contains approximately 2000-4000 negative ions per cubic meter. In nature the average distribution is 4 negative ions to 5 positive ions. A distribution of 5 negative ions to 4 positive ions (approximately 2500 ions per cubic meter) has been measured in forests in the vicinity of small urban areas. The distribution in densely populated areas and enclosed spaces (indoors) is quite different and there is a marked deficiency of negative ions and sometimes, none at all.
The Thunderstorm Example
Several hours before a thunderstorm, the concentration of positive ions in the air increases. This increase is caused by positive ions preceding weather fronts by one to two days – ions (electricity, in effect) traveling more quickly than the air mass. These positive ions create the oppressive and “heavy” feeling we have all experienced. When the storm arrives and there is thunder, wind and rain the concentration of negative ions in the air increases significantly while the positive ions decrease. The air feels fresh and clean.
That is why we call negative ions the air’s vitamins. An increasing number of researchers see a positive relationship between the number of negative ions and an increase in the human body’s capacity to absorb oxygen.
COMPETITIVE PRODUCTS
Comparison between the most common air purification methods and how they work compared to Aircode technology.
HEPA Filtration
High Efficiency Particulate Air, filtration
Pleated filter that has high efficiency to trap particles in ventilation systems or in recirculation systems.
Can be installed in ventilation systems or used independently.
Does not affect the source of infection – only filters out polluted air.
Does not affect certain mold spores, bacteria or viruses.
Impedes airflow if installed in ventilation systems and increases energy costs.
Requires maintenance on several occasions a year for filter replacement.
UV (Ultraviolet) purification
Disinfection takes place by allowing the air to pass through ultraviolet light.
Can be installed in ventilation systems or used independently.
Ultraviolet light only affects the infectious substances that pass the light beam.
The ambient air is not affected.
UV presupposes that the infectious substances are exposed to the light beam for a sufficiently long time.
UV radiation can be dangerous to humans
Some bacteria (eg Aspergillus Niger) are completely resistant to UV radiation.
Does not obstruct the air flow in a ventilation system.
Requires annual maintenance to replace lamps
“Needle specialization”
Creates monopolar ionization that attracts the particles.
The monopolar principle uses walls or other adjacent surface as the required opposite polarity.
This surface attracts the charged opposite polarity and results in so-called “black or dirty walls”.
Works only on a small area around the device itself.
Requires energy charges (25,000 to 40,000 volts) to produce ions.
Not effective against bacteria, spores and VOCs
Creates uncontrolled production of positive ions that together with high energy production form ozone.
Disturb, among other things .. radio equipment.
Cannot be installed in ventilation systems.
“Dust collector”
For example. a number of portable devices.
The particles adhere to the metal surface of the unit and monopolarity is created by electrified collector plates.
Effective just a few inches from the device itself.
Forms ozone.
Does not affect bacteria, spores or VOCs.
Cannot be installed in ventilation systems.
Aircode technology
Purify the air by producing a controlled amount of positive and negative ions that reactivate the oxygen molecules.
By controlling the positive and negative ions and by the low energy charge (2,000 to 3,000 volts), a dangerous amount of ozone is not formed.
BPI has been shown to be effective against bacteria, mold spores, VOCs and particles present in the air.
Affects the source of infection
Can be installed in ventilation systems
Does not obstruct the air flow if it is installed in a ventilation system.
Requires annual maintenance for replacement of pipes.
REPORTS
Scientific reports confirm the effectiveness of Aircode™
Salmonella and airborne microbes
Ionization as an alternative to chemicals in foods
Ions eliminate airborne infections
Salmonella and airborne microbes
Abstract:
A study conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture showing that ionization drastically reduces airborne salmonella microbes, killing the organisms within 60 seconds. Tests were conducted at chicken egg hatching stations whose environments contained large quantities of dust in the air. In a room that housed laying hens that were contaminated with salmonella, the transmission of salmonella between chickens was reduced by 98% while the salmonella in the air was reduced by 95%. This is also a consequence of the ionization’s effectiveness at reducing the quantities of dust in the air. This is important since microbes and pollution “hitch a ride” on dust particles to find their way into lungs and feathers.
Title:
BACTERICIDAL EFFECTS OF NEGATIVE AIR IONS ON AIRBORNE
AND SURFACE SALMONELLA ENTERITIDIS FROM AN ARTIFICIALLY GENERATED AEROSOL
Authors:
Seo, Kun Ho ; Mitchell, Bailey ; Holt, Peter ; Gast, Richard
Submitted to: Journal Of Food Protection
Publication Acceptance Date: August 31, 2000
Publication Date: February 1, 2001
Interpretive Summary:
To investigate whether ion-enriched air exerts a bactericidal effect, an aerosol containing Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) was pumped into a sealed plastic chamber. Plates of agar were attached to the walls, ceiling, and floor of the chamber and exposed to the aerosol for 3 hours with and without the ionizatione treatment. The plates were then removed from the chamber, incubated at 37C for 24 hours, and colonies were counted. Greater than 1,000 cells/plate were observed on plates exposed to the aerosol without the ionize treatment (control) compared with less than 20 cells/plate on the ionize-treated plates. In another series of experiments, the SE aerosol was pumped for 3 h for 3 hours into an empty chamber containing only the ionizer and allowed to collect on the internal surfaces. The inside surfaces of the chamber were then rinsed with 100 ml saline solution which was then plated onto agar media. While the rinse from the control chamber contained colony counts greater than 400 cells/ml of wash, no colonies were found in the rinse from the ionizatione-treatment chamber. These results indicate that high levels of negative air ions can have a significant impact on the airborne microbial load and that most of this effect is through direct killing of the organisms. This technology, which also causes significant reduction in airborne dust, has already been successfully applied in poultry hatching cabinets and caged egg-layinglayer rooms.
Technical Abstract:
Studies have demonstrated that transmission of Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) within a flock could occur via the airborne route, especially in stressed birds. To investigate whether the ionizer exerted a bactericidal effect on the organisms, a sealed plastic chamber was constructed into which an aerosol containing SE was pumped. On the walls, ceiling, and floor of the chamber were attached XLT4 plates which were exposed to the aerosol for 3 hours, in the presenceof and then in the absence of the ionizer. The plates were removed from the chamber, incubated at 37C for 24 hours, and then counts were made. Greater than 1000 CFU/plate were observed on plates exposed to the aerosol without the ionizer compared with less than 20 CFU/plate on the ionizer exposed plates. Experiments where, after being exposed to the 3 hour aerosol, the inside surfaces of the chamber were rinsed with 100 ml PBS and the rinse plated onto XLT4 plates, showed that, while the rinse from the chamber exposed to the aerosol in the absence of the ionizer contained colony counts greater than 400 CFU/ml of wash, no colonies were found in the rinse from ionizer-exposed chambers. These results indicate that negative air ionization can have a significant impact on the airborne microbial load in a poultry house and at least a portion of this effect is through direct killing of the organisms.
Ionization as an alternative to chemicals in foods
Ionization has been shown to be effective in reducing airborne and surface micro-organisms. This study shows how it has been possible to achieve reductions of up to 99% in the case of certain staphylococci and other organisms within 3 hours. Treatment of the bacillus spores over 6 hours reduced them with an efficiency of 96% The apparatus used generated 1,000,000 negative ions per cm3 measured 1 meter from its electrodes.
Title:
USE OF NEGATIVE AIR IONIZATION FOR REDUCING BACTERIAL PATHOGENS
AND SPORES ON STAINLESS STEEL SURFACES
Authors:
Arnold, Judy ; Boothe, Dorothy ; Mitchell, B. – USDA/ARS SEP
Submitted to: Journal Of Applied Poultry Research
Publication Acceptance Date: December 27, 2003
Publication Date: January 1, 2004
Citation: Arnold, J.W., Boothe, D.D., Mitchell, B.W. 2004. Use Of Negative Air Ionization For Reducing Bacterial Pathogens And Spores On Stainless Steel Surfaces. Journal Of Applied Poultry Research. 13:200-206.
Interpretive Summary:
The use of chemicals in food plant sanitation for removing and killing microorganisms could be reduced by the use of non-chemical methods. Negative air ionization is a new technology that has shown potential to effectively reduce airborne and surface microorganisms. An electrostatic space charge system (ESCS) generates a strong negative charge that is transferred to bacteria on stainless steel coupons. Current studies have shown reduction of mixed populations from environmental samples, bacterial pathogens, and bacterial spores. The levels of biofilm bacteria on stainless steel surfaces were decreased with a 99.8% efficiency. In this study, the power of the charge was varied by adjustment of the voltage and/or moving the ground plane closer or further from the electrode points. Counts of bacterial pathogens were less from ionized surfaces than from non-ionized surfaces. Treatment of selected bacteria of food safety importance achieved a 99.9% reduction efficiency in 3 hours. Treatment of selected spores of Bacillus stearothermophilus achieved a 99.8% reduction efficiency in three hours. These data indicate that the ESCS could have an impact in a facility by directly killing bacteria and spores on surfaces.
Technical Abstract:
The use of chemicals in food plant sanitation for removing and killing microorganisms could be reduced by the use of alternative non-chemical interventions. Negative air ionization is a new technology that has shown potential to effectively reduce airborne and surface microorganisms. Current studies have shown reduction of mixed populations from environmental samples, bacterial pathogens, and bacterial spores. In our preliminary work, a small chamber with an electrostatic space charge system (ESCS) was used to transfer a strong negative charge to bacteria on stainless steel coupons. The levels of bio.lm bacteria on stainless steel surfaces were decreased with a 99.8% efficiency. In this study, ion density was varied by adjustment of the ionizer power supply voltage and/or moving the ground plane closer or further from the electrode points to achieve ion densities at 1 m from 103 to 106 negative ions/cm3. Relative humidity was maintained at 85%. Counts of bacterial pathogens were significantly less from ionized surfaces than from non-ionized surfaces. Treatment of Campylobacter jejuni, Escherichia coli, Salmonella enteritidis, Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus achieved up to a 4 log reduction with a 99.9% reduction efficiency in 3 hours. Treatment of spores of Bacillus stearothermophilus achieved a 3 log reduction with a 99.8% reduction efficiency in 3 hours. These data indicate that the ESCS could have an impact on the microbial load in a facility by directly killing bacteria and spores on surfaces.
Ions eliminate airborne infections
A one-year study using ionization equipment at an intensive care ward at University Hospital in Leeds, England has shown to be completely successful with one hundred per cent elimination of airborne infections caused by acinetobacter pathogenes. Infections that occur while in hospital are a very serious problem worldwide. A study by the Swedish College of Medicine estimated that 800 people die each year in Swedish hospitals due to secondary infections and that 90,000-100,000 become infected annually.
There are many forms of hospital infection and approximately 20% of these infections are transmitted via the air. In England alone this represents an annual cost of approximately GBP 100-200 million. Acinetobakter infections are a growing problem at hospitals since this pathogen is resistant to nearly all antibiotics that are currently available. The successful study result has resulted in more money being invested in research on negative ions and their effect on resistant pathogens.
A solution to hospital infections could be in the air
A breakthrough in the fight against infections acquired in hospital could be achieved thanks to pioneering new research. The project is investigating the use of ionizers to eradicate airborne infections in hospitals – a technique that could deliver major health benefits and financial savings. Starting in December 2005, the 3-year initiative will be carried out by engineers at the University of Leeds with funding from the Swindon-based Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
Infections originating in hospital are a serious and widespread problem, affecting around 10% of patients during their stay. There is increasing evidence that up to 20% of these infections are transmitted by an airborne route – at a cost of GBP 100-200 million a year in England alone.
The project will build on a recent successful study at St James’s University Hospital in Leeds. This found that using ionizers to negatively charge air particles in an intensive care unit prevented all infections caused by the Acinetobacter pathogen. Immune to nearly all currently available antibiotics, Acinetobacter infections are a growing problem in hospitals and can be fatal in some groups of patients.
In the new project, the same team will set out to understand the science behind this success and provide a basis for future use of the technique. They will focus on the biological and physical processes associated with negative air ionization and airborne transmission of infection, and establish guidelines for the effective use of ionizers in hospital buildings.
Much of the research will be carried out in the University’s state-of-the-art aerobiological test facility, which was part funded by EPSRC. The facility incorporates a 32 cubic meter climatic chamber where temperature, humidity and ventilation rates can be varied and controlled. The chamber enables researchers to mimic various clinical environments and perform a wide range of experiments involving aerosols doped with micro-organisms.
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