UVC-Mirror for effective pathogens inactivation in air ducts

¹ CSMT Innovative Contamination Hub, Via Branze, 45, 25123, Brescia Italy
² Università di Brescia, Viale Europa 11, 25121 Brescia Italy
³ Istituto per la Protezione Sostenibile delle Piante (IPSP), CNR, Strada delle Cacce 73, 10135, Torino, Italy
⁴ INAF Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio di Bologna, Via Piero Gobetti, 93/3, 40129 Bologna BO, Italy
⁵ INAF Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera, Via Brera, 28, 20121 Milano MI, Italy
⁶ INAF Osservatorio Astronomico di Capodimonte, Salita Moiariello, 16, 80131 Napoli NA, Italy
⁷ INAFOsservatorio Astronomico di Padova, Vicolo dell’Osservatorio, 5, 35122 Padova PD, Italy

Abstract

Improving the air quality of indoor environments (IAQ) is of utmost importance to safeguard public health as people spend about 80–90% of their time indoor. Efficient Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) system represents a strategic and sustainable solution to protect from recurrent and new airborne pathogens. Here, we present a new approach to design highly efficient UVGI systems, which can be installed in existing Air Treatment Units (ATU) plants with minimal effort. The increased efficiency relies on the concept of an optical cavity, thanks to its shape and source position. The internal volume consists of a highly reflective cavity illuminated with UV-C lamps. Optical simulations permitted the variation of the parameters to maximize the internal irradiance and, thus, the performance. The sanitation efficacy of the system was assessed on a full-scale pilot system. Tests were carried out under normal operating conditions against various microorganisms showed an inactivation rate of > 99%. The benefits of such systems are triple and encompass economic, environmental, and societal aspects. Since the system requires little energy to operate, its application for air disinfection may yield significant energy savings and ensure a balance between energy sustainability and good IAQ.