STTR Phase I: Soft X-ray Enhanced Electrostatic Precipitator for High Efficiency Air Purification in Indoor Environments

这个小型企业技术转让第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力将是开发一种空气净化系统，该系统将在单一步骤中达到HEPA标准的空气过滤效率，同时去除气态污染物和灭活空气传播的病原体，同时减少提供清洁空气所需的总能源。这将大大有助于提供更清洁的空气，从而减少空气传播疾病的机会。这项技术对医院和洁净室等需要清洁空气的敏感环境的影响甚至更大，但由于当前过滤技术相关的高能源成本，该技术的成本很高。这项技术将能够显著减少清洁空气对能源消耗的依赖，从而克服目前过滤技术的缺点。这项技术在使用高效空气过滤器的其他专业市场也有潜在的适用性。该第一阶段项目的技术目标是开发软X射线增强型静电除尘器(SXC-ESP)系统，用于共同去除受污染气流中的颗粒、气态污染物、挥发性有机化合物和灭活病原体。该项目将解决与空气净化相关的重大科学挑战，通过提供对超细(纳米尺寸)颗粒充电和捕获过程的机械理解，以及对光电离化器耦合日冕中气体物种氧化和病原体失活的途径的了解。这种机理上的理解将成为低能耗高效空气净化技术的设计和放大参数的基础。这个模型LED设计将被用来制造一个放大的原型，用于协同去除颗粒物、气态污染物和灭活病原体。原型系统将在现场条件下与设施和维护专业人员以及过滤行业的专家合作进行测试。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I project will be the development of an air purification system that in a single step will achieve HEPA standard air filtration efficiencies coupled with the removal of gaseous pollutants and inactivation of air borne pathogens while reducing the overall energy required to provide clean air. This would significantly aid in providing cleaner air thereby reducing chances of airborne disease transmission. The implications of this technology are even more significant for sensitive environments such as hospitals and clean rooms where clean air is required, but is expensive due to the high energy cost associated with current filtration technologies. This technology would be able to overcome current drawbacks with filtration technologies by significantly reducing the dependence of clean air on energy consumption. The technology also has potential applicability in other specialty markets where HEPA filters are used. The technical objectives in this Phase I project are to develop a soft x-ray enhanced electrostatic precipitator (SXC-ESP) system for the co-removal of particles, gaseous pollutants, volatile organic compounds and the inactivation of pathogens from contaminated air streams. The project will address significant scientific challenges associated with air purification by providing a mechanistic understanding of the ultrafine (nanometer sized) particle charging and capture process; and of the pathways of gaseous species oxidation and pathogen inactivation in photo-ionizer coupled coronas. This mechanistic understanding will form the basis of the design and scale up parameters for the technology for high efficiency air purification with low energy consumption. This model led design will be used to fabricate a scaled up prototype for the co-removal of particulates, gaseous pollutants, and the inactivation of pathogens. The prototype system will be tested under field conditions in collaboration with facilities and maintenance professionals and experts in the filtration industry.