Prototyping a low-cost residential air quality device using ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) light
Many New Zealand residential dwellings suffer from dampness and fungi during the winter, which can cause respiratory health problems. This can be due to poor insulation and ventilation, and the situation worsens when residents cannot afford to heat the dwelling. The main aim of this paper is to modi...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2022-04-01
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| Series: | HardwareX |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S246806722100081X |
| _version_ | 1818251103406391296 |
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| author | Mohammad Al-Rawi Annette Lazonby Callan Smith |
| author_facet | Mohammad Al-Rawi Annette Lazonby Callan Smith |
| author_sort | Mohammad Al-Rawi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Many New Zealand residential dwellings suffer from dampness and fungi during the winter, which can cause respiratory health problems. This can be due to poor insulation and ventilation, and the situation worsens when residents cannot afford to heat the dwelling. The main aim of this paper is to modify an existing dehumidifier so that it can remove moisture, heat the living space and reduce fungi growth and bacteria. To achieve that, we installed ultraviolet germicidal lights (UVGI) in an existing dehumidifier with a total cost of USD $150.7 (NZD $213.76). The UVGI lights are known to be efficient in destroying the DNA of fungi and bacteria. The results show that the device reduced the fungi growth and did increase the room temperature because the dehumidifier captured two litres of water over 24 h of testing. The proposed device did achieve a reduction in particulate matters, from 0.9 μg/m3 to 0.14 μg/m3 and an acceptable range of relative humidity below 50%, which reduces the favourable conditions for fungi growth. Therefore, our proposed low-cost device does improve the indoor air quality (IAQ) in the living space. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T16:02:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-26b095b463ce4ccc9d3680c0687b3fe1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2468-0672 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T16:02:58Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | HardwareX |
| spelling | doaj.art-26b095b463ce4ccc9d3680c0687b3fe12022-12-22T00:19:22ZengElsevierHardwareX2468-06722022-04-0111e00251Prototyping a low-cost residential air quality device using ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) lightMohammad Al-Rawi0Annette Lazonby1Callan Smith2Centre for Engineering and Industrial Design, Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec), Hamilton, New Zealand; Corresponding author.Faculty of Business and Economics, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New ZealandDesigner at Modern Transport Engineers, Hamilton, New ZealandMany New Zealand residential dwellings suffer from dampness and fungi during the winter, which can cause respiratory health problems. This can be due to poor insulation and ventilation, and the situation worsens when residents cannot afford to heat the dwelling. The main aim of this paper is to modify an existing dehumidifier so that it can remove moisture, heat the living space and reduce fungi growth and bacteria. To achieve that, we installed ultraviolet germicidal lights (UVGI) in an existing dehumidifier with a total cost of USD $150.7 (NZD $213.76). The UVGI lights are known to be efficient in destroying the DNA of fungi and bacteria. The results show that the device reduced the fungi growth and did increase the room temperature because the dehumidifier captured two litres of water over 24 h of testing. The proposed device did achieve a reduction in particulate matters, from 0.9 μg/m3 to 0.14 μg/m3 and an acceptable range of relative humidity below 50%, which reduces the favourable conditions for fungi growth. Therefore, our proposed low-cost device does improve the indoor air quality (IAQ) in the living space.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S246806722100081XUltraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) lightsIndoor air quality (IAQ)DehumidificationReduce fungi |
| spellingShingle | Mohammad Al-Rawi Annette Lazonby Callan Smith Prototyping a low-cost residential air quality device using ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) light HardwareX Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) lights Indoor air quality (IAQ) Dehumidification Reduce fungi |
| title | Prototyping a low-cost residential air quality device using ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) light |
| title_full | Prototyping a low-cost residential air quality device using ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) light |
| title_fullStr | Prototyping a low-cost residential air quality device using ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) light |
| title_full_unstemmed | Prototyping a low-cost residential air quality device using ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) light |
| title_short | Prototyping a low-cost residential air quality device using ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) light |
| title_sort | prototyping a low cost residential air quality device using ultraviolet germicidal irradiation uvgi light |
| topic | Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) lights Indoor air quality (IAQ) Dehumidification Reduce fungi |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S246806722100081X |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mohammadalrawi prototypingalowcostresidentialairqualitydeviceusingultravioletgermicidalirradiationuvgilight AT annettelazonby prototypingalowcostresidentialairqualitydeviceusingultravioletgermicidalirradiationuvgilight AT callansmith prototypingalowcostresidentialairqualitydeviceusingultravioletgermicidalirradiationuvgilight |