0

Air Quality Solutions

Air Purifiers

The Importance of Proactive Real-Time Air Quality Monitoring

There is an increasing concern about air pollution levels both outdoors and indoors – especially as indoor air can be five times as polluted as outdoor air. Since indoor air is not circulated as much as outside air, many airborne pollutants continue to thrive inside.


Air purifiers can refresh stale air, reducing the chances of health issues caused by indoor pollutants, which can trigger respiratory infections, neurological problems, or aggravate symptoms in asthma sufferers. Quality air purifiers eliminate several types of indoor air pollutants, keeping us healthy.


Air purifiers with HEPA technology filters can remove 99.7 percent of the airborne particulate matter (PM) circulating in your workplace or home environment. Removing these pollutants can lead to several immediate and long-term health benefits such as better sleep quality, improved heath and increased life expectancy.


If it's not possible to increase ventilation because your outdoor air quality is poor, or you suffer from hay fever or other allergies and can't leave windows open for long periods in case pollen comes in, then an air purifier would be a good investment, provided you buy the right model.

Remember that you'll need to close the doors and windows to the room with the air purifier in, so that you're not letting in more pollution for it to tackle. It's also worth keeping in mind that your air purifier will not be able to clean the air throughout your whole property, as it'll come with a maximum room size in which it can do so – so multiple units may be required. 


Our tests show that using an air purifier in your workplace home will reduce the number of pollutants in the air, such as dust, pollen and smoke particles. All the models we’ve tested removed at least some particles from the air, but the difference between the best and worst is enormous. In your place of work or home picking one of the worst models we've tested means it would take much, much longer to clean the air. This is not much use if you’re allergic to household dust or pollen and need these pollutants banished fast. 

Air Purifiers

Browse through some of our Air Purifiers below!

Types of Air Purifier

The best air purifiers will do a great job of cleaning the air within your workplace or home. But there are also plenty of air purifiers that struggle to tackle common issues such as allergens, including some expensive models. 'Air purifier' is a popular term for these machines, so that's how we refer to them, but 'air cleaner' is more accurate. 


These machines don't leave you with sterile or completely pure air, but they can make it cleaner. 


Our tests have found that a good model will improve the air quality in your workplace quickly without making too much noise or using too much energy. Poorly performing air purifiers will be significantly slower, trap far fewer particles in the same time period, and potentially make more noise and use more energy in the process. Some air purifiers are great all-rounders, while others are better at tackling one type of pollutant than another. If you've got hay fever, for example, your priority might be picking a model that's great at trapping pollen.

Of course, one of the most important features is the filter with options including:

  • 1. HEPA Purifiers

    High Efficiency Particulate Air purifiers remove more than 99.97% of all particles larger than 0.3 microns. They are essentially the most popular types and are used to trap particles that cannot be seen by the human eye. Basically, a HEPA air filter is made up of densely spaced fibre-like material that is folded back and forth to create a large surface for air to filter through. The more the times the air infiltrates, the cleaner it will become. As the particles are trapped, the filter becomes full and becomes hard for air to pass through. At this point, a new filter will be needed; however, a typical filter can last up to four years. With HEPA filters, size is an important consideration- the more the size, the more particles it will remove.

  • 2. Activated Carbon Technology

    Activated carbon filters excel at capturing pollutants such as gases, odours, smoke and fumes. These filters are made up of millions of molecular pores with high absorbent ability and chemical bonding properties. These pores are so many that a single surface of activated carbon is equal to 100 acres. Once pollutants are captured, they are not discharged back into the air, so the filter has to be switched when it becomes full. These types of purifiers are helpful to people with multiple allergies because they absorb pollutants found in carpet, wood panelling and upholstery to create a more sanitary environment.

  • 3. UV Technology

    UV technology is an excellent method for eliminating germs such as bacteria and viruses and is often used along with particulate filters. Air purifiers utilising this technology have a UV lamp, which emits ultraviolet waves when antigens pass through thus altering their DNA to make them sterile. They are ideal for use in hospitals, kitchens and labs. In home. they are used for controlling mould and are particularly helpful to people who need extra protection due to immune system disorders.



  • 4. Negative Ion

    This technology utilises chemical injections to clean the air. The ions chain with other impurities in the air, forcing the impurities to drop and attach themselves to the nearest surface. Subsequently, ion generators do not get rid of impurities as they simply force them to cling to other items in the room creating dirty spots on walls or windows. Ultimately, these particles may become unattached and recirculate into the air again. Additionally, they emit ozone, a harmful irritant that is detrimental to the health of individuals.

  • 5. Ozone

    Ozone air purifiers produce ozone gas. Many people are made to believe that these devices are safe in controlling air pollution, but this is not the case. They come in different varieties and produce varying amounts of ozone. The good news is that most chemicals found indoors take a long time to react with ozone thus rendering the purifiers ineffective. Also, the fact that most of these purifiers include negative ion technology makes them counterproductive, since as discussed above; they do not actually clean the air.

Important Issues to Consider

The important issues when choosing an Air Purifier are the following: -

it is an absolute MUST to have this within the Air Purifier. It is required to remove those tiny harmful particles to dramatically improve the surrounding air quality.

this will remove 99.9% of micro-organisms and pathogens – including viruses. Within the workplace, this will make a considerable difference with staff and children’s attendance and the efficiency of companies.

the Air Purifier m3/h MUST be suitable for the area it is going in to. Unless the Air Purifier can achieve the correct Air Change per Hour (ACH) then it will not deal with the issues. Ideally you would need between 6-10 ACH to achieve an ideal Air Quality.

this is relative to the room or area use. Factors to consider include existing ventilation, number of persons, the activity, heat, odours, area size, internal room, external odours etc.

many offices are exceptionally busy so need an automatic sensor control so they adjust in speed depending on the surrounding air quality. Internal software so via an App on your smart device you can control and monitor the rooms air quality – including multiple of units and rooms.

the Air Purifier position is important to achieve the correct balance of Air Quality throughout the area. Generally, they would go centrally but this is not correct for all installs. To achieve the correct balance, the required performance would be achieved with multiple Air Purifiers installed.

to achieve the correct ACH, it may be required that the Air Purifiers are operating at full speed. Multiples of Air Purifiers will not only give a more balance Air Flow it will also reduce the operating sound throughout. (dba) Working on a lower speed can also prolong the appliance and filters life expectancy.

Keeping Surfaces Clean and Safe

Microbial Surface Sanitisation

COVID-19 has created much higher expectations for hygiene and cleanliness in indoor environments. Employees and customers now expect very high standards of cleanliness in the environments they operate in. A dirty environment can result in lower productivity, sales and have an negative impact on reputation


Vitec Microgenix products and services have been designed to allow organisations to exceed hygiene expectations cost-effectively and with minimal disruption to your business.

Find out more

  • What we can do to Help

    ✓ Carry out a full site Air Quality Risk Assessment.


    ✓ Attend site to give advice & solutions.


    ✓ Supply, install and commission all equipment bespoke to your premises.


    ✓ Provide service packages to maintain the life expectancy and performance of your air movement solutions.


    ✓ Help YOU provide a Cleaner, Healthier and more Productive Workplace.


    ✓ Training include system control options and use.



  • Solution

    ✓ Air Purification with UV-C to kill pathogens and recirculate clean air.


    ✓ Sanitiser & Decontamination UV-C units to clean rooms within minutes for immediate re-use.


    ✓ Site entry control products for Pathogen control.


    ✓ Stand alone or full building ventilation systems.


    ✓ Workplace Dust control – from the air, from the surface or from source – we have products for all issues.


    ✓ Dust suppression systems for building site control.

Air Filters

What are the Benefits of HEPA, Carbon & Combination Filters?

HEPA 13 Filter

A HEPA filter is a specific type of high-quality air filter that meets the HEPA filter standard, which is to remove at least 99.97% of particles from the air down to at least 0.3 microns in size.


HEPA filters are a common component found in air purifiers which filter the air in order to clean it – there are other types of air purifier such as carbon filter, ionizers and even non-filter purifiers.


HEPA filters are also used in vacuum cleaners and in industries which require high air quality, such as aerospace, pharmaceuticals, nuclear power and the manufacturing of computer chips.


HEPA stands for High Efficiency Particulate Air. A HEPA air filter is made up of thousands of extremely fine fibres arranged into a matt to intercept both microscopic particles and larger ones. An air purifier will push air from the room through the filter to remove pollutant particles.


By definition HEPA filters can trap close to 100% of the particles in the air that are 0.3 microns or smaller. (Bearing in mind that there are 10,000 microns in a centimetre, a particle 0.3 microns in diameter is really, really tiny.)

  • What are the benefits of a HEPA filter?

    When you invest in a HEPA filter you are buying technology that has been tested and approved against a standard. This ensures the quality and reliability of the filter to remove even the tiniest airborne particles. 




    Air filtration is actually more important than many of us realise as indoor air contains many different irritants and pollutants. 




    A correctly chosen HEPA filter can ensure these pollutants are removed efficiently, vastly improving the quality of air you breathe.

Air Filters

Browse through some of our Air Filters below!

Why is it necessary to remove such small particles from the air?

Microscopic airborne particles are nearly impossible to see, but can be taken into the lungs and be irritating or damaging to your health, especially for anyone who suffers from allergies or asthma. Larger particles such as pollen, mould spores, dust and other allergens are usually filtered out of our systems in the nose or throat – causing all of those unpleasant symptoms that allergy suffers face. These larger particles are easily removed from the air by a HEPA filter.


Smaller particles, such as PM 10 particles, which are only 10 microns in diameter make it past our throat and into our lungs. Even smaller particles, like PM2.5 particles which are 2.5 microns in diameter, can make it right down into the alveoli in our lungs, posing a serious health risk. Most of these tiny particles are pollutants resulting from fossil fuels, traffic or chemicals. It was estimated that small particulate pollution cause around 370,000 premature deaths in Europe in 2005. Scary stuff really!


It turns out that a particle that is 0.3 microns wide is actually the hardest to filter out of air. So if a HEPA filter removes 99.97% of particles that are 0.3 microns in size, it is even more effective at removing PM10, PM2.5 and the larger allergens such as pollen.


What do Hepa Filters not help with?

Remove Mould


Remove Allergies


Remove Viruses


Remove Dust –

PM2.5 & PM10.0

What do Hepa Filters not help with?

Remove Mould


Remove Allergies


Remove Viruses


Remove Dust –

PM2.5 & PM10.0

Popular Reasons for Choosing a HEPA Filter

  • New parents – A HEPA air filter will remove pollutants from the air making it safer for young children (and adults) to breathe.

  • Smokers – You need an air purifier with both a HEPA filter and a carbon filter inside. The first to remove smoke particles and the second to remove the fumes, gases and associated odour.

  • Pet owners – A purifier with a life time HEPA filter will remove allergy causing pet dander from the air. Look for a purifier with both a HEPA and carbon filter to remove allergens and odour.

  • Asthma Sufferers – A well-chosen HEPA air purifier will removing common household allergens like mould spores, dust mite faeces and household dust particles., allergy sufferers can enjoy refuge from the unpleasant symptoms.

We Specialise in Air Quality Assessments

Air quality testing is important to help ensure your buildings safety and compliance to the latest legal requirements.

Book your Air Quality Assessment

Carbon Filters

Carbon filtering is a method of filtering that uses a bed of activated carbon to remove contaminants and impurities, using chemical adsorption. Each particle, or granule, of carbon provides a large surface area, or pore structure, allowing contaminants the maximum possible exposure to the active sites within the filter media.

 

Each carbon filter is typically given a micron rating that specifies the size of particle which the filter can remove from a fluid. Typical particle sizes which can be removed by carbon filters range from 0.5 to 50 μm. The efficacy of a carbon filter depends not only on its particle size, but also on the rate of flow of fluid through the filter. For example, if air is allowed to flow through the filter at a slower rate, the contaminants will be exposed to the filter media for a longer amount of time…



An air purifier with a carbon filter works by setting up negative pressure inside the purifier, which draws in contaminated air from the surrounding area. As this air passes through a bed of activated carbon, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are absorbed and harmful gasses are trapped.


  • How Activated Carbon Air Filters Work

    Activated carbon has a porous structure that allows it to have a disproportionately large surface area compared to its weight. All this surface area makes it ideal to trap small pollutants within its pores, a method known as adsorption. When these pores are open (meaning, unoccupied and ready to adsorb pollutants), the carbon is called “activated carbon”.

What Pollutants Can Carbon Air Filters Remove?

Activated carbon filters are best for very small particles, usually below 0.3 micrometres (microns) in size. So, what would those small particles be?

  • Tobacco Smoke

    General size: 0.1 to 1 micron

    (although can also contain smaller pollutants)


    An activated carbon filter can remove smaller tobacco smoke particles that other filters can’t. Tobacco smoke is made up of over 7,000 chemicals, so it’s important to remove as many of them as possible to remove the tobacco odour as well.


    It’s also the smaller particles that are more likely to get lodged in the lungs and cause respiratory problems.

    Those can stay in the alveolar cells of the lungs for years as the lungs have no efficient way of removing them.


    Many of these small compounds belong to pollutants known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs)



  • VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds)

    General size: picometers (for comparison, a picometer is 10–6 of a micron)


    These are molecular level pollutants and can only realistically be removed with an activated carbon filter, at least when it comes to what’s out there in the consumer market. Volatile organic compounds are gases that are so small, they can stay suspended in the air.


    It’s usually the VOCs inside a home or workplace that are responsible for lingering chemical smells and odours. 


    VOCs are generally known to be contained within tobacco smoke but can also be found in other smoke pollutants, such as those that are released from burning a wood or coal in a fireplace, or using a kerosene heater and gas appliances like stoves and laundry dryers.


    But beyond that, VOCs also include dangerous chemicals, many of which are considered to be carcinogens: 


    Formaldehyde – found in “off gassing” mattresses, furniture, household cleaners, laminate floors and cabinets. Think new home construction building materials and new flooring when you hear this.


    Benzene – typically is found in paint thinners, glues, and cleaning products. It has a sweet odour. Sadly, also found in tobacco smoke.


    Naphthalene – found in moth balls mostly.


    Chloroform – a solvent found in chlorinated products (like laundry bleach) or water.


    Acetaldehyde – found where there is smoke; again, tobacco products and wood-burning fireplaces, appliances and also given off in the kitchen while cooking oil is burned.


    Trichloroethylene – found in paint, varnishes, spot removers, and carpet cleaners.


    Styrene – found in plastic packaging and, you guessed it, tobacco smoke. 

  • Bacteria

    General size: 0.2 to 10 microns


    Bacteria typically are large enough to be removed by other filters, but an activated carbon filter will help close the gap and take care of virtually all kinds of bacteria.

  • Viruses

    General size: 0.004 to 0.1 microns


    Viruses are much smaller than bacteria, so a high-quality activated carbon filter will probably trap most of them. Emphasis on high quality – we’re talking about slightly more expensive, if not commercial grade here to truly make a difference.


    Having this kind of filter also doesn’t mean that the danger the virus poses is gone. You’ll need some other technology like UV light for that. Some air purifiers also use ionizers and other technologies to kill viruses. However, just how safe some of them are is up for debate and not the topic of this post.

Combining Activated Carbon Filters with Other Filters

The most popular combination of filters in air purifiers nowadays is an activated carbon and HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filter.


These two filters together create a 2-stage filter mechanism. The HEPA filter takes care of pollutants over 0.3 microns in size, while the activated carbon takes care of pollutants smaller than that. 



The 0.3-micron pollutant size is a blind spot. It’s a grey area between an activated carbon and HEPA filter since neither really works as efficiently in that size range. It’s probably easier for the activated carbon filter to remove smaller particles than those that are 0.3 microns and above.


Bottom line – the two filters together aren’t perfect but get close enough to perfection.

BENEFITS TO

Improving your indoor air quality

Indoor air quality testing can help you to ensure your buildings and employee’s safety. Regular Indoor Air Quality testing will ensure that you provide the safest and most beneficial environment for the building users and also help you to comply with current Health & Safety and Building Regulations.

Read more about the Importance of Air Quality

The Dangers of Dust in the Workplace

10 Aug, 2022
Dust. It can kill Not just today, but years down the line Don't risk your health, protect your lungs from dust Construction workers die every week from lung diseases caused by exposure to dust. Many more suffer from severe chronic long-term lung conditions. Don’t make the same mistake as construction workers who have not realised the health risks of exposure to dust and have worked unprotected.  Make sure you are aware of the risks and know what to do to stay safe.

UVC Air Purifiers

24 Jul, 2022
What is UVC You can’t understand the probable UV air purifier dangers if you don’t know what a UV is. UV(ultraviolet) is a light spectrum that’s often invisible that comes with wavelengths. Sunlight also contains ultraviolet rays whose exposure causes sunburn on human skin. This means that UV rays can be dangerous both to you and your pets. There are various light rays that exist today such as gamma and X-ray rays which experts have termed as quite harmful to humans. In the past, UV light was utilised to disinfect water, the air, and surfaces. If you are wondering whether this technology is effective when it comes to enhancing the quality of air in a home and eliminating airborne particles, this article will illustrate how UV air purifiers function and how effective they are when it comes to cleaning the air.

Why Ventilation is Important

By Blam Websites • 20 Jun, 2021
Ventilation plays a vital role in the running of an enclosed workplace. It helps to carry fresh, clean air through the space, keep employees happy and healthy, and maintain the efficiency of the workplace on a daily basis. Regulations surrounding workplace ventilation have been put in place for good reason. When adhered to, any hot, humid or stale air within the space will be replaced with clean air at the right rate. The general rule of thumb is to keep at least 5-8 litres of fresh air within the space, every second for every occupant. This goes for any air that is clean and free of impurities that could cause workers to fall ill or be unhappy with the working environment. The vast majority of enclosed workplaces are required to have a certain amount of fresh air passing through the space. That includes anything from an office space to a commercial kitchen, a spray booth to a hospital, for example. Without proper ventilation, it’s very difficult to get a good amount of clean air into these enclosed spaces, and with many individuals coming and going throughout the day, it’s vital to provide clean air to keep these individuals healthy. There are some exceptions when it comes to enclosed workplaces and the standard ventilation guidelines. For example, a workplace designed for growing mushrooms needs a humid space for the product growth.

Call For Site Visit and Demonstration

We will attend your site, demonstrate and go through your options with you.

We will supply, install, train and maintain all Air Quality Products. Plus, We also provide a FULL SITE Air Quality Risk assessment that consider all Air Quality issues and causes.

Share by: