AIR POLLUTION FILTRATION UNIT AND SYSTEM

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to the electromechanical filtration of particulate matter enhanced by ionization and to chemical filtration of NO _x , C0 ₂ , CO, 0 ₃ , NH ₃ , S0 ₂ , VOCs in an active and systematic way.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Air pollution in cities is a big problem in the world. 7 million people die every year up to two years earlier due to air pollution. Air pollution biggest sources in cities are diesel car fumes, wood stoves during winter time and air conditioners during summer time and manufacturing fumes. Still, there are more sources that we can count and some which we can't do anything with like volcanic eruptions. All this pollution travels the globe on the higher layers of the atmosphere and descends to different parts of the world depending on the wind flow, strength, and direction. Today, air pollution has been deemed the biggest natural threat to human health by the World Health Organization (2013) .

The first background to the invention is the increasing air pollution in certain cities due to air recycling phenomena and the current arising need to diminish pollution levels because of newfound connections with life-long health conditions.

Second, electromechanical filtration has improved qualitatively over the last decades with nanoparticulate . Nanoparticulate filtering enhances greatly the amount of filtering media with equal thickness retaining on average 20 times more particles than a regular filter of the same thickness. Hence, being able to have panel filters with greatly enhanced storing capacity. New ULPA filters have a 99.9999% of arrestance of particulate up to 0.1 μπι.

Air purification by filtration can be greatly enhanced by charging particles, as when particles in the air are charged by static electricity. These particles then, by attraction force, are attracted to fibrous media and caught in there. New

discoveries in this area deem the technology as particularly well fitted for particulate capture.

Chemical filtration with newfound and newly developed reactive media has also greatly improved. This media is widely used to combat indoor air pollution as well as manufacturing pollution. Usually, the reactive compounds like activated carbon, graphite crystals or the like, are placed in a tray and air or liquid is forced through. It's then a chemical reaction with these molecules in the air such as NOx, C02, CO, 03, NH3, S02 , and others takes place and removes these harmful molecules of the air .

A US patent No. 6,497,754 B2 (Dec. 24, 2002)to Constantinos . This patent describes a self-ionizing pleated air filter system where a high voltage is applied to string fiber ends on the top of each folded age and grounded.

In Constantinos' the generated current is of 7KV but it's proven on the patent' s tests that the application of -20kv enhances efficiency on 0.3 microns particulate as it's in our case. Also, his design is suited for a full-width HEPA filter but not for a panel filter.

Third, other systems to purify the air pollution in cities have been created but all of them either create a clean air bubble around the apparatus or use a lot of power in blowing high-speed air -which makes them a little bit unsafe to use in cities. Others use passive systems to purify the air, but the amount of air that can go through in a passive way is quite limited.

To sum this up, there is a health and safety need, the

technology to purify the atmospheric air has improved to levels that can be deemed of use and all the previous intents to systematize the purification of atmospheric air.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to an air purification apparatus comprising a housing, the housing comprising:

(a) a particulate filter,

(b) an inlet for accepting inflow of air to be purified into the housing and directing it towards the particulate filter,

(c) a chemical sorbent,

(d) a conduit for directing the air to be purified from the particulate filter to the chemical filter, and

(e) an outlet for expelling from the housing purified air from the chemical filter wherein the air purification apparatus comprises a fastener for attaching the air purification apparatus to an item of street furniture .

In particular, the particulate filter may be a HEPA or ULPA filter. More particularly, the particulate filter may comprise an element in a positive oxidation state. In particular, the element in a positive oxidation state may be a metal, more particularly magnesium and/or zinc. In particular, the air purification apparatus may comprise an electrostatic generator having an electrical connection to the particulate filter. In particular, the electrostatic generator may be capable of applying a charge to the particulate filter of -1 kV to -500 kV, more particularly -2 kV to -100 kV, even more particularly -5 kV to -40 kV. In particular, the electrical connection from the electrostatic generator to the particulate filter may comprise copper and/or silver conductors.

More particularly, the air purification apparatus may additionally comprise at least one fan for directing the flow of air to be purified into the inlet. In particular, the at least one fan may be capable of generating a flow of air into the inlet of 300-1200 m3 of air per hour. More particularly, the air purification apparatus may comprise one or more fans for directing the flow of air through the particulate filter and/or directing the flow of air over the chemical sorbent.

In particular, the chemical sorbent may be capable of removing one or more of Ox, C02, CO, 03, NH3, and S03. More particularly, the chemical sorbent may be one or more of activated carbon and graphite crystals. In particular, the air purification apparatus may comprise one or more pressure sensors for monitoring the pressure of air inside the air purification apparatus. More particularly, the air purification apparatus may comprise a heater for heating the air prior to it being expelled from the outlet and/or a cooling device for cooling the air prior to it being expelled from the outlet.

More particularly, the fastener may be a clamp.

This invention also relates to an item of street furniture comprising the air purification apparatus as described above. More particularly, the item of street furniture may be a street light.

Furthermore, this invention relates to a method for manufacturing a particulate filter comprising the steps of: (a) providing a particulate filter comprising (i) glass or plastic fibres, and (ii) silver,

(b) applying a solution comprising an element in a positive oxidation state to the filter.

In particular, the element in a positive oxidation state may be a metal, more particularly magnesium and/or zinc. In particular, the particulate filter may be a HEPA or ULPA filter. More particularly, the solution may comprise 0.03-3 mol/kg of the element in a positive oxidation state.

This invention also relates to particulate filter comprising (a) glass or plastic fibres, (b) silver and (c) an element in a positive oxidation state.

In particular, the element in a positive oxidation state may be a metal, more particularly magnesium and/or zinc. In particular, the particulate filter may be a HEPA or ULPA filter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 - is a pictorial view of the invention showing one of the many positions it can be placed in, the height of the unit and the length of it.

FIG. 2 - pictorial view of a variation of the invention adapted to be placed on top of farola-style light posts which are not inverse L shaped and usually culminated with an elongated crystal or plastic pentagon/hexagon mounted on the top base of the vertical cylinder.

FIG. 3 - shows the first model of the invention unmounted, with the handle and handle-clamps.

FIG. 4 - shows the second model of the invention also unmounted, with the required handles to reinforce upon the street-light crystal housing to be able to hold the invention. The difference between this and the long invention (FIG. 1,3) is the long invention has separate cleaning chambers inside the main conduct while this one mounts them in the same compartment.

FIG. 5 - pictorial view of the invention with some of the critical interior components to support the description is being exposed.

FIG. 6 - similar to figure 5 but from a rear perspective.

FIG. 7 - this figure is a detail view of the chambers of filtration when the servicing door is open.

FIG. 8 - This figure illustrates some of the variants and possible combinations of technology we apply on one of the filters to increase its efficiency.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some definitions used on the description:

HEPA filter, particulate filter - stands for High Efficiency Particulate Air is a type of air filter. To qualify as HEPA by industry standards, an air filter must remove (from the air that passes through) 99.97% of particles that have a size greater- than-or-equal-to 0.3 μιτι.

ULPA filter - stands for Ultra Low Particulate Air filter. A

ULPA filter can remove from the air at least 99.999% of dust, pollen, mold, bacteria and any airborne particles with a size of 0.1 μπι or larger.

Nanofilter - refers to a filter that removes nanoscale material. The term "nanoscale material" is used in relation to the invention to mean the material having a cross-section in the range 1-100 μιτι.

Sorbent, chemical sorbent, sorbent media - refers to a material used to absorb or adsorb liquids or gases. Usually, those sorbents have a high degree of microporosity (porus with a dimension of less than 1 μιτι) , which confers them with a very high surface area.

Polluted air, air pollution - refers to substances in the air that harm human health, welfare, plant or animal life. It occurs when harmful or excessive quantities of substances including gases, particulates, and biological molecules are introduced into Earth's atmosphere. It may cause diseases, allergies and even death to humans. Some of the main pollutants include:

particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), nitrogen oxides (NOx) , carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (03), sulfur dioxide (S02), nitrogen dioxide (N02), lead, benzene, benzo (a) pyrene, etc. Particulate pollution can harm our heart and lungs - it is linked to asthma and death. Research shows that particles with a diameter of ten microns and smaller (PM10) can be inhaled deep into the lungs as smaller particles can penetrate deeper. PM2.5 can have a particularly bad impact on health.

Static electricity generation, ion generator, high voltage generator, electrostatic generator - and it refers to an electromechanical generator that produces static electricity, or electricity at high voltage and low continuous current.

Electrostatic generators develop electrostatic charges of opposite signs rendered to two conductors, using only electric forces, and work by using moving plates, drums, or belts to carry electric charge to a high potential electrode. The charge is generated by one of two methods: either the triboelectric effect (friction) or electrostatic induction.

Negative ion generator - is a device that uses high voltage to ionise (electrically charge) air molecules. Negative ions, or anions, are particles with one or more extra electron,

conferring a net negative charge to the particle.

Ground - in electrical terms, it refers to the electrical ground .

Mains - in electrical terms, refers to the electricity supply from power stations to households. Mains electricity is supplied as alternating current.

Arrestance - is a measure of the ability of an air filtration device to remove synthetic dust from the air .

The arrestance describes how well an air filter removes larger particles - such as dirt , lint , hair, and dust .

In the broad aspect of the invention, the current apparatus is directed to an air purification system for atmospheric air in a unit able to efficiently remove particulate matter from the air and absorb and capture at least one of NOx, C02, CO, 03, NH3, S02, VOCs .

In the apparatus , the process of purification can take place inside the filtration chambers contained in the machine, and it may be achieved by the use of filters and reactive media .

At its standard operability rate, the apparatus can clean by filtration a range comprising 300-900 m3 of air/hour . With the option to move linearly on that range without any problem or difficulty . The apparatus can vary within this range based on sensed pollution values .

In another variation of the invention the filtration range may go above 600-1200 m3 of air/hour . The motor' s technical specs delimit these ranges .

In particular, following are the stages that the air may go through before coming out clean : 1 ) Polluted air, most from car' s exhausts , can be sucked in the unit by a high-speed backward-curved centrifugal fan (or set of fans ) effectively creating a high airflow of air inwards the main duct .

2 ) The airflow may be directed through the first filtration chamber where a nanoparticulate filter/HEPA/ULPA filter or a set of configured filters (with one of them having high voltage ionizing power supply applied to it) can capture and remove particulate matter from the air .

3 ) Air may follow the unique possible path downstream to the in- between chambers ' space where another method of air purification can be applied .

4 ) Air can flow to the second filtration chamber where it reacts to reactive media . Reactive media can molecule specific media, high-quality broad-spectrum absorbent media or a mix of media including but not limited to active carbon and graphite crystals .

5 ) Clean air may be expelled in multiple directions . In one variant, we use a regular butterfly hinge on another variant we reach more people by a method of multi-direction flow we created in-house .

The filtration media can have a relatively short life cycle, and it may, therefore, have to be replaced . This happens when the capacity to retain particulates decreases because most of the spaces where those particulates can be stored are filled up . Also, the bio-reactive/chemical filtration media may also have to be replaced when the performance starts to decline . This can be done via the servicing doors situated on the right side of the unit when facing the front . All electrical servicing may be done from the back of it .

The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings , in which :

Referring to figures 1 and 2 in the drawings , illustrate the units when in operation, mounted on the actual street light . Referring to figure 3 and 4 in the drawings , illustrate the apparatus are presented alone to appreciate better the details of them in operation . The cii f ference is the long unit (FIG . 1,3) mounts air cleaning chambers enclosed in composite material while the compact unit (FIG . 2,4) mounts them in the same compartment than the other components .

Figure 3 ^~ shows the first model of the invention unmounted, with the handle that stabilizes the machine on top and handle-clamps and secures extra strength .

Figure 4 - shows the first model of the invention also unmounted, with the required handles to be reinforced upon the street-light crystal housing to be able to hold the invention .

In the first model (FIG . 1), there is an enclosure formed by the union of the pieces (1, 2 , 3 , 4 ) . Pieces (2 ) and (3) are two isometric pieces , attached on the lateral edges . Pieces (1) and (4) close the invention by attaching themselves to the front and back of the invention, respectively .

In figure 1 , piece number two (the front of the invention) has three apertures of different size . Behind these apertures , three rows of fans are mounted . When functioning these fans are in charge of pulling 300m3 of air/hour at their lowest speed . At their highest speed, they are able to pull in the invention 900 m3 of air/hour .

The air now inside the invention is circulating through a fan and entering in the first filtration chamber .

In figure 1 , (3) has two lateral trays at different positions intersecting with the filtration chambers comprised therein the invention . These trays are easily removable and when pulled, they take out the filtration media in both sections .

When talking about filtration media we refer to :

in the case of filtration chamber 1 , a HEPA/ULPA filter connected to a static electricity generator, and

in case of filtration chamber 2 , activated carbon and/or analogous reactive media to react with contaminant gases by adsorption, absorption, and chemisorption . This filtration media is the only disposable part in the invention figures 1 to 6 and have to be changed frequently. The filtration media is subj ect to change (that' s why it' s emplaced in these trays ) . There are two reasons as to why filtering media is emplaced in removable trays further than because they need frequent deposition and reposition . a) First, it allows adaptability of the unit to the current medium it' s placed in . E.g., if the air is very heavy on NOx we might use a different absorbent than if it' s very heavy on NH3.

b) Second, as filtration technology progresses and improves over time . This will prevent the invention to become obsolete as components keep improving

In one of the variations , these filtration chambers are comprised of two circular pieces (before and after the filters ) where a set of holes in a circular pattern on the walls allow for high-speed air to be directed towards the center of the main duct to speed the airflow .

In one of the variations , this is followed by a fan j ust before the filtration trays , followed by another fan after in order to decrease the arrestance of the filter .

Inside the particulate filtration chamber at least one of the trays and filter media are connected to a static current generator on both ends of the trays . After the last fan, there is another set of holes on a circular component speeding the main flow of air up .

It' s worth noting that the chambers are swappable in a plug and play manner and can be readj usted to have the chemical filtration first and the particulate filtration after.

These holes have a system to generate airflow alongside the fan system that blows air forward and it' s powered by the same motor that powers all the other fans .

There is a motor component following the outlet of filtration chamber one, followed by a fan, filtration chamber 2 (equal to filtration chamber one minus the static electricity generator) , a heating and/or a cooling element and a final fan mounted behind the last piece (4) . The last piece (4) in figure 1 has a big hole in a shape that reminds that of a Roman arch. The piece is attached to the main body closing the outlet of parts (2) and (3) . The hole is protected with a grid in figures 1 to 6.

In figures 2 and 4, the enclosure is a unique body represented in part (2) and closed by the attachment of part (1) to part (2) by the edges around the lower part of the invention.

In figure 2, piece (1) : the piece has a guard and in the embodiment of the guard there is a series of panels which extend axially from the center of the apparatus where there is central block. These guard's function is to protect animals and people from the rotating fan and to prevent any downtime because of unforeseen circumstances . In this same figure, this piece is attached to the edges of part (2) . In figure 2, part (2) embodies all the filtrating functionality of the present invention. After the central block in part (1) there is the motor and the exact same configuration as described in FIG. 6. which is enclosed in part (2 ) .

In figure 2 , part (2 ) is comprised of a fan, a split tray with a filter media, in one of the variations a fan, a tray for chemical filtration and reactive media, a heating and/or cooling element and in one of the variations a fan mounted on a moving device to direct the air on the outlet .

In figure 2 , part (2 ) has two trays equidistant one from the other, on both sides of the invention, and when pulled out of the invention, the filtration media can be either replaced or upgraded .

Figure 2 has the particularity to be able to be inverted, its usual flow is from the inlet (1) to the outlet (3) , but can be inverted and the outlet becomes the inlet (3) and inlet becomes the outlet ( 1 ) .

Commonalities in both models (figures 1 and 2 ) : all trays are split into two identical parts , these parts are connected when the invention is in operation, tied together by a magnetic edge and a j oint . These trays have a half-hole in the middle covered with a rubber piece with the same shape and when connected with each other [they] create a hole in the middle of the rubber pieces to accommodate the motor shaft that makes the fans inside the invention run.

Both figures (1 and 2) create an enclosure. This enclosure has 2-5 layers. Inside the enclosure, the functionality of the machine is being placed .

In the innermost layer, on the main duct, there are tiny holes destined to contain pressure sensors on a sealed rubber-based mounting piece.

These pressure sensors spread evenly from inlet (1) to outlet (4) in figure 1 , inlet (1) to the outlet (3) in figure 2 , (1) to (5) in figure 5, (1) to (9) in figure 6. These sensors are emplaced with the objective to monitor and control any pressure drop in the flow of air and report that to our monitoring systems .

In both figures (1 and 2), the last fan mounted on the rear (4) in figure 1, and (1) in figure 2, has a small device in the middle that's able to rotate the angle at which the fan blows the air outside. Also, in both cases, there is a heating and or a cooling element to increase and/or decrease air temperature just before the outlet of the units.

Figures (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) are being used at a street level, used one where the other is unsuitable and being both complementary to each other. (Figures (5 and 6) only show the interior workings and are not placed on the street as they are.) In an effort to clean the air while working on a permanent basis - they have been designed to handle air cleaning with minimal units and to be in operation all the time.

The units have to be working at their lowest speed to clean only 300 m3 of air/hour - while using the methods described above to 1) move the air around to prevent recirculation and not clean the same bubble of air over and over (this is especially true on non-windy days), and 2) not be noisy and disturb pedestrians and neighbours (especially during night time) .

The filtration chambers in figure 1 , the filtration process unit (2 ) in figure 2 , and parts (2 ) , (13) , (3) , (5) in figure 6 are subj ect to change and be replaced with more advanced or powerful air purification methods and systems .

FIG 5. ^™ (1) denotes the frontal part of the unit, (2) is a bore of 20cm of diameter positioned in front by the backward-curved centrifugal fan. This disposition enhances airflow inwards, all the way to the exhaust increasing speed by:

1. Using curved walls in the principal duct and,

2. diminishing the diameter of the duct .

(3) ^™ Denotes the frontal part underneath the filtration chamber. It's on the right side of the apparatus, and above that part where servicing to the filtration chamber, 1 and 2 is done via a servicing door which opens the unit seal and allows for temporary access. (View of that is in FIG. 7) .

(4) denotes the rear of the unit where a servicing door is placed to be able to access electrics, electronics and other vital parts of the unit.

(5) Denotes a butterfly mechanism to regulate flow and direction and is used in combination with the grid underneath to deliver clean air to the sidewalks without being too direct or strong the flow.

In a variation of the apparatus part (5) and parts (7), (8), and (9) in FIG 6. Custom design and system for air distribution to the sidewalks are used.

FIG 6. (1) denotes the backward-curved centrifugal fan (and motor) .

This is a special type of motor and fan which has been optimised for creating an inflow of air .

(2 ) is the fitting piece we use to be able to place the motor in the apparatus and at the same time reduce possible vibration by a honeycomb pattern in the rubber layer of the piece and in the fittings for sealing it .

(3) denotes the particulate filtration chamber accompanied by, (13) which is the high voltage generator that sits on top of the apparatus with two electrical insulation layers .

(4) Denotes the high voltage generator unit we use to generate high voltage ions to charge the air.

(5) Denotes the chemical filtration chamber. The chamber replacements are square-shaped for two particular reasons.

1. It's easy to adapt to, and the exterior part of the main duct is square-shaped .

2. this allows for extra sealing.

The square-shaped tray has a piece of circular pipe of the same height as the tray placed so that most of the tray is contained in the tube. That' s is where reactive media for chemical filtration is placed .

(6) After the second filtration chamber, the primary conduct diverges into two ducts where another cleaning technique is applied . From there the diameter of the pipe progressively diminishes more and more on each of the arms until reaching (7) where it gets canalised towards the exhaust in different directions .

(7) , (8), (9) denote different parts of the exhaust in this variation of the apparatus . The use of butterfly mechanism ( 7 ) distributes the air in a linear form to the grid (8) which breaks the air flow (and prevents animals from going in) and (9) the exhaust itself with a rectangular shape and then an arc shape on the very end .

(10) Denotes the electrical panel and every other electrical component .

The electricity to power the electrical panel and other components are taken from the mains of the light post and the mains cable is pulled j ust from behind the electrical panel and plugged into the electrical panel .

(11) electronics ' housing where the electronics to control all the process and the sensors are . This is necessary to ensure the correct working of the apparatus at all times .

( 12 ) Denotes the clamps we use to hold the unit in place . We use 1-3 heavy duty bolt hose clamps with saddles . (14) - Denotes each of the internal exhausts of the apparatus. When the air is blown out from there, there are no more purification stages. This is the best place to both accelerate and measure the changes in air quality and pollutant's concentration before it goes out of the unit.

The cylindrical pipe inside of the squared shell diminishes progressively in diameter, but the accumulated reduction of diameter is quite drastic. It's a physics law that when the diameter where the air is flowing through in one direction diminishes the airspeed increases. This means, in this case, the airflow speeds up before it reaches the outside of the unit .

FIG. 7 - denotes a closer view on the first and second filtration chambers when the side servicing door is open.

(1) Denotes a closer view of the plates that connect to the ground. When the apparatus is working these plates are covered with a piece that is the end of the conductive cable connecting the plate to the ground and covered by an insulator.

(2) Denotes the handle used to pull the filter outside from the filtration chamber. This handle is made of ceramic and then glazed. The whole circuit surrounding the handle has many overvoltage protection equipment .

(3) Is a side view of the tray where chemical filtration happens.

FIG. 8 ^~ presents 4 main scenarios based on the configuration of the copper terminals or copper plates attached to the filtering media via silver paste. Filtering media here being a standard HEPA or ULPA filter made out of silver and glass. Another possibility is the filter to be then impregnated with a molal concentration of 0.03-0.3 mol/kg of a positive valence ion like Magnesium or Zinc.

High voltage is generated via a high voltage generator and applied to a main cable (1) which distributes it in Scenario 1 and 2 , (2 ) to a plate of 20x200x5 mm glued with silver paste to the filter and in Scenario 3 and 4 (2 ) to the filter via some copper or silver rods of 20-30mm in length inserted in the filter media.

The filtering media marked with number 5 in all scenarios is a panel HEPA/ULPA/nanoparticle filter. The filter may also be made with a combination of glass and silver which is likely to increase retention and to improve ion flow.

Other techniques are also applied to the filter to increase its efficiency .

On the right side, in scenario 1 and 4 (3,4) are the same kind rods of (1,2) on Scenario (3,4) placed on the opposite side of the filter, and in Scenario (2,3) the same kind of plate of scenario's (1,2) placed on the opposite side of the filter and glued with silver paste. This feeds to a grounded cable which closes the circuit and allows high voltage to flow in that direction . This makes the electricity flow through the filter and charges both the air and the fibers, creating charged bonds between fibers and capturing more particulates.

FIG. 8 - we can see 4 scenarios based on the configuration of the copper/silver terminals or copper/silver plates attached to the filtering media .

FIG . 8 (1) denotes the cables that transport high current to the terminals on (2 ) . (2 ) denotes either a copper/silver plate in Scenario (1,2) or an array of rods in Scenario (3,4) . (5) denotes the filter . (3) denotes either a copper/silver plate in Scenario (2,3) or an array of rods in Scenario (1,4) . (4) Denotes the grounding cable that closes the circuit and allows for ions to flow in that direction .

On a variant, the filtering media here being a standard HEPA or ULPA panel filter . On another one, the HEPA/ULPA panel filter made out of silver and glass . Another variant is the filter to be then impregnated with a molal concentration of 0.03-0.3 of a positive valence ion like Magnesium or Zinc . While on another one we use silver paint sprayed on the filter media .

All the variations have the goal of increasing efficiency on arrestance of particulates smaller than 0.3 microns and diminish pressure drop . The amount of negative charge we apply on the filter ranges from -20KV to -500KV. This configuration, combined with the position of the electrodes has proved more efficient in capturing particulates than any other one . And in case of FIG .7 (2 ) , it' s also the less intrusive on the air flow . As per the experiment conducted by Constantinos , we can appreciate we are in range with what was found to be the most efficient starting point in applied KV .