Projects Profile
Project Title
A Novel Photocatalytic Mop Fan Air Cleaning System
Partnership
Prof Saffa Riffat, University of Nottingham
Professor Yinping Zhang, Tsinghua University
Project Aim
The aim of the project is to develop a photocatalytic mop-fan air cleaning device suitable for an office environment. The device will remove gaseous, particulate and odorous pollutants and microbes by the process of photocatalytic oxidation (PCO). This will remove the need for filtration pads and so significantly reduce the electrical energy needed for ventilation and air cleaning. It will be sized to meet the requirements of pollutant category, generating rate and cleanliness standard of the room space. The device will be a stand-alone unit meeting the requirement of a specific room space.
Inspiration for the projects
As sufficient outdoor fresh air must be introduced to meet health and comfort requirements, these systems have high running costs as well as high capital cost. Commonly used indoor air cleaners are equipped with filtration pads which are only able to remove particulate pollutants. They are unsuitable for the removal of gaseous and odourous pollutants. These cleaners also have a high flow resistance due to the installation of filtration pads. Due to the above limitations which are associated with the current commercially available systems, we would like to develop a device which will be both economical and energy efficient for air cleaning in office environments.
Commercial Potential and Further Development
It is believed that the market potential of the proposed technology is significant. It is estimated that a “typical” selling price for each unit for a 20 m2 single office would be approximately £100 in the UK and £50 in China (based on handling 30l/s for clean air supply to office and 50% cheaper labour cost in China). The annual sale of the units would be approximately 5,000 in the UK and 100,000 in China. This would give a total market of £0.5M in the UK and £5M in China
