SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS INTRODUCES EASILY REGENERABLE AIR PURIFICATION FILTER TECHNOLOGY APPLYING PHOTOCATALYSTS
By Wanjiku ThukuSamsung Electronics brought into the market a brand-new air filter technology that collects particulate matter (PM) and decomposes Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). It can function for 20 years through simple water washing as displayed in a study about the technology which was published in the journal ‘Nature Communications’ on 15th February UK Time. "This project started from listening to suggestions from manufacturers and users of air purification filters," said Hyuk Jae Kwon, one of the lead-corresponding authors at Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology (SAIT). "We plan to expand the research into accelerating the commercialization of long-lifetime filters in the future. "These Conventional air purification filters need frequent replacement because of their short cycle of six months to one year. Therefore, every single filter can only remove either PM or VOCs respectively limiting air purifiers’ space efficiency.
To deal with the above issues, researchers at SAIT have developed and implemented an unprecedented filter technology that applies photocatalysts like copper oxide (Cu2O) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) for the first time and verifies the viability for commercialization. Samsung's ceramic catalyst filter technology is expected to help implement compact air purification systems, significantly reducing disposable waste and the cost burden caused by frequent filter replacement. The filter’s design is made to capture PMs first in the porous ceramic wall at the inlet channel, where the inorganic membrane is coated and decomposes VOC gases on the photocatalyst on the outlet channel under a single-pass airflow which combines two different filters for dust and gas, which increases its dust loading capacity by four times compared to conventional filters, from five grams per liter to 20.
Therefore, since the SAIT-developed Cu2O / TiO2 photocatalyst is insoluble, the filter is regenerable by simple water-washing and keeps its first PM and VOC gas removal performance. Assuming ten times of regeneration through water-washing, the filter can be used for 20 years, lasting up to 40 times longer lifespan than the conventional HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filter. In conclusion, Samsung Electronics plans to produce prototypes for air conditioning facilities at office buildings, bus terminals, and underground parking lots in its semiconductor campuses.
