Air cleaning apparatus and method for cleaning air

• US 6,843,835 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2002
• Issued: 01/18/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Original Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Inventors: Kouvroukoglou, Stylianos, Scialla, Stefano, Rossi, Sergio, Ricci, Patrizio, Rizzo, Renzo, Argentieri, Andrea Filippo, Fornai, Daniele
• Primary Examiner(s): Chiesa, Richard L.
• Application Number:
  US10/106,917
• Publication Number:
  US 20030056648A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,030 Days
• Field of Search: 96/52, 96/53, 96/57, 96/74, 962/34, 962/35, 962/40, 962/42, 962/63, 962/64, 963/53, 963/51, 261/63, 261/DIG.9, 261/115, 261/117, 261/121.1, 261/124
• US Class Current: 96/53
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 47/06 Spray cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 50/60 Combinations of devices covered by groups B01D46/00 and B01D47/00
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 8/117 using wet filtering
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 8/133 by direct contact with liquid, e.g. with sprayed liquid
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 50/20 Air quality improvement or preservation, e.g. vehicle emission control or emission reduction by using catalytic converters
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/903 for conversion, containment, or destruction of hazardous material

Abstract

An air cleaning apparatus is disclosed which, in one embodiment, has: an inlet for ambient air; an outlet for purified air; a mechanism for the uptake of a scrubbing liquor and for the removal of impurities dissolved or dispersed in the ambient air by contact with said scrubbing liquor; an inlet for feeding a scrubbing liquor from a scrubbing liquor feeding tank; an outlet for discharging used scrubbing liquor; and a blower for drawing ambient air into the apparatus, flowing the air through the apparatus and discharging the purified air from the apparatus. A kit including an apparatus as described above and a refill of scrubbing liquor ingredients, or of a scrubbing liquor concentrate or of a ready-to-use scrubbing liquor is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A stand-alone indoor air cleaning apparatus comprising:

a. an inlet for ambient air;

b. an outlet for purified air;

c. a means for the uptake of a scrubbing liquor and for the removal of impurities dissolved or dispersed in the ambient air by contact with said scrubbing liquor, wherein said scrubbing liquor comprises a non-evaporative liquid that is able to remove at least some volatile organic compounds and gaseous pollutants from ambient air containing such pollutants;

d. an inlet for feeding a scrubbing liquor from a scrubbing liquor feeding tank;

e. an outlet for discharging used scrubbing liquor; and

f. a blower for drawing ambient air into the apparatus, flowing the air through the apparatus and discharging the purified air from the apparatus.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising an inlet filter located before the uptake and removal means, to remove particles contained in the ambient air.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising an outlet filter immediately before the outlet for purified air to remove a majority of particles in the air stream of the apparatus.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the outlet filter is a mechanical filter of HEPA, ULPA or electrect type, optionally combined with an activated carbon, zeolite or other adsorbent filter.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the outlet filter is an electrostatic precipitator device, optionally followed by a means for trapping ozone contained in the filtered air.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a means for recirculating the scrubbing liquor through the uptake and removal means.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6 further comprising a radiation device to irradiate the scrubbing liquor during its recirculation.

8. The apparatus according to claim 4 further comprising a filter to remove absorbed gaseous pollutants and solid matter in the scrubbing liquor before it is recirculated to the uptake and removal means.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising an ionizer for treating the purified air, optionally followed by a means for trapping ozone contained in the purified air.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

g. a depletion sensor to determine the exhaustion degree of the scrubbing liquor;

h. a display control board and a microprocessor controller to allow control or modification of apparatus operating conditions; and

i. a sensor means to determine air conditions.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10 wherein the depletion sensor is a turbidity sensor and/or a pH sensor.

12. The apparatus according to claim 10 wherein the sensor means to determine air conditions is a relative humidity, temperature, VOC'"'"'s, odor and/or dust sensor.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the uptake and removal means is a scrubber which generates a spray of fine droplets of the scrubbing liquor for contact with the incoming ambient air.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the uptake and removal means is a bubbling vessel containing the scrubbing liquor through whit the incoming ambient air is bubbled.

15. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the uptake and removal means is a column filled with fillers or porous elements that allow percolation of the scrubbing liquor.

16. The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising means for separately feeding a liquid solvent and scrubbing liquor ingredients and optionally further additives, and means for preparing the scrubbing liquor therefrom within or upstream the scrubbing liquor feeding tank.

17. The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising means for adding air enhancers to the purified air.

18. The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a line for bypassing ambient air around the uptake and removal means.

19. The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a device for controlling water vapor emission.

20. The apparatus according to claim 6 further comprising a means to photo-oxidize the scrubbing liquor during its recirculation.

21. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the air stream passes through a photo-oxidation device.

22. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the scrubbing liquor contains aqueous or essentially non aqueous solvent and further additives selected from the group consisting of:

acidic or alkaline agents, surfactants, enzymes, bleaching agents, metal containing bleach catalysts, organic polymeric compounds, seqestration systems, chelating agents, inclusion complexes, suds suppressors, dispersant, desiccant compounds, solid sorbents, photobleaching agents, coloring agents, perfumes, sanitizers, biocidals, antibacterial agents and antimicrobial agents.

23. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the scrubbing liquor is an aqueous scrubbing liquor comprising water as the main liquid solvent.

24. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the scrubbing liquor is a liquid comprising any polyethylene glycols as the main liquid solvent.

25. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the scrubbing liquor is a liquid that is non-evaporative.

26. The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a dehumidifier before the outlet for the purified air.

27. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the scrubbing liquor is a liquid comprising active solid particles.

28. A kit comprising an apparatus according to claim 1 and a refill of scrubbing liquor ingredients, or a refill of a scrubbing liquor concentrate, or a refill of a ready-to-use scrubbing liquor.