Air cleaning apparatus and method for cleaning air

• US 7,147,692 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2004
• Issued: 12/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Original Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Inventors: Rossi, Sergio, Rizzo, Renzo, Argentieri, Andrea Filippo, Fornai, Daniele, Scialla, Stefano, Kouvroukoglou, Stylianos, Ricci, Patrizio
• Primary Examiner(s): Chiesa, Richard L.
• Application Number:
  US10/889,270
• Publication Number:
  US 20050263003A1
• Time in Patent Office: 728 Days
• Field of Search: 96/53, 96/57, 96/52, 96/74, 962/34, 962/35, 962/40, 962/42, 962/63, 962/64, 963/51, 962/90, 962/95, 962/92, 963/53, 952/10, 952/11, 261/63, 261/94, 261/115, 261/117, 261/124, 261/121.1, 261/DIG.4, 261/DIG.9, 568/852, 568/853, 810/3, 422/4, 422/24, 422/121, 977/903
• US Class Current: 95/210
• 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

The method involves contacting the air with an aqueous or non-aqueous liquid in a stand-alone system. The air may be brought into contact with the liquid using a number of different types of apparatus, including a packed column scrubber. The liquid may be non-evaporative.

Claims

1. A method for cleaning indoor air comprising contacting the air with an aqueous or non-aqueous liquid through a packed column scrubber comprising a photobleaching agent with nanoparticles dispersed therein in a stand-alone apparatus.

2. A method for cleaning indoor air comprising contacting the air with an aqueous or non-aqueous liquid comprising a photobleaching agent with nanoparticles dispersed therein, which is non-evaporative, in a stand alone air cleaning apparatus.

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein the stand-alone air cleaning apparatus comprises an air-liquid scrubber.

4. A method for cleaning air comprising contacting the air with an aqueous non-evaporative liquid comprising a photobleaching agent with nanoparticles dispersed therein in a stand-alone system.

5. A method for cleaning indoor air comprising contacting the air with a liquid in a stand alone apparatus, wherein the liquid contains nano-particle photobleaching agents.

6. A method for cleaning indoor air comprising contacting the indoor air with a liquid that contains active solid particles and a photobleaching agent.

7. A method according to claim 6 which comprises a part of a heating, ventilation, or air conditioning system and further comprising the step of irradiating said photobleaching agent with a UV-light source.

8. A method according to claim 7 which is carried out using an emitted light wavelength of 200–

300 nm.