Air Ionizer

Did anybody came across a stuff like this? Yes

It ionize air with negative ions and is compared to nature's lightning phenomena.

Does it really purifying air with dust particles. Yes, at least some units do

What is its significance? I'm not sure what you are asking

FromWikipedia: Air ioniser:

"An air ionizer (or negative ion generator) is a device that uses high voltage to ionize (electrically charge) air molecules. Negative ions, or anions, are particles with one or more extra electrons, conferring a net negative charge to the particle.

...

"Ionic air purifiers

"Air ionizers are used in some air purifiers. Airborne particles are attracted to the electrode in an effect similar to static electricity. These ions are de-ionized by seeking earthed conductors, such as walls and ceilings."

Lightning creates ozone, which is a powerful oxidant, powerful enough to destroy bacteria. But you need a lot of it, and although ozone generators for air applications are common, they are also very hard on people!

A lot of people will not thank you for bringing an ozone generator into their environment.

I don't suspect the machine you are looking at creates ozone at all, just negative ions. So the claim about lightning is just smoke and mirrors! Ad agency hype.

But negative ions are not ozone, though often ozone is created as a side effect. You must be careful that you don't create ozone. Such units work very well to remove particles (including bacteria) through "electrostatic precipitation". You have to regularly wash a screen with an electrostatic precipitator.

There are several very useful electrostatic precipitators on the market. I even had a homemade one years ago which used coffee cans and a fly back transformer from an old TV set. (yes, it DID produce a little ozone!!!! Burnt the winter tires I had stacked in behind it.)

So its true the negative ions are capable of killing bacteria in air.How can i ensure the device won't produce ozone.Any news of banning this product. Why its not popular among people?

I think it is very possible that it produces some ozone. A very tiny amount of ozone is OK for most people, but anything other than a tiny amount is bad because it irritates the lungs. People with compromised pulmonary systems will have increased breathing problems and could suffer lung tissue damage from breathing ozone. So people with asthma, lung cancer (or even just long-term smokers), TB, COPD, pneumonia, etc., need to avoid ozone.

GA for you

I wonder how does its capacity is mentioned.As in the case of Air Conditioners specified in tons of capacity.

Like the whole polluted air in room is charged with "Negative ions charge the bacteria and any other dust with an electrical charge, which causes them to stick to a screen, which you would then wash off."

Did that mean the pollutants stick to a screen which is normally positive in nature or the screen we fix with the ionizer.The electromagnetic force of attraction is strongest within in its close boundary(near to the ionizer) i guess.

If you do not have a screen right there to collect the dust, the dust will go to the nearest surface....to a negative ion even a neutral charge will be an attractant. It will make the floor and table black with dust. (why black? Why not white with dust? Well....that little bit of ozone they always produce burns the microscopic dust turning it into charcoal dust. This will make your house look dingy rather quickly, so it is better to have the enclosed unit with the screens.) Also, if there are cooking oil smells, or wet paint, or many other organic contaminants in the air, the ionic air purifier may change them into dangerous aldehydes, and so they are not recommended for, say, kitchens.

The smaller the particle, the better it works. Tobacco smoke will be cleared out very quickly. Smells from toilet areas...will not be affected. For those odors, ozone works well. You would have to get it into balance....too much ozone will irritate the residents, too little will not get rid of all the smells. This balance is hard to achieve, so ozone generators are not as popular as ion generators.

The ad was interesting...clearly the person writing the ad had no idea what he was talking about! But he knows how to write exciting copy!!! Negative ions in the air will not affect migraines, not help kids study better, they do not affect people's mood, and certainly not kill germs and bacteria in the air. They will clean dust, dander, mold spores and pollen out of the air. Isn't that a good enough reason to get one? Why ask it to do magic things too! You were right to ask this forum about the mechanism used in this product, and I urge you to google search and get more information. You may find the problems exceed the benefits.

Ionization of air and dust in air using high voltage spark or UV light or Radiation Source is easily achieved.

check this commercialized ad.

Dust With or without bacteria) floating in air,all settles on ground near ionizer and needs to be cleaned. I think it has health benefits, particularly with centralized heating cooling system and less of sickness due to sneezing/cold/fever etc. I used one long time back,but stopped as floor was getting black with dusts not cleaned regularly.

Electronic air cleaners are a great way to generate revenue, they start clean and will grab a percentage of 10 micron and larger particales. As they load up the micron size increases and they release most of what they have capture. Bottom line- gadgets. Use a pleated filter with a 20% rating, 2 microns on residential and 40% for commercial. Anything more effective requires a high staic blower to overcome the drop in airflow. There is only one ionizer on the market that is actually effective and recognized by WHO and CDC and it is called a phi cell. It generates hydrogen radicals that will eliminate fungus, bacteria and viruses. It will even remove odors such as urine smell from urine soaked floors in an alzheimer patients room. The ions last only twelve minutes so it oxidizes very rapidly and has no ill effects on plants animals or humans. UV lights and ozone generators are not effective for cleaning air because the intensity and concentration required to accomplish the task is prohibitive as well as hazardous. The phi cell is not magic but a proven product that is inexpensive and available readily. The positive effect is almost imediately noticable. You must remember that it will not remove dust or pollen particals so an inexpensive 20% air filter panel is still required and regular filter replacement is mandatory. The phi cell is warranteed for 3 years and easy to install. All the other products on the market are selling "magic".

good answer.

There have been several air purifiers designed around electricity...some produce ions, some produce ozone, and some produce hydroxyl atoms. Before anybody should subject their family, pets, or fine artwork to any of them, they should study what these things actually do! Air purifiers are NOT medical devices. This is the list of devices which have been banned in California. I presume they did not make up this list at random! There are many devices which promise amazing results...this site, for instance, recommends "hydrogen rich water". Will prevent HIV, erectile disfunction, colonic disorders, cancer, dehydration (by drinking it presumably), migraines, indigestion, high blood pressure, obesity, osteoporosis, and of course, psoriasis. All these claims, like the claims on the ad you showed us earlier, are simply pure bull s***.

Ozone is hazardous in large doses, and over time, it can actually do some damage. It is used to clean and "freshen" hotel rooms between visitors, and to destroy mold and mildew. It is an industrial process which has no place in regular use in the home, office, or shopping malls. You can "shock" a whole house quickly, and within a few hours, everything is back to normal.

Hydroxyls are interesting beasties....they will certainly react with odors, and germs and bacteria, destroying them just fine. However, hydoxyl atoms only last a few seconds. They DO have one chraracteristic of interest, not mentioned to date...in that they surround airborne allergens with a hydrogen ions, which renders them impotent in causing allergies. Then they stick to the surfaces in your home, to be washed away later!

In that time though, they do a wonderful bang up job! But the ions have to contact the offending odor molecule, and because they break down so quickly, they only have a few seconds to do it. This site has a good evaluation of units which are designed to create hydroxyls. Theoretically, hydroxyls are still just as hard on people's lungs (because they break down to form hydrogen peroxide same as ozone does) but because they rectify so quickly they are not nearly as much as a problem as ozone generators. You will only find such equipment in enclosed units....they need frequent cleaning, and no matter how much they try, they STILL produce a tiny bit of ozone which is generally considered to be a problem

So these products are popular and it is already proved that they are hazardous to health.That is a very big list you have given of devices which have been banned in California.

Hydrogen rich water is really outstanding one.What i like most is "Reverse Aging" in the ad. oh God.

Hydroxyl Radicals-They are better i think.I wish to know if at all any widely accepted air purifier exists.

or is this the purest

Wayanad photo by Hithu on June 15, 2009.

Air ionizers are very important in semiconductor manufacture where they prevent the build-up of static electrical charge which will damage semiconductor devices. They are also used in the manufacture and handeling of explosives where a static discharge can result in consequences that can ruin your whole day.

Good and interesting blog, learned a few new wrinkles, thanks to all concerned.

The best demonstration of just how effective an Ionizer can be is the following:-

Take a large seethru plastic bag.

Place the ionizer inside the bag, but seal up the hole where the mains cable goes thru.

Get a smoker to fill the bag with cigarette smoke (very tiny particles.)

Watch.

Switch on the ionizer.

The smoke particles are gone in less than half a second....like magic.....even with a small unit!!

Its so sudden, you will probably do it a few times before actually believing it.....

Yes it will make the floor dirty (as someone else mentioned) around it, so its a good idea to have a circle of black carpet around it or similar.....

I like them.....