Its Safe to Use
It uses safe levels of hydroperoxides that mimic the antibacterial power of natural outdoor air and do not pose a health or environmental risk.
Combats viruses & bacteria including COVID-19
It effectively cleanses your environment of pathogens and pollutants in the air and on surfaces.
What is active air purification and how does it work
Active air purification is the act of disinfecting the air by enriching it with a vapour called an advanced oxidation plasma that kills viruses, bacteria and pollutants. It not only continuously cleanses the air of contaminants, but also nearby surfaces, resulting in safer spaces all round.
The old way of treating air
When you think about air purification, many people imagine a unit that filters the air of dust and particles as it passes through or passes it by UV-C bulbs. These are what we call passive air purification processes and they remain the predominant technique used by air purifiers. However, the performance of all passive technologies is conditional on many things and they offer absolutely no protection for surface contaminations. Our active air purification process on the other hand works unconditionally in every part of the indoor air and surface space on a continuous basis. It is by far the safest and most effective technique.
The new way of treating air
Our devices use proven patented active air purification technologies such as Photohydroionisation® or PHI® and Reflective Electro Magnetic Energy® or REME® to turn entire properties into safe purification chambers, so you don’t need a unit in each room. These processes are far more effective because they proactively fill the entire indoor space with the things that destroys the pathogens and pollutants, as opposed to having to force them through a chamber and/or collect them on a filter. Indeed, our technologies can make any existing filter investments in your HVAC system more effective resulting in lower energy bills and longer maintenance cycles.
Active VS Passive
Before considering which method of purification to use, consumers must first understand exactly how each technology works because this impacts how practical and effective they are.
For example, there are many passive technologies being sold as solutions for viral transmission prevention but one must remember a passive system can only perform its task if the following conditions are met:
– the pathogen or pollutant or particulate must first be drawn into the unit
– the pathogen or pollutant or particulate must be stationary and/or have passed very close to direct UV-C source and/or through an ionisation field.
– the pathogen or pollutant or particulate must not be smaller than the filter grading which excludes all viruses
If one considers it can take hours/days/never and lots of energy for these conditions to be met for airborne particles and never for surface contamination it is undeniable that the risk of viral transmission remains high with passive systems so they should not be used for this purpose especially if more effective alternatives exist.
There are other drawbacks with passive systems. Filters collect dust and quickly become clogged up which affects performance. They also become breeding grounds and harbours for viruses and bacteria which creates a health risk when filters are changed and allows pathogens to fall off and get passed back into the room. Also filters, UV-C and PCO technologies do not guarantee to remove or destroy all pathogens as they pass through the unit. For example, HEPA’s smallest grade is 0.3 microns yet all viruses are smaller than this so will pass straight through and back into the room. Also, UV-C and PCO are subject to the Inverse Square law and require “dwell time” to deactivate viruses, bacteria and odours meaning their effectiveness drops off considerably the further away the particle is (at 4 inches distant UV strength is reduced by 93.75%) and they have no effect on particles in a moving airstream. Ionisation only technologies cause particles to drop out of the air or collect on plates and viruses, bacteria or odours remain infectious and a health risk for hours before they are deactivated. Similarly, PCO and ionisation technologies are known to produce dangerous and even carcinogenic by-products including ozone and Formaldehyde.
With the patented active purification technology from RGF Environmental which mimics Earth’s natural air cleaning processes, the “oxidiser soup” of hydroperoxides, super oxides and hydroxide ions is released into the air stream and reaches into every cubic cm of indoor space, continuously breaking down and destroying viruses/microbials in the air and on surfaces as it goes and reverting back to water vapour and oxygen afterwards. This process is essentially the opposite of passive approaches. The air does not need to be passed through the device to be treated rather it treats all of the air and all of the surfaces in every part of the indoor space simultaneously and continuously. It is impossible for any passive technology to work like this.
These are the fundamental differences between active and passive technologies and they explain why it is important to understand how each technology works.
We recommend you see the following two videos taken from RGF’s IAQ training guides which explain the attributes, differences and drawbacks of Filtration, UV-C and PCO/Ionisation in better detail:
All of the air in a space must be pulled through a device/filter in order to be treated. In practice only air close to the unit is pulled through. Air further away from the unit is not treated.
Examples are HEPA/UVC/PCO/ionisation/non-thermal plasma. These technologies can be used for large particle filtration/coil disinfection/extending coil and filter life. In other words they can be used for AC maintenance but they should not be used as a solution to minimise person to person transmission risk of COVID (or any other form of virus/bacteria/germs in the open space). They do not provide continuous real time at source deactivation in every part of the air space and offer nothing for surface contamination. Similarly there are some technologies that produce dangerous levels of ozone or make claims that are either impossible or dangerous or both, such as hydroxyl “cascades” (due to the short lived and highly unstable nature of these oxidisers.)
“we were looking for a system that kills viruses and bacteria instantly the moment they are emitted into the air or touched onto surfaces to replace our passive UVC systems. REME ticks all the boxes and has helped reduce absenteeism and improve productivity”
RGF Environmental Inc has two patented active purification technologies which are used in millions of products (in-duct, standalone) across numerous vertical markets (residential, commercial, industrial, public sector/government, military) in over 60 countries around the world. They are termed Photohydroionisation (PHI) and Reflective Electro Magnetic Energy (REME). They use broad spectrum UV light shined onto a quad metallic hydrophilic catalyst cell, which continuously releases low and safe levels of hydro peroxide molecules into the air. This “plasma” is distributed throughout the entire indoor space, continuously sanitising the air and surfaces as it goes and creating a healthy environment free of pathogens, pollutants and particulates. In essence, this means that if a person were to enter a room and emit the virus into the air by coughing or touch it onto a surface, it would be instantly deactivated no matter where in the room the person is located. No passive form of purification can make this claim. Importantly, both PHI and REME technologies were developed over 15 years ago and are the most scrunitised, exhaustively tested and proven of all air purification technologies. RGF has recently been awarded the IAQ industry’s first ‘zero-ozone’ certification under the latest UL867 standards (0.005 ppm or less) by Intertek. Other technologies that claim to be zero ozone do not meet these new stringent requirements:
What Is Photohydroionisation® or PHI® ?
What is Reflective Electro Magnetic Energy® or REME® ?
Active air purification is the act of disinfecting the air by enriching it with a vapour called an advanced oxidation plasma that kills viruses, bacteria and pollutants. This means it not only cleanses the air of contaminants, but also nearby surfaces, resulting in safer spaces all round.
This plasma can then be used to neutralise and kill indoor air pollutants, such as bacteria, viruses, mould, gases (VOCs), odours, allergens and dust. It is designed to recreate the natural way the environment removes impurities from the air.
REME® has all the benefits of PHI® with the added benefit of increased efficiency and particulate removal.
The Difference it Makes
What our technology can do for you
Your health and safety is our priority, so we strive to improve the quality of the air you breathe. Our advanced air purification technology rids indoor air of 99+% of harmful pollutants to create healthier environments to live, work and relax in.
It creates a healthier and safer environment
Did you know that most people spend approximately 80-90% of their time indoors? If this is the case, you want to know that the air you're breathing is clean. Contaminated air can put your health at risk, causing medical complaints such as headaches, lung irritation and fatigue, as well as conditions such as asthma and allergies.
Unfortunately, the air you breathe inside could be more polluted than the air outside when left untreated, especially if the building you’re in is near a busy road. Tightly sealed buildings and homes may be more energy efficient, but they can trap moisture, pollutants and microbes indoors, causing odours, mould, allergies and other conditions.
This is very common in the UK, as most properties are built to dated minimum standards that rely on ineffective natural, background ventilation. They are also often built or retrofitted with energy efficiency measures that seal up the property, such as double/triple glazing, cavity wall insulation and loft insulation.
For this reason, it’s estimated that more than 26 million properties will need ventilation improvements in order to meet new indoor quality requirements.
Thankfully, our active air purification devices are easy to fit and can rid your home, workplace or other indoor space of harmful pollutants so you can enjoy purer air and a healthier environment. This will also ensure that your property meets air quality requirements.
How it Works
Active air purification is a complex science, but thanks to the patented technology inside our products we’ve got it covered. Want to know more about how our air purification devices work? Read on to learn about the power of active air purification, Photohydroionisation® (PHI) and Reflective Electro Magnetic Energy® (REME).
A Brief Overview
Our technology is an active air purification process that continuously disinfects the air and surfaces and creates safer and healthier indoor spaces. This is achieved by enriching the air with an advanced oxidation plasma that kills viruses, bacteria and removes pollutants.
We bring the outdoors inside
In short, our technology replicates the natural cleansing power of the great outdoors. It produces friendly oxidisers that are found in outdoor air and releases them into your indoor space. These oxidisers are capable of removing pollutants in a safe non chemical way by reverting to water vapour and oxygen after destroying the pathogen. They effectively turn the entire air and surface space into a safe purification chamber, as opposed to relying on air passing through a filter or by UV-C tubes or through an ionisation field like less effective devices do.
What is active air purification?
Active air purification is the act of disinfecting the air by enriching it with a vapour called an advanced oxidation plasma that kills viruses, bacteria and pollutants. This means it not only cleanses the air of contaminants, but also nearby surfaces, resulting in safer spaces all round.
What is Photohydroionisation® (PHI®) ?
To put it simply, Photohydroionization® (PHI) is an advanced oxidation technology used to minimise and neutralise indoor air pollutants such as bacteria, viruses, mould, gases (VOCs) odours and particulates. This active air purification technology powers some of our devices.
The difference it makes
Your health and safety is our priority, so we strive to improve the quality of the air you breathe. Our advanced air purification technology rids indoor air of 99+% of harmful pollutants to create healthier environments to live, work and relax in.
What is REME® technology?
REME® stands for Reflective Electro Magnetic Energy and is another more advanced oxidation technology developed by RGF Environmental Inc. This technology powers air purification devices by using an electromagnetic energy cell to create ionized hydro-peroxides - a friendly oxidizer plasma made from oxygen and humidity.
Are hydroperoxides safe?
Hydrogen peroxide is a compound of two parts hydrogen and two parts oxygen, simply water (H2O) with one extra atom of oxygen. You know that fresh smell in the air after a thunderstorm? That’s present because ionized hydroperoxides have been produced with a combination of ions from lightening, water and sun, thereby cleaning the air. The concentrations of hydrogen peroxides produced by our units is very similar to those constantly found in the outdoor air making our products completely safe. Similarly there are no dangerous by-products.
Tests & evidence
Ours are the most exhaustively tried and tested technologies performed by numerous independent nationally accredited laboratories and institutions. They are proven to be highly effective at reducing airborne pathogens and pollutants and preventing the transfer of common illness transfer in indoor spaces.
Tests and Evidence
Ours is the most exhaustively tried and tested technology and it is proven to be highly effective at destroying airborne pathogens and pollutants and preventing the transfer of common illness transfer in indoor spaces. You can read more about our testing process below.
The sneeze test
To test the technology’s effectiveness in instantly combatting the spread of viruses and germs in an indoor space the moment they are issued into the air or onto surfaces, the sneeze test was carried out at Kansas State University, one of a small number of independent, national accredited laboratories in the US.
This involved creating a “sneeze chamber” that simulates a human sneeze, mimicking realistic lung capacity, sneeze pressure, and liquid volume. The chamber replicated 100-mph liquid transmissions – the same as what’s produced when we sneeze.
The results were outstanding. They proved that our technology is capable of instantly destroying 99% of airborne germs and 94% of surface germs within a 3 foot radius from the source. Similar numbers were reported after minutes and hours proving the process is effective on a continuous ongoing basis.
