Odor Remediation
Malodor is a major part of indoor air quality problems. Elimination of indoor malodor is a Prolitec specialty and a role for which Prolitec’s technology is uniquely well-suited. Prolitec’s Odor Remediation solution is becoming a standard in several industry sectors.
The Prolitec approach to odor remediation involves four steps – identification of the malodor, formulation of the neutralizer; delivery of the neutralizers into the space to be treated and concentration control of the neutralizer in the air.
Identification of the malodor, its source and its components, is always the first step. This information may be well known or readily determined by an onsite investigation. In some cases, identification requires the analysis of an air sample.
The second step is formulation of the compound for neutralizing the malodor relative to the human sense of smell or converting a malodor from a toxic source odor into something that is neither toxic nor smelly.* Prolitec employs state-of-the art chemistry, mass spectrometry and other analytical instrumentation to formulate the most effective solution. Prolitec has successful experience in the elimination of a wide range of interior malodors including: cigarette smoke and tars; cooking and food; human body; fecal-urine; diesel and other fuels and many others. Formulations for neutralizing these odors have been tested in several commercial settings.
The method for delivery of the air treatment solution depends on the size of the space to be treated. Smaller spaces up to 20,000 cubic feet can be served by a single direct delivery appliance like the Air-Q 200 which is wall mounted or hidden in a display or utility closet. Larger spaces up to several millions of cubic feet are best served through the air handling system. There is no theoretical limit to the size of a treated space. The Prolitec Air-Q 1000 system is attached to the air mixing chamber or ducting of the air handling system to treat the air before it is delivered into the space to be treated. A particular advantage of the Prolitec technology is that it is completely safe and practical for air treatment within the HVAC or air handling system. Prolitec’s nano-droplets behave like a gas and leave no deposits inside the air handler, its fan blades or its ducting.
Concentration control is a core part of Prolitec’s approach to air treatment, which blends into the air ultra-low quantities of treatment agent usually less than one part per million (ppm). These very small concentrations, well below the allergenic threshold, are made possible and effective by the massive exposed surface area-to-weight ratio of the nano-droplets. This “less is more” strategy is maintained by knowing the odor, using a targeted neutralizer, conducting a careful aero-engineering analysis of the space and utilizing a computer-controlled appliance that converts the air treatment agent into the nano-droplets without the use of harmful volatile organic compounds(VOCs).
* Some odor sources, such as NH 3 (ammonia) and H 2S (hydrogen sulfide), are toxic to humans above certain air space concentrations. These toxic compounds must be converted by chemical reaction into something non-toxic and not smelly as part of the odor remediation process. Most odors are not toxic in the concentrations that begin to cause malador, but they can be unpleasant and must be rendered neutral relative to the human sense of smell.
