Types of Air Purifiers

Mechanical Air Filters

• Purifiers with air filters are designed specifically to remove particles from the air that may considered pollutants. In this fairly simple process, air is constantly circulated through the mechanical purifier, while a filter picks up and catches particle pollutants as they pass through. While this is effective for smaller particles, which get sucked into the machine, many of the larger ones are too heavy and are never captured.

Electronic Air Cleaners

• Electronic air cleaning purifiers serve the same purpose as mechanical air filters; they are meant to specifically remove particles from the air. These devices tend to be in the form of electrostatic precipitators, which use electrostatic to capture free-floating particles. Electronic air cleaners are often referred to as ionizers, because the charged ions that are released from the machine attach to particle pollutants in the air.

Gas-phase Filters

• Gas-phase filter purifiers are designed to remove gaseous pollutants and odors from the air. Although these machines are much less common in everyday households, their method is similar to air filter purifiers; they also capture the pollutants that pass through. The gas filters use a material known as sorbent, however, to aid in attracting and absorbing a few specific types of gaseous pollutants. Not all dangerous gases, such as carbon-monoxide, are captured in these filters.

UVGI cleaners

• UVGI cleaners use a very different method to clean the air. These cleaners contain UV lamps that emit ultra-violet rays around the room, specifically to go after biological pollutants as bacteria and viruses. While using a UV lamp on biological pollutants can be effective in destroying vegetative bacteria, mold spores usually require longer exposure to these ultra-violet rays than the average home UVGI cleaner can provide.

Ozone Generators

• While other air purifiers tend to focus on one kind of pollutant, ozone generated purifiers go after nearly all pollutants, including biological, gas, and particles. They are similar to UVGI cleaners, as they also use a UV lamp; however, ozone generators emit ozone into the air by the use of an internal fan. While these types of purifiers may be effective in destroying a range of pollutants, the EPA states that "Ozone is a lung irritant that can cause adverse health effects."