Types Of Home Air Purifiers/Cleaners: Pros, Cons, And How They Work

Whether it is the pollen allergy, or the infection of the dust, in all these cases, you need an air purifier to sustain. The product market is full of air purification systems with different purification technologies to give out fresh air. You must have come across the major 5 types of air purifiers and cleaners that prevailed in the market. Although, every air purifier or air cleaner does the same work of air purification, but has different ways of doing that.  The technologies come up with some pros and cons which should be considered while purchasing the right air purifier or an air cleaner.

All types of respiratory infections can be prevented by the use of air purifiers in the home. It is highly recommended to buy the best air purifier for home.  This installation of an air cleaner ensures that you and your loved ones get fresh and safe air for the breathing process. In addition to the air purification, these air purifiers also freshen up the air and eliminate the odor from it. This helps in keeping the indoor air in a good state for sustaining a healthy environment.

Let's look into the pros, cons and the way of purifying the air in all 5  major types of home purifiers.

1.  HEPA Air Purifiers And Cleaners

These air purifiers are known for many centuries.  It stands for high-efficiency particulate air which is a standard filtration process. Due to its efficiency in purifying indoor air, it is called the best in the market.   The filters are well designed to strain out microscopic particles also. Up to 99.9% of air purification is done by these HEPA air cleaners. These are the best air purifiers that are used for cleaning up the air in large dimensions and with great efficiency.

How Does a HEPA Filter Work?

A fan is used to draw in polluted air in the air purifier.  The air drawn passes through the HEPA filter fitted inside, which is made up of fiberglass. All air-borne pollutants get trapped into the fine meshes of HEPA filters. Some get enmeshed in the fibres and some get absorbed into the fibres of filters. Even the gases get bounced into the fibres of HEPA filters inside the natural air purifier.

The bouncing of gas is called diffusion which is extremely important for the air purification process. This process traps smaller particles of size 0.1 micron-meter also, making the air purification efficient.

As the air passes through the filters, the pollutants get trapped in it. The purified air is then pumped back to the room.  And the cycle of events of air purification continues.  All dissolved particulate matters get reduced dramatically by the use of a HEPA filter air purifier.

Pros of HEPA Air Purifiers

• Effective purification against the small particulate matter dissolved in the air.
• No harmful byproducts during the whole process of air purification
• As the filters trap more pollutants, they become more effective in the filtration process
• HEPA filter technology can be combined with other air purification technologies also to give out a very powerful purification technology. Like, it can be combined with UV prefilters to kill the microbes dissolved in the air.

Cons Of HEPA Air Purifiers

• High maintenance cost
• The HEPA filters don’t last forever, they require replacement.
• In heavily polluted areas, the filters require rapid replacements.
• Can create inconveniences often
• HEPA purifiers don’t eliminate the smell from the air. 

2.  Activated Carbon / Adsorbent Type Air Purifiers

These types of air purifiers are made up of activated carbon technology or charcoal for the process of air purification.  These purifiers are also called absorbents which can trap chemicals and foul smells also. It can purify the air in your home and freshen up the whole atmosphere by eliminating the odors. All toxic airborne pollutants get absorbed into the activated carbon membrane inside the air purifier. 

How Do Activated Carbon / Adsorbent Air Purifiers Work?

The air purifiers of this category use absorbent membranes made up of molecules of activated carbon. Absorbents attract toxicants and other pollutants from the air through physical and chemical processes. Here, physical adsorption happens with electrostatic forces like van der waals between the molecules and pollutants. While in chemical absorption, the formation of chemical bonds is made to get all toxicants attracted to the absorbent. The physical process is reversible while the chemical process is not.

As the polluted air passes through the air cleaner, the pollutants and other toxicants get absorbed into the porous end of the absorbent material. This releases the clean air out of the absorbent. Hence, air purification is concluded in absorbent air purifiers.

Pros Of Activated Carbon / Absorbent Air Purifiers

• No harmful byproducts in the air purification
• Safe to use in the homes
• Can remove pesky smell and VOCs.
• The absorbent filters can be combined with the ionic as well as other purification technologies.
• Good at trapping the airborne pollutants

Cons Of Activated Carbon/ Absorbent Air Purifiers

• It is not a stand-alone item or device
• Can’t remove small particulate matter from the air
• There is an additional cost of pre filters with these purifiers.

3.  UV Air Purifiers

These filters or purifiers use the property of UV light to purify the air.  The UV light destroys the RNA and DNA of the microbes present in the air. The natural air purifier also uses this technology to purify the indoor air of your house.  UV lamps are used for the emission of UV light.

How Do UV Air Purifiers Work?

The UV air purifier starts its air purification by sucking up pollutant air inside the house. The UV lamp inside the air cleaner emits the UV light, which destroys the microbes in the air.  Many airborne pollutants also get eliminated with it. The UV light breaks down the RNA and DNA build-up of viruses and bacteria.  The inactive viruses also get killed with the UV light in the air purifier.

Pros Of An UV Air Purifier

• The air purifiers target  the airborne pollutants and kill them effectively
• Have a wide range of uses in various fields.
• Good at anti-viral and anti-bacterial cells removal
• Helpful in neutralizing the microbes in the air

Cons Of An UV Air Purifier

• It forms the byproduct of ozone in the air purification process
• Only safe wavelengths of UV light are used in these air purifiers 

4.  Ionizer Type Air Purifiers

Ionizer type air purifiers are filterless air purifiers which have an ionic system. Here the ions are used to attract the oppositely charged pollutants to themselves to clean up the air.  It can efficiently remove all airborne pollutants. 

How Do Ionizer Air Purifiers Work?

The ionizers create charged ions which can be negative or positive. These ions then attach to the pollutant surface. After the attachment, the whole ion settles down on the surfaces of furniture, etc. They can be easily wiped down then.  However, some ionizers use electrostatic precipitators which do not allow the ions to settle down outside. The cleaning plates are full of such ions which are later wiped down.

Pros Of Ionizer Air Purifiers

• They are filterless  air purifiers
• They don’t need rapid and often replacements
• Low Maintenance  costs
• Quieter in operating

Cons Of Ionizer Air Purifiers

• They are less effective than the other air purifiers
• The air purifiers create a mess while purifying the air
• The ions can settle in the surfaces of the home which is no good at all
• The byproduct is ozone which is not good for health

5.  Ozone Generated Air Purifiers

These types of air purifiers do exist but are not recommended for home uses. Air purifiers with ozone technology remove most of the airborne pollutants from the air. But the health professionals and the government have not recommended its use.

How Ozone Generated Air Purifiers?

The ozone generators use the corona discharge or the UV light to remove the pollutants for air purification.  Here, it breaks the oxygen molecules and recombines them into three ozone molecules called ozone. This is very harmful to your health.  As ozone is highly reactive. This ozone removes the pollutants by altering the chemical composition of surrounding air pollutants.

Pros Of Ozone Generated Air Purifiers

• In industries, the ozone air purifiers can be useful in killing microbes and disinfect the air
• Effective in destroying the biological contaminants

Cons Of Ozone Generated Air Purifiers

• It creates a  large amount of ozone which is not  good at all
• It does not kill the small particulate matter in the air
• The purifier fails to eliminate bad smell

Conclusion

All 5 major air purifiers are found in the market in good amounts. Among all 5, the best buy air purifier of HEPA and absorbent technologies. These technologies are good at air purification and produce good quality air. Moreover, there is no harmful gas emission that can affect your health. So, while buying an air cleaner or air purifier, go along the mechanisms, pros, and cons of the air purification system to get the right one.