Impact of Air Purifiers on Indoor Air Quality in a Classroom of DTU

In Delhi, the most polluted city in India, the outdoor air pollution is severely high and due to this indoor air quality has also got worse which is more significant especially in winters. One of the available solutions to tackle the poor indoor air quality is an Air Purifier, which is a device that removes contaminants from the air in a room to improve indoor air quality. But with so many kinds available, the need to choose the right air purifier is crucial in a polluted location like Delhi. This study puts an emphasis on the efficiency of some of the readily available Air Purifiers in India and compares them on the basis of their PM1 and PM2.5 particle reduction ability, and noise generated under similar conditions. In this study, different types of air purifiers were used, and the efficiency of each examined air purifier was calculated so that it could be concluded which air purifier is best for use in cities like Delhi. The concentration levels of the primary sources of pollution i.e. PM1 and PM2.5 were recorded in the absence of any air purifier. This process was again repeated for the same duration of time, but in the presence of different types of air purifiers in a classroom in DTU using an EPAM-5000. The noise generated by each purifier was recorded using a Sound Level Meter. The introduction of an air purifier in the study area resulted in the decline of concentration levels of PM1 and PM 2.5 gradually. However, the limitations of each of the purifiers are discussed in brief and the possible steps to overcome them are provided. The air purifiers used these days do not remove pollutants completely, due to which bacteria and viruses start to form their colonies on the filter which reduces the lifespan of the filter. It increases the maintenance cost of the product which makes it unaffordable. Therefore, the monopoly of filters should be changed to the new filter-less technology. One of the possible solutions is also provided which works on the principle of ‘Trap and Kill’ technology that is more effective in eliminating the Pollutants, Bacteria and viruses from indoor air.