Air Cleaning in Transportation Industry

Transportation facilities like airports, taxi depots, and delivery centers are heavily trafficked areas where the spread of pathogens like New Coronavirus (Covid-19) is a serious concern. These facilities often have hundreds of people coming and going, and may have high ceilings and poor air recycling. Energy costs to heat and cool such large buildings are also a challenge. What if there was a way to address all these issues, saving your facility time and money, while reducing the risk of infectious disease spreading through your building?

Now there is. The Varionix system uses bipolar ionization to clean and purify indoor air. These positive and negative ions attach to pathogens like viruses and bacteria (including Coronavirus), destroying the pathogen's surface. When this happens, a virus like Covid-19 can no longer reproduce, or infect a person, even when inhaled. Viruses can't survive on commonly-touched surfaces, and bacteria can't survive or form colonies there.

This same system that protects the air from viruses and bacteria also destroys airborne allergens like dust and mold, and reduces energy costs for heating and cooling by drastically lowering the amount of outdoor air needed. On average, buildings that use the Varionix system see a 50% reduction in heating and cooling costs, while achieving the environmental benefits of lowering energy usage.

Coronavirus Concerns

While health authorities are still still trying to understand all possible ways for Covid-19 to propagate, it's believed to spread predominantly from person-to-person, between people who are in close contact/proximity with one another (within about 6 feet), or via respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. (CDC) It may also spread through aerosols, or particles that can linger in the air for several hours. Typical air handling systems are not designed to eliminate or catch all these particles. A person can also get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has come into contact, then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, although this is not thought to be the main way this virus spreads. (CDC)

Now, imagine such an infectious virus inside a building like airport or other transportation center. This could happen because infected respiratory droplets entered the air and traveled inside the HVAC system ducts, as a result of sneezing, coughing, or touching surfaces within a structure. When these infected droplets are deposited on various surfaces, including doorknobs and chairs, everyone is susceptible to the virus. If the pathogen is also floating through the air, there is another source of infection.

How can you avoid or alleviate the contamination of your buildings? Advanced air purification solutions are vital. Varionix systems from Airionex, when installed in the existing HVAC systems of buildings or as a standalone unit, actively and efficiently eliminate microbes and viruses from the passing air. In this way, they remove the risk of HVAC systems contaminating entire buildings by delivering and depositing infected particles. The continuous application of bipolar ions emitted to ambient air is the most effective air purifying technology for decontaminating indoor air. 

At the same time, allergens like dust and mold will disappear, and odors like the ones from jet fuel, toilets, or restaurants, reduced, and your venue will smell fresh and clean, as the bipolar ions also break down odors at their source. You'll be able to reduce energy costs while still maintaining a pleasant temperature for guests. Because the Varionix system allows for the recirculation of purified air, there is far less need to bring in outdoor air, which requires heating and cooling. So disinfecting your air also saves you money on energy costs, and makes your facility more environmentally friendly.