Comparison of non-infectious air delivery rate and energy consumption - Room air cleaners versus in-duct ultraviolet light inactivation of airborne pathogens

To reduce the risk of airborne infections, it is necessary to increase the air flow rates that are free of viable pathogens. This can be achieved by using devices such as portable clean air cleaners or in-duct UV germicidal irradiation devices. In this study, we compare the energy consumption of these devices to produce non-infectious air flow rates. We define the specific power as the ratio of electrical power to non-infectious air flow rate. We measured the clean air delivery rate and the power consumption of ten different room air cleaners. We also obtained the electric power consumption and the airborne bio-aerosol inactivation efficiencies of nine induct ultraviolet light devices from a previous study. The results show that there are large variations in the specific power of both types of devices. Our method allows us to compare different alternatives and find sustainable solutions for airborne infection mitigation.