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A review of indoor air treatment technologies

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Abstract

Indoor air pollution is a complex issue involving a wide diversity and variability of pollutants that threats human health. In this context, major efforts should be made to enhance indoor air quality. Thus, it is important to start by the control of indoor pollution sources. Nevertheless, when the suppression or minimization of emission sources is insufficient, technically unfeasible, or economically unviable, abatement technologies have to be used. This review presents a general overview of single treatment techniques such as mechanical and electrical filtration, adsorption, ozonation, photolysis, photocatalytic oxidation, biological processes, and membrane separation. Since there is currently no technology that can be considered fully satisfactory for achieving “cleaner” indoor air, special attention is paid to combined purification technologies or innovative alternatives that are currently under research and have not yet been commercialized (plasma-catalytic hybrid systems, hybrid ozonation systems, biofilter-adsorption systems, etc.). These systems seem to be a good opportunity as they integrate synergetic advantages to achieve good indoor air quality.

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Acknowledgments

This research has been conducted with the financial support of the University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU (Project GIU12/07) and the Spanish Government (Project CTM2012-35565). The authors are grateful to the General Council of the Pyrenées Atlantiques and Aquitaine’s Regional Council for their financial support. Angela Luengas wishes to thank the University of the Basque Country for the fellowship granted (PIFGO15/2011).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Alda Urquijo s/n, 48013, Bilbao, Spain

    Angela Luengas, Astrid Barona, Gorka Gallastegui & Ana Elias

  2. Thermal, Energy and Process Laboratory (LaTEP), University of Pau, Quartier Bastillac, 55 Avenue d’Azereix, BP 1624, 65016, Tarbes, France

    Angela Luengas, Cecile Hort & Vincent Platel

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  1. Angela Luengas
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  2. Astrid Barona
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  3. Cecile Hort
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  4. Gorka Gallastegui
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  5. Vincent Platel
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  6. Ana Elias
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Correspondence to Angela Luengas.

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Luengas, A., Barona, A., Hort, C. et al. A review of indoor air treatment technologies. Rev Environ Sci Biotechnol 14, 499–522 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11157-015-9363-9

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