Desenvolvimento de um purificador de ar baseado na tecnologia de irradiação ultravioleta germicida

Abstract

The pandemic caused by COVID-19, caused the stoppage of educational institutions, including UFOPA. COVID-19 is a disease with a high rate of transmission, either by direct contact between people, for example, by droplets expelled when coughing or sneezing, or by indirect contact, such as the circulation of air in closed environments. To prevent the spread of the virus, social distancing, masks and hand washing are recommended. Social distancing seeks to prevent people from being in crowded environments as closed environments are vectors of contamination. However, with the possibility of returning to face-to-face activities in educational institutions, especially in the Amazon region, where temperatures and relative humidity are high, keeping windows open for air circulation is not adequate due to the discomfort caused by excessive heat. Therefore, to maintain thermal comfort, air decontamination devices must be implemented in order to ensure the health of users at UFOPA. In this way, the objective of the work is to develop an air purifier for indoor environments, using ultraviolet germicidal technology (UVGI) to reduce the risks of contagion and spread of COVID-19, aiming at the gradual/total return of face-to-face activities at UFOPA. For that, a bibliographic review was carried out specifically on UV radiation and air purification systems, which led to the construction of two prototypes, submitted to biological tests, to validate which adequate dimension the device should have, as well as the constructive materials. to be used. In addition, it was stipulated that the equipment would have a low cost, so that the device could be largely manufactured in the region to facilitate delivery logistics to the other university campuses. The air purifier produced proved to be important for the academic community of UFOPA, which has adhered to its use in both academic and administrative environments, and can be considered an important ally in the fight against COVID-19 in the university environment. Currently, 85 purifiers were delivered until June 2022, produced by the engineering applications laboratory.