Air treatment

Abstract

There is provided an air treatment apparatus comprising an air flow generator for generating an air flow; a sorbent material for sorbing one or more airborne pollutants, the sorbent material being arranged such that at least a portion of the air flow passes through the sorbent material; a heater arranged to heat a portion of the sorbent material to desorb sorbed pollutants; and a photocatalytic reactor arranged to receive air containing desorbed pollutants from the heated portion of the sorbent material. The photocatalytic reactor comprises a photocatalyst for photocatalytic degradation of one or more pollutants, and one or more light sources for illuminating the photocatalyst to facilitate photocatalytic degradation. The air treatment apparatus is arranged such that at least a portion of the air flow that does not pass through the heated portion of the sorbent material does not contact the one or more light sources.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an air handling device. Background Technology

[0002] Air handling equipment processes air to remove contaminants. Traditional air handling equipment uses only particulate filters, which physically capture airborne particles by size exclusion; high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters remove at least 99.97% of 0.3 μm particles. Some air handling equipment uses activated carbon filters to filter volatile chemicals from the air. Activated carbon is a well-known carbonaceous material that is processed to have a large number of open or accessible micropores and mesopores, increasing the surface area available for adsorption or chemical reactions. For example, WO2016 / 128734 describes a fan assembly having a tubular barrel-type filter mounted on a cylindrical body of the fan assembly. This filter includes a dual-layer filter media, comprising a pleated HEPA filter outer layer surrounding an inner layer of activated carbon cloth.

[0003] When used for air purification, activated carbon filters out pollutants through adsorption, thus having a limited capacity. Therefore, activated carbon filters eventually need to be replaced to maintain their filtration performance. Consequently, it is desirable to be able to regenerate such adsorption filters to avoid the need for replacement. One way to achieve this regeneration is to thermally desorb pollutants from the adsorption filter before releasing them into the external environment or before using technologies such as photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) to destroy them. The latter method is preferred because it does not require the air handling unit to be able to vent to the external environment. Summary of the Invention

[0004] According to a first aspect of the invention, an air handling apparatus is provided. The air handling apparatus includes an airflow generator for generating an airflow; an adsorbent material for adsorbing one or more airborne pollutants, the adsorbent material being arranged such that at least a portion of the airflow passes through the adsorbent material; a heater arranged to heat a portion of the adsorbent material to desorb the adsorbed pollutants; and a photocatalytic reactor arranged to receive air containing pollutants desorbed from the heated portion of the adsorbent material. The photocatalytic reactor includes a photocatalyst for photocatalytically degrading one or more pollutants, and one or more light sources for irradiating the photocatalyst to promote photocatalytic degradation. The air handling apparatus is arranged such that at least a portion of the airflow that does not pass through the heated portion of the adsorbent material contacts the one or more light sources.

[0005] An air handling unit can be configured to provide at least one airflow path that allows air from outside the air handling unit to contact at least one of one or more light sources, the airflow path not passing through the heated portion of the adsorbent material. The airflow path can be arranged to allow air from outside the air handling unit to pass through the unheated portion of the adsorbent material.

[0006] A photocatalytic reactor may include a first part containing a photocatalyst and a second part containing one or more light sources. The first part is arranged to receive pollutants desorbed from a heated portion of an adsorbent material, and the second part is arranged to receive at least a portion of the gas flow that does not pass through the heated portion of the adsorbent material.

[0007] A photocatalytic reactor may include a partially transparent partition that separates one or more light sources from the photocatalyst, the partition separating a first portion from a second portion. The partition may be airtight.

[0008] Air handling equipment may include a desorption chamber arranged to surround a portion of an adsorbent material, and a heater arranged to heat the portion of the adsorbent material surrounded by the desorption chamber. The air handling equipment may be arranged such that the unheated portion of the adsorbent material is located outside the desorption chamber and is not exposed to heat generated by the heater.

[0009] The photocatalyst can be placed on one or more surfaces of the photocatalytic reactor, and one or more light sources are arranged to irradiate one or more surfaces. Attached Figure Description

[0010] The present invention will be described by way of example only with reference to the following figures, wherein:

[0011] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an example of an air handling unit;

[0012] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of an example of an air handling unit;

[0013] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 An enlarged sectional view of an air handling unit;

[0014] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of another example of an air handling unit;

[0015] Figure 5A This is a perspective view of an example filter applicable to the air handling equipment described herein;

[0016] Figure 5B yes Figure 5A A plan view of the filter;

[0017] Figure 6AThis is a perspective view of an example of a filter device applicable to the air handling equipment described herein; and

[0018] Figure 6B yes Figure 6A Front view of the filter device. Detailed Implementation

[0019] Now refer to Figure 1 , 2 Example 3 of the air handling equipment is described by way of example only. The air handling equipment is generally indicated by reference numeral 100 and includes a housing 131 that houses an airflow generator 120 for generating airflow through the air handling equipment 100.

[0020] exist Figure 2 and 3 In the example shown, housing 131 is cylindrical and has sidewalls, a lower end, and a upper end. The lower end is closed and provides a base (i.e., a lower surface) on which the air handling unit 100 rests (i.e., is supported). Thus, the air inlet of the air handling unit 100 is disposed in the sidewall of housing 131 and includes an array of holes (not shown) formed in the sidewall of housing 131. Optionally, the air inlet may include one or more grilles or meshes installed within a window formed in housing 131.

[0021] An airflow generator 120 is then installed inside the housing 131, and the exhaust device of the airflow generator 120 is arranged in a circular hole 130 provided at the upper end of the housing 131, so that the airflow discharged from the airflow generator 120 leaves the housing 131 of the air handling equipment 100 through the hole 130. The circular hole 130 thus provides an air outlet for the air handling equipment 100.

[0022] The airflow generator 120 includes a motor 121 and an impeller 122, the impeller 122 being arranged to be driven by the motor 121 to generate airflow through the air handling unit 100. The impeller 122 has a generally truncated conical shape, and the motor 121 is partially disposed within a cavity 132 defined by the rear portion of the impeller 122.

[0023] The air handling unit 100 also includes an adsorbent material 101 for adsorbing one or more airborne pollutants. The adsorbent material 101 is arranged such that at least a portion of the airflow passing through the air handling unit 100 passes through the adsorbent material 101, thereby removing pollutants present in that portion of the airflow from the adsorbent material 101.

[0024] exist Figure 2 and 3In the example shown, the adsorbent material 101 is provided by a plurality of curved integral carbon filters 101', 101" distributed around the inner circumference of the housing 131, such that they are located downstream of the air inlet of the air handling unit 100 disposed in the side wall of the housing 131 and upstream of the airflow generator 120. Therefore, the airflow drawn in by the airflow generator 120 through the air inlet of the air handling unit 100 passes through the curved integral carbon filters 101', 101" before being discharged through the air outlet 130 of the airflow generator 120.

[0025] exist Figure 2 and 3 In the example shown, the air handling device 100 also includes a pre-filter assembly 133 for pre-filtering the airflow passing through the air handling device 100 before it passes through the adsorbent material 101. The pre-filter assembly 133 includes a particulate filter media for filtering particles from the airflow. For example, such a particulate filter media may include pleated polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or glass microfiber nonwoven fabric. The pre-filter assembly 133 may further include a chemical filter media for filtering out certain chemicals before the airflow passes through the adsorbent material 101. For example, such a chemical filter media may include activated carbon filter media, such as pleated carbon cloth or activated carbon particles held between layers of breathable material.

[0026] The air handling unit 100 also includes desorption components 102 and 107, which are arranged to intermittently or periodically desorb pollutants from at least a portion of the adsorbent material 101. For this purpose, the desorption components include a desorption chamber 107 and a heater 102. The desorption chambers are arranged to interchangeably surround different portions of the adsorbent material 101, and the heater is arranged to heat the adsorbent material surrounded by the desorption chamber 107 to desorb the adsorbed pollutants. The desorption chamber 107 is also arranged to at least temporarily contain pollutants desorbed from the heated portion 101' of the adsorbent material 101.

[0027] exist Figure 2 and 3 In the example shown, the desorption assembly is rotatably mounted within the air handling unit 100, such that the desorption chamber 107 and the heater 102 can rotate to move from one of the curved integral carbon filters 101', 101'" to the other, thereby intermittently or periodically exchanging portions of the adsorbent material 101 disposed within the desorption chamber 107. Therefore, the air handling unit 100 also includes a rotating assembly arranged to rotate the desorption assembly, which includes a rotary motor 134 arranged to rotate a drive member 135 and a driven member 136 arranged to be driven by the drive member 135 to rotate the desorption assembly about a rotation axis. Figure 2 and 3In the example shown, the driving member 135 includes a pinion, and the driven member 136 includes at least a partially circular or arcuate rack disposed on the desorption assembly.

[0028] In an alternative arrangement, the desorption assembly can be fixedly mounted within the air handling unit 100, and the adsorbent material 101 is rotatably mounted within the housing 131, such that portions of the adsorbent material 101 can rotate in and out of the desorption chamber 107 to intermittently or periodically interchange the portions of the adsorbent material 101 disposed within the desorption chamber 107. In another alternative arrangement, the desorption assembly can be arranged to move longitudinally (i.e., vertically) within the air handling unit 100 to move from one portion of the adsorbent material 101 to another, thereby intermittently or periodically interchangeing the portions of the adsorbent material 101 disposed within the desorption chamber 107.

[0029] Photocatalytic reactors 103, 104, and 105 are arranged to receive air containing pollutants desorbed from the heated section 101' of the adsorbent material. Figure 2 In the example, air containing pollutants desorbed from the heated portion 101' of the adsorbent material 101 enters the spacer 106 from the desorption chamber 107 via conduit 109, and then enters the photocatalytic reactor 103 via conduit 113. The photocatalytic reactor 103 includes: a reactor chamber 103 arranged to receive air containing desorbed pollutants; a photocatalyst 104 disposed on one or more surfaces within the reactor chamber 103 for photocatalytic degradation of one or more pollutants (e.g., titanium dioxide, TiO2); and one or more light sources 105 for irradiating the photocatalyst to promote the photocatalytic degradation of one or more pollutants. Figure 2 and 3 In the example shown, light source 105 is a light-emitting diode mounted on a thin printed circuit board (PCB) that emits ultraviolet (UV) light with a wavelength of approximately 365 nm.

[0030] Air handling equipment 100 is configured to provide at least one airflow path (FP) that allows air from outside the equipment 100 to contact at least one of one or more light sources 105, the flow path (FP) not passing through the heated portion 101' of the adsorbent material 101. Specifically, air flows along the flow path (FP) over the unheated portion 101' of the adsorbent material 101. The unheated portion 101' of the adsorbent material 101 is located outside the desorption chamber 107 and is therefore not exposed to the heat generated by the heater 102, so that the filtered air passes through the light source 105 without passing through the heated portion of the adsorbent material 101. As described below, this unheated air passes through and cools the one or more light sources 105.

[0031] The reactor chamber 103 includes a transparent barrier or partition 123 that separates the photocatalyst 104 from one or more light sources 105. The transparent partition 123 includes a material that is sufficiently transparent to ultraviolet (UV) light emitted by the one or more light sources 105, such that the catalytic UV wavelength light passing through the transparent partition 123 is sufficiently strong to catalyze the decomposition of pollutants by the photocatalyst 104.

[0032] Therefore, reactor chamber 103 includes a first portion 125 containing a photocatalyst and a second portion 124 containing one or more light sources 105, with a transparent partition 123 separating the first portion 125 from the second portion 124. The first portion 125 is arranged to receive air containing pollutants desorbed from the heated portion 101' of the adsorbent material, and the second portion 124 is arranged to receive at least a portion of the airflow that has not passed through the heated portion 101' of the adsorbent material 101 but has passed through the unheated portion 101" of the adsorbent material 101. For this purpose, the transparent partition 123 is arranged such that air that has passed through the unheated portion 101" of the adsorbent material 101 can flow through the second portion 124. In particular, the transparent partition 123 provides a conduit within which one or more light sources 105 are located.

[0033] The air handling unit 100 reduces the likelihood of the photocatalyst 104 being "poisoned" due to excessive exposure to contaminants by providing a spacer 106, in which contaminants adsorbed by the adsorbent material 101 can be released and stored before being delivered to the photocatalyst reactor. Therefore, the spacer 106 is arranged to receive and retain air containing desorbed contaminants received from the desorption assembly. Furthermore, the air handling unit 100 may also include a dilution gas inlet (not shown) and a dilution gas inlet valve (not shown), the dilution gas inlet being arranged to allow dilution gas to be introduced into the spacer, and the dilution gas inlet valve being arranged to control the introduction of dilution gas through the dilution gas inlet. Introducing dilution gas into the spacer allows for a reduction in the concentration of contaminants contained within the spacer, further reducing the likelihood of the photocatalyst 104 being "poisoned" due to excessive exposure to contaminants.

[0034] Now, referring to the air handling unit 100 shown... Figure 1 , 2 And 3 to describe Figure 1 , 2 The operation of device 3. The rotation of impeller 122 driven by motor 121 generates an airflow through the air inlet of air handling equipment 100, which passes through the portion of adsorbent material 101 not disposed within desorption chamber 107. Air handling equipment 100 then determines that this portion of adsorbent material 101 needs regeneration, and therefore initiates a regeneration process for this portion of adsorbent material 101. In the first step of the regeneration process, the portion of adsorbent material 101 to be regenerated is placed, preferably sealed, within desorption chamber 107. Figure 2and 3 In the example shown, this step involves activating the rotating assembly to rotate the desorption assembly, thereby swapping the curved monolithic carbon filter currently located in the desorption chamber 107 with the curved monolithic carbon filter 101' to be regenerated.

[0035] In the second step of the regeneration process, heater 102 is activated to heat the portion 101' of the adsorbent material 101 surrounded by desorption chamber 107, thereby desorbing the adsorbed pollutants. Before or during heating of portion 101' of the adsorbent material 101, spacer inlet valve 108, located between desorption chamber 107 and spacer 106, is opened to allow air and pollutants to move from desorption chamber 107 to spacer 106. Spacer outlet valve 112, located between spacer 106 and reactor chamber 103 of the photocatalytic reactor, is closed to prevent air containing desorbed pollutants from reaching the photocatalytic reactor. This method does not require slow and precise control of heating of the adsorbent material 101, but allows for rapid heating and desorption. Furthermore, desorption chamber inlet valve 114 is opened before or during heating of portion 101' of the adsorbent material 101 to allow air to enter desorption chamber 107, thereby preventing desorption chamber 107 from becoming negative pressure.

[0036] While the movement of desorbed contaminants from desorption chamber 107 to spacer 106 can be achieved solely by thermal expansion generated by heating from heater 102, the movement of air and contaminants from desorption chamber 107 to spacer 106 during the second step can be facilitated by increasing the volume of spacer 110 defining spacer 106. This can be achieved, for example, by moving a movable portion 111 of spacer 110. The movable portion 111 can then include folds or pleats that facilitate the expansion of spacer 110. Figure 2 and 3 In the example shown, compartment 110 is a relatively flat cylindrical compartment located at the bottom of air handling unit 100.

[0037] In the third step of the regeneration process, which begins once desorption is confirmed to be complete, the spacer inlet valve 108 between the desorption chamber 107 and the spacer 106 is closed. The heater 102 can then be stopped, and the heated portion 101' of the adsorbent material 101 can be cooled. The spacer outlet valve 112 is at least partially opened, allowing air containing the desorbed contaminants to be delivered from the spacer 106 to the photocatalytic reactor. Figure 2 and Figure 3 In the example shown, the spacer outlet valve 112 is fully opened to provide a constant, controlled flow of air and contaminants to the reactor chamber 103 of the photocatalytic reactor, with the flow rate sufficiently limited so that the required amount of contaminants (e.g., substantially all) can be removed from the airflow without irreversibly poisoning the photocatalyst 104.

[0038] To facilitate the movement of air and pollutants from spacer 106 to the photocatalytic reactor during the third step, the volume of spacer chamber 110 defining spacer 106 can be reduced. This can be achieved, for example, by moving a movable portion 111 of spacer chamber 110, the folding or pleating of which facilitates the contraction of spacer chamber 110. The flow of air containing desorbed pollutants to the photocatalytic reactor can then be controlled by controlling the contraction of spacer chamber 110.

[0039] During this third step, the light sources 105 of the photocatalytic reactor are activated, illuminating the photocatalyst 104 disposed on one or more surfaces within the reactor chamber 103. Therefore, air supplied from the spacer 106 to the reactor chamber 103 is treated by photocatalytic degradation of desorbed pollutants present in the air. Figure 1 , 2 In the example shown in Figure 3, air containing desorbed pollutants is conveyed from spacer 106 to reactor chamber 103 at a controlled rate, and the photocatalytic reactor is arranged to treat the air as it flows through reactor chamber 103. Specifically, the photocatalytic reactor is arranged such that air conveyed from spacer 106 to reactor chamber 103 enters reactor chamber 103 through reactor inlet 115, flows through reactor chamber 103 at a controlled rate, and exits from reactor outlet 116, with air treatment occurring via photocatalytic degradation as the air flows from reactor inlet 115 to reactor outlet 115.

[0040] After passing through the photocatalytic reactor 103, the airflow can be discharged from the air handling unit 100. Optionally, the air handling unit 100 can be arranged such that the air discharged from the photocatalytic reactor passes through a filter, for example, through the adsorbent material 101, before the airflow leaves the air handling unit 100. For example, the photocatalytic reactor can be arranged to spray treated air such that the treated air passes through at least a portion of the adsorbent material 101 before being sprayed from the air handling unit 100. This method provides that any pollutants that have not been completely degraded within the photocatalytic reactor and are therefore retained in the treated air can still be adsorbed by the adsorbent material 101 before the treated air is discharged from the air handling unit 100.

[0041] Those skilled in the art will recognize that more than one chamber can be used to define a spacer. Similarly, one or more catheters can be used in conjunction with, or in place of, one or more chambers to define a spacer. Such multiple catheters and chambers can be used in series and / or in parallel to define a spacer.

[0042] The example above illustrates how the heated portion 101' includes a first filter, while the unheated portion 101" includes a second filter. Of course, the heated portion 101' and the unheated portion 101" can be provided by a single filter.

[0043] exist Figure 1 , 2 In the example shown in Figure 3, the air handling unit 100 is a residential air filtration / purification unit. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the air handling unit can be an air conditioning unit, typically used for cooling and / or heating air. Alternatively or additionally, the air handling unit can be, for example, a commercial air handling unit suitable for public places.

[0044] Now refer to Figure 4 Another example of an air handling apparatus according to the present invention is described. The air handling apparatus 200 is similar to the one described above. Figure 1 , 2 The device described in 3, because device 200 includes a spacer 106 arranged to receive air containing pollutants desorbed from the heated portion 101' of adsorbent material 101. Figure 4 It has with Figure 1 , 2 The features with the same reference numerals as in Figure 3 correspond to Figure 1 , 2 And those features described in 3, and operate in the same way.

[0045] exist Figure 4 In the example shown, the reactor chamber 103 of the photocatalytic reactor is arranged to store contaminant-containing air received from the spacer 106 before allowing treated air to be discharged from the photocatalytic reactor. Therefore, the reactor chamber 103 is arranged to receive and retain air containing desorbed contaminants received from the spacer 106. For this purpose, the photocatalytic reactor includes a reactor inlet 115, a reactor outlet 116, and a reactor outlet valve 212. The reactor inlet 115 receives air containing desorbed contaminants from the spacer 106, the reactor outlet 116 is arranged to discharge treated air from the photocatalytic reactor, and the reactor outlet valve 212 controls the discharge of treated air from the photocatalytic reactor. To maintain pressure within the reactor chamber 103 while receiving air containing desorbed contaminants from the spacer 106, the volume of the reactor chamber 103 can be increased. This can be achieved, for example, by moving a movable portion 211 of the reactor chamber 103. The movable portion 211 can then include pleats or folds that facilitate the expansion and contraction of the reaction chamber.

[0046] In operation, a batch of air containing contaminants can pass through the spacer 106 by opening the spacer outlet valve 112. To facilitate the movement of air and contaminants from the spacer 106 to the photocatalytic reactor, the volume of the spacer chamber 110 defining the spacer 106 can be reduced. For example, this can be achieved by moving the movable portion 111 of the spacer chamber 110; folds or pleats in the movable portion 111 facilitate the contraction of the spacer chamber 110. The flow of air containing desorbed contaminants to the photocatalytic reactor can then be controlled by controlling the contraction of the spacer chamber 110.

[0047] The movable portion 211 expands the reactor chamber 103, maintaining the pressure within the reactor chamber 103, and can also be used to draw air containing desorbed contaminants from the spacer 106 into the reactor chamber 103. The reactor outlet valve 212 closes during the transfer of air containing desorbed contaminants into the reactor chamber 103, thus retaining it within the reactor chamber 103.

[0048] Once a "batch" of air has been transferred to reactor chamber 103, spacer outlet valve 112 is closed, and the air in reactor chamber 103 is treated by a light source 105 that activates the photocatalytic reactor, causing it to irradiate photocatalyst 104 disposed on one or more surfaces within reactor chamber 103. Thus, the air contained within reactor chamber 103 is treated by photocatalytic degradation of desorbed contaminants present in the air. Once treatment is complete, the treated air is allowed to exit the photocatalytic reactor by opening reactor outlet valve 212. Movement of movable portion 211 reduces the volume of reactor chamber 103 again, maintaining pressure within reactor chamber 103 and also serving to expel the treated air from the photocatalytic reactor.

[0049] Figure 5A and 5B An example of an adsorption filter suitable for the air handling apparatus described herein is shown. Adsorption filters are generally designated by reference numeral 1000. Filter 1000 comprises a carbon-based adsorbent material, such as activated carbon, and is monolithic. Specifically, filter 1000 has a rigid, open structure including an inlet surface 1001 for introducing an incoming gas (e.g., air) to be filtered and an outlet surface 1002 opposite to the inlet surface. Filter 1000 also includes a plurality of channels 1003 extending from the inlet surface 1001 to the outlet surface 1002. The plurality of channels 1003 may comprise any regular channel array and irregular channel network and / or openings.

[0050] exist Figure 5A and 5B In the example shown, both the inlet face 1001 and the outlet face 1002 are curved. Specifically, from... Figure 5BAs can be seen, the inlet surface 1001 and the outlet surface 1002 have the same curvature, and both the inlet and outlet surfaces are cylindrical. However, this is not necessary. For example, the inlet and outlet surfaces can have different curvatures. For example, the curvature of the outlet surface can be greater than that of the inlet surface. Providing curved inlet and outlet surfaces provides a more adaptable filter and is beneficial for filtration of different geometries. In particular, the adsorption filter described above is optimized for use within a circumferential array of filters disposed in an air handling device that is at least partially cylindrical. This adsorption filter also facilitates the use of rotating components to achieve intermittent or periodic interchange of filters disposed within the desorption chamber.

[0051] Figure 6A and 6B An example of a filtration device suitable for the air handling equipment described herein is shown. The filtration device is generally indicated by reference numeral 2000 and includes an integral adsorption filter 2001 and a carrier 2002, the filter being held within carrier orifices 2003 defined by the carrier 2002. The carrier 2002 includes a plurality of elastically deformable supports 2004 distributed around the outer periphery 2006 of the carrier 2002. If the filtration device 2000 is subjected to an undesirable impact, the elastically deformable supports 2004 reduce the likelihood of damage to the filter 2001. The supports provide cushioning, reducing the risk of damage to the filter 2001.

[0052] exist Figure 6A and 6B In the example shown, the carrier 2002 is integrally formed of silicone resin and includes a filter holding portion 2007, which is integrally formed with an elastically deformable support member 2004. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the carrier does not necessarily have to be integrally formed. For example, the filter holding portion 2007 does not need to be integrally formed with the support member 2004.

[0053] In the example shown, the elastically deformable support 2004 is provided by a plurality of protrusions 2005 arranged around the outer periphery of the carrier. In this example, each deformable protrusion 2005 has the form of a radially damped profile damper. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that other arrangements of the elastically deformable support can be used. For example, each support may be in the form of an axially damped profile damper. Alternatively, the filtering device may be provided with different types of supports, for example, some are radially damped profile dampers and some are axially damped profile dampers.

[0054] exist Figure 6A and 6BIn the example shown, the filter device 2000 also includes a housing 2008, and a carrier 2002 is received within a housing aperture 2011 defined by the housing 2008. The housing aperture 2011 and the carrier 2002 are configured such that the support member 2004 deforms at least partially when the carrier 2002 is received within the housing aperture 2011. In the example shown, the housing 2008 includes a body portion 2009 defining the aperture and a flange portion 2010 extending around the outer periphery of the body portion 2009 defining the aperture. The housing 2008 is integrally formed of a plastic material. In use, the body portion 2009 defining the aperture is received in a suitable aperture (neither shown) of an air handling device.

[0055] Those skilled in the art will recognize that filters of other shapes can be used. For example, the filter does not have to be square or rectangular; it can be circular.

[0056] To avoid any doubt, those skilled in the art will recognize that the housing is not an essential part of the filtration device of this aspect of the invention.

[0057] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the above-described filtration device can be used with other devices described herein. For example, the filtration device can be used with filters having one or more curved surfaces, such as those described above. Figure 5A and 5B As described above. Furthermore, this filtration device can be used in the applications mentioned above. Figures 1 to 3 In the described air handling equipment.

[0058] In the foregoing description, references have been made to elements or components having known, obvious, or foreseeable equivalents, which are incorporated herein as if described separately. The true scope of the invention should be determined with reference to the claims, which should be interpreted as including any such equivalents. The reader will also understand that elements or features of the invention described as preferred, advantageous, convenient, etc., are optional and do not limit the scope of the independent claims. Furthermore, it should be understood that while such optional elements or features may be beneficial in some embodiments of the invention, they may be undesirable in other embodiments and therefore may be absent.

Claims

1. An air handling unit, comprising: An airflow generator is used to produce airflow. An adsorbent material for adsorbing one or more airborne pollutants, said adsorbent material being arranged such that at least a portion of the airflow passes through the adsorbent material; A heater is arranged to heat at least a portion of the adsorbent material to desorb adsorbed pollutants; and A photocatalytic reactor, arranged to receive pollutants desorbed from the heated portion of the adsorbent material; The photocatalytic reactor includes a photocatalyst for photocatalytic degradation of one or more pollutants, and one or more light sources for irradiating the photocatalyst to promote photocatalytic degradation; and The air handling equipment is arranged such that at least a portion of the airflow that does not pass through the heated portion of the adsorbent material contacts the one or more light sources. The photocatalytic reactor comprises a first portion containing a photocatalyst and a second portion containing one or more light sources. The first portion is arranged to receive pollutants desorbed from a heated portion of the adsorbent material, and the second portion is arranged to receive at least a portion of the gas flow that does not pass through the heated portion of the adsorbent material. The air handling device is configured to provide at least one airflow path that allows air from outside the air handling device to contact at least one of the one or more light sources, and the airflow path does not pass through the heating portion of the adsorption material. The airflow path is arranged to allow air to pass from outside the air handling unit through the unheated portion of the adsorbent material.

2. The air handling equipment according to claim 1, wherein, The photocatalytic reactor includes at least a partially transparent partition that separates the one or more light sources from the photocatalyst, the partition separating the first portion from the second portion.

3. The air handling apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein, The air handling device includes a desorption chamber arranged to surround a portion of the adsorbent material, and a heater arranged to heat the portion of the adsorbent material surrounded by the desorption chamber.

4. The air handling equipment according to claim 3, wherein, The unheated portion of the adsorbent material is located outside the desorption chamber and is not exposed to the heat generated by the heater.

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