Photocatalytic disinfection equipment and purification and disinfection method

Abstract

The present invention relates to a photocatalytic disinfection device capable of circulating / conducting ambient air from its surroundings, introducing the air into an internal volume, followed by generating hydroxyl radicals (OH) by a photocatalytic process, eliminating / reducing the presence of organics in the introduced air stream when the introduced air stream is in contact with the formed hydroxyl radicals. The invention also comprises a purification and disinfection method. Optionally, the disinfection device allows a particular object to be placed in its interior space so as to purify / eliminate / reduce the amount of organic matter present on a plurality of surfaces of the object once the airflow entrains / conducts hydroxyl radicals formed during the photocatalytic process and contacts the plurality of surfaces of certain objects, where the amount of organic matter is less than the amount of organic matter present on the plurality of surfaces of the object. The invention includes the use of improved humidity control conditions and the use of improved photocatalytic components to substantially advantageously increase the efficiency of the photocatalytic process.

Description

[0001] The present invention generally relates to a disinfection / purification device that performs a photocatalytic process and is capable of eliminating any organic matter, such as viruses and / or bacteria present in ambient air, once conducted / directed into the internal volume of the device. Additionally, once a given object is placed in the aforementioned internal volume, the device is also capable of eliminating viruses and bacteria present in the given object.

[0002] The device of the present invention uses a photocatalytic process to generate hydroxyl radicals (OH), which are capable of destroying / eliminating any organic matter upon contact. Background Art

[0003] Recently, the need to provide precise and safe control of the pollution level in a space has increased significantly; especially in spaces where activities or crowds, meetings, and generally the presence of humans pose a certain health risk, thus avoiding and / or reducing the likelihood of disease transmission, mainly diseases related to the respiratory tract (present in the airway) and / or diseases that may be transmitted through contact with the surfaces of certain objects.

[0004] Currently, there are various auxiliary devices known for purifying / decontaminating and / or cleaning the air in a given space in a continuous and automated manner. For example, it is known to use filters, sieves, and / or grilles of different sizes in points where there is an air current, with the aim of capturing the organic matter present in said air current and preventing it from reaching its final destination, namely the space with pollution control problems. Additionally, mineral-based filters are known and used, which have purification, cleaning, and detoxifying properties and are capable of adsorbing organic matter, such as activated carbon, zeolites, clays (montmorillonite, sepiolite, bentonite, etc.), so-called low-cost adsorbents mainly from organic solid waste, etc.

[0005] However, the aforementioned filter examples do not ensure complete capture / adsorption of organic matter within the air current, resulting in related technical problems, especially in cases where precise control of the retention of organic matter is required as it passes through a given space.

[0006] On the other hand, there are known cleaning / disinfection devices that, unlike mechanical means, use physicochemical means to eliminate the amount of organic matter; for example, there are various cleaning devices known that use a photocatalytic process; the photocatalytic process is based on generating hydroxyl radicals (OH) by preferably irradiating a photocatalytic element with ultraviolet light, where said radicals are strong oxidants and, when in contact with organic matter, are capable of breaking the bonds of nucleic acids, leading to their destruction / decomposition, thus providing a more effective purification process compared to the aforementioned mechanical processes.

[0007] Typically, a photocatalytic element is a semiconductor material that can accelerate the rate of oxidation reactions in the presence of a stimulus, usually carried out by ultraviolet light radiation (due to wavelength). Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a widely used photocatalytic element, due to its high photocatalytic ability, and is used in a large number of disinfection devices based on the photocatalytic process.

[0008] In this regard, for example, various devices are known in the prior art that help reduce the presence of organic matter through the photocatalytic process, such as the device described in Chinese Utility Model Publication No. CN204006370U published on December 10, 2014, which describes an automatic indoor air purification device that uses a fan to push / conduct air from its surrounding environment (immediate environment) into contact with hydroxyl radicals formed by a photocatalytic oxidation unit based on silver ion photocatalysis.

[0009] On the other hand, U.S. Patent No. 6,932,947 B2, published on November 13, 2003, discloses a fluid purification and disinfection system formed by a photocatalytic oxidation device that includes a disinfection core coated with a photocatalytic element on its exterior; the device of U.S. Patent No. 6,932,947 B2 performs a photocatalytic reaction process on the surface of the disinfection core so that organic matter and pollutants in the fluid can be removed when they come into contact with the surface of the core. Similarly, International Application Publication Text WO2005030370 A1, published on April 7, 2005, and Utility Model CN20557092U, published on September 14, 2016, respectively describe air purification devices based on photocatalytic reactions, in which, through the action of a fan, ambient air comes into contact with the hydroxyl radicals formed. Even devices are known in the prior art, such as the commercially available photocatalytic disinfection device named "sanisol" developed by SAEC SA ENERGÍA SOLAR, which combines the effects of the photocatalytic process with a mechanical filter to increase the purification range of ambient air.

[0010] However, the photocatalytic process of generating hydroxyl radicals by irradiating, especially ultraviolet (UV) light irradiating a photocatalytic element, is known to be inefficient or have low efficiency, due to limitations and / or lack of control over the environmental conditions for implementing the process. The photocatalytic processes of the above inventions are carried out under uncontrolled environmental conditions, which is a related technical problem; those skilled in the art know that under conditions of low humidity and / or constant humidity, the photocatalytic element plays a low synergistic role when irradiated with ultraviolet light, thereby generating a low and inefficient amount of hydroxyl radicals.

[0011] Accordingly, within the scope of the prior art, techniques for implementing a humidity control system have been developed, such as the device of US Patent US 11103611 B2 published on July 18, 2019, which is a system that reduces the amount of organic matter by combining a humidifier and a water source using a photocatalytic process. The device of US Patent 11103611 B2 can control the humidity level present therein. Similarly, the disinfection device disclosed in the patent application JP2011056155 A published on March 24, 2011, includes a container with water and a humidifier, and the humidifier can be used to increase / decrease the humidity present in the device in a controlled manner.

[0012] However, it has been observed that the combination of a water source (a reservoir / container in which a liquid medium is placed) and an evaporator / humidifier, as disclosed in the previously cited documents US 11103611 B2 and JP2011056155 A, is impractical; although the water source and the evaporator / humidifier will allow for humidity control within the corresponding disinfection device, once the liquid contained in the water source is depleted, the photocatalytic process will again depend on the humidity present, and as described above, the humidity can fluctuate over time; therefore, there is a need for a disinfectant / sanitizing system that can perform effective humidity control without the need for an auxiliary medium and / or container that, once depleted, loses the ability to control humidity.

[0013] In addition, as previously mentioned, the use of titanium dioxide (TiO2) is known and is typically used in combination with a second photocatalytic component and added to a disinfection device; however, there are different photocatalytic components with a certain potential that can more effectively generate hydroxyl radicals when interacting with the first photocatalytic component; therefore, there is a need to provide a disinfection device that includes a combination of photocatalytic components, which provides a more effective photocatalytic reaction compared to using titanium dioxide (TiO2) and water.

[0014] Finally, it can be observed that the devices currently known in the prior art are designed and limited to purifying / disinfecting the air in the surrounding environment; therefore, there is a need for a device that can additionally purify / disinfect certain objects, particularly by using and / or relying on a photocatalytic process to eliminate / reduce the amount of organic matter present on their surfaces. Summary of the Invention

[0015] Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a disinfection / purification device that performs a photocatalytic process and is capable of eliminating and / or reducing the amount of organic matter through the photocatalytic process; in particular, an object of the present invention is to provide a disinfection / purification device that performs a photocatalytic process, wherein the photocatalytic process allows for the elimination and / or reduction of the amount of organic matter present in the airflow introduced / conducted into the internal volume of the photocatalytic disinfection device.

[0016] Another object of the present invention is to provide a disinfection / purification device that performs a photocatalytic process and allows the elimination and / or reduction of the amount of organic matter present on multiple surfaces of a given object when the given object is placed in the internal space of the disinfection / purification device based on the photocatalytic process.

[0017] Another object of the present invention is to provide a disinfection / purification device that performs a photocatalytic process under controlled humidity conditions and, in particular, does not require a reservoir / container for a liquid and / or liquids intended to be evaporated / condensed to perform the above control process.

[0018] Likewise, an object of the present invention is to provide a disinfection / purification device that performs a photocatalytic process under controlled humidity conditions, in particular, where the humidity conditions are controlled by a device commonly referred to as a heat exchanger, and / or in a more preferred object, the humidity conditions are controlled by the hygroscopicity of the photocatalytic component of the photocatalytic process.

[0019] Furthermore, an object of the present invention is to provide a disinfection / purification device that uses a combination of photocatalytic components to perform a photocatalytic process, which improves the synergy based on the interaction between the two components and generally improves the performance and / or efficiency of the photocatalytic process.

[0020] Likewise, an object of the present invention is to provide a disinfection / purification device that performs a photocatalytic process and can store / contain a given object therein (especially in the internal space) for the purpose of, once the photocatalytic process is executed, utilizing the air flow introduced / conducted into the internal space and, once the air contacts multiple surfaces of the object, eliminating any organic matter present on the surface.

[0021] In the context of the present invention, the "photocatalytic process" should be understood as a physicochemical process based on the generation of hydroxyl radicals (OH) by irradiating a photocatalytic element preferably with ultraviolet light and / or any other radiation emission source having an appropriate wavelength, where the radicals are strong oxidants and, when in contact with organic matter, are capable of breaking the bonds of nucleic acids, causing their destruction / decomposition. Those skilled in the art will understand that it is a method known and widely used currently and in no way limits the scope of the present invention; on the contrary, as described in more detail in the present application, the present invention is based on the selection of photocatalytic components, the ratio / proportion between the components, the operating conditions for performing the photocatalytic process, etc. to perform an improved photocatalytic process.

[0022] On the other hand, for the "photocatalytic disinfection device", it should be understood that the present invention is designed to be combined in such a way that, in its preferred embodiments, as will be described later in this application, it can be used to disinfect / purify the ambient air that is continuously circulated by the present invention, and can also be used to disinfect / purify specific objects placed therein; therefore, the present invention should not be considered limited in terms of shape and / or size to the device shown in the figures as shown below, because the device can be designed in any shape and size in order to increase, for example, the amount of air that can be purified within a given time and / or the amount and / or size of the objects placed inside it that can be purified in a single cycle. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 Fig. shows an isometric view of a photocatalytic disinfection device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 2 is a front view of a photocatalytic disinfection device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 3 is a side view of a photocatalytic disinfection device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 4 Fig. shows a rear view of a photocatalytic disinfection device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 5 Fig. shows a rear view of a photocatalytic disinfection device according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein a part of the external structure has been removed and the internal components of the disinfection device can be observed.

[0028] Figure 6 is a front upper side perspective view of a photocatalytic disinfection device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 7 Fig. shows a schematic diagram showing the Fourier transform infrared inverse transform (FTIR) spectrum of TiO2-ZnO analyzed from 500 cm-1 to 4000 cm-1, where the X-axis represents the wavelength, the Y-axis represents the transmittance, and the signals on the X-axis are associated with the vibration modes of different chemical substances present in the material.

[0030] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the EPR spectrum of TiO2 when irradiated with UV light (λ = 200 nm) at different time intervals, where two strong signals are observed at approximately 334 mT and 338 mT, which are attributed to the unpaired electrons contained in the hydroxyl radical (OH-).

[0031] Figure 9A Petri dish placed at the air outlet of the photocatalytic disinfection device of the present invention in an inverted manner relative to the surface of the device is shown, showing the preparation position for analysis during the experimental stage.

[0032] Figure 10 A set of Petri dishes is shown, which are arranged at the top of the air inlet and the bottom of the air outlet of the photocatalytic disinfection device of the present invention for analysis during the experimental stage.

[0033] Figure 11 The Petri dishes after the experiment and after the incubation period are shown Figure 10 where a) and b) are the results of Test 1 for controlling the air inlet and air outlet respectively; c) is the result of the air inlet in Test 2; d) is the result of the air outlet in Test 2; e) and f) are the results of the air inlet and air outlet in Test 3 respectively, where the differences in the cultures generated in the control Petri dishes (with more) and the Petri dishes in contact with the air disinfected by the photocatalytic process based on the present invention can be observed. Detailed Description of the Invention

[0034] Some aspects of the present invention will now be described in more detail with further reference to the accompanying drawings, which show some but not all of the advantages of the present invention. In fact, the various embodiments of the present invention can be expressed in many different ways, and the various embodiments of the present invention should not be construed as limited to the embodiments described herein; rather, these exemplary embodiments are provided so that the present invention will be comprehensive and complete, and the scope of the present invention will be fully conveyed to those skilled in the art. For example, unless otherwise stated, something described as first, second or the like should not be construed as a specific order. As used in the specification and the appended claims, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms "a", "an", "the" include plural referents.

[0035] Different aspects of the present invention relate to a photocatalytic disinfection device employing a photocatalytic process, which is capable of effectively eliminating / reducing organic substances from a given space.

[0036] More specifically, the present invention relates to a photocatalytic disinfection device that can circulate / conduct ambient air from its vicinity into an internal space (11), introduce it into the internal space, and then generate hydroxyl radicals (OH) through a photocatalytic process. When the introduced air stream comes into contact with the formed hydroxyl radicals, the organic matter present in the air stream is eliminated / reduced. In addition, the photocatalytic disinfection device of the present invention can also accommodate certain objects in its internal volume (11), and through the aforementioned purification process, once the air stream drags / conducts the hydroxyl radicals formed during the photocatalytic process and comes into contact with multiple surfaces of the certain objects, the amount of organic matter present on the multiple surfaces of the certain objects can be purified / eliminated / reduced. The present invention includes using improved humidity control conditions and using improved photocatalytic components to substantially and advantageously improve the efficiency of the photocatalytic process.

[0037] In one embodiment, the photocatalytic disinfection device (1) of the present invention comprises the following main parts:

[0038] i) A housing (10), in a preferred embodiment, which allows different components of the photocatalytic disinfection device of the present invention to be stored and protected inside.

[0039] In a preferred embodiment, the housing (10) can be made of any suitable material. For example, it can be made of a metallic material such as, but not limited to, iron, carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum, alloys, combinations thereof, and / or the like, and / or it can be made of a non-metallic material such as, but not limited to, plastics such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE), high density polyethylene (HDPE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), low density polyethylene (LDPE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), combinations thereof, and / or the like.

[0040] In another example, the housing (10) can be made of an acrylic-type material to provide a housing with reduced weight compared to using a metallic material; in a preferred embodiment, additional treatment can be applied to the material of the housing (10); for example, in an embodiment where the housing (10) is made of acrylic, preferably, the acrylic is treated to obtain an opaque color or a screen, thereby dissipating / reducing the amount of radiation emitted from the interior of the photocatalytic disinfection device (1) of the present invention; as will be described later, the photocatalytic disinfection device (1) of the present invention includes a radiation emitter (61) and the treatment of the housing (10), i.e., the darkened or opaque color, which prevents users in the vicinity of the present invention from being unnecessarily exposed to the emitted radiation.

[0041] In a further embodiment, the housing (10) can include other additional treatments that, for example, improve certain properties; for example, in an embodiment where the housing (10) is made of a metallic material, a coating can be applied to increase resistance to corrosion and / or damage inherent to the weather. Those skilled in the art will recognize that such additional treatments are not limited to those described herein and any currently known treatment that promotes certain properties and / or reduces unwanted exposure caused by the components of the present invention can be applied.

[0042] Furthermore, the housing (10) can include any suitable shape; for example, it can form any geometric body, such as a cylinder, a prism, a complex and / or irregular shape, and / or a combination of shapes; for example, see Figures 1 to 5 , which shows a housing substantially in the shape of a right prism, which can be an exemplary embodiment of the housing 10 of the photocatalytic disinfection device 1, and on the other hand, see Figure 6 , which shows a housing having a shape, size, and dimensions completely different from those of the exemplary embodiment of Figures 1 to 5 . In this sense, it should be noted that any combination of shapes and dimensions can be applied to multiple instances of the embodiment without departing from the teachings and scope of the present invention, such that the present invention should not be construed in any way as being limited to the shapes, layouts, settings, arrangements, and dimensions shown in the accompanying drawings of the present specification, which are merely illustrative and are intended to clearly exemplify the present invention sought to be protected in this application.

[0043] The housing (10) can have any suitable dimensions, independent of the shape adopted, to form an internal volume (11), and thus, the dimensions are considered to depend directly on and / or exclusively on the size of the internal volume (11) to be provided. The internal volume (11) can have any volume, depending on the size of the photocatalytic disinfection device (1); by way of non-limiting example, the photocatalytic disinfection device (1) of the present invention can have such dimensions that it creates an internal volume (11) ranging from 50 cm 3 to "n" cm 3 or 25 cm 3 to "n" cm 3 or 5 cm 3 to "n" cm 3 ; in this sense, it should be understood that the present invention can be formed in any desired shape and / or dimensions, so as to create, for example, a determined internal volume (11) based on the needs and / or examples of the application / use. As will be described in more detail in the present application, the photocatalytic disinfection device (1) is configured to house a certain object (not shown) therein to purify / remove any organic matter from its multiple surfaces based on the photocatalytic process; by way of non-limiting example, the photocatalytic disinfection device (1) of the present invention can have such dimensions and shape that it creates an internal volume (11) sufficient to introduce a relatively small object, i.e., having a volume of, for example, 5 cm 3 、10 cm 3 、15 cm 3 、20 cm 3 、50 cm 3 、100 cm 3 or larger; conversely, the photocatalytic disinfection device (1) of the present invention can have dimensions and shape that form an internal volume (11) sufficient to introduce a relatively large object, i.e., having a volume of, for example, 0.5 m 3 、1 m 3 、2 m 3 、5 m 3 、10 m 3 、20 m 3 or larger.

[0044] The internal volume (11) is configured to accommodate a given object therein; in addition, the internal volume (11) can be completely or partially filled with ambient air, which is conducted / sucked in by the inlet / air intake assembly (20), which will be described in more detail below.

[0045] In a preferred embodiment, the outer housing (10) further includes an openable door (12), and in the open configuration, it allows a user to place a given object on the purification pad (70) within the internal volume (11); this will be described in more detail later in the present application. Once the openable door (12) is in the closed configuration, it ensures the sealing and airtightness of the internal volume (11) of the photocatalytic disinfection device (1), such that the air contained within the internal volume (11) can only be discharged or conducted to the outside of the photocatalytic disinfection device (1) through the outlet (32) in the outlet / discharge assembly (30), which will be described in more detail below;

[0046] ii) An inlet / air intake assembly (20), in a preferred embodiment, which includes a fan (21) that is capable of drawing a certain amount of ambient air from the surrounding environment and guiding the ambient air to the internal volume (11) formed by the outer housing (10) as described above.

[0047] The inlet / air intake assembly (20) is capable of introducing ambient air from the outside of the photocatalytic disinfection device (1) of the present invention and conducting it to the internal volume (11) at an appropriate volumetric rate / flow rate; in this sense, the inlet / air intake assembly (20) and specifically the aforementioned fan (21) can have any suitable size, shape, and blade profile, and be capable of shifting / dragging a volume flow rate ranging from 0.5 kg / m 3 up to a maximum of "n" kg / m 3 of the volume flow rate.

[0048] In this regard, the fan (21) of the inlet / air intake assembly (20) can be made of any suitable material, such as but not limited to metallic materials, such as but not limited to iron, carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum, alloys, combinations thereof, and / or the like, and / or it can be made of non-metallic materials, such as but not limited to plastics of the PET or PETE type (polyethylene terephthalate, HDPE (high-density polyethylene), PVC (polyvinyl chloride), LDPE (low-density polyethylene), PP (polypropylene), PS (polystyrene), combinations thereof, and / or the like;

[0049] iii) An outlet / discharge assembly (30), in a preferred embodiment, the outlet / discharge assembly includes a mechanical filter (31) to provide a subsequent filtration step after disinfection through the photocatalytic reaction process, as will be described in more detail below.

[0050] Once the air contained within the internal volume (11) formed by the outer housing (10) comes into contact with the free radicals formed during the photocatalytic process, and thus experiences a partial and / or complete reduction in the amount of organic matter relative to the amount of organic matter present when entering the photocatalytic disinfection device (1), the outlet / discharge assembly (30) can release the air.

[0051] In a further embodiment, the outlet assembly (30) may include an outlet (32) such that once the aforementioned purification process has been completed, the outlet (32) may be switched from a closed state to an open state to release the purified air.

[0052] In a further embodiment, the outlet assembly (30) may not include any opening device or mechanical closing / opening device and, instead, may have a filter that provides a certain resistance to the discharge of the air contained in the internal volume (11). For example, in a non-limiting manner, the contained air may remain within the internal volume (11) for from 1 second to "n" seconds; likewise, the contained air may remain within the internal volume (11), circulate therein, and be discharged therefrom within a certain range and / or discharge rate such that it may be in contact for a sufficient length of time to interact with the hydroxyl radicals and eliminate / remove the organic matter therein.

[0053] In a preferred embodiment, the outlet / discharge assembly (30) may include a mechanical filter (31), such as but not limited to a filter formed of activated carbon particles and / or any other material having inherent purification and / or cleanliness properties, which may act as an additional purification step in addition to providing a certain resistance to the air passage when attempting to leave the internal volume (11), removing / extracting the organic matter present in the disinfected air (in the case of residues), the purified air having been exposed to a photocatalytic process before being released / discharged back into the environment.

[0054] In addition, in one embodiment, the outlet / discharge assembly (30) may further include at least one air quality sensor (33) configured to determine and / or check the amount of pollutants / organic matter present and / or remaining in the air contained within the internal volume (11); specifically, once the photocatalytic process is carried out, the air quality sensor (33) may analyze and determine the amount of pollutants / organic matter.

[0055] As will be described later in the present application, the air quality sensor (33) communicates with at least one microcontroller (81) of the control unit and, thereby, may determine whether the photocatalytic process is being effectively carried out; in one embodiment, the air quality sensor (33) may be, but is not limited to, a GP2Y1014AU dust and / or air quality sensor, a ZH0 laser dust sensor, a HIC192 infrared dust sensor, a QSA2700 dust sensor, a particles per million sensor, combinations thereof, etc.;

[0056] iv) A humidity controller. In one embodiment of the present invention, the humidity controller may be a heat exchanger (41) which allows a controlled amount of energy (in particular, thermal energy) to be transferred and conducted to the ambient air once the ambient air is conducted / extracted by the inlet / intake assembly (20).

[0057] The heat exchange element (41) is configured to transfer energy and increase / decrease the temperature of a portion of the air inhaled into the internal volume (11), aiming to condense a portion of the humidity present in the air. The above object is to provide the desired humidity for the internal volume (11) in a controlled manner, thus facilitating effective or more effective conditions for the photocatalytic process. In this sense, "effective or more effective conditions for the photocatalytic process" should be understood to mean that, as known in the prior art, under the condition of a certain constant humidity, the photocatalytic process has higher performance in terms of efficiency. Therefore, the heat exchange element (41) advantageously utilizes the humidity present in the ambient air to generate the said conditions without the need to include a reservoir / container of a liquid medium arranged and / or configured to evaporate and / or vaporize.

[0058] In one embodiment, the heat exchanger element (41) may be at least one and up to "n" heat exchanger components, which are, for example but not limited to, distributed in the fan terminal (21) of the inlet / intake assembly (20), and / or distributed in different parts of the internal volume (11) and / or in the part close to the outlet of the outlet / exhaust assembly (30), and combinations thereof.

[0059] In another embodiment, the heat exchange element (41) may be an electrothermal device, such as but not limited to a resistor, a resistor bank / set (Joule effect); even more preferably, the heat exchange element (41) may be a Peltier Plate / Cell, such as but not limited to the 12706 thermoelectric Peltier unit cooler 12v5A60W, and combinations of the previously mentioned electrothermal devices.

[0060] Optionally, as previously described, the Peltier Plate / Cell of the heat exchange element (41) can advantageously transfer a certain amount of energy and condense a portion of the moisture present in the air, and additionally, a portion of the condensed moisture can drop by gravity and be received / absorbed by the retainer / mixer assembly (50), which will be described in more detail later.

[0061] Optionally, the condensed moisture portion can be retained in the retainer / mixer assembly (50), and advantageously, the liquid medium (resulting from condensation) can be used in the photocatalytic process, can be used as an amalgamating medium, and / or can be used as an additional means for controlling the moisture level within the internal volume (11). In this way, advantageously, the heat exchange element (41) can be used to continuously supply the required liquid to the photocatalytic disinfection device (1) and can be advantageously stored in the retainer / mixer assembly (50).

[0062] In another embodiment, the photocatalytic disinfection device (1) of the present invention further includes at least one humidity level sensor (42), and at least one temperature sensor (43) included within the internal volume (11) and / or distributed in different parts of the internal volume; the humidity level sensor (42) and the temperature sensor (43) can be respectively connected to the microcontroller (81) of the control unit, which will be described in more detail below. In this embodiment, the humidity level sensor (42) can detect the insufficient overall humidity level and / or average humidity level within the internal volume (11), and the microcontroller (81) can increase / decrease the voltage / current flowing through the heat exchanger element (41) so as to increase / decrease the amount of energy transmitted to the ambient air entering the photocatalytic disinfection device (1) of the present invention. On the other hand, the temperature sensor (43) can detect the temperature change of the air contained within the internal volume (11) and feed the information back to the microcontroller (81) in order to improve the above-mentioned energy transfer efficiency.

[0063] In this regard, in one embodiment, the humidity and temperature sensors (42, 43) can be combined / integrated sensors, such as but not limited to Dht21 / am2301, Dht11, Sht30, SHT31-ARP-B temperature and humidity sensors, combinations thereof, etc.

[0064] In an even more preferred embodiment of the present invention, the humidity control within the photocatalytic device (1) described and claimed in the present application can be carried out in an even more advantageous manner according to the moisture absorption properties of the photocatalytic components and / or can provide improved humidity control efficiency, even without using the heat exchanger element (41).

[0065] Referring to the content shown in Figure 7 the applicant has determined and found based on experiments that using photocatalytic components that particularly include moisture absorption characteristics allows for effective control of the humidity present within the internal volume (11) of the photocatalytic disinfection device (1) and advantageously avoids the use of additional / auxiliary elements, such as the heat exchanger (41) previously described in the present application.

[0066] Similarly, the applicant has discovered a set / combination of photocatalytic components, which are titanium dioxide (TiO2) and zinc oxide (ZnO), which are advantageously used to carry out photocatalytic processes and / or reactions, resulting in more effective purification / disinfection. In addition, the hygroscopicity observed in both components can be advantageous, mainly stemming from the existing synergistic effects achieved based on their combination and use as claimed in the present application.

[0067] Those skilled in the art will know that the hygroscopicity of certain components refers to the ability of certain substances / materials to adsorb / retain / attract and / or accommodate water in the form of vapor and / or liquid from the surrounding environment with which they interact; considering the above, it is known that the photocatalytic components used in the present invention, for example, first of all, titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a hydrophilic component with low to medium hygroscopic ability; the same is true for the second photocatalytic component used in the present invention, namely zinc oxide (ZnO). However, the combination of these two components (TiO2 + ZnO), as well as the combination derived from the ratios proposed in the present application, has led to interesting, advantageous and extremely important effects. As will be described in more detail later in this text, the proposed ratios of the photocatalytic components titanium dioxide (TiO2) and zinc oxide (ZnO), as well as the synergistic effects during the reaction based on the two components (which are related, dependent and / or directly derived from the proposed ratios), further improve the overall hygroscopic properties.

[0068] Based on Figure 7 , where the X-axis represents the wavelength, the Y-axis represents the transmittance, and where the signals on the X-axis are associated with the vibration modes of different chemical substances present in the material, it was observed that the signal located at approximately 510 cm-1 is associated with TiO2-ZnO junctions. The signal (the strongest in the spectrum) indicates that the main components of the material are titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. On the other hand, the small signal located in the region from 1000 cm-1 to 1250 cm-1 can be associated with the vibration modes of chemical substances having a CO (carbon-oxygen) bond. The presence of these signals indicates that the material can absorb part of the CO2 (carbon dioxide) from the environment and chemically decompose it, thus forming some types of carbonates; this is why these signals are shown, and these signals are independent of the chemical composition of the material. Finally, the signal located in the region from 3000 cm-1 to 3700 cm-1 (magnified in a window inserted in the same figure) and centered at 3325 cm-1 is associated with a chemical group having an OH (oxygen-hydrogen) bond. The presence of this signal is attributed to the adsorption of H2O (water) from the environment.

[0069] In this way, based on the improved and / or increased overall moisture absorption characteristics, the two photocatalytic components can absorb / attract the water present in the ambient air (in the form of water vapor), and the water is introduced into the internal volume (11) of the photocatalytic disinfection device of the present invention, thereby achieving an increase in the humidity level for the interaction of the photocatalytic components, advantageously improving the efficiency of the photocatalytic process, and thus avoiding the use of a heat exchanger element to perform the said function as described above.

[0070] v) A retainer / mixer assembly (50), as described above, which is capable of retaining / storing different materials by absorption; in a preferred embodiment, the retainer / mixer assembly (50) is a porous material or has a specific pore density, for example but not limited to, a sponge, foam material based on ethylene-vinylacetate polymer (EVA), polyethylene (PE), their combinations and / or made of ethylene-vinylacetate polymer (EVA), polyethylene (PE), their combinations, etc.; generally, the retainer / mixer assembly (50) can be made of a porous material having the ability to retain / absorb liquids, particulate solids (in crushed and / or powder form).

[0071] In one embodiment, as previously mentioned herein, the retainer / mixer assembly (50) is configured to retain / absorb a certain amount of condensed liquid resulting from the condensation of a portion of the moisture in the air present in the internal volume (11). In an optional embodiment, the contained liquid can be water, and in one embodiment, the water can be directly placed on the retainer / mixer assembly (50) and may not have to be provided by the condensation of a portion of the moisture in the air present in the internal volume (11); the purpose of the liquid is to contain and mix these photocatalytic components (described later in this application) to amalgamate the two components (TiO2 and ZnO), advantageously avoiding the formation of agglomerates, which thus leads to an improvement in the efficiency of the photocatalytic method; in an even more preferred embodiment, the contained liquid is double-distilled water, which is derived from its double demineralization process, whether by double distillation, double demineralization or double reverse osmosis steps (and / or other known and / or used processes), and is a liquid with a high purity level, advantageously facilitating the efficiency of the photocatalytic process.

[0072] In a preferred embodiment, the retainer / mixer assembly (50) can receive both photocatalyst components (TiO2 and ZnO) from the corresponding storage tank (62), as will be described in more detail in this application.

[0073] The retainer / mixer assembly (50) can store / hold a certain amount of photocatalytic component, which can range from 0.5 g to "n" grams and up to 0.5 ml, and up to "n" milliliters depending on the types of the two elements present.

[0074] In addition, as will become clearer later, in one embodiment, the retainer / mixer assembly (50) can also store / hold a given amount of photocatalytic component, wherein, relative to the amount of another photocatalytic component (such as zinc oxide), the retainer / mixer assembly can store / hold an equal amount, a greater amount, and / or a smaller amount of one photocatalytic component (such as titanium dioxide).

[0075] On the other hand, the retainer / mixer assembly (50) is not limited to the porous material as described previously; in an alternative embodiment, the retainer / mixer assembly can contain photocatalytic components in any other form, such as but not limited to a solid form like a tablet (not shown), which reacts in the same manner as the porous material once the tablet receives UV light and / or is irradiated with UV light (as explained hereinafter in this application), and / or in any other form / media such that it facilitates the photocatalytic reaction according to the method described in this application.

[0076] vi) A photocatalytic / photocatalyst assembly, which in turn consists of a radiation emission source (61) and at least one storage tank for each photocatalytic component (62a, 62b). In a preferred embodiment, the radiation emission source (61) can be any currently known device capable of generating electromagnetic waves, such as but not limited to germicidal lamps, broadband ultraviolet radiation lamps (such as but not limited to from 100 to 200 nm), magnetrons, and / or controlled microwave emission devices, combinations thereof, and / or the like.

[0077] Before the start of the photocatalytic process, the respective storage tanks (62a, 62b) of each photocatalytic component release a certain amount of each photocatalytic component and deposit it in the retainer / mixer assembly (50) as described previously.

[0078] In one embodiment, the mixing ratio of the first photocatalytic component and the second photocatalytic component released and mixed can be 1:1; in a further embodiment, the ratio can be different from 1:1.

[0079] In a preferred embodiment, the Applicant has found an advantageous mixing ratio between the first photocatalytic component and the second photocatalytic component released and mixed in the retainer / mixing assembly (50); advantageously, the ratio proposed in the present application first increases the synergy between the two components, which results in a larger surface being covered once the photocatalytic reaction begins, so that a larger surface area can be inoculated and, even in the presence of an air flow, a greater adhesion to the surface on which it is deposited can be provided, and it is even possible to carry out the photocatalytic reaction with less resources in a shorter time. The energy sub-levels generated by the proposed mixing ratio are less than the band gap energy levels, even promoting the photocatalytic reaction to occur at wavelengths shorter than ultraviolet light.

[0080] Advantageously, the Applicant has found that a 9:1 ratio of the mixture of the first photocatalytic component and the second photocatalytic component respectively favors or results in the above conditions, so that preferably, the corresponding storage tanks (62a, 62b) are used and / or the corresponding storage tanks (62a, 62b) are continuously released in said ratio.

[0081] In this sense, in the context of the present invention, the first photocatalytic component is titanium dioxide (TiO2) and the second photocatalytic component is zinc oxide (ZnO); for the sake of clarity, in the context of the present invention, the mixing ratio mentioned previously between the two photocatalytic components should be interpreted as a ratio of titanium dioxide (TiO2) to zinc oxide (ZnO) of 9:1.

[0082] Advantageously, as shown by the experimental results described later in this specification, it has been found that the combination of titanium dioxide (TiO2) and zinc oxide (ZnO), which is referred to as the mixing ratio in the present application, shows that the preferred ratio of 9:1 provides a more efficient photocatalytic process compared to different ratios (such as ratios of 1:1, 2:1, 3:1, 4:1, 5:1 and / or 1:2, 1:3, 1:4, 1:5); however, without departing from the teachings of the present invention, the present invention can utilize any ratio, such as 1:1, 2:1, 3:1, 4:1, 5:1, 6:1, 7:1, 8:1, 10:1, 20:1, 50:1 or higher, as well as 1:2, 1:3, 1:4, 1:5, 1:6, 1:7, 1:8, 1:9, 1:10, 1:20, 1:50 or higher. In addition, the Applicant has detected that, based on the use of the above 9:1 ratio, any degree of toxicity can be significantly and advantageously avoided, thus providing a photocatalytic disinfection device (1) that can be used under any conditions and does not cause any harm to humans, the environment and / or animals.

[0083] Optionally, for the photocatalytic method of the present invention, other photocatalytic components known in the art to which the present invention pertains may be used. However, repeatedly, the emphasis is on using titanium dioxide (TiO2) and zinc oxide (ZnO) in the above-mentioned ratio (i.e., 9:1 respectively), and this is a novel and innovative ratio that advantageously facilitates more effective, rapid, and economical purification.

[0084] Once the radiation emission source (61) is turned on, the radiation is directly supplied to the aforementioned holder / mixer assembly (50). Thus, as previously mentioned, a mixture of photocatalytic components with an advantageous, novel, and innovative ratio releases hydroxyl radicals (OH) when irradiated, and once they come into contact with the air within the internal volume (11), the hydroxyl radicals diffuse / distribute; in this sense, it is known in the art to which the present invention pertains that once the hydroxyl radicals come into contact with organic matter, the hydroxyl radicals have the ability to purify / remove / reduce and / or eliminate all organic matter present in the air and / or on the surface.

[0085] In the context of the present application, "organic matter" should be understood as any organic form present in and / or potentially present in ambient air, such as viruses, bacteria, microorganisms, odors, etc., which are mostly harmful to human health.

[0086] In a further embodiment, the previously mentioned storage tanks (62a, 62b) can be omitted, and the two photocatalytic components can be directly or previously arranged within the holder / mixer assembly (50), in accordance with the previously mentioned advantageous mixing ratio of 9:1, such that the photocatalytic process can be carried out in a batch and / or cyclic form, limited to the amount discharged within the holder / mixer assembly (50). Similarly, as previously mentioned, assuming that the two photocatalytic components can be arranged in different types of shapes, and not limited to porous materials, in this additional embodiment, by omitting the storage tanks (62a, 62b), the holder / mixer assembly (50) can be used and / or arranged such that it can receive radiation from the radiation emission source and perform the photocatalytic process as described throughout this specification.

[0087] viii) A purification base (70), which can be a structure connected and / or attached to the housing (10) or mechanically interacting with the housing (10), particularly in its lower internal part, and in a preferred embodiment, arranged in the upper part, or a part above the aforementioned photocatalytic assembly, as seen in the drawings.

[0088] In a preferred embodiment, the purification base (70) is made of the same material as the housing (10), and its dimensions are directly related to the shape and size adopted by the housing (10), such that it preferably covers the entire lateral plane in order to increase its useful surface.

[0089] In one embodiment, the purification base (70) is configured such that a user can place any given object on its upper surface, which can be introduced according to the capacity of the internal volume (11) described previously. During the photocatalytic and purification process described previously (i.e., during the interaction between hydroxyl radicals and the air within the internal volume (11)), the air drags and guides the radicals such that they come into contact with multiple surfaces of the object placed on the base (70), thereby achieving the stripping of the object and / or the elimination of all organic substances present therein.

[0090] In a preferred embodiment, the purification base (70) may include grooves passing through its surface such that the hydroxyl radicals formed during the photocatalytic process (as described previously) can circulate through the base.

[0091] In an alternative embodiment, the photocatalytic disinfection device (1) of the present invention may omit the purification base (70), such that the present invention only purifies the air introduced into the internal volume (11), which is particularly conducive to a more compact and / or smaller photocatalytic disinfection device (1) compared to when having the aforementioned purification base.

[0092] vii) A control unit, which in turn is formed by at least one microcontroller (81) connected to a plurality of sensors to control different components of the present invention; in a preferred embodiment, the microcontroller (81) is also connected to the radiation emission source (61), whereby it can start and / or end the cycle of the photocatalytic process according to the time of air / object exposure to hydroxyl radicals and / or according to the air quality detected by the air quality sensor (33), as described previously.

[0093] Furthermore, according to an embodiment of the present invention, as described herein, the microcontroller (81) is also connected to a humidity controller, particularly in an embodiment where a heat exchanger element (41) is used, to control the operating time and / or energy supplied to it, thereby controlling the humidity level present in the internal volume (11) of the photocatalytic disinfection device (1).

[0094] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the microcontroller (81) may also be connected to the storage tanks (62a, 62b) of the photocatalytic components such that the microcontroller (81) can coordinate the precise and controlled release of the first and second photocatalytic components respectively, thereby ensuring that the previously mentioned novel and innovative mixing ratio (9:1) is met.

[0095] In one embodiment, the control unit may include at least one and up to "n" microcontrollers (81), which can interact and / or communicate with different components of the photocatalytic disinfection device (1) of the present invention in various ways. In this context, by "they can be arranged, interacted with, and / or communicated in various ways", it should be understood that each component of the present invention can be connected to and interact with at least one microcontroller (81), and / or can include a microcontroller (81) associated with a single component (as a sub-microcontroller and subsequently connected / interacted with the main and / or primary microcontroller), and / or general microcontrollers can be arranged to selectively connect / interact; in this sense, it should be understood that these variations are not limited to those described herein and those skilled in the art can propose / suggest and / or interpret other types of connections / interactions between the multiple microcontrollers of the control unit and different components including the photocatalytic disinfection device (1) of the present invention.

[0096] In a preferred embodiment, at least one and / or more microcontrollers (81) can be any commercially available microcontrollers, such as but not limited to Applied Micro Circuits Corporation (AMCC), Altera, Analog Devices., Atmel, Charmed Labs, Cypress MicroSystems, Dallas Semiconductor, ELAN Microelectronics Corp, Freescale Semiconductor, Fujitsu, Holtek, Infineon, Intel, Lattice Semiconductor, Microchip Technology, National Semiconductor, their combinations, etc.

[0097] ix) A power supply (90) capable of powering different components including the photocatalytic disinfection device (1) of the present invention; without any limitation, commercially known DC and AC power supplies (90) with different types of technical specifications can be used; in a preferred embodiment, the power supply (90) can be at least one and up to "n" power supplies; similarly, as a non-limiting example, at least one and / or more power supplies (90) can be 12v, 10a 120w, 110vac 220vac switch-mode power supplies, 12v or 5v mini switch-mode power supplies, their combinations, and / or similar power supplies.

[0098] In this regard, the expert will understand that the power source (90) is not limited to the types of power sources mentioned above, and any relevant variants whose function is to supply power and / or excite the electronic components (such as those mentioned above) of the photocatalytic disinfection device of the present invention will fall within the scope of the present invention; similarly, the expert will understand that one and / or more power sources (90) can be arranged in any part inside / outside the photocatalytic disinfection device (1), and not necessarily in the manner observed in the drawings.

[0099] As described herein, the present invention also contemplates implementing a method for purifying / disinfecting / reducing the organic matter content in the ambient air near the photocatalytic disinfection device, which method particularly relies on the photocatalytic process and mainly on the innovative and novel mixing ratio (9:1) of the photocatalyst components.

[0100] Therefore, for any of the described embodiments of the photocatalytic disinfection device (1) according to the present invention, once the device is powered on and / or switched to the operating state, the method of the present invention includes:

[0101] i) Suctioning the polluted air from the surrounding environment (i.e., near the photocatalytic disinfection device (1) of the present invention), which polluted air can be the air in an enclosed space (such as a room and / or a specific area), and conducting / guiding it to the inside of the photocatalytic disinfection device (1) through the operation of a fan (21); in particular, the ambient air is guided from the inlet / intake assembly (20) and directed and contained in the internal volume (11) of the photocatalytic disinfection device (1).

[0102] ii) Depending on the embodiment adopted, using a heat exchanger element (41) or relying on the improved overall moisture absorption characteristics resulting from the synergistic effect of the photocatalytic components and their innovative and novel mixing ratio to ensure a controlled humidity level; for this, the humidity level must be controlled to ensure sufficient humidity to improve the efficiency of the photocatalytic reaction and thus the disinfection efficiency.

[0103] iii) Activating the radiation emission source (61), and thus irradiating / supplying / guiding the radiation emitted by the radiation emission source to the holder / mixer assembly (50), thereby starting the photocatalytic reaction process; for this, as mentioned throughout this specification, the photocatalytic reaction process originates from the radiation of the radiation emission source (61) on the holder / mixer assembly (50), and the holder / mixer assembly (50) contains the photocatalytic components in the form of a mixture according to the innovative and novel mixing ratio proposed in this application, generating hydroxyl radicals (OH), which (based on particle kinetics) are released and diffused within the internal volume (11) of the photocatalytic disinfection device (1).

[0104] iv) Once the hydroxyl radicals (OH) generated during the enhanced photocatalytic process come into contact with any organic matter present in the internal volume (11) of the photocatalytic disinfection device (1) of the present invention, the organic matter is removed; wherein, in this step, the organic matter present in the internal volume (11) of the photocatalytic disinfection device (1) is reduced, which may be the polluted air introduced in step i), and in addition, may be the organic matter present on the multiple surfaces of a given object placed in the internal volume (11), especially the organic matter deposited on the disinfection base (70); although the polluted air in the internal volume (11) in contact with the hydroxyl radicals formed in step iii) is in continuous movement, the air allows the hydroxyl radicals to be conducted / guided until the hydroxyl radicals come into contact with the multiple surfaces of the determined object placed in the internal volume (11), thereby reducing / eliminating the pollutants in the determined object;

[0105] v) Use multiple sensors and evaluate the quality of the air in the internal volume (11) of the photocatalytic disinfection device (1) of the present invention after the air in the internal volume (11) is exposed to the hydroxyl radicals generated in step iii); such that if the multiple sensors determine the quality of the air contained in the internal volume (11), it will be determined that the efficiency of the photocatalytic process is not desired and / or appropriate, therefore, the radiation emission source (61) will continue to be turned on, resulting in the continuous progress of the photocatalytic reaction and the uninterrupted generation of hydroxyl radicals; wherein the multiple sensors can track and / or determine the quality of the air contained in the internal volume (11) at different time intervals.

[0106] vi) Once it is determined in step v) that the air quality is at a high level, i.e., the amount of pollutants / organic matter is low and / or zero, the air (now disinfected / purified) is discharged from the internal volume (11) and guided back to the surrounding environment; the outlet / discharge assembly (30) including the outlet (32) opens the outlet so that the (already disinfected / purified) air is guided out of the internal volume (11) towards the environment; wherein, before coming into contact with the environment, the (already disinfected / purified) air passes through a mechanical filter (31) to leave any residual pollutants.

[0107] At this time, once the air (disinfected / purified from step vi) is discharged from the internal volume (11) of the photocatalytic disinfection device (1) of the present invention, the aforementioned steps i) to vi) are repeated continuously and / or cyclically again, so that the photocatalytic disinfection device can gradually eliminate organic matter from the surrounding environment, extract a part of the polluted air from the surrounding environment, until it completely purifies it (the polluted air) within a certain operating time, that is, there is no residue of organic matter in the room / area of interest.

[0108] Embodiment

[0109] The experimental procedure and the results obtained therefrom will be described below, which allow supporting and / or confirming the improved, advantageous, novel, and innovative efficiency of the present invention.

[0110] Reference Figure 8 , which shows the Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (EPR) technique, which is used to determine the formation of free radicals (e.g., hydroxyl radicals (OH-)) on the surface of a material. A sample to be analyzed is introduced into a quartz tube, which is placed between two coils that generate a magnetic field interacting with the sample; furthermore, the material is irradiated with microwaves of different frequencies. The microwaves allow the unpaired electrons of some chemical substances (such as those contained in free radicals or ions) to vibrate and be attracted to the poles (N and S) of the coils, thus generating two symmetric signals, but in opposite directions, as shown in the figure above.

[0111] Moreover, based on the same figure, two strong signals can be observed at approximately 334 mT and 338 mT, which are attributed to the unpaired electrons contained in the hydroxyl radicals (OH-). The results show that the UV light (λ = 200 nm) used by the photocatalytic disinfection device of the present invention allows the formation of these free radicals on the surface of TiO2. In addition, the results reveal that as the UV light exposure time of TiO2 increases, the formation of OH- free radicals also increases.

[0112] Condition

[0113] This experiment was conducted in Petri dishes using gravity and impact sedimentation techniques, with tryptic soy agar medium in Petri dishes with diameters of 55 mm and 100 mm. The analysis was carried out in an open area without air control in order to clearly see the effect of the device on the air by comparing the amount of CFU in ambient air with the results after treatment with the device. If these tests were conducted in a laboratory environment, the number of initial live particles would be minimal, and the effect of the device on air treatment would not be seen. The selected location was an area surrounded by gardens and trees within the university center of exact sciences and engineering (CUCEI).

[0114] Before starting the analysis, the surface of the device was cleaned with 70% ethanol to eliminate possible live particles previously found on the device. In addition, a purge period of 5 minutes was carried out with the device turned on to ensure that the live particles inside the device were not collected at the start of the analysis.

[0115] To determine the state of viable particles in ambient air, a control plate placed at the air inlet of the device was used. This served as a reference to compare the air entering the device with the air leaving the device. The test was based on the sedimentation ability of viable particles to come into contact with a Petri dish by gravity.

[0116] For the analytical test, an impaction sampling technique was used, where after the purge period had been completed and with the device still on, a box with sterile medium was placed at the air outlet. Since the air outlet direction was upward, the box had to be placed upside down relative to the surface of the device (see Figure 9 ), so that the exhausted air could come into direct contact with the medium. Since the device was on during the analysis, the air flow left the device and came into contact with the medium by impaction.

[0117] On the other hand, Figure 10 shows a photocatalytic disinfection device in a specific mode in the selected analysis area, where plates placed at the top for the air inlet and at the bottom for the air outlet can be observed.

[0118] Once the analytical test was established, the photocatalytic disinfection device was turned on at a flow rate of 2 m 3 per minute for 15 minutes. To analyze the reproducibility of the results, three tests were carried out on different three days. Once the test period ended, the plates were removed from the device and incubated at 37 °C for 3 days. After the incubation period, the colonies present were counted and the results were expressed as CFU / plate.

[0119] Result

[0120] After the 3-day incubation period, the plates were removed from the incubator; Figure 11 shows the plates after the incubation period, where the difference in the number of colonies present between the control plate and the experimental plates can be clearly seen. In particular, to improve the clarity of the figure:

[0121] a) and b) show the results of Test 1 for the air inlet and air outlet controls respectively;

[0122] c) shows the result for the air inlet in Test 2;

[0123] d) shows the result for the air outlet in Test 2; and

[0124] e) and f) show the results for the air inlet and air outlet in Test 3 respectively.

[0125] The colony count results are shown in Table 1 below. For the plates placed at the air outlet, no growth was observed after the incubation period, except for Test 3, in which CFUs were found near the edge of the plate. At the same time, we can see that on the intake plates, the number of UFCs was in the dozens. A significant difference in the number of colonies at the air inlet and outlet can be seen. This result was interpreted as the operation of the device having a significant effect on reducing the CFUs of viable particles found in ambient air.

[0126] Table 1

[0127] Colony count result

[0128]

[0129] Based on the above, it is clear that the photocatalytic disinfection device of the present invention significantly reduces the amount of viable particles present in the air, reaching an amount that can meet the limits stipulated by the current regulations in certain sectors of the industry. It is particularly emphasized that the significant reduction is the result of the photocatalytic process of the photocatalytic disinfection device, mainly and particularly, from the photocatalyst components used and their mixing ratios, as described herein. The innovative, novel, and advantageous mixing ratios precisely allow for the substantially successful removal of pollutants / organic substances from the air once the method steps of the present invention are implemented.

[0130] Those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains will envision many modifications and other embodiments of the present invention that have the benefits of the teachings presented in the foregoing description and the related drawings. Accordingly, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described, but is intended to include modifications and other embodiments within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are used herein, they are used only in a general and descriptive sense and not for purposes of limitation.

[0131] The following is a list of elements with their respective reference numerals:

[0132] 1 Photocatalytic disinfection device

[0133] 10 Housing

[0134] 11 Internal volume

[0135] 12 Open door

[0136] 20 Inlet and intake assembly

[0137] 21 Fan

[0138] 30 Output and ejection assembly

[0139] 31 Mechanical filter

[0140] 32 Output section

[0141] 33 Air quality sensor

[0142] 41 Heat exchanger (Peltier plate)

[0143] 42 Humidity sensor

[0144] 43 Temperature sensor

[0145] 50 Retainer / mixer assembly

[0146] 61 Radiation emission source

[0147] 62a and 62b Photocatalytic component storage tanks

[0148] 70 Purification base

[0149] 81 Microcontroller

[0150] 90 Power supply

Claims

1. A photocatalytic disinfection device (1) capable of removing / reducing the quantity of organic substances / pollutants through a photocatalytic reaction process, the device comprising: Housing (10), wherein the housing (10) forms an internal volume (11); an inlet / air intake assembly (20); an output / injection assembly (30); a humidity controller; a retainer / mixer assembly (50); a photocatalyst / photocatalyst assembly; a purification base (70); a control unit; and a power supply (90); wherein the inlet / air intake assembly (20) sucks a certain amount of ambient air from the surrounding environment interacting with the photocatalytic disinfection device (1) and conducts the ambient air to the internal volume (11); wherein the photocatalytic / photocatalyst assembly consists of at least one radiation-emitting element (61) and at least one storage tank (62a, 62b) for the photocatalytic component, wherein the radiation-emitting element (61) is configured to emit the radiation required for the photocatalytic reaction process; wherein the retainer / mixer assembly (50) is made of a porous material or has a pore density and is configured to hold / store the photocatalytic component and the liquid from each of the storage tanks (62a, 62b) and / or supplied by each of the storage tanks (62a, 62b) by absorption such that a mixture of the liquid and the photocatalytic component forms in the form of an amalgam; wherein the photocatalytic component is titanium dioxide (TiO2) and zinc oxide (ZnO), and wherein the mixing ratio of the mixture of the photocatalytic components contained in the retainer / mixer assembly (50) is 1:1 or not 1:1; wherein the mixing ratio is capable of adsorbing the water present in the ambient air contained in the internal volume (11), thereby allowing the control of the humidity level present therein; wherein the purification base (70) is a structure connected to the internal part of the housing (10) or a structure mechanically interacting with the internal part of the housing (10), the purification base (70) is arranged in a part above the photocatalytic assembly, and the purification base (70) is configured to receive a certain object on its upper surface for purifying the object by supporting and / or employing the photocatalytic reaction process; wherein the outlet / discharge assembly (30) further includes at least one air quality sensor (33) configured to determine and / or check the amount of pollutants / organics present and / or remaining in the air contained in the internal volume (11), such that after a certain operating time of the device (1), i.e., after a period of time of performing the photocatalytic reaction process, the sensor (33) sends information related to the current air quality to the control unit, and based on this, determines whether the outlet / discharge assembly (30) should keep the air contained in the internal volume (11) for a longer exposure time for purification based on the photocatalytic process, or on the contrary, release the contained air into the surrounding environment, which means that the sensor (33) has detected high and / or optimal air quality, so there are no remaining organics / pollutants to be eliminated.

2. The photocatalytic disinfection device (1) according to claim 1, wherein, The mixing ratios of the mixture of the photocatalytic components are 1:1, 2:1, 3:1, 1:1, 2:1, 3:1, 4:1, 5:1, 6:1, 7:1, 8:1, 9:1, 10:1, 20:1, 50:1 or higher, and 1:2, 1:3, 1:4, 1:5, 1:6, 1:7, 1:8, 1:9, 1:10, 1:20, 1:50 or higher.

3. The photocatalytic disinfection device (1) according to claim 1, wherein, The outer shell can be made of any material selected from the group including: iron, carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum, alloys, combinations thereof, etc., acrylic, polyethylene terephthalate type plastics (PET or PETE), high density polyethylene (HDPE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), low density polyethylene (LDPE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), combinations thereof, etc.

4. The photocatalytic disinfection device (1) according to claim 1, wherein, The outer shell (10) can be formed / configured into any geometric body, such as a cylinder, a prism, a complex and / or irregular shape and / or a combination of shapes, wherein the size of the outer shell (10) directly depends on the size of the internal volume (11).

5. The photocatalytic disinfection device (1) according to claim 1, wherein, Relatively small objects and / or relatively large objects can be introduced into the internal volume (11) and arranged on the purification base (70), and the volume of the relatively small objects is, for example, 5 cm 3 , 10 cm 3 , 15 cm 3 , 20 cm 3 , 50 cm 3 , 100 cm 3 or larger, and the volume of the relatively large objects is, for example, cm 3 , 0.5 m 3 , 1 m 3 , 2 m 3 , 5 m 3 , 10 m 3 , 20 m 3 or larger.

6. The photocatalytic disinfection device (1) according to claim 1, wherein, The inlet / air intake assembly (20) further includes a fan (21), which, through its operation, sucks in ambient air and guides it into the internal volume (11).

7. The photocatalytic disinfection device (1) according to claim 1, wherein, The outlet / discharge assembly (30) includes: a mechanical filter (31), which is a filter made of activated carbon particles and / or any other material with inherent purification and / or cleanliness properties. In addition to providing a certain resistance to the passage of air when the air attempts to leave the internal volume (11), the mechanical filter (31) also serves as an additional purification step to remove / extract the organic matter present in the purified air if there are residues after the photocatalytic process before the purified air is released / discharged back into the environment; and an output part (32), which is controlled by the control unit such that once the purification process is completed and the air quality sensor (33) determines that the air quality is high, the output part (32) can switch from the closed state to the open state to release the already purified air, wherein the air quality sensor is a sensor selected from the group consisting of: GP2Y1014AU dust and / or air quality sensor, ZHO laser dust sensor, HIC192 infrared dust sensor, QSA2700 dust sensor, particles per million sensor, combinations thereof, etc.

8. The photocatalytic disinfection device (1) according to claim 1, wherein, The humidity controller can optionally include a heat exchanger element (41), which is configured to transfer energy and increase / decrease the temperature of a part of the air sucked into the internal volume (11) for the purpose of condensing a part of the moisture present in the air and providing the required humidity for the internal volume (11).

9. The photocatalytic disinfection device (1) according to claim 1, wherein, The portion of the moisture condensed by the heat exchange element (41) is retained in the retainer / mixer assembly (50), and the moisture portion can be used for the photocatalytic process, can be used as a fusion medium, and / or can be used as an additional means for controlling the humidity level within the internal volume (11).

10. The photocatalytic disinfection device (1) according to claim 1, wherein, The humidity controller further includes at least one humidity level sensor (42) and at least one temperature sensor (43) incorporated within and / or distributed in different parts of the internal volume (11), and wherein the humidity level sensor (42) and the temperature sensor (43) are respectively connected to the control unit, wherein the humidity level sensor (42) is configured to detect the insufficient overall humidity level and / or average humidity level within the internal volume (11), and the control unit can increase / decrease the voltage / current flowing through the heat exchanger element (41) so as to increase / decrease the amount of energy transferred to the air within the internal volume (11), and wherein the temperature sensor (43) is configured to detect the temperature change of the air contained within the internal volume (11) and feed information back to the control unit in order to improve the efficiency of the energy transfer performed by the control unit.

11. The photocatalytic disinfection device (1) according to claim 1, wherein, The retainer / mixer assembly (50) is a porous material or a material with dense pores, capable of retaining / absorbing liquids, particulate solids (in crushed and / or powder form), such as sponges, foam materials based on ethylene-vinyl acetate polymer (EVA), polyethylene (PE), combinations thereof, etc., and / or sponges, foam materials made therefrom.

12. The photocatalytic disinfection device (1) according to claim 1, wherein, The liquid contained within the retainer / mixer assembly (50) is water, preferably double-distilled water, wherein the contained liquid can be alternatively arranged on the retainer / mixer assembly (50) and does not have to be provided by the condensation of a portion of the moisture present in the air within the internal volume (11).

13. The photocatalytic disinfection device (1) according to claim 1, wherein, The retainer / mixer assembly (50) can optionally contain the photocatalytic component in any other way, and does not necessarily rely on the porosity of the material. The photocatalyst component can be retained in solid form as tablets (not shown), and once the tablets receive UV light and / or are irradiated by UV light, the tablets react in the same manner as the porous material.

14. The photocatalytic disinfection device (1) according to claim 1, wherein, The radiation emission source (61) of the photocatalytic / photocatalyst assembly can be any device capable of generating electromagnetic waves, such as germicidal lamps, broadband ultraviolet radiation lamps ranging from 100 nm to 200 nm, magnetrons, and / or controlled microwave emission devices, combinations thereof, etc.

15. The photocatalytic disinfection device (1) according to claim 1, wherein, Two photocatalytic components can be directly or pre-arranged within the retainer / mixer assembly (50) in a mixing ratio of 9:

1.

16. The photocatalytic disinfection device (1) according to claim 1, wherein, The purification base (70) is made of the same material as the housing (10), and the size of the purification base (70) is directly related to the shape and size adopted by the housing (10). Among them, the purification base (70) further includes grooves passing through its surface, so that the hydroxyl radicals formed during the photocatalysis process can circulate through the base.

17. The photocatalytic disinfection device (1) according to claim 1, wherein, The control unit includes at least one and up to "n" microcontrollers (81), and the microcontrollers (81) are connected to a plurality of sensors and components of the device (1). Among them, the microcontrollers (81) are connected to the radiation emission source (61). Thus, according to the time of exposure of the air / object to the hydroxyl radicals and / or according to the air quality detected by the air quality sensor (33), the microcontrollers (81) can start and / or end the cycle of the photocatalysis process.

18. The photocatalytic disinfection device (1) according to claim 1, wherein, The power supply (90) is at least one and up to "n" power supplies, and is any one of the group consisting of commercially known DC power supplies, AC power supplies, 12v, 10a, 120w, 110vac, 220vac switching power supplies, 12v or 5v mini-switching power supplies, and their combinations, etc.

19. The photocatalytic disinfection device (1) according to claim 3, wherein, It is also possible to perform additional processing on the material of the housing (10); for example, in the case of using acrylic / plastic, a coloring process is performed to achieve an opaque color or a shield, so as to dissipate / reduce the amount of radiation generated by the radiation emitter (61), and / or in the case of using a metal material, a coating is performed to improve the resistance to corrosion and / or damage inherent in the weather.

20. The photocatalytic disinfection device (1) according to claim 3, wherein, The housing (10) further includes an openable door (12), and the door (12) allows a determined object to be placed on the purification base (70) in the open configuration, and ensures the sealing and airtightness of the internal volume (11) of the photocatalytic disinfection device (1) in the closed configuration.

21. The photocatalytic disinfection device (1) according to claim 4, wherein, The internal volume (11) has a capacity ranging from 50 cm 3 to "n" cm 3 or from 25 cm 3 to "n" cm 3 or from 5 cm 3 to "n" cm 3 of volume.

22. The photocatalytic disinfection device (1) according to claim 6, wherein, The fan (21) can be made of any material selected from the group including: iron, carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum, alloys, combinations thereof, etc., polyethylene terephthalate type plastics (PET or PETE), high density polyethylene (HDPE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), low density polyethylene (LDPE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), combinations thereof, etc., and wherein the fan (21) can displace / drag a volumetric flow rate in the range of 0.5 kg / m 3 to "n" kg / m 3 of volumetric flow rate.

23. The photocatalytic disinfection device (1) according to claim 8, wherein, The heat exchange element (41) is at least one, up to "n" heat exchange components distributed in different parts of the internal volume (11).

24. The photocatalytic disinfection device (1) according to claim 8, wherein, The heat exchange element (41) is an electric heating device, such as a resistor assembly / group (Joule effect) and / or a thermoelectric Peltier plate / unit cooler of type 12706, 12v 5A 60W, and / or their combination.

25. The photocatalytic disinfection device (1) according to claim 10, wherein, The humidity and temperature sensors (42, 43) can be combined / integrated sensors, such as Dht21 / am2301, Dht11, Sht30, SHT31-ARP-B temperature and humidity sensors, and their combinations, etc.

26. The photocatalytic disinfection device (1) according to claim 11, wherein, The retainer / mixer assembly (50) stores / holds a certain amount of photocatalytic components. According to the types of the two elements present, the amount of the photocatalytic components ranges from 0.5 g to "n" grams and up to 0.5 ml, and up to "n" milliliters.

27. The photocatalytic disinfection device (1) according to claim 12, wherein, The liquid is intended to contain and mix the photocatalytic components (to fuse the two components (TiO2 and ZnO)), avoiding the formation of lumps, thereby improving the efficiency of the photocatalysis process.

28. The photocatalytic disinfection device (1) according to claim 15, wherein, It is possible to omit the storage tanks (62a, 62b).

29. The photocatalytic disinfection device (1) according to claim 17, wherein, The microcontroller (81) is connected to the humidity controller to control the operating time and / or energy supplied to the heat exchanger element (41), thereby controlling the moisture level present in the internal volume (11) of the photocatalytic disinfection device (1), wherein the microcontroller (81) is also connected to the storage tanks (62a, 62b) of the photocatalytic components to coordinate the precise and controlled release of each photocatalytic component, thereby ensuring the required mixing ratio, such as 9:1, to be deposited in the retainer / mixer assembly (50).

30. The photocatalytic disinfection device (1) according to claim 17, wherein, At least one or more of the microcontrollers (81) is any one selected from the group including: Applied Micro Circuits Corporation, Altera, Analog Devices, Atmel, Attollo Labs, Cypress Microsystems, Dallas Semiconductor, Elan Microelectronics, Freescale Semiconductor, Fujitsu, Holtek, Infineon, Intel, Lattice Semiconductor, Microchip Technology, National Semiconductor, combinations thereof, etc.

31. A method for purifying, disinfecting or reducing the amount of organic matter present in ambient air, in particular depending on an improved photocatalytic process, and using a photocatalytic disinfection device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 18; the method comprising: Inhale polluted air from the surrounding environment, i.e., close to the photocatalytic disinfection device (1), and conduct / guide the polluted air into the interior of the photocatalytic disinfection device (1) by actuating the fan (21). Use the humidity controller, especially relying on the improved overall moisture absorption performance brought about by the synergistic effect of the photocatalytic components and the 9:1 mixing ratio, to ensure a controlled humidity level; activate the radiation emission source (61), and thus radiate the radiation emitted by the radiation emission source (61) and / or supply / guide the radiation emitted by the radiation emission source (61) to the retainer / mixer assembly (50), thereby starting the photocatalytic reaction process. Once the hydroxyl radicals (OH) generated during the enhanced photocatalytic process come into contact with any organic matter present in the internal volume (11) of the photocatalytic disinfection device (1), eliminate the organic matter; use multiple sensors and evaluate the quality of the air in the internal volume (11) of the photocatalytic disinfection device (1) after the air in the internal volume (11) has been exposed to the hydroxyl radicals generated in step iii); such that, if the multiple sensors determine that the quality of the air contained in the internal volume (11) is at a low and / or unsatisfactory level, i.e., there is still a significant amount of pollutants / organic matter, the radiation emission source (61) will remain on, continue the photocatalytic reaction, and continuously generate hydroxyl radicals; and discharge (now disinfected / purified) air from the internal volume (11) and guide it to the surrounding environment.

32. The method according to claim 19, wherein The photocatalytic disinfection device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 18 is used to implement the method.

33. The method according to claim 19, wherein, The ambient air can be the air close to the photocatalytic disinfection device (1) in an enclosed space, such as a room and / or a defined area, and wherein the air is conducted from the inlet / air intake assembly (20) and guided and contained in the internal volume (11) of the photocatalytic disinfection device (1).

34. The method according to claim 19, wherein Control the level to ensure sufficient moisture to increase the efficiency of the photocatalytic reaction and thus the disinfection efficiency.

35. The method according to claim 19, wherein, When the radiation emission source (61) emits and supplies radiation onto the holder / mixer assembly (50), the photocatalytic reaction process starts. The holder / mixer assembly (50) contains the photocatalytic component in a 9:1 ratio and generates hydroxyl radicals (OH), which will be released and diffused (based on particle kinetics) within the internal volume (11) of the photocatalytic disinfection device (1). The organic matter present in the internal volume (11) can be the polluted air introduced in step i), and can also be the organic matter on the multiple surfaces of a given object placed in the internal volume (11), in particular the organic matter deposited on the purification base (70). The polluted air in the internal volume (11) that comes into contact with the hydroxyl radicals formed in step iii) is in continuous movement, and the air allows the hydroxyl radicals to be conducted / guided until the hydroxyl radicals come into contact with the multiple surfaces of the determined object arranged in the internal volume (11), thereby achieving the reduction / elimination of the pollutants in the determined object.

36. The method according to claim 19, wherein, The plurality of sensors can perform the tracking and / or determination of the quality of the air contained in the internal volume (11) at different time periods.

37. The method according to claim 19, wherein, The outlet / discharge assembly (30) including the opening / outlet (32) switches to the open state so that the already disinfected / purified air is guided out of the internal volume (11) towards the environment.

38. The method according to claim 19, wherein Before coming into contact with and / or returning to the environment, the (already disinfected / purified) air passes through a mechanical filter (31) to leave any remaining pollutants.

39. The method according to claim 19, wherein, Once the air (disinfected / purified from step vi)) is discharged from the internal volume (11) of the photocatalytic disinfection device (1), the aforementioned steps i) to vi) are repeated again continuously and / or cyclically, so that the photocatalytic disinfection device can gradually eliminate the organic matter / pollutants, extract a portion of the polluted air from the surrounding environment until it (the polluted air) is completely purified within a certain operating time, that is, there is no organic matter residue in the room / area of interest.

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