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Air purifying lattice through ionization

Abstract:

Within the city of Cuenca, located in southern Ecuador, there are houses located around industrial areas, with high vehicular traffic, among others. These sectors are characterized by a high level of pollution (NO2, CO, CO2, PM 2.5) in relation to sectors that are located around green areas. In the absence of a system that reduces the emission of polluting gases, the population is affected by this impact on their health, especially children under two years of age and the elderly. The pollution gases cause diseases that affect the respiratory tract. Through this document, it was sought to generate an alternative solution to environmental contamination within homes, this focuses on the purification of the air coming from the outside, reducing the mortality rates caused by respiratory diseases. Two investigative methodologies were used; the first is the Documentary Analysis of secondary sources, in which the main air pollutants inside and outside the homes were determined. In addition, information on the ionization and dissociation of gas molecules caused by combustion in vehicles and industries in the city was analyzed. The data were obtained from scientific journals published in the last eleven years and municipal reports on air quality in the city of Cuenca. The second Methodology is Design Thinking which will establish the design of the air purification lattice. This innovation methodology has as phases; empathy, interpretation, ideation and the prototype. As a result, a prototype of an air purifying lattice was obtained, which acts as a filter, the same one that adapts to the windows of homes exposed to polluting gases. Once the prototype is connected to the electrical network of the houses, it activates a mesh, which performs the ionization and dissociation of the CO2 molecules, among other gases, allowing the passage of a large percentage of O2 molecules (purified air). In conclusion, the design of this accessory allows the elimination of particles suspended in the air through ionization in order to improve the quality of the air that enters urban buildings and houses. The proposed accessory considers that the air is not only affected by pollution, but by many components such as ions, that significantly affect health. So, since ions are electrically charged air particles, ionization of air is considered a process in which electrons are gained or lost from molecules found in atmospheric polluting gases. In this way, the air purifying lattice through ionization can be adapted to all homes, regardless of their location near city traffic and industries.