Inspiration: 

Inspiration for our project came up from the air filters used in the ISS. Our project idea is partially based on the Airocide air filters used on the ISS. Our project mainly eliminates most of the viruses/bacteria and other pollutants such as dust, odor, and trace gases. 

Use of NASA Data: 

We went through multiple data set on data.nasa.gov and through different case studies NASA has done around air filtrations systems. We've come up with a combination of filters and methods which have been tested by NASA. 

Hardware:

Our project includes multiple stage filtration:

1. First stage:  The first stage includes an electro-charged air filter. It is a cylindrical chamber and it has a metal wire mesh at the begging of the tube negative charges and a piece of foil positively charged in the middle. When the air passes through this chamber larger particles get charged negatively and get attached to the positively charged plate as it moves further down the chamber.

2.  Second Stage:  The first stage includes some basic filtration system. It is further divided into three steps

• Large Particle Filter: This step removes larger particles such as dust and allergens present in the air. 
• Activated-Carbon Filter: Activated carbon has special properties that allow it to remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs), odors, and other gaseous pollutants from the air.
• HEPA  Air filter:  HEPA filters are effective at removing ultrafine particles (think: dust, dander, pollen, mold, and other common allergens in the home). The industry standard for such is that the unit must be able to remove at least 99.97% of particulates measuring 0.3-micron diameter in a lab setting. NASA study of HEPA filtration explains why HEPA filters are actually most efficient—almost 100 percent at 0.01 micron—at capturing ultrafine particles below the 0.3-micron HEPA test standard.) The virus that causes COVID-19 is approximately 0.125 micron (125 nanometers) in diameter. It falls squarely within the particle-size range that HEPA filters capture with extraordinary efficiency: 0.01 micron (10 nanometers) and above.

3. Third stage: The second stage includes an Airocide found in the ISS. The filter uses TiO2 as a photocatalyst for the decomposition of organic compounds. TiO2 is active under UV light.

Photocatalytic activity (PCA) is the ability of a material to create an electron-hole pair as a result of exposure to ultraviolet radiation. The resulting free-radicals are very efficient oxidizers of organic matter. The photocatalytic activity of titanium results in thin coatings of the material exhibiting self-cleaning and disinfecting properties under exposure to UV radiation.

Achievements: 

With this project, we could purify the air to about 99.99%. It provides a cost-effective solution and can be used in place which needs pure air such as rocket factories, hospitals, etc.

We also learned a lot about various systems present in the ISS for recycling the air and purification.  

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1N78MnO1OjVTUxLcCWXsTQWCtx1xH21nzj5jQ7xIZeWY/edit?usp=sharing

1. https://spinoff.nasa.gov/Spinoff2013/cg_4.html

2. https://www.nasa.gov/offices/oct/images/airocide-air-purification-units-use-nasa-funded- technology

3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5YFK8mmeRQ&feature=youtu.be

4. https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/files/Gellett_SolidStateAirPurification.pdf

5. https://data.nasa.gov/dataset/Next-Generation-LifeSupport-NGLS-Continuous-Elect/c66w-b7qu

6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARSQWTzWago&feature=youtu.be