As our project is dealing with the challenge of purifying air from different environments and measuring its quality, we studied several low-cost materials such as ultraviolet light and activated carbon, among others that have the ability to fight Covid -19 and some other impurities.
We chose to make a system inexpensive compared to others on the market, with a design that adapts to use at home or in any other environment, and with an active and passive filtering solution that does not offer risk to the user. All this together with a system responsible for monitoring the quality of the air already filtered, giving feedback to the user about the environment where it is located.
Our team developed the project through online platforms such as Discord and voice calls via Whatsapp, in order not to disseminate Covid-19. We searched across the internet for various solutions, and we also relied on the ISS filtering system to develop our own, that was both efficient and versatile enough to be used in diverse environments, especially in those with agglomerations, such as public transport, hospitals, homes, etc.
Over the weekend, we used circuit and programming simulators like Fritzing to create the circuit, along with design softwares to project our product.
We will use an Arduino circuit to electronically control the whole project. It is divided into four main stages:
Stage 1: After the machine is turned on by a capacitive touch sensor, a cooler will start the process of suction of air into the filtration system, which then be sealed by a solenoid valve right before going through the purification and disinfection process.
Stage 2: The effective filtering process will be carried out by an ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 254 nanometers (germicidal light), which interacts directly with the genetic material of the microorganisms, making their complete inactivation and interrupting the contagion cycle. The light will be in contact with the air for about a minute, which is the time recommended for disinfection. The UV radiation will also have the function of initiating the process of Photocatalysis, a chemical reaction caused by the absorption of photons of ultraviolet light, and which has the power to oxidize microorganisms.
Stage 3: Information about the air quality that has been acquired by the sensors will be transmitted via Bluetooth to the user's Android phone, indicating data such as concentration of toxic gases (ammonia, carbon dioxide, benzene, nitric oxide, smoke and alcohol), level humidity and temperature in the app.
Stage 4: After these measurements, the air will pass through an activated carbon filter, that as it has many pores on its contact surface, is able to retain any remaining impurity after the entire process. It will remove impurities such as dust, viruses, bacteria and fungi from the environment. Next to this filter will be located a second solenoid valve that will open and release the flow of clean air for a second cooler to remove it.
For a more detailed project resume, please visit:
https://essj-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/20130004_edu_essj_com_br/EcI3AMD50PRJt3Rq0MvqewwB_dT_Q2C7C0AONi-pfAeEMw?e=bXxLJB