Dual element pressure swing adsorption air purification system and method
View Patent ↗The present technology provides an illustrative method for treating air. The method includes providing untreated air and producing an oxygen-enriched sample from the untreated air. The method further includes generating ozone in the oxygen-enriched sample to produce an ozone-enriched sample and contacting the ozone-enriched sample and a fraction of the untreated air to produce a treated sample. The fraction of the untreated sample includes a fraction removed from the untreated air when producing the oxygen-enriched sample. The method also includes removing ozone from the treated sample to form a purified sample of air.
1. A method for treating air, the method comprising:
providing untreated air from an ambient environment;
separating the untreated air to produce a first sample and a second sample, wherein the first sample is oxygen-enriched;
generating ozone in the first sample to produce an ozone-enriched sample;
contacting the ozone-enriched sample and at least a portion of the second sample to produce a treated sample;
removing ozone from the treated sample to form a purified sample of air; and
returning the purified sample of air to the ambient environment.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second sample comprises nitrogen, and wherein the step of separating the untreated air comprises removing nitrogen from the untreated air.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the step of contacting the ozone-enriched sample and the at least a portion of the second sample comprises contacting the removed nitrogen and the ozone-enriched sample to produce a treated sample.
4. The method of claim 2 , further comprising compressing the untreated air prior to the step of removing nitrogen from the untreated air.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the step of removing nitrogen from the untreated air comprises adsorbing nitrogen from the compressed untreated air at a high pressure by contacting the untreated air with at least one nitrogen-selective adsorbent.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the at least one nitrogen-selective adsorbent comprises at least one zeolite molecular sieve.
7. The method of claim 3 , wherein the step of contacting the removed nitrogen and the ozone-enriched sample comprises contacting the ozone-enriched sample with at least one nitrogen-selective adsorbent to desorb the adsorbed nitrogen.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of generating ozone comprises generating the ozone with a corona discharge system, the method further comprising venting the ozone-enriched sample into a surge tank.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of removing the ozone from the treated sample comprises contacting the treated sample with at least one ozone-selective adsorbent under conditions where the ozone is removed from the treated sample.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of removing the ozone comprises compressing the treated sample and contacting the compressed treated sample with an ozone-selective adsorber.
11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising venting the oxygen-enriched sample into a surge tank.
12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising contacting the oxygen-enriched sample with an ozone-selective adsorption bed to desorb adsorbed ozone to form a purged gas.
13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising regenerating ozone from the purged gas with a corona discharge system.
14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising treating the purified sample of air with ultraviolet light.
15. The method of claim 1 , wherein a concentration of an undesired contaminant is lower in the purified sample of air than in the untreated air.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the undesired contaminant comprises at least one of mold, pollen, volatile organic compounds, smoke, dust, spores, and bacteria.