Elsevier

Building and Environment

Volume 210, 15 February 2022, 108728
Building and Environment

Experimental testing of air filter efficiency against the SARS-CoV-2 virus: The role of droplet and airborne transmission

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2021.108728Get rights and content

Highlights

  • Experimental validation of the capacity of air filters to block SARS-CoV-2.

  • Good practice to minimize the propagation of SARS-CoV-2 in air conditioning systems.

  • Droplet and airborne transmission mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Abstract

Verifying the capacity of different types of air filters to stop the propagation of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has become a strategic element to contain viral spreading in enclosed spaces. This paper shows the results of experimental tests about the capacity of different commercial filter grades to stop SARS-CoV-2 propagation using inactivated virions. In the first test, the obtained results showed that the F8 filter blocks SARS-CoV-2 propagation if it encounters a flow devoid of liquid phase, i.e., a biphasic flow that can wet the filtering material. On the contrary, as shown in the second test, the SARS-CoV-2 virus propagates through the F8 filter if the droplet content in the air flow is enough to wet it. In these operational conditions, i.e., when the filter is wet by a flow with a high droplet content, the absolute H14 filter was also shown to fail to stop the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Lastly, in the third test, the viral load was shown to be stopped when the pathway of the infected droplet is blocked.

Keywords

Coronavirus disease 2019
SARS Coronavirus
COVID-19
Heating ventilation and air conditioning systems
Air filters
Experimental testing

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