Pertegal Víctor, Riquelme Eva, Lozano-Serra Julia, Cañizares Pablo, Rodrigo Manuel A, Sáez Cristina, Lacasa Engracia
Department of Chemical Engineering, Higher Technical School of Industrial Engineering, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Edificio Infante Don Juan Manuel, Campus Universitario s/n, 02071, Albacete, Spain.
Clinical Parasitology and Microbiology Area. University Hospital Complex of Albacete, C/ Hermanos Falcó 37, 02006, Albacete, Spain.
J Environ Manage. 2023 Nov 1;345:118798. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118798. Epub 2023 Aug 15.
Pathogenic microorganisms are a major concern in indoor environments, particularly in sensitive facilities such as hospitals, due to their potential to cause nosocomial infections. This study evaluates the concentration of airborne bacteria and fungi in the University Hospital Complex of Albacete (Spain), comparing the results with recent literature. Staphylococcus is identified as the most prevalent bacterial genus with a percentage distribution of 35%, while Aspergillus represents the dominant fungal genus at 34%. The lack of high Technology Readiness Levels (TRL 6, TRL 7) for effective indoor air purification requires research efforts to bridge this knowledge gap. A screening of disinfection technologies for pathogenic airborne microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi is conducted. The integration of filtration, irradiation or and (electro)chemical gas treatment systems in duct flows is discussed to enhance the design of the air-conditioning systems for indoor air purification. Concerns over microbial growth have led to recent studies on coating commercial fibrous air filters with antimicrobial particles (silver nanoparticles, iron oxide nanowires) and polymeric materials (polyaniline, polyvinylidene fluoride). Promising alternatives to traditional short-wave UV-C energy for disinfection include LED and Far-UVC irradiation systems. Additionally, research explores the use of TiO and TiO doped with metals (Ag, Cu, Pt) in filters with photocatalytic properties, enabling the utilization of visible or solar light. Hybrid photocatalysis, combining TiO with polymers, carbon nanomaterials, or MXene nanomaterials, enhances the photocatalytic process. Chemical treatment systems such as aerosolization of biocidal agents (benzalkonium chloride, hydrogen peroxide, chlorine dioxide or ozone) with their possible combination with other technologies such as adsorption, filtration or photocatalysis, are also tested for gas disinfection. However, the limited number of studies on the use of electrochemical technology poses a challenge for further investigation into gas-phase oxidant generation, without the formation of harmful by-products, to raise its TRL for effectively inactivating airborne microorganisms in indoor environments.
致病微生物是室内环境中的一个主要问题，特别是在医院等敏感设施中，因为它们有可能导致医院感染。本研究评估了西班牙阿尔巴塞特大学医院综合大楼空气中细菌和真菌的浓度，并将结果与近期文献进行了比较。葡萄球菌被确定为最常见的细菌属，百分比分布为35%，而曲霉是占主导地位的真菌属，占34%。由于缺乏用于有效室内空气净化的高科技就绪水平（技术就绪水平6、技术就绪水平7），需要开展研究工作来填补这一知识空白。对用于细菌和真菌等致病性空气传播微生物的消毒技术进行了筛选。讨论了在风道气流中集成过滤、辐照或（电）化学气体处理系统，以改进用于室内空气净化的空调系统设计。对微生物生长的担忧促使最近开展了一些研究，即在商用纤维空气过滤器上涂覆抗菌颗粒（银纳米颗粒、氧化铁纳米线）和聚合物材料（聚苯胺、聚偏二氟乙烯）。用于消毒的传统短波紫外线C能量的有前景的替代方案包括发光二极管和远紫外线C辐照系统。此外，研究探索了在具有光催化性能的过滤器中使用二氧化钛以及掺杂金属（银、铜、铂）的二氧化钛，从而能够利用可见光或太阳光。将二氧化钛与聚合物、碳纳米材料或MXene纳米材料相结合的混合光催化可增强光催化过程。还测试了化学处理系统，如将杀菌剂（苯扎氯铵、过氧化氢、二氧化氯或臭氧）雾化，并将其与吸附、过滤或光催化等其他技术相结合用于气体消毒。然而，关于电化学技术使用的研究数量有限，这对进一步研究在不形成有害副产物的情况下产生气相氧化剂以提高其技术就绪水平从而有效灭活室内环境中的空气传播微生物构成了挑战。
