ASIET Air PCO Testing

Photocatalytic Oxidation Air Purification Systems.
Texas Tech University

Statement :

Texas Tech University testing showed that the ASIET air purification process significantly reduced live E. coli bacteria over a 60-minute test period. The bacteria were not directly exposed to UV light, which supports the effectiveness of the UV-activated TiO2 filtration process.

THE FOLLOWING IS A COPY OF A LETTER FROM DR. JOHN C.ZAK, PROFESSOR AND CHAIR DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY.

THE TEST USED E coli INTRODUCED TO EXHAUST AIR FROM A AMERICAN AIR SCRUBBER IN A TEST CHAMBER DESIGNED FOR TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY.  60 MINUTES WAS TIME OF TEST WITH RESULTS BEING LOGGED EVERY 10 MINUTES.  AT NO TIME WAS PARTICULATES INTRODUCED DIRECTLY TO UVC LAMPS OR UVC-ASSISTED REACTORS.

PLEASE DIRECT ANY QUESTIONS TO TIM MITCHELL, EMAIL tmitchell@asiet.net   DIRECTLINE 806-438-5598.  

TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY

Department of Biological Sciences

Lubbock, TX  79409

April 14, 2005

        This letter is to provide an assessment of the results we have obtained to date on the air purification unit you provided.  Our goal was to evaluate the efficacy of the unit to kill selected bacteria.  In the results that are provided in this letter, all experiments used E. coli as the test bacterium.  

Experiment 1;  Two plates of T-soy agar with a 10-6 dilution of E. coli added per plate were placed within two inches of the TiO2 filters.  The open side of each Petri-Dish faced the TiO2 filters and did not receive UV light.  Two plates were exposed per exposure times.

Treatment

Exposure Time

Colony Count per plate

Treatment average

Control 1

0

TNTC

TNTC

Control

0

TNTC

Plate 1 A

20 min

325

255

Plate 1B

20 min

186

Plate 2A

40 min

154

132

Plate 2B

40 min

110

Plate 3A

60 min

27

15.5

Plate 3B

60 min

4

TNTC = to numerous to count


Experiment 2:  Three plates were established in the same manner as described in experiment 1.  However, exposure times from 10 to 60 minutes were evaluated at 10 minute intervals.

Treatment

Exposure Time (Min)

Colony Count per plate

Treatment average

Control 1

0

TNTC

TNTC

Control

0

TNTC

Plate 1 A

10

765

715

Plate 1B

10

621

Plate 1C

10

760

Plate 2A

20

560

552

Plate 2B

20

429

Plate 2C

20

668

Plate 3A

30

358

345

Plate 3B

30

328

Plate 3C

30

351

Plate 4A

40

280

257

Plate 4B

40

162

Plate 4C

40

329

Plate 5A

50

152

145

Plate 5B

50

62

Plate 5C

50

221

Plate 6A

60

72

52

Plate 6B

60

16

Plate 6C

60

70

These two experiments demonstrate that the exposure of the  TiO2 filter to UV was able to kill growing E. coli cells with maximum kill after 60 minute exposure. The E. coli cultures were not exposed to the UV light.

Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any questions concerning these results.

Sincerely,

Dr. John C. Zak

Professor and Chair

Explanation of the Texas Tech Lab Result

This test looked at whether the air purification unit could kill E. coli bacteria. E. coli was used because it is a common test bacteria in labs. If bacteria are alive, they grow into visible spots on a lab plate called colonies.

The main idea was simple: put E. coli near the purifier’s treated filter area, wait different amounts of time, then count how many bacteria were still alive.

What TNTC Means

The control plates were marked TNTC, which means too numerous to count.

That means the untreated E. coli grew so much that there were too many colonies on the plate to count. In normal words, the bacteria were very much alive when they were not treated.

What Happened During the Test

The E. coli plates were placed close to the TiO2 filters. Those filters were exposed to UV light, which is part of the PCO process.

The important part is this:

The bacteria were not directly exposed to the UV light.

That means the test was not just shining UV light straight onto the bacteria. Instead, the test showed that the UV-activated TiO2 filter area had an effect on the bacteria nearby.

What the Numbers Show

In the first experiment, the bacteria count dropped over time:

That means the longer the bacteria were exposed to the purifier’s treated area, the fewer living bacteria remained.

In the second experiment, the same pattern happened:

That is a clear downward trend.

What This Means in Normal Words

The test showed that the ASIET-style PCO system was able to greatly reduce living E. coli bacteria over time.

The biggest reduction happened by the 60-minute mark. The longer the bacteria were exposed near the UV-activated TiO2 filter, the more the bacteria count dropped.

A simple way to say it is:

Texas Tech testing showed that the purifier’s PCO process reduced live E. coli bacteria over time, even though the bacteria were not directly exposed to UV light.

Why That Matters

Some air systems only trap particles in a filter. This test suggests the technology was doing more than just trapping material. It was helping kill or deactivate live bacteria.

That matters because E. coli was alive at the start. After exposure to the system, far fewer bacteria were able to grow on the plates.

What This Test Does Not Prove

This test does not prove the machine removes every germ, virus, mold spore, or pollutant in every real building.

It also does not prove results for all bacteria or all room conditions. This test was specifically focused on E. coli under a controlled lab setup.

ASIET Air PCO Testing

Pilot Project Report : Texas Tech

Statement :

Texas Tech testing showed that the ASIET 7710 Air Purification System reduced Candida albicans by 94.3% overall and Candida auris by 75% overall on contaminated surfaces after a 24-hour treatment period in a controlled test room.

Explanation of This ASIET Lab Result

This lab test looked at whether the ASIET 7710 Air Purification System could reduce two types of yeast on contaminated surfaces: Candida albicans and Candida auris. The report says the test was done at the Biological Threat Research Laboratory at Texas Tech University, with Steven M. Presley, Ph.D. as the principal investigator.

In plain English, the lab placed contaminated materials inside a sealed room with the ASIET machine running. The materials included cotton cloth, stainless steel, and plastic discs. These were placed in different spots and at different heights in the room, then exposed to the machine for 24 hours.

After the 24-hour treatment, the samples were taken back to the lab and watched for 10 days to see whether the yeast would grow back. If growth happened, that meant some organism survived. If no growth happened, that meant the treatment worked on that sample.

What the Results Mean

For Candida albicans, the ASIET machine performed very well. The report showed:

That means most of the treated Candida albicans samples did not grow after treatment.

For Candida auris, the results were lower but still showed reduction. The report showed:

That means the machine reduced Candida auris, but it did not perform as strongly against Candida auris as it did against Candida albicans.

The Simple Takeaway

This test showed that the ASIET 7710 helped reduce yeast contamination on surfaces after running for 24 hours in a controlled room.

The strongest result was against Candida albicans, with 94.3% overall effectiveness. The result against Candida auris was more moderate, with 75% overall effectiveness.

Why This Matters

This matters because the machine was not just tested in theory. Contaminated materials were placed around a room, the machine was run, and the samples were later checked to see if the organisms could still grow.

That makes this a useful lab result for showing that ASIET technology can help reduce certain surface-based microbial contamination under controlled conditions.

What This Test Does Not Prove

This test does not prove that ASIET removes every germ, fungus, virus, or mold spore in every building.

It also does not prove instant results. This was a 24-hour exposure test, followed by a 10-day lab observation period.