Effectiveness of In-Duct Ionization in a Real-World Lecture Hall
DAVID KORMOS, Nishit Shetty, Linsey Marr,
Virginia Tech Abstract Number: 74
Working Group: Indoor Aerosols
AbstractIonization technology has been proposed as a potential solution for reducing airborne bacterial contamination. In this study, we aimed to determine the effectiveness of in-duct ionization in reducing the culturable bacterial load in a large lecture hall. To achieve this, we monitored the airborne bacterial concentration in the room when the ionizer was off and when it was on. We used two types of portable samplers at the front, center, and back of the room simultaneously. We sampled 12 m
3 of air at each location with an ACD-200 Bobcat for analysis of total bacteria by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), and we collected 1 m
3 of air at each location onto gelatin filters with a Sartorius MD8 Airport for determination of colony forming units. Preliminary results revealed that culturable bacteria were detected in both the ionizer-off and ionizer-on conditions, and differences in bacterial counts between the two conditions were not significant. Additionally, differences in total bacterial concentrations in terms of copies of the 16S rRNA gene were also not significant. These results suggest that in-duct ionization alone may not be sufficient to eliminate airborne bacterial contamination in a large lecture hall.