We all know that PlasmaWave® is Winix' unique air purification technology that neutralizes pollutants in our air. But sometimes we get asked for a bit more detail on just what this is and how it works. So we decided to put together this article to properly explain PlasmaWave® for you.
What Is It?
PlasmaWave® is the final step in our Winix Australian range of air purifiers' comprehensive filtration systems. This unique Winix technology neutralises viruses, bacteria, odours and VOCs (chemical vapours and harmful gases). It does this by creating negative and positive ions that combine with water vapour molecules in the air to form hydroxyls that neutralise these nasties – leaving only clean, fresh air.
How Does It Work?
- PlasmaWave® technology creates a short electrical discharge to create dual polarity ions from air moisture. This electrical discharge is safe and only occurs for a short period of time (nanoseconds).
- Positive hydrogen (H+) and negative oxygen ions (-O2) attach themselves to the surface of air pollutants to form Hydroxyls by removing hydrogen from the structure of air.
- This interaction removes air pollutants and allows the ions to use the missing Hydrogen ion, which was removed from the structure of the air pollutants, to return as air moisture (H2O).
PlasmaWave® technology mimics the natural process of pollutant breakdown that happens in the earth's atmosphere. The main advantage of PlasmaWave® technology and hydroxyl oxidation is that pollutants are reduced to harmless substances like water and carbon dioxide within the air purifier itself. PlasmaWave® is the core air filtration element of any Winix air purifier and this technology is effective against many types of airborne contaminants.
Independent testing for PlasmaWave® using live influenza (flu) virus confirmed 99.96% of this virus was neutralised within 60 mins.
What Are The Benefits Over Other Technologies?
PlasmaWave® Technology can sometimes be incorrectly mislabelled as an “Ionizer” or confused with negative ion generation technology. Winix' technology is far superior because it produces both positive and negative ions while ionizers only produce negative ions.
Negative ion air purifiers do not eliminate air pollutants. Instead, negative ions force contaminant particles to group together so they are weighed down onto the surface of furniture and floors. Everyday activities such as walking or vacuuming can then reintroduce these contaminants by helping them become airborne once again.
Our Winix PlasmaWave® technology effectively neutralizes/reduces the concentration of these airborne pollutants, giving you complete peace of mind. PlasmaWave also removes chemical pollutants like Methane and Carbon Monoxide. Air Ionizers can only remove particulate pollutants like dust, aerosols, pollen and dust mites.
Is It Safe?
In short, yes; Winix' PlasmaWave® technology does not produce harmful levels of ozone. Independent tests confirm the ozone produced is an almost undetectable 3 ppb (parts per billion), which is substantially lower than the allowable level of 50ppb set by the USA’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Plasmawave® also meets the California Air Resource Board’s AB 2276 standard, which is the most rigorous American certification benchmark for indoor air cleaning ozone-emissions. To attain compliance, air-cleaning devices must be tested for electrical safety and have ozone emission ratings below the 50 parts per billion limit.
Please note that if desired, the PlasmaWave® function on Winix' Australian range of air purifiers can also be turned off at the user's discretion.
Video Explanation
Here are a couple of 'oldie but goodie' Winix videos that we feel do a great job of explaining PlasmaWave® for you in video form:
In summary, Winix' PlasmaWave® technology is a safe and very effective means of neutralising common airborne contaminants such as viruses, bacteria, odours and VOCs (chemical vapours and harmful gases).
And lastly, if you have any questions at all about any of the above, please don't hesitate to get in touch. Always here to help.
