New York Hutterite Colony, February 2020

The case

In a Hutterite Colony in New York, Southern Alberta, black mould contamination was happening in a walk-in cooler.

The Problem

Aspergillus Niger (black mould) spores were reproducing at a high rate, which required a complete washdown and sterilization of
the cooler every week, to prevent individual health issues. Mould would form on the shelves and the necks of the preservative jars.

      Hutterite Colony Walk-In Cooler Coil                                                       Sanuvox Installation at Hutterite Colony

Sanuvox Customized Solution

The cooling unit was cleaned by a refrigeration technician and a Sanuvox IL40-G was installed to destroy the spores early July 2017.

Conclusion

There has not been any reoccurrence of mould in the cooler. Two months after install, the Colony bought two crates of pears, same harvest and variety. They stored the crates in two different walk-in coolers. The pears in the cooler without Sanuvox UV treatment started turning brown and rot within 5 days.

The pears in the cooler with Sanuvox UV showed no signs of degrade. The increase of shelf life of produce impressed the Colony and since then, they equipped the 2nd cooler, along with a root vegetable cold storage room. The Colony is very pleased with the Sanuvox equipment and appreciate having clean cooler with food that is not contaminated with black mould.

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Food Distribution Center, June 2018

The case

Controlling odors in the onion storage room at a food distribution center for a national grocery store chain.

The Problem

To prevent onion odors from contaminating fruits and vegetables stored in adjoining rooms, the onion storage room is kept at a negative pressure using a 3,000 cfm exhaust fans. The customer had two main objectives: 

1.To control the onion odors 

2.To reduce the amount of exhaust air to lower the associated cost of conditioning makeup air

Sanuvox Customized Solution

Sanuvox provided two IL30-X units that were installed upstream of the cooling coil in a 27,000 cfm air handler to photo-oxidize the onion odors.

Conclusion

Onion odors were dramatically reduced, and exhaust air lowered by 40% to 1,800 cfm. Energy savings from the reduction in exhaust air is equivalent to 3 tons of cooling.

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Prominent Houston Hospital, 2015

The case

A prominent Houston, Texas hospital’s air handler units were covered in Aspergillus due to poor filtration and internally lined insulation. Sanuvox IL Coilclean was able to reverse clean the air handler units preventing any contamination in the hospital and saving the hospital thousands of dollars in energy due to reverse cleaning the cooling coils.

The Problem

Our distributor, The Filterman LLC, received a phone call from a prominent Houston, Texas hospital with a severe microbial problem. Aspergillus was growing on the evaporator coil, the transition ducting and the HEPA filters. The hospital was using substandard filters and were not sealing the filters to prevent air bypass. Houston summers routinely get above 100 degrees F and range up to 90% humidity. Biofilm growth in the fins of the cooling coil was preventing proper dehumidification and reducing the air handlers cooling capacity, resulting in thousands of dollars in wasted energy. 

After 4 years of poor filtration, the air handler units were covered in Aspergillus. The black internally lined insulation was completely white with mold growth. The HEPA filters began accumulating moisture due to the fouled evaporator coils further promoting mold growth and reducing the filters life.

Before: Pan is full may need to unclog drain of the biofilm accumulating

Sanuvox Customized Solution

Together with The Filterman, Sanuvox sized each evaporator coil, measured airflow, duct dimensions and recommended the Biowall 60” fixture per transition ducting and specific sizes of the IL CoilClean product based on coil dimensions for each of the air handler units throughout the hospital.

Conclusion

Within 4 months of Sanuvox Biowall and IL CoilClean installation, the evaporator coils began releasing biofilm that had accumulated through the fins of the coils. This biofilm reduced the efficiency of the cooling coil and restricted dehumidification of the air, which became the source of contamination. The internally lined insulation began turning black again as the mold growth was disinfected. The HEPA filters were changed and 5 years later, have still not grown mold.

Installation of a BioWall in the ducts

4 days incubation time

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Tissue Paper Factory, June 2014

The case

During the manufacturing process, a very fine “paper” dust is produced. It passes though the filters of the A/C system, and then biocontaminants develop on the 12-inch deep coils and clog the fins.

The Problem

There are 3 coils in the air handler. They are all 11” thick and measure 133” x 108” each. The company decided to install UV lights on only one coil as a trial, because they did not want to invest much into something they didn’t believe in. 

The design pressure drop for the AHU is 2-2.5” wc. Pressure drop across the coil prior to washing was 5.5” wc. 

The coils were washed two weeks prior to the installation of Sanuvox IL Coil Cleaners, so the surface debris that are shown in the pictures were removed. Pressure drop across the coil after power washing was unchanged at 5.5” wc.

Client tentative of chemical cleaning

Layout of the coils

The plate from the downstream side of the non-UV coil isn’t much worse than the coil with UV. Because of the coil layout, the downstream side of the non-UV coil was getting some residual exposure from the adjoining coil with UV. When looking at the coil layout, the ILs were mounted on the left side coil and the non-UV samples were taken from the center coil.

Sanuvox Customized Solution

Because of the thickness of the coil, Sanuvox supplied 4 IL 60” units installed upstream and 8 IL 60’’ units installed downstream. The UV lights were operated for 3 weeks and the coil washed again. 

5 days later, pressure drop was 4.2” wc., a drop of 24%. 

Sanuvox treated one third of the coil area in this air handler and the company saw an improvement in airflow that couldn’t be achieved with washing all three coils four times a year.

Conclusion

Solely based on the pressure drop reduction from 5.5” to 4.2”, the fan horsepower reduction for a flow of 150,000 CFM at an electrical cost of $0.05/kWh results in annual savings of $10,000.

From previous experience, the savings in heat transfer energy is usually far greater than the pressure drop energy savings. At this moment, we do not have enough information on the operation of the coils to make valid estimates.

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Oxford Property, 2017

The case

Removing sewage and wastewater odors from Oxford property in Toronto. 

The Problem

The building owner has to pump sewage and grey water up 40 feet to meet the city’s infrastructure. The odors from this room were being vented into the garage area, and as such were being sucked up by the elevator shaft to apartment floors. They were going to have to build a duct system to vent the garage area up 30 stories at a cost of $300,000 to vent the area properly.

Standard Garbage Room

Sanuvair® S300 OZD Odor Removal Unit

Sanuvox Customized Solution

Sanuvox introduced the SANUVAIR® S300 OZD into the space, complete with a hydroxyl controller that automatically reacts to a concentration of 0.025 ppm. 

This odor removal unit was able to recirculate the air continuously in front of the UVC and UVV lamps, thus preventing the proliferation of harmful bacteria and neutralizing bad odors emanating from garbage putrefaction.

Conclusion

The odor situation was removed in about a day and the customer spent about $7,000 vs $300,000 for the solution.

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UAI Management LLC, October 2007

The case

UAI Management LLC purchased the SunTrust building on Lincoln Road in Miami Beach three years ago.

They wanted to make sure that the building’s air-handling system produced and circulated clean, fresh air, and operated at peak efficiency. But the assistant property manager and chief engineer quickly realized that there were problems with its filters and coil.

 

The Problem

The old Roll-O-Matic filter system with an oil base that was located on the roof of the building was very dirty, and the A/C coil was moldy as well. 

Although tenants didn’t complain because they had probably gotten used to poor IAQ, the air inside the SunTrust building never seemed quite right. There was a slight musty odor and the dust was everywhere. The coil and filters were cleaned twice a year, but it wouldn’t be long before mold would reappear.

IL Coil Cleaners mounted near / facing the coil.

Sanuvox Customized Solution

A series of high-performance filters would take away the airborne contaminants, but only UV would eliminate mold, bacteria and spores. Sanuvox Technologies recommended the installation of IL Coil Cleaners that shine on the coil 24/7, destroying bacteria, viruses, mold, chemicals, and their associated odors.

Sanuvox partnered with The Filtration Group, a filter manufacturer, and A-One Filters, which installs systems, to design a two-pronged strategy of treating the coil with the UV air purification technology and capturing the particulates with a series of energy-efficient filters. 

After sizing calculation, Sanuvox was able to determine the number of UV lamps that would be required for the system as well as the owner’s return on investment. This system would require five rows of four 40’’ UV IL CoilClean in line UV lamps, which were installed from top to bottom in front of the return side of the coil.

Conclusion

Tenants thanked the assistant property manager for being able to breathe cleaner air.

Because innovative technologies were used, the building earned not only LEED® certification but also won a prestigious national award for creating a cleaner, healthier indoor environment.

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Plastic & Foam Factory, October 2017

The case

Removing odors from a manufacturing operation that slices up old plastic and foam (used material), which is then formed into sheets and used for underpadding for artificial turf installations.

The Problem

In the process of slicing up the plastics and foam, ammonia is generated. So, the manufacturer had to vent the area to remove the
smell of ammonia. In the winter months, this was going to require two make up air units to maintain the temperature in the area.

Plastic & Foam Factory

Quattro UV Air Purification Unit

Sanuvox Customized Solution

Sanuvox incorporated an air handler and a QUATTRO-GX4 to eliminate the odors, therefore eliminating the necessity for a make up air system.

Conclusion

The manufacturer saved about $20,000 in additional heating costs.

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Cannabis Producer in Rigaud, May 2018

The case

This grower has 3 grow rooms in which he produces cannabis. The air system in each room is 5 tons (2,000 cfm). There are also fans all over the peripheral of the rooms to move the air around.

The Problem

Production was always infected with powdery mildew, botrytis and fusarium. These spores would spread on a few plants, therefore contaminating the rest of the plants through air flow.
It was becoming an issue with profitability, as the infected cannabis plants had to be discarded of.

Indoor Cannabis Facility

Fans

GC-Quattro UV Air Purifier

Sanuvox Customized Solution

After sizing calculation, it was proposed to install a GC QUATTRO unit in each return of each air handler. Because one of the owners was an HVAC contractor, the installation was a pretty simple task. Low maintenance of the units was also considered. In between production, the rooms were cleaned thoroughly, and the fans blades disinfected from all the dust settlings.

Conclusion

Two months later, the owner reported a full harvest in his 3 rooms, with almost no powdery mildew. He also noticed that all the fans alongside the walls no longer contained a sticky film build up on the blades. So they no longer require to be wiped down with alcohol.

The grower has launched a new larger facility in the northern part of Ontario: every unit will be equipped with SANUVOX technologies.

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