Prevention of Infectious Diseases in Offices Using Air Recirculators: A Guide

• Introduction
• Air Recirculator: Functions
• Main Criteria for Choosing an Office Recirculator
• Other Recommendations for Choosing an Irradiator

To prevent widespread illness in the office, it is crucial to ensure high-quality air purification. Insufficient ventilation combined with a large number of people in an enclosed space contributes to the rapid spread of viruses: if one person is sick, others quickly catch the illness one after another. This leads to downtime and additional costs for sick leave. Therefore, using an air recirculator is an effective way to prevent infection outbreaks in office spaces.

Air Recirculator: Functions

A bactericidal recirculator is designed to disinfect the air in rooms. The device effectively neutralizes viruses, bacteria, and other microorganisms present in the air. Its primary use is the prevention of airborne infectious diseases.

The device consists of the following main components:

• Enclosed housing with ventilation openings (intake and output louvers);
• Fan unit that circulates air inside the system;
• Ultraviolet lamp (mercury or excimer type).

Portable stand-mounted irradiators are also quite popular today — a practical and affordable solution.

More modern models use excimer UV lamps, which do not contain mercury. If mercury lamps are used (more common in quartz recirculators), the device must be disposed of properly at the end of its service life, in accordance with hazardous waste regulations.

The recirculator operates as follows:

1. Air enters the housing through the intake louvers driven by the fan.
2. Inside the housing, the air passes through the UV irradiation zone, where microorganisms are inactivated.
3. The purified air stream exits through the output openings.

Ultraviolet radiation in the 180–300 nm range effectively destroys bacterial DNA, preventing reproduction and ensuring full deactivation. For viruses, radiation with a wavelength of 300–380 nm can be used, providing a deeper effect.

The efficiency coefficient of modern recirculator models reaches 95% and higher, making them a reliable solution to ensure sanitary safety for people in medical institutions, offices, educational, and public spaces. There are numerous publications about the importance of quality air recirculation, in particular, during a pandemic.

Main Criteria for Choosing an Office Recirculator

There are no “special” recirculators specifically for offices. All devices are selected based on two main parameters — the room area and the device’s performance. Other features, such as installation type or the presence of a stand, are secondary and hardly affect the effectiveness.

What really matters:

1. Matching performance to room volume.

Do not install a low-power device in a large office — it will have no effect, even if you save on purchase. Devices vary significantly in performance, depending on lamp power and quantity — some models have multiple lamps to increase total irradiation level. Usually, one lamp ranges from 15 to 30 W.

2. Convenient installation method.

Wall- or ceiling-mounted installation is optimal for offices. This option is reliable (the device won’t fall or interfere with employees), safe, and facilitates cleaning — walkways are unobstructed, and no one accidentally bumps into the device.

3. Price-quality balance.

High cost doesn’t always mean better quality. Before buying an expensive model, compare offers — you might find a more reasonable option with the features you need.

Also, consider how many lamps the device uses to estimate maintenance costs. The average lamp life is about 8000 hours. The more lamps, the higher replacement costs, but also greater device effectiveness.

Don’t forget to check if the chosen model is compatible with your facility’s electrical parameters.

Other Recommendations for Choosing an Irradiator

When selecting air disinfection equipment, consider several general parameters. The following tips will simplify your choice:

• Determine the room category. This affects the required level of antibacterial effectiveness. Each device comes with a table indicating the corresponding categories — use it as a guide.
• Define the necessary air treatment time. This depends on the room volume, model, and power, usually indicated in m³/hour.
• Don’t skimp on performance. Weak devices will take longer to process air, and excessive UV exposure in an attempt to compensate with time may negatively affect immunity and lead to microbial resistance.
• Choose the type of irradiator based on operating conditions. If you can leave the room during treatment, you may opt for open-type models with ozone lamps — they disinfect both air and surfaces. However, the room must be ventilated afterward. If not, select closed ozone-free models. They are safe to use around people and require no special conditions.
• Consider the number and power of UV lamps. For home use, 1–3 lamps are sufficient; for offices, 3 or more. Devices with 6 lamps are also available and suitable even for industrial spaces.

Important to know: bactericidal recirculators and quartz lamps operate differently. Recirculators are safer for everyday use and do not leave the sterile feeling or characteristic odor typical after quartz irradiation.

Need help choosing the right device? Contact Bactosfera specialists who will help select and install the optimal solution for any environment.