Optimization of a Do-It-Yourself Air Cleaner Design to Reduce Residential Air Pollution Exposure for a Community Experiencing Environmental Injustices

Abstract

The large-scale deployment of Do-it-yourself (DIY) air cleaners, especially in communities that historically bear the brunt of air pollution exposure-related injustices, provides communities a cost-effective option to reduce personal indoor exposure to particulate matter. In this study, we developed nine air cleaner prototypes, altering filter depth and the number and type of filters, and compared their PM2.5 removal effectiveness and maintenance-related parameters prior to deployment in North Denver, Colorado homes. Prototypes containing multiple high efficiency particulate air filters with a minimum reporting value of 13 (MERV13) had higher clean air delivery rates (CADR, >300 m3 h−1) compared to prototypes using a single filter (100–200 m3 h−1), but single-filter designs had comparable values of CADR normalized by initial and annual operating costs. Based on performance, cost, build time, and feedback from the community regarding concerns related to volatile organic compound exposure, the selected prototype (P9) used a combination of an activated carbon filter and single MERV13 filter with a 10.16 cm (4-inch) depth. Following this assessment, 120 of the selected air cleaner prototypes were built and deployed in homes around the communities in North Denver for two separate cohorts; feedback regarding their usage over the course of the deployment showed that in addition to the increased noise levels perceived by the participants, factors such as cold air flow from the air cleaner impacting the thermal comfort and aesthetics of the design reduced their usage time in homes. Future designs of DIY air cleaners could incorporate this feedback to help design improved features such as quieter air cleaners and real-time pollutant monitoring feedback to prompt users to keep them operational at all times of the day.