The eight major types of air purification simplified

I would wager there are at least 100 household air filters on the market, perhaps many more than that. They employ perhaps a dozen technologies. Each goes after different impurities, and with different success rates. The casual consumer is at a disadvantage as manufacturers often claim their use of Technology A is highly effective against Impurity Z, when a basic understanding of the implementation of said technology would indicate otherwise.

For example, if the issue a cat litter box and its urine (ammonia) and feces (hydrogen sulfide) odor, an air purifier designed for dust, pollen and allergies is not going to solve the problem, and vice versa.

There are two general groups of impurities filters seek to remove: particles and odor. When we speak of particles, on the large end we are referring to dust, pet dander and dust mites, and on the small end, soot from smoke, mold spores, pollen and large bacteria cells. Odor (Volatile Organic Compounds, or VOCs), on the other hand, consist of much smaller molecules.

The below table is intended to provide a quick rundown on how the eight main methods being used today work, and how well.

It is my hope that you will come away from this article ready to evaluate household air filtration products you find on the market and match them with your needs.

Sources:

https://www.modernalchemyair.com/technology

http://web.mit.edu/parmstr/Public/hvac/compressor/Mitsubishi/catechin_07.pdf