While this is well out of my field of computer science, I agree the RFG literature describing a perfect lab scenario of .01 ppm hydro-peroxide gas molecules arranged less than 1 micron apart in 1 liter of air to neutralize viruses, bacteria, mold, odors, VOCs, etc. sounds at best like overly exuberant marketing copy (literature also states in .01ppm to .02ppm with the unit/blower on, but doesn’t indicate the conditions or locations of these metrics); however, there appear to be devices employing similar UV/oxidation technologies that claim to be used in medical, hospitality and cruise ship applications, including those mentioned in posts by J. Braun and Will in this discussion regarding the Aerus line of products, one reportedly with FDA clearance. And one standout point of the RFG product is the ozone-free Intertek certification(≤ .005ppm).

I have had the pleasure of leading diverse technical teams over the last 30 years and have found divergent points of view can lead to innovative solutions. I’m hoping to stimulate further discussion of what potentially could be an efficacious, and hopefully safe, emerging technology. I’ve seen more surprising developments over the years 🙂

Also, I should mention that my interest in this subject is personal rather than professional (my family has respiratory sensitivities).

Thanks,
Bruce

If you are upgraded to MERV
If you are upgraded to MERV 13 filters consider going from a 1 inch to a 2 inch which will give you more surface area and less restriction, i was able to upgrade my return filter grille size to accommodate a 2 inch filter.

Peter, air cleaners of

Peter, air cleaners of various sorts can help, but steer clear of anything that produces ozone.  The EPA has some good documents on air cleaners.  This page has downloads for three good documents that will tell you more than you ever wanted to know about most of the available air cleaner types:

https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/air-cleaners-and-air-filters-home

Brian, the first thing to do

Brian, the first thing to do is make sure your system can handle MERV-13 by having a filter area of at least 2 square feet for each 400 cubic feet per minute of air flow.  Second, upgrade to at least a 2″ deep filter housing if your system doesn’t already accommodate 2″ filters.  After that, you could look at the engineering data for various filters and find one with a lower pressure drop for your situation.

Kevin, yes, the virus itself

Kevin, yes, the virus itself is too small for many filters to capture, but it’s mostly attached to other stuff in particles large enough to be filtered out of the air.

John H is correct. It’s the
John H is correct. It’s the same with UV- it only works on what it is in contact with. And not much of the virus is getting back to the HVAC unit- whether it is commercial or residential. MERV 13 filters are very expensive, are in short supply and cause poor performance and damage to units not designed for that increased pressure drop. It’s much better to attack the virus (and other pathogens, VOCs and allergens) through the use of bipolar ionization. Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization from Global Plasma Solutions introduces hundreds of millions of positive and negative ions into the air stream of an HVAC system where it will sanitize the space and surfaces in areas it serves.