At the recent Filtration 2012 held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, PA, Innovative Labs, a greentech startup out of Petaluma, CA, presented a unique NASA tested air filtration process used in HVAC and residential stand-alone applications. This technology uses manganese oxide and titanium dioxide to destroy VOC’s from indoor air environments.

According to the EPA indoor air quality has been identified as one of the top 5 urgent environmental risks to public health. Individuals spend up to 87% of their time indoors, but often the air quality indoors is much worse than outdoor air. Innovative Labs advanced air purification technology has been tested by the CDC and LBNL in addition to NASA.

Innovative Labs started for the express purpose of solving environmental challenges that affect global well-being providing a total VOC solution for air purification needs by using two unique technologies: photo catalytic oxidation (TiO2) and thermo catalytic oxidation (MnOx). As the CEO John Webley says, “Our concern for the health of people exposed to formaldehyde over long periods has let us introduce an air filters specifically designed to remove formaldehyde and other VOCs.”

In 2007, Innovative Labs participated in a government grant program to develop a technology to remove formaldehyde and VOCs for the FEMA trailers during Hurricane Katrina. Out of 17 competitors, Innovative Lab’s PCO technology was the most effect in removing VOCs.

Photo catalytic purification (TiO2) is used for indoor air environments with extreme levels of VOCs and thermo catalytic purification (MnOx) is for indoor air environments with more typical VOC levels. The benefit of Innovative Labs photo catalyst is that it reacts with UV light to destroy VOCs, operates at room temperature, and is self-cleaning/ nontoxic.

Innovative Labs has developed proprietary nanoparticle chemistry with high conversion efficiency, which is resistant to de-activation. Thermal catalyst manganese oxide was engineered by Innovative Labs and is unique in the industry in that it does not require UV light (reducing energy consumption and simplifying installation), is active at room temperature, catalytically oxidizes formaldehyde and VOCs into CO2 and H20 and has proven longevity. Both of these technologies are suitable for HVAC applications, where filters can be placed in existing recirculation units next to the particulate filter, and made to fit any duct size.