Feed and/or exhaust air can be readily and effectively sterilized by passing said air through a high-temperature filter equipped with built-in heat-retaining material, which process is available in air supply and/or exhaust systems of, e.g., culture equipment for microorganisms and clean rooms in hospitals.
In order to render harmless the aerosol laden smoke stream which results from the operation of medical lasers in or on mammalian bodies, the stream is moved in a closed circuit maintained at negative pressure. The circuit includes a container of sterilizing fluid to retain and destroy the larger aerosol particles and downstream of that container a chamber having an oxygen enriched atmosphere which is heated to a temperature sufficient to incinerate the remaining aerosol particles which are too small to filter. The thus purified stream is then cooled and released to ambient.
In order to render harmless the aerosol laden smoke stream which results from the operation of medical lasers in or on mammalian bodies, the stream is moved in a closed circuit maintained at negative pressure. The circuit includes a container of sterilizing fluid to retain and destroy the larger aerosol particles and downstream of that container a chamber having an oxygen enriched atmosphere which is heated to a temperature sufficient to incinerate the remaining aerosol particles which are too small to filter. The thus purified stream is then cooled and released to ambient.
In a roll of electrically conductive filter materials (21-28) coiled together with spacers (31) to be (38) disposed in alternate relation to the filter materials, the filter materials (21-28) have a plurality of pairs of adjoining edges joined together to define openings for admitting gases into the roll, so that the filter materials (21-28) may collect particulates from the gases flowing therethrough. A central electrode (41) is connected in the center of the roll, while a cylindrical outer electrode (42) is connected about the outer periphery of the roll, so that upon application of an electric voltage thereacross, the two electrodes may supply an electric current to the filter materials (21-28) to heat them for regeneration.
Air cleansing apparatus includes an electrostatic precipitator in which the collector plates are made of, for instance, reticulated chemical vapor deposited silicon carbide, or reticulated silicon carbide ceramic coated with titanium nitride, zirconium diboride, or chemical vapor deposited silicon carbide. Microorganisms entrained on the collector plates are thermally degraded or vaporized by microwave radiation directed against the plates during a sterilization period which follows a collection period.
Filter devices, suitable for rendering pathogenic microorganisms non-viable and capable of regeneration to serve as filter devices for applications such as diesel engines where combustible particulates are trapped, include at least one porous filter element which is capable of electrically resistive heating to a temperature such that pathogens are rendered non-viable, and/or to a regeneration temperature such that combustible particulates are destroyed.
