When choosing an air purifier, we often see products that claim to use a certain level of HEPA filter. So what does HEPA stand for or mean? Then what is the HEPA filter? HEPA is an efficiency standard of air filter. The quality of the air purifier depends on Whether the HEPA filter is good or not. The HEPA filter is the "heart" of the air purification product, which directly affects the performance of the purification. Some consumers of air purifiers are willing to learn about HEPA. Today, let's have a further discussion on HEPA filters.
What does HEPA stand for？
HEPA stands for High Efficiency Particulate Air (filter). As early as 1942, the United States implemented the Manhattan Project to block nuclear radiation particles through research and established the THEORY of HEPA. They made HEPA filters out of fiberglass by determining that the diffusion motion of particles was most difficult to capture when the particles were 0.3μm in size.
HEPA is widely used in cleaning up nuclear radiation pollution, assembly of microcrystal parts, and air purification and filtration in many fields such as hospital operating rooms. The filtration principle of HEPA is mainly to filter particles in flowing air through the screening effect, inertia effect, interception effect, and diffusion effect. The substance less than 1μm is mainly Brownian motion that is easy to adsorb on the large particles and fibers. Thus in the filtration of large particles, part of the bacteria, viruses, and VOC can also be filtered out, while most of the small particles are still unimpeded.
HEPA can be divided into different grades according to the size of the filtered pollutant particles. Medical-grade HEPA, as a higher grade HEPA filter, can filter tiny particles above 0.3 microns in the air (the diameter of most bacteria is generally >0.3 micron), and its purification efficiency can be up to 99.97%. HEPA is currently recognized in the world as the best air purification technology that can effectively filter allergens in the air, which indeed reduces asthma and allergies.
The HEPA filter| What does HEPA stand for？
The HEPA filter is made of high-density fiber interweaving, which has a strong ability to capture particles, a large adsorption capacity, and high purification efficiency. It can retain the microparticles with a scattering effect and slows inertia even under challenging environments. Filters to meet HEPA's high-efficiency standards need to be 99.998% clean for 0.1 microns and 0.3 microns. When used to filter cigarettes, the effect is almost 100 percent because the particles in cigarettes are between 0.5 and 2 microns, which cannot pass through the HEPA filter.
There are many kinds of materials that make up HEPA filters. HEPA filters are generally made of polypropylene or other composite materials, most of which cannot be washed. A small number of HEPA filters made of PET material can be washed, but the filter effect is low. Because true HEPA air purifiers effectively capture almost all air pollutants, they are the best choice for people with asthma or allergies. This high-density filter is excellent at trapping allergens like dust, pollen, mold, and pet dander. In addition, the particles trapped in the filter do not re-enter the space, thus keeping the indoor air fresh and clean.
The true HEPA Filters | What does HEPA stand for？
What do we mean when we say TRUE HEPA?True HEPA Filters were initially used in the medical field, in operating theatres, intensive care units, laboratories, clean rooms, analytical laboratories, then airplanes, and many other places where clean, healthy air is essential.
True HEPA filters are now used in air purifiers for homes and offices because people are more concerned with clean air quality. HEPA filters are also found in vacuum cleaners, medical equipment, car engines, and smoke/fume extractors. The air purifier is considered the most suitable for cleaning residential air.
To qualify as a 'True' HEPA filter, it has to be able to remove particles less than 0.3 microns in size. An air purifier without 'True' HEPA technology will not remove as much airborne contamination. If you want your family to be protected, True HEPA is exactly what you need.
It should be noted that HEPA filters do not filter odor. If you need to filter volatile organic compounds, cigarette odor, or pet dander, you need to add activated carbon. That is to say, the purifier can be used together with a pre-filter (activated carbon) and HEPA filter, which can better meet the requirements of filtering common pollen, mold, and cat and dog allergens. Like the Simpure MSA3 HEPA Air Purifier is a great choice for a large bedroom.
After reading this, you may have a comprehensive understanding of what does HEPA stand for. The key effect of HEPA filters on air purifiers is to filter PM2.5 and other harmful gases, but also to capture mold, bacteria, and viruses, and filter second-hand smoke and harmful particles in the air. It can protect the user's respiratory health, which is an indispensable part of an air purifier. Despite the high price, the air purifiers are really necessary when it comes to making the indoor air cleaner and fresher.
