Gulf Construction Online - ICA promotes copper for indoor air quality

Cooling & Ventilation

Copper ductwork installed in a corridor ... aesthetic.

ICA promotes copper for indoor air quality

01 July 2011

THE International Copper Association (ICA), the apex body promoting the use of copper across various sectors, says the use of copper ducting in ventilation and central air-conditioning networks promotes indoor air quality.

Indoor air quality is of high concern in the Middle East region, where people spend most of their time indoors due the high ambient temperatures during summer, says Ravinder Bhan, an ICA representative.

“Health experts warn of the problems caused by airborne microbes, which tend to thrive in closed and poorly ventilated areas. The use of copper in air-ducts has been proven to improve indoor air quality,” he says.

An office in Athens was among the first in the world to have a total copper ventilation and air-conditioning network installed. The 3,000-sq-m office space was fitted-out with hygienic copper ducting to highlight the importance and benefits of fresh air in office spaces.

The construction company’s original design concept entailed the creation of a clean, antimicrobial, detail-oriented environment of high aesthetic quality and casual luxury. Copper offered a durable, high-quality installation with the added benefit that its natural beauty provided a visual difference from the norm, fitting well with the office’s overall design and making ordinarily-dull ductwork an appealing and eye-catching feature.

Bhan points out that research work assessing the effectiveness of copper as an antifungal surface for air-conditioning systems as an alternative to aluminium has recently been published in Letters in Applied Microbiology as part of the official journal of the Society of Applied Microbiology.

The results showed that on copper, there was increased die-off of fungal isolates tested compared to aluminium. In addition, copper also prevented the germination of spores present, thereby reducing the risk of their release.

Eye-catching copper ductwork ... hygienic.

HVAC units, in which damp and dark conditions provide the perfect breeding grounds for germs, are a prime area of interest for researchers looking to further harness copper’s antimicrobial potential, Bhan says, adding that the replacement of HVAC components, such as heat exchanger fins and drip pans, with copper alloys may have the potential to reduce biological contaminants that impact air quality.

Headquartered in New York, the ICA is a leading non-profit organisation that focuses on the promotion of copper worldwide. It is dedicated to advancing copper as the material of choice for current markets and use in new applications based on its superior attributes.

The association joined hands with Chinese air-conditioning giant Chigo to launch the world’s first antimicrobial copper air-conditioner in December last year in Beijing, China. The product aims to harness the antimicrobial properties of copper for a new application and offer record-breaking energy-saving performance, according to the ICA.

“The Cu+ mark is used by Chigo to indicate that their products contain antimicrobial copper, the world’s most effective antimicrobial touch surface material,” says a spokesman for ICA.

“Consumers today are becoming more health conscious and, in a proactive response to this market trend, Chigo’s new air-conditioners are the world's first consumer goods to contain antimicrobial copper.

“Laboratory testing has shown that copper materials can inhibit the growth of these organisms. After 24 hours of exposure to copper surfaces, total die-off was observed in several common mould species, and the commonly-used aluminium had no effect on any of the fungi,” he says.