How does an air ionizer work - air ionizer working principle

As healthy lifestyles gain widespread acceptance, people pay more attention to comfortable microclimate at home and in the office. Breathing air quality is of particular importance to big city dwellers, as they have to endure stress and air pollution.

Humidifiers, air purifiers and ionizers are already hard to surprise with. All these devices make the air in people’s habitat healthier. Everyone wants the benefits of clean, well-humidified air. The ionization process is often more complex and less researched. Let’s discuss: how does an ionic air purifier work and what is its use?

What is an air ionizer

An ionizer is a device that allows air to pass through and generates positive and negative oxygen ions. In nature, this process occurs under the influence of the sun or during a thunderstorm. In a city apartment, where we do not ventilate so often, the concentration of ions is 15-20 times lower than natural indicators.

Air ionizer working principle
The main component is a special emitter that creates an ionizing field through which dirty air passes. Air ionizers are classified into two types based on their operation principle: unipolar and bipolar.

Unipolar ionizers are suitable for flats and offices. These devices release only negative ions, as a result, they are regarded as the most popular. The fact is that all household and office equipment around a person creates particles with a positive charge. So to generate a comfortable microclimate in the room, we can add negative ions to the air in order to achieve balance. Bipolar ionizers release both positive and negative air ions. A unit like this is only required in spaces devoid of electric appliances. In modern world, when people are surrounded by gadgets, bipolar ionizers are unnecessary.

How does it work

In most cases, the proportion of air ions varies from 600 to 50 000 per 1 m3 of air. Usually, the air is especially saturated in mountainous areas, far from large cities, in resort areas, close to the sea. What does it do and how does an air ionizer work?

Inside the gadget are ionizing electrodes (negative O2 and positive H+). A high voltage exists between them. The working principle of these devices is founded on the effect of a corona discharge. By means of an electric current, a discharge is formed, as a result of which air ions are emitted into the environment, mixed with oxygen molecules, and the space is filled with negatively charged ions. Their action is maintained within a radius of 2-3 meters from the device.

Ionized air is very useful for a human organism: general well-being improves, mood rises, lethargy disappears.

The device purifies the air space in the room. Haze disappears from the air during 7 min, and germs after 2-3 hours.

For rooms with an area of 20 sq.m, low-power appliances are suitable, and in rooms over 20 sq.m. It is necessary to install more powerful air ionizers.

Main benefits

The main positive trait of negatively charged anion molecules is to enhance the activity of red blood cells. This effect explains the beneficial impact of ionized air on the human body. Also, the ionizer actively fights oxygen starvation. What are the benefits of using ionizers for humans?

Better sleep and well-being
The body has time to rest and recover overnight, so during the day we feel vivacity, freshness, activity, good mood, increased efficiency and concentration.

Acceleration of metabolism
Metabolic rate affects weight and appearance. The acceleration of processes has a positive impact, for example, on maintaining a healthy body weight. Also, this process can contribute to tissue regeneration and relief from burns and some diseases, including bronchitis, pharyngitis, pneumonia.

Immunity improvement
Saturation of the tissues and organs of the human body with oxygen helps to strengthen the immune system.

Healthy air
The benefits also include cleaning the room of pollutants, germs and viruses. The reality, however, is more nuanced. The truth is that negative ions do collect some of the harmful substances. But they will remain on the surfaces if they are not removed additionally during the manual cleaning process. Also, for more efficient operation of the ionizer, It is suggested to switch on following cleaning the air with purifiers or choose a purifier model with an ionization option, which the AENO brand offers in its range.

Self care
There are opinions that devices, potentially positively affecting well-being, can be an additional support for prophylactic measures of oncological and cardiovascular diseases and speed up metabolism, have a predisposition to reduce the negative impact of toxic substances and neutralize harmful positive ions near the computer, it is even possible to neutralize microbes and viruses.

Precautionary measures

When using an ionizer, like any other electrical household appliance, some precautions should be taken.

Quality certificate
Any device must have a quality certificate. It confirms the safety of use. If the device produces more than 55 000 ions per 1 cubic centimeter, it must also have a medical certificate, since such devices are classified as professional equipment models.

Terms of use
The ionizer is designed to work indoors. Windows and doors must be tightly closed while the device is in operation. The recommended humidity in the room should be between 45 and 75%.

Time limit
It is important to understand that ionization increases the amount of ozone. If it is abused and its concentration is exceeded, human health deteriorates, and equipment suffers (laptops, PCs, TVs, and so on). So it is better not to exceed the operating time recommended by the manufacturer and monitor the level of ozone in the air.

Tips for use

For best performance, it is recommended to use the air ionizer after cleaning the air with a purifier and running a humidifier. You can also consider purchasing more universal devices: air purifiers or humidifiers with an ionization function.