Air Treatment

Testing Other Air Treatment Technologies

Independent aerosol, bioaerosol, CADR, VOC, ozone, and by-product testing for emerging air treatment technologies.

ARE Labs tests nontraditional air treatment devices to measure removal performance, microbial reduction, and unintended emissions, providing data for fit-for-purpose claim support.

ISO 17025ANSI/AHAM AC-1ASHRAE 241ISO 16000Reviewed 2026-05-17
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Testing emerging air treatment technologies

Emerging air treatment technologies include ionization, plasma, photocatalytic oxidation, catalytic media, sorbents, UV-assisted systems, and hybrid devices that do not fit a single purifier or duct-testing category. ISO 17025 records and the context provided by ANSI/AHAM AC-1, ASHRAE 241, ISO 16000, CARB Method 310, and UL 867 help structure performance and emissions studies when:

  1. Ionization, plasma, PCO, or hybrid devices need ISO 16000 aligned ozone, VOC, aldehyde, and by-product data across operating modes.
  2. Prototype air cleaners require ISO 17025 records and ANSI/AHAM AC-1 framed CADR-style particle decay before claim language or design comparisons are finalized.
  3. Room microbial reduction claims need ASHRAE 241 aligned bioaerosol chamber data with device-off decay, recovery checks, and organism-specific endpoints.
  4. Duct, recirculating, or through-flow concepts need ASHRAE 241 or ISO 16000-36 aligned inline reduction with upstream/downstream sampling.
  5. Particle-generating components need ISO 17025 records for background-corrected emissions, startup peaks, shutdown behavior, and mitigation verification.

This testing is appropriate when a nonstandard mechanism, operating mode, or claim raises questions about removal performance, microbial reduction, or emissions risk. Before the device arrives, the protocol defines the chamber or duct geometry, challenge type, controls, acceptance logic, and study boundaries.

Testing menu for emerging air treatment devices

Testing programs for nontraditional air treatment devices often combine particle removal, microbial reduction, emissions measurement, and safety screening. The appropriate test set depends on the device mechanism, claim language, operating mode, and target market.

Test method options

MethodStrengthsTradeoffAligned with
Particle emissions and CADR-style chamber program
  • Background-corrected time series separate device-generated particles from room decay under ISO 17025 and ANSI/AHAM AC-1 frames.
  • CADR-style decay compares removal performance across operating modes, prototypes, or design revisions.
Results depend on chamber volume, mixing, surrogate choice, and mode timing; those limits must be stated.
ANSI/AHAM AC-1ISO 17025
Room or inline bioaerosol reduction study
  • ASHRAE 241 aligned chamber or duct studies quantify organism or surrogate reduction beyond natural decay.
  • Culture, qPCR, or ddPCR endpoints connect reduction claims to recovery controls and replicate statistics.
Organism, endpoint, airflow, RH, and biosafety choices drive scope and limit claim transferability.
ASHRAE 241ISO 17025
VOC, ozone, and reaction by-product panel
  • ISO 16000 aligned FTIR, TD-GC/MS, DNPH/HPLC, and ozone monitoring document reactive by-products across device modes.
  • Mode mapping identifies worst-case settings for ionization, plasma, PCO, UV-assisted, catalytic, or sorbent systems.
Supports emissions documentation but does not provide UL, CARB, AHAM, or whole-product certification.
ISO 16000UL 867CARB Method 310
Fit-for-purpose protocol for nonstandard mechanisms
  • Custom chamber, duct, or fixture design lets unusual form factors be tested against defined engineering controls.
  • Protocol planning links each claim to challenge type, controls, endpoint, and reporting boundary before testing.
Fit-for-purpose studies may not be directly comparable to fixed certification methods or retail rating programs.
ISO 17025ASHRAE 241

Setup configurations

Each emerging air treatment study begins with the device mechanism, configuration, target claim, and exposure route. A single product may require chamber decay testing, inline reduction measurements, particle emissions testing, and gas/VOC panels. Before testing begins, the study plan defines operating modes, warmup, flow, chamber or duct geometry, challenge materials, environmental conditions, controls, and replicate structure.

Device interfaces

Chamber placement, duct adapters, sampling ports, intake/exhaust orientation, catalyst or media state, UV or plasma settings, and bypass checks documented per condition.

Flow & actuation profiles

Fan speed, duty cycle, voltage or power setting, warmup, automatic modes, mode sequence, flow rate, and run duration fixed by protocol.

Environmental controls

Temperature, RH, chamber volume, duct geometry, mixing, air exchange, background decay, and sampling locations controlled where they affect removal or emissions.

Media & handling

Particle challenge, VOC or gas challenge, organism or surrogate, filter age, sorbent condition, catalyst state, maintenance state, and conditioning history recorded.

Sample numbers

Device count, replicate runs, operating modes, controls, and conditioning blocks are sized to the claim, expected variability, and decision threshold.

Quality frame for emerging air treatment testing

Emerging air treatment studies distinguish the accredited laboratory quality anchor from the aligned performance, bioaerosol, and emissions frameworks. Together, these elements define the required controls, calibration records, and reporting language.

  • ISO 17025AccreditedTesting-laboratory competence, calibration traceability, method records, and data review.
  • ANSI/AHAM AC-1AlignedPortable air cleaner chamber decay context for CADR-style particle studies.
  • ASHRAE 241AlignedInfectious aerosol control and equivalent clean airflow context for air-treatment studies.
  • ISO 16000AlignedIndoor air VOC, aldehyde, ozone, and chamber sampling context.

Key data outputs & reporting

Emerging air treatment reports connect the device mechanism, setup, and operating mode to measured performance and emissions. Outputs may include particle concentration, CADR-style decay, log reduction, single-pass reduction, viable recovery, genome copies, ozone, VOCs, aldehydes, by-product trends, emission factors, airflow observations, QA/QC controls, and reporting limits. Extended programs comparing modes, prototypes, conditioning states, or claim scenarios receive comparison appendices.

Primary outputs

  • Particle concentration, size distribution, emission peaks, startup or shutdown profiles, and background-corrected decay constants by operating mode.
  • CADR-style removal values, natural decay correction, room bioaerosol log reduction, or inline single-pass reduction where scoped.
  • VOC, aldehyde, ozone, TVOC, and selected by-product time series with background, blank, and replicate context.
  • Chamber, duct, flow, RH, temperature, device setting, and sampling-location records tied to each run.

Deliverables

#FormatContents
01PDF reportMethods, setup, controls, results, deviations, and interpretation limits.
02CSV / XLSX datasetsTime series, concentration, decay, reduction, emissions, and replicate tables.
03FiguresDecay curves, emission trends, log-reduction plots, and mode comparisons.
Extended deliverables · multi-arm comparability · stability · predicate studies
  • Mode comparison pack — Side-by-side results across fan speeds, ionizer states, UV settings, duty cycles, or active-treatment modes.
  • Prototype comparison appendix — Performance, emissions, and reduction summaries for design revisions, media changes, or conditioned devices.
  • Claim-support table — Endpoint-by-endpoint mapping of tested claims to method, control, result, and reporting boundary.

QA / QC & data integrity

Emerging air treatment studies use controls to distinguish device effects from background decay, chamber loss, sampler recovery, analytical drift, and environmental variation. ARE Labs maintains records under its ISO 17025 quality system from sample receipt through final review. Calibration traceability and method deviations are documented in the report.

Device-off decay, chamber blanks, media blanks, gas backgrounds, and negative controls establish baseline loss and contamination.

Particle counters, flow meters, gas analyzers, samplers, balances, environmental probes, and analytical systems are checked or calibrated before use.

Challenge generation, organism release, VOC dosing, fan speed, device mode, sampling times, and environmental conditions are documented per run.

Replicate runs, positive controls, recovery checks, and acceptance criteria are selected to match the claim and endpoint.

Chain of custody tracks devices, filters, organisms, sampling media, extracts, raw files, calculations, and deviations.

Why ARE Labs

ARE Labs connects technical topics to practical study design, method selection, controlled aerosol work, and reportable evidence without turning technical pages into sales pages.

Reviewed byJamie Balarashti (25 yrs - cascade & inhalation methods) - Weston Schaper (7 yrs - real-time sizing & nanoparticle work)
QualityDocumented study records
900+Studies Performed
17+Years in operation
300+Clients supported

Common questions

Quick answers to questions air treatment developers and product teams ask when scoping a nonstandard device study: which endpoint to start with, when emissions panels are needed, how room and inline methods differ, what affects sample count, and whether testing certifies the product. Most emerging technology programs need at least one custom setup decision resolved during planning.

Q.How do we choose the right method?
A.Begin with the claim and device mechanism. Particle-removal claims typically call for CADR-style decay testing, while microbial claims require room or inline bioaerosol studies. Reactive mechanisms usually also require ozone, VOC, aldehyde, and by-product panels.
Q.Can one study cover performance and emissions?
A.Often, yes. ARE Labs can coordinate particle decay, microbial reduction, and emissions panels when the chamber or duct setup, operating modes, and sampling schedule can be aligned within one protocol.
Q.How is room testing different from inline testing?
A.Room testing measures concentration decay in a mixed chamber. Inline testing measures upstream-to-downstream reduction through a defined flow path. ARE Labs selects the setup based on the device's installed use and the proposed claim language.
Q.How many devices or runs are needed?
A.Device and replicate counts depend on the operating modes, expected variability, conditioning, challenge type, and whether the study is intended for screening or claim support. ARE Labs defines these counts during protocol development.
Q.Does this testing certify the product?
A.No. ARE Labs provides defined aerosol, bioaerosol, emissions, and documentation evidence. AHAM certification, CARB certification, UL certification, electrical safety approval, and complete regulatory submissions require separate programs.

Standards & guidance

ARE Labs scopes each emerging air treatment study to the standard or guidance framework that best fits the device mechanism, chamber or duct setup, target claim, and market question. ISO 17025 provides the accredited quality anchor. ANSI/AHAM AC-1, ASHRAE 241, ISO 16000, UL 867, and CARB Method 310 serve as aligned frameworks when they fit the study design.

QA & Regulatory - Accredited

ISO 17025

Testing-laboratory competence, documented methods, calibration traceability, uncertainty, and data reviewView standard ->Air Treatment - Aligned

ANSI/AHAM AC-1

Portable room air cleaner chamber decay context for CADR-style particle removal studiesView standard ->Bioaerosol & Indoor Air - Aligned

ASHRAE 241

Infectious aerosol control and equivalent clean airflow context for room and inline studiesView standard ->Gas & VOC Analysis - Aligned

ISO 16000

Indoor air chamber sampling for VOC, aldehyde, ozone, and by-product evaluationsView standard ->Safety & Emissions - Aligned

UL 867

Ozone and safety-related emissions context for electrostatic and active air-cleaning devicesView standard ->Safety & Emissions - Aligned

CARB Method 310

Ozone emissions measurement context for air-cleaning devices sold into California marketsView standard ->

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