Steel Jupiter's groundbreaking air filtration technology has now entered its soft launch phase, signalling broader market availability early next year.
The technology is patented by FXI Ltd., and Steel Jupiter has an exclusive license in North America.
The "Zinnia" technology targets airborne viruses often spread through aerosols generated by breathing, talking, sneezing, and coughing.
Standard air filters coated with Zinnia can trap and immobilise an unprecedented 99% of these viruses, offering proactive building owners and homeowners a net-zero carbon filtration solution.
This technology effectively traps and immobilises viruses such as the flu, SARS-CoV-2, and RSV.
Following successful lab and pilot scale testing and a favourable regulatory ruling earlier this year from the US Environmental Protection Agency, Steel Jupiter is moving forward to demonstrate the operational performance of the technology in select locations representing different climates and building types.
The results of this "soft launch" will allow Steel Jupiter to move to full-scale deployment early next year, meeting its mission to help combat the spread of airborne viruses that cause respiratory disease in an energy-efficient manner.
Steel Jupiter founder & CEO, Carlos Tellez, said virus season is becoming a year-round concern.
He said the company is working with filter manufacturers to get Zinnia-coated filters out into the field to greatly improve virus trapping efficacy in a manner that does not increase its carbon footprint.
“Zinnia enables standard filters to achieve superior virus filtration efficacy without increasing energy consumption, maintenance, or equipment costs, Tellez said.
Existing filters can be readily switched to Zinnia-coated filters with zero additional work by building owners, maintenance personnel or building occupants.
The coating is applied to filtration media prior to the manufacturing of air filters for use in commercial and residential HVAC systems.
Efficacy testing of Zinnia-coated filters was completed in June by a US.-based independent research lab.
Testing was conducted in an air chamber designed to simulate standard HVAC operating conditions using aerosols containing the bacteriophage MS2, acknowledged by regulatory agencies as a representative surrogate virus.
These tests confirmed the findings of earlier university laboratory testing, and showed that Zinnia-coated filters trap up to 99% of airborne viruses.