Panasonic demonstrates how air quality can be improved

Panasonic stands for quality air.

"Every day we take in 18kg of air a day but nobody is talking about the air we breathe," Philip Chua, Director, Domestic Business Division, Panasonic Singapore said. Panasonic has studied how to improve air quality in addition to controlling temperature and humidity for more than half a century - 2018 is the 60th anniversary for Panasonic air-conditioners, he said.

Panasonic's Nanoe air-purification and filtering system is one technology that helps to improve air quality. Using nanotechnology, 480 billion OH radicals are released by the system per second to deactivate 99% of airborne bacteria and viruses in the filter’s indoor unit. It also neutralises odours. In a demonstration at MCE Asia, Nanoe completely removed the smell of durian from test swatches in 90 seconds. Nanoe is already in use in Toyota and Lexus cars.

The CO₂ demo lab, showing how CO₂ concentration levels can build up rapidly. Executive Director, Malaysia at Panasonic Ichiri Suganuma explained that Panasonic has a solution to CO₂ concentrations building up rapidly in closed environments. Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV) technology from Panasonic can remove CO₂ and pipe in cool air that is free of PM 2. 5 particles. PM 2.5 refers to particulate matter which are smaller than 2.5 micrometres in size.

CO₂ management is particularly important for small office-home office (SOHO) environments, which are often poorly ventilated and air-conditioned for eight hours a day, he said.

A booth representative discusses SOHO air quality.

Air quality is equally important for hotels. A survey by Expedia showed that 40% of respondents actually say indoor air quality (IAQ) is an important criterion when they book a hotel, Chua said. High CO₂ levels affect productivity and performance. In a 2012 study, CO₂ at 1,000 ppm caused statistically significant decrements in performance in six of nine scales of decision-making performance.

Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV) technology from Panasonic can change CO₂ levels quickly, helping people become more productive. ERV removes the polluted air and replaces it with outside air that has been filtered with Nanoe.

An energy management system for rooms makes use of various IoT sensors.

An Internet of Things (IoT) solution for hotels also keeps air quality high while managing energy in conjunction with Schneider technology.

The solution can activate or deactivate the ventilation, lighting and blinds intelligently with the help of sensors supporting the Zigbee standard. The sensors monitor room temperature, humidity and CO₂, can tell whether doors are opened or closed, and detect if there are people inside.

For example, Panasonic Nanoe technology minimises odours and inhibits viruses, while door sensors will ensure that the air-conditioning is switched off if the door to the balcony has been opened. Motion and CO₂ sensors can work together to determine if there are people in a room, and then switch off the lights if the room is empty.

Explaining how Aerowings
work.

Panasonic's energy management systems customers include Patra Jasa Hotels in Indonesia, the Travelodge Hobart in Australia, and the Gapurna Group in Malaysia.
Panasonic also demonstrated air-conditioning innovations at MCE Asia.

The Aerowings design has two independent blades that provide more control over the direction of the airflow. Traditionally, air-conditioners can only direct airflow to specific parts of the room, creating spots which can get too cold.

Aerowings can direct airflow to more parts of the room, and with the Shower Cooling capability, can direct air towards the ceiling for more even cooling in an area.

Explore:

Read the WorkSmart Asia blog posts about Singapore Green Building Week , super low energy buildings, and the TechTrade Asia blog posts about Surbana Jurong’s City of ____ and on Panasonic's device interconnectivity.

MANN+HUMMEL opens intelligent air solutions Asia Pacific HQ in Singapore

MANN+HUMMEL Group, a global filtration specialist, today opened its Asia Pacific headquarters for intelligent air solutions (IAS) in Singapore.

Source: MANN+HUMMEL. The ribbon-cutting ceremony. From left: Charles Vaillant, Group VP Technology, MANN+HUMMEL, Ken Cao, Group VP and CEO, Asia Pacific, MANN+HUMMEL, Emese Weissenbacher, Chief Financial Officer, MANN+HUMMEL, Beh Kian Teck – Assistant MD, Singapore Economic Development Board, Thomas Fischer – Chairman of the Supervisory Board, MANN+HUMMEL, Hakan Eckberg – Group VP, Life Sciences and Environment, MANN+HUMMEL, and Jason Tang – VP, Intelligent Air Solutions, MANN+HUMMEL.

The headquarters will spearhead the growth of indoor air quality solutions that combine MANN+HUMMEL’s expertise in air filtration with digital technologies. Besides regional market responsibilities, the IAS Asia Pacific HQ in Singapore is also responsible for global research and development, product charters, brand management and strategic partnerships.

Thomas Fischer, Chairman of the Supervisory Board at MANN+HUMMEL, said, “The megatrends of Asia’s growth, intensifying urbanisation, environmental sustainability, and rapid digitalisation of the physical world, are important for all of us. MANN+HUMMEL believes in leveraging our core expertise of filtration and separation while embracing new digital technologies. We will work very closely with our partners and customers in Singapore and Asia, to actively address these challenges and opportunities.”

Singapore’s strategic location in Asia Pacific, and the government’s move towards a smart and sustainable nation, makes it a clear key hub for MANN+HUMMEL. Together with its year-old Global IoT (Internet-of-Things) Lab, also located in Singapore, MANN+HUMMEL is set to serve a market for clean air solutions in Asia Pacific estimated at more than S$4 billion.

Beh Kian Teik, Assistant MD, Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), said that the company has had a 21-year partnership with EDB. “MANN+HUMMEL has been a long standing partner and valued contributor in the industrial and environment sector in Singapore. The opening of its Asia Pacific headquarters for intelligent air solutions is aligned with Singapore’s push to embrace the digital economy and green buildings. We look forward to the creation of solutions to enable smarter, healthier buildings for Singapore, as well as the region and beyond,” he said.

Beh also noted that a healthier and happier workforce with cleaner air and a healthier building; this can lead to improved productivity while optimising business operations for companies. "Addressing indoor air quality is a key component of the Building and Construction Authority’s (BCA) Green Mark assessment. In fact, BCA most recently published a study that green buildings are not only environmentally friendly, but are also ‘healthier’ for their occupants.

"The intelligence in MANN+HUMMEL’s solutions also dovetail with Singapore’s Smart Nation push. Building and facility managers will be able to use smart control systems to monitor and manage the indoor air quality within buildings, alongside other typical vectors such as energy and water. We expect them to be able to do so remotely, efficiently or even through unmanned devices enabled by artificial intelligence," he added.

MANN+HUMMEL’s OurAir business aims to help owners, facility managers and end-users of commercial buildings and offices know, improve and manage better indoor air quality. The OurAir family includes smart heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) air filters and air purification systems, air quality monitors and indoor air quality management platforms. MANN+HUMMEL has implemented living lab projects with major multinational companies across China, Asia and Europe, and is working closely with them on the monitoring and optimisation of indoor air quality.

Jason Tang, MANN+HUMMEL VP, Intelligent Air Solutions, said, “There are many factors that affect indoor air quality in buildings and offices. MANN+HUMMEL provides solutions for real-time monitoring of indoor and outdoor air quality, and digital platforms to analyse, predict and manage the optimisation end-to-end. This is anchored by our deep expertise in filtration to achieve clean air more effectively and efficiently. We help our customers in the evolution of standards towards healthy buildings, and make smarter choices to enjoy better air.”

MANN+HUMMEL also signed a global partnership with the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) to jointly promote its initiative Better Places for People, becoming the first partner of the initiative to focus on better indoor air quality for buildings and offices. The WorldGBC is the global non-profit organisation driving the agenda for green buildings. Through Better Places for People, the WorldGBC aims to increase market awareness of better indoor environments to support the well-being and productivity of people.

Terri Wills, CEO, World Green Building Council said, “Better Places for People is a project that is truly global in scale, influencing businesses around the world to build green by demonstrating their positive impact on people’s health and wellbeing.”

Wills noted that the initiative is driven by findings from the World Health Organization (WHO), whose air quality model has confirmed that 92% of the world’s population live in places where air quality levels exceed WHO limits. "Air pollution is rising in many of the world’s poorest cities. In some cities in Asia, air pollution levels have exceeded 20 times the WHO guidelines. Asia has 25 of the world’s 30 'most polluted cities' in terms of particulate matter (PM) 2.5 measurement. Air pollution is the most pressing environmental health crisis in the world," she said.

Indoor air pollution can also be serious, Wills said, quoting US Environmental Protection Agency research which has found that there are two to five times more pollutants found inside of buildings than outside. "Problems with biologicals such as mould and pollen from poor quality construction, volatile organic compounds from building materials and carbon dioxide from the lack of ventilation contribute to poor health outcomes.

"Studies have shown that better indoor air quality results in 101% increase in cognitive scores for workers in a green and well-ventilated environment; and workers report better sleep quality and positive impact on their personal productivity in a space that considers these factors."

Humidifier, dehumidifier or air purifier to improve air quality? Philips sets you right

·         The average Singaporean falls ill between two to five times a year and more than 30% are unsure if their sickness is due to an illness or allergy

·         Fewer than half of Singaporeans who suffer from chronic respiratory conditions are taking active medical action or visiting a specialist

·         Seven in 10 Singaporeans believe poor indoor air quality affects their rest, rating July and September as the worst period for air quality

·         Singaporeans are investing in the wrong tools to address air quality at home, with combined ownership of humidifiers and dehumidifiers at 59% as compared to air purifiers at 39%

Source: Philips infographic. Percentages refer to
the proportion of respondents naming the
pollutant as a top-three concern in the household
(indoors, left) and outdoors (right)
respectively.

Royal Philips, a global player in health technology, in partnership with Rakuten AIP, an Asian market research firm, has found that Singaporeans are passive about their health despite concerns about air quality management through its Healthy Air Survey.

The survey indicates that while air quality is a concern for 77% of Singaporeans, most are passive towards their respiratory health, with fewer than half of respondents visiting a specialist to address respiratory concerns. This stems from a lack of understanding of chronic respiratory conditions as well as misinformation around tools available to mitigate or manage their environments.

It was revealed that the average Singaporean falls ill between two to five times a year and 31% are unsure if their symptoms are caused by an illness or allergy. Despite this, Singaporeans recognise the importance of clean air as part of overall health, with 70% believing that good air quality improves the health of everyone in the household. However, the survey revealed a misconception on useful devices to improve indoor air quality, with more Singaporeans owning humidifiers rather than air purifiers (46% and 39% respectively) with the belief that humidifiers help remove dust and ease respiratory conditions.

As seen from the Philips Healthy Air Survey, one of the main barriers to greater adoption of air purifiers among Singaporeans is the lack of understanding about what air purifiers are for. Nearly half (45%) of respondents said that they do not know about air purifiers, while 44% find it too costly and 41% were doubtful of its results – only three in 10 Singaporeans were willing to invest in an air purifier.

Dr Chiang Wen Chin, President, Asthma and Allergy Association said, “While humidifiers add water into the air, it is not necessary for Singaporeans to humidify their home in this climate – especially since humidity is about 70–80%. Instead, a HEPA air purifier can help to remove these allergens from the living environment and reduce airborne allergens such as dust mites, viruses and bacteria that can trigger allergic reactions and asthma."

Source: Philips. The
Philips Air Purifier Series
3000i (AC3259/30).

Findings of the Healthy Air Survey were released in conjunction with the launch of the Philips Air Purifier Series 3000i (AC3259/30) connected air purifier. The purifier launch also debuts a first-to-market air purifier partnership with Air Matters for an app which can be used with the Philips Air Purifier Series 3000i to manage and reduce exposure to allergen triggers.

With the Air Matters app, users can monitor both real time PM2.5 levels and the Indoor Allergen Index, regulate the settings and the speed of their air purifier, and receive information on the filter status. Additionally, the Air Matters app also stores historical data on air quality levels and provides health advice for users, enabling them to correlate their symptoms with peaks in allergen levels.

“Poor indoor air quality is known to aggravate the symptoms of allergic diseases as long term exposure to allergens can lead to chronic respiratory conditions like asthma,” said Dr Chiang. While many are aware of common allergens found in buildings, mould spores such as Aspergillus can be a trigger for allergies and even asthma**. Choosing an air purifier with a dehumidification function helps to reduce the humidity that encourages allergens such as mould to survive.

“At Philips, we aim to empower consumers with solutions to make it easier and more sustainable to live a healthier life at home. Our heritage in healthcare combined with consumer understanding enables us to bring consumers breakthrough product innovations in collaboration with industry experts to help them take control of their personal health by narrowing the gap between professional and personal healthcare,” said Aw Ee Ling, Senior Marketing Manager, Personal Health, Philips Singapore.

The Philips Air Purifier Series 3000i (AC3259/30) comes with three automatic modes – a General Mode, Bacteria, Virus Mode and Allergen mode, in addition to five manual modes that range from an extra-quiet ‘Sleep’ setting to the Turbo Speed mode. Specially designed for allergy sufferers, the auto Allergen mode features an algorithm to detect and react to potential allergen risks by boosting the air purifier’s airflow to effectively remove harmful airborne allergens, which may trigger asthma***.

The air purifier also features VitaShield IPS multilayer filtration technology, which is certified by the European Centre for Allergy Research Foundation (ECARF) and Airmid to remove 99.97% of airborne particles. Air is purified through an extra thick NanoProtect HEPA Filter and an active carbon filter that removes ultrafine particles as small as 0.02 nanometers (100 times smaller than PM2.5 particles), as well as common airborne allergens, bacteria and viruses, and harmful gases such as formaldehyde, total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) and odour.

Everyday activities such as dusting and vacuuming can cause allergens to become airborne. The Philips Air Purifier Series 3000i (AC3259/30) contains AeraSense, a professional-grade air quality sensor that detects even the slightest changes in air and automatically boosts the air purifier to effectively reduce the level or airborne particles, effectively covering large areas up to 95 m2. AeraSense also indicates real-time PM2.5 and Indoor Allergen Index levels via a large display on a scale of 1 – 12.

Details:

The Philips Air Purifier Series 3000i (AC3259/30) retails at S$999 but is currently available at a special price of S$899 at Philips, as well as from selected electronic stores, major departmental stores and authorised dealers. Philips Air Purifiers start from S$299.

Check out the latest promotions for the #GiftofCleanAir campaign on Philips social media channels including the Philips Home & Living Facebook page.

*The survey seeks to better understand Singaporeans and their attitudes on air quality and allergy awareness. The survey spanned 250 households in Singapore and was executed in two phases, comprising of quantitative and qualitative data collection, targeting households with members suffering from asthma or other respiratory conditions, as well as households with babies or pregnant family members. 

**Richard A. Sharpe et al. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 2015; 135:110-22 

***Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America: Asthma Facts and Figures. September 2015. 

Berkeley Earth sounds alarm on air pollution in China

Source: Berkeley Earth website.

Berkeley Earth has published research in the refereed journal PLOS ONE showing that air pollution kills an average of 4,000 people daily in China, accounting for 17% of all deaths in the country. The air for 38% of the population would be considered "unhealthy" by US standards, said the non-profit organisation, which was set up to study concerns from global warming sceptics.

Berkeley Earth analysed hourly measurements of 1,500 ground stations over four months, and found that the source of PM2.5, particulate matter 2.5 microns and smaller, is most likely to be coal. PM2.5 penetrates deeply into lungs and can trigger heart attacks, stroke, lung cancer, and asthma.

"Beijing is only a moderate source PM2.5; it receives much of its pollution from distant industrial areas, particularly Shijiazhuang, 200 miles to the southwest," says Robert Rohde, coauthor of the paper. Since the sources aren't local, reducing pollution for the 2022 Olympics may prove difficult, Berkeley Earth says. 

Worldwide, air pollution kills over three million people per year – more than AIDS, malaria, diabetes or tuberculosis. 

"Air pollution is the greatest environmental disaster in the world today," says Richard Muller, Scientific Director of Berkeley Earth, coauthor of the paper. "When I was last in Beijing, pollution was at the hazardous level; every hour of exposure reduced my life expectancy by 20 minutes. It's as if every man, women, and child smoked 1.5 cigarettes each hour," he said.

Elizabeth Muller, Executive Director of Berkeley Earth, said that solutions include greater use of scrubbers, increased energy efficiency, and switching from coal to natural gas, nuclear power, and renewable energy. "Many of the same solutions that mitigate air pollution will simultaneously reduce China's contribution to global warming. We can save lives today and tomorrow," she said.

Berkeley Earth hopes to expand geographic coverage to include more of Asia, the US, and Europe, and to study how sources of air pollution change with time.

Interested?

View the data set

SPRING Singapore squarely behind upgrading quality and standards

SPRING Singapore has added S$10 million in grant budgets to support local enterprise efforts in building quality and adopting standards as strategic business tools. Enterprises can use the funding to develop and adopt new standards. 

Quality and standards can help businesses to become more productive, to reduce wastage, to manufacture safer, higher quality and environment-friendly products; or to achieve stronger product and service differentiation.

SPRING will also fund the appointment of new standards development organisations to oversee standards development and promotion in new sectors, as well as to nurture a pipeline of new standards professionals through standards education. 

To strengthen quality standards for businesses, the agency developed and reviewed some 180 Singapore standards and has built up an accreditation system with a pool of some 290 conformity assessment bodies in 2013. A total of 630 companies benefitted from SPRING-supported standards adoption, and business and service excellence projects last year.

To boost the industry’s confidence in learning service providers (LSPs), the Singapore Accreditation Council (SAC) launched a new accreditation scheme for the certification bodies of LSPs today. This new scheme will ensure that certification bodies provide systematic and impartial third party assessment and certification of LSPs. In the area of workplace safety and health, the scheme supports the Ministry of Manpower’s drive to raise competency standards of the workforce by assuring the quality of certification of LSPs.

In partnership with SPRING, the Singapore Standards Council (SSC) and SAC have developed strategic plans to address the emerging standardisation and accreditation needs of local industries. These include raising productivity, accelerating the development of new growth sectors, increasing resource efficiency and sustainability, as well as addressing social and safety needs.

The manufacturing industry will see new Singapore standards which will improve its logistics support and put in place more efficient business processes. The SSC and the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) have developed the world’s first multi-tiered cloud computing security standard, providing companies with greater clarity on the different levels of security offered by cloud service providers. In the area of resource efficiency, new Singapore standards and accreditation schemes for energy and water efficiency management have also been developed.

From this year, SPRING has also taken on the role of Pacific Area Standards* Congress (PASC) Secretariat to strengthen international standardisation programmes and to enhance free trade. SPRING is a member of the Executive Committee for the Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (PAC), which facilitates trade in the Asia Pacific region through harmonised conformity assessment practices. This is done by ensuring that companies with certificates bearing the accreditation mark from accreditation member bodies of PAC are accepted through global mutual recognition. The network of accreditation mutual recognition agreements (MRAs) include recently-signed MRAs on food safety management system certification and proficiency testing providers. 

Source: Quality and Standards Conference website.

SPRING has signed two memoranda of understanding (MoU) at the Quality and Standards Conference on 5 August. The first was with Singapore Polytechnic to further its collaboration in the design of a course curriculum and delivery of a Diploma Course in Applied Sciences to raise the level of competence of working adults in laboratory management. The second was an MOU with the Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand (JAS-ANZ) to deepen collaboration in the area of accreditation.

"As quality and excellence will play a bigger role in the transformation and growth of our economy, our programmes must continue to stay relevant, and deliver benefits to Singapore’s enterprises so that they can remain competitive,” said Tan Kai Hoe, Chief Executive, SPRING Singapore, at the Quality and Standards Conference 2014. A robust quality and standards infrastructure assures the quality of Singapore products and services, and as a result strengthens the overall credibility and trust in the Singapore Brand, he said.

Some 550 business leaders and partners attended the Quality and Standards Conference at Orchard Hotel, organised by SPRING, SSC, SAC and the Singapore Manufacturing Federation.

*PASC is a regional grouping of 24 National Standards Bodies consisting of Brunei Darussalam, Bolivia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Fiji, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, and Vietnam.