Efficient use of adsorbents for indoor air scrubbing

A system for controlling a scrubber, the system comprising:

• a scrubber containing an adsorbent, the scrubber configured to cycle between scrubbing at least one pollutant and/or first gas from a stream of gases with the at least one pollutant and/or first gas being adsorbed onto the adsorbent, and purging the at least one pollutant and/or first gas from the adsorbent via a regeneration gas flow;
• means for flowing the stream of gases through the scrubber and over and/or through the adsorbent, wherein the adsorbent adsorbs at least one pollutant and/or first gas from the stream of gases during an adsorption phase over a first time period;
• means for flowing the regeneration gas flow over the adsorbent for purging a portion of the pollutant and/or first gas from the adsorbent during a regeneration phase over a second time period with a regeneration gas flow, and
• means for cycling between the adsorption phase and the regeneration phase, wherein
• one cycle comprises one adsorption phase followed by one regeneration phase,
• one cycle period comprises the total time elapsed during one cycle;
• the pollutant and/or first gas purged from the adsorbent is carried away by the regeneration gas flow,
• a complete regeneration phase comprises a time period for removing substantially all of the pollutant and/or first gas from the adsorbent during the regeneration phase,
• a complete adsorption phase comprises a time period for substantially saturating all the adsorbent during the adsorption, and
• the duration of at least one of the following is limited:
• the duration of the first time period to a period of time which is less than the complete adsorption phase, and
• the duration of the second time period to a period of time which is less than the complete regeneration phase.

A computer implemented method for controlling a scrubber containing an adsorbent, the scrubber configured to cycle between scrubbing at least one pollutant and/or first gas from a stream of gases with the at least one pollutant and/or first gas being adsorbed onto the adsorbent, and purging the at least one pollutant and/or first gas from the adsorbent via a purging gas flow, the method comprising:

• flowing a stream of gases through the scrubber, the scrubber comprising an adsorbent;
• adsorbing at least one pollutant and/or first gas from the stream of gases onto the adsorbent during an adsorption phase over a first time period,
• purging a portion of the at least one pollutant and/or first gas from the adsorbent during a regeneration phase over a second time period with a regeneration gas flow, and
• cycling between the adsorption phase and the regeneration phase, wherein
• one cycle comprises one adsorption phase followed by one regeneration phase,
• one cycle period comprises the total time elapsed during one cycle;
• the at least one pollutant and/or first gas purged from the adsorbent is carried away by the regeneration gas flow, and
• a complete regeneration phase comprises a time period for removing substantially all of the pollutant and/or first gas from the adsorbent during the regeneration phase,
• a complete adsorption phase comprises a time period for substantially saturating all the adsorbent during the adsorption;
• and
• limiting at least one of:
• the duration of the first time period to a period of time which is less than the complete adsorption phase, and
• the duration of the second time period to a period of time which is less than the complete regeneration phase,
• wherein at least one of the above is performed by at least one processor.

A system for controlling a scrubber containing an adsorbent, the scrubber configured to cycle between scrubbing at least one pollutant and/or first gas from a stream of gases with the at least one pollutant and/or first gas being adsorbed onto the adsorbent, and purging the at least one pollutant and/or first gas from the adsorbent via a regeneration gas flow, the system comprising at least one processor and a non-transitory machine-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, perform the method comprising:

• flowing a stream of gases over and/or through the adsorbent, wherein the adsorbent adsorbs at least some of the at least one pollutant and/or first gas from the stream of gases during an adsorption phase over a first time period;
• purging a portion of the at least one pollutant and/or first gas from the adsorbent during a regeneration phase over a second time period with a regeneration gas flow, and cycling between the adsorption phase and the regeneration phase,
• wherein
• one cycle comprises one adsorption phase followed by one regeneration phase,
• one cycle period comprises the total time elapsed during one cycle,
• the at least one pollutant and/or first gas being purged from the adsorbent is carried away by the regeneration gas flow, and
• a complete regeneration phase comprises a time period for removing substantially all of the at least one pollutant and/or first gas from the adsorbent during the regeneration phase,
• a complete adsorption phase comprises a time period for substantially saturating all the adsorbent during the adsorption, and
• limiting at least one of:
• the duration of the first time period to a period of time which is less than the complete adsorption phase, and
• the duration of the second time period to a period of time which is less than the complete regeneration phase.

A method for reducing the level of at least one pollutant contained in indoor air from a human-occupied, enclosed environment, the method comprising:

• providing an air treatment assembly including at least one type of adsorbent, the adsorbent configured for capturing at least one pollutant entrained in an indoor air flow from the enclosed environment and regenerating upon exposure to a regenerating gas flow;
• streaming the indoor air flow over and/or through the adsorbent in a first direction such that the adsorbent captures at least some of the at least one pollutant from the indoor air flow, wherein after being flowed over and/or through the adsorbent, the air flow comprises a scrubbed air flow;
• and
• streaming the regeneration gas flow over and/or through the adsorbent in a second direction opposite to the first direction, such that the regeneration gas flow regenerates at least some of the adsorbent and purges at least some of the at least one pollutant from the adsorbent.

A computer implemented method for reducing the level of at least one pollutant contained in indoor air from an enclosed, human-occupied environment, the method comprising:

• streaming an indoor air flow over and/or through an adsorbent provided within an air treatment assembly in a first direction, the indoor air flow containing at least one pollutant from inside the enclosed environment, such that the adsorbent captures at least some of the at least one pollutant from the indoor air, wherein after being flowed over and/or through the adsorbent, the air flow comprises a scrubbed air flow;
• determining a level of an adsorption efficiency, wherein the adsorption efficiency at any point in time during the one cycle has a value of 1−Cin/Cout, wherein Cin is the concentration of the pollutant in the incoming air flow and Cout is the concentration of the pollutant in an outgoing air flow, and wherein an initial adsorption efficiency value is the adsorption efficiency value at the beginning of the adsorption phase,
• wherein the adsorption efficiency value is less than the initial adsorption efficiency value, and
• streaming a regeneration air flow through the air treatment assembly and over and/or through the adsorbent in a second direction opposite to the first direction, such that the regeneration air flow regenerates at least some of the adsorbent and purges at least some of the at least one pollutant from the adsorbent,
• wherein at least one of the above is performed by a processor.

A system for reducing the level of at least one pollutant contained in indoor air from an enclosed, human-occupied environment, the method comprising:

• an air treatment assembly including an adsorbent, the adsorbent configured for capturing at least one pollutant entrained in an indoor air flow and regenerating upon exposure to a regenerating gas flow;
• and
• streaming means for:
• streaming the indoor air flow over and/or through the adsorbent in a first direction, such that the adsorbent captures at least some of the at least one pollutant from the indoor air flow, and
• streaming the regeneration air flow over and/or through the adsorbent in a second direction opposite to the first direction, such that the regeneration gas flow regenerates at least some of the adsorbent and purges at least some of the at least one pollutant from the adsorbent.

A system for reducing the level of at least one pollutant contained in indoor air from an enclosed, human-occupied environment, the system comprising:

• an air treatment assembly including an adsorbent, the adsorbent configured for capturing at least one pollutant entrained in an indoor air flow and regenerating upon exposure to a regenerating gas flow;
• streaming means for streaming the indoor air flow over and/or through the adsorbent in a first direction, and/or for streaming the regeneration gas flow over and/or through the adsorbent in a second direction opposite to the first direction;
• at least one processor;
• a non-transitory machine-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, perform the method comprising:
• streaming the indoor air over and/or through the adsorbent in the first direction such that the adsorbent captures at least some of the at least one pollutant from the indoor air;
• and
• determining a level of an adsorption efficiency, wherein the adsorption efficiency at any point in time during the one cycle has a value of 1−Cin/Cout, wherein Cin is the concentration of the pollutant in the incoming air flow and Cout is the concentration of the pollutant in an outgoing air flow, and wherein an initial adsorption efficiency value is the adsorption efficiency value at the beginning of the adsorption phase, wherein the adsorption efficiency value is less than the initial adsorption efficiency value, streaming of the regeneration gas flow over and/or through the adsorbent is performed.

A method for reducing the level of at least one pollutant contained in indoor air from an enclosed, human-occupied environment, the method comprising:

• providing an air treatment assembly including an adsorbent, the adsorbent configured for capturing at least one pollutant entrained in an indoor air flow from the enclosed environment and regenerating upon exposure to a regenerating gas flow;
• streaming the indoor air flow over and/or through the adsorbent in a first direction such that the adsorbent captures at least some of the at least one pollutant from the indoor air flow, wherein the streaming of the indoor air flow over and/or through the adsorbent comprises an adsorption phase;
• and
• streaming the regeneration gas flow over and/or through the adsorbent in a second direction opposite to the first direction, such that the regeneration air flow regenerates at least some of the adsorbent and purges at least some of the at least one pollutant from the adsorbent, wherein the streaming of the regeneration gas flow over and/or through the adsorbent comprises a regeneration phase,
• cycling between the adsorption phase and the regeneration phase, wherein
• one cycle comprises an adsorption phase followed by a regeneration phase,
• one cycle period comprises the total time elapsed during one cycle;
• the at least one pollutant purged from the adsorbent is carried away by the regeneration gas flow, and
• a complete regeneration phase comprises a time period for removing substantially all of the at least one pollutant from the adsorbent during the regeneration phase, and and
• a complete adsorption phase comprises a time period for substantially saturating all the adsorbent during the adsorption;
• and
• limiting at least one of:
• the duration of the first time period to a period of time which is less than the complete adsorption phase, and
• the duration of the second time period to a period of time which is less than the complete regeneration phase.