OBJECTIVE:
The objective of this study was to evaluate the ability of Ogena Solution Canada Corp.’s (Ogena) novel photocatalytic oxidation air purifier unit “OgenaShield Air & Surface Purifier, Powered by Puraclenz” (OgenaShield) to maintain a minimum negative ion concentration of 1000 ions/cm3 during active growth of a crop of Cannabis sativa in an indoor controlled environment agriculture setting. A secondary objective was to monitor microbial air quality and crop health throughout the growth trial.
CHALLENGE:
Founded in 2005, Ogena has focused on supplying the animal health sector with effective bio-security supplies, equipment, and training. Ogena has been the exclusive master distributor of the Prevail line of hydrogen peroxide-based disinfectants for 14 years. Three years ago, Ogena invested in a company that obtained a patent, according to Health Canada, for an ‘emerging technology’ which uses photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) to produce ions which aim to purify air and surfaces. PCO technology has been demonstrated to effectively inactivate molds, bacteria, and viruses. However, the original PCO technology produces toxic levels of ozone, dangerous to both humans and animals. The novel PCO system that Ogena has invested in doesn’t produce any ozone, thus enabling their PCO devices, such as the OgenaShield, to be used in the presence of humans and animals without harmful effects.
A recent third-party trial run of the OgenaShield for use in an indoor growing facility suggested anecdotal efficacy in controlling microbial disease symptoms early on in crop growth. The trial target negative ion concentration was set at 500 ions/cm3. However, as the crop grew and its density increased, the efficacy of the air purifier was observed to decrease, and the trial run was terminated early by the third-party. Therefore, Ogena required expertise to study the effectiveness of OgenaShield to improve air quality and reduce surface pathogens at a higher negative ion concentration target point (1000 ions/cm3) in an indoor controlled environment agriculture facility during an actively growing crop.
SOLUTION:
The concentration of negative ions produced by multiple OgenaShields, as well as the air and surface microbial quality were measured within Niagara College’s (NC) Academic controlled environment cannabis growing facility (CannaBunker) located at the Daniel J. Patterson campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. Throughout the trial period, the concentration of ions within the CannaBunker’s Grow Room 1 were maintained at or near the targeted 500 ions/cm3, with no observed fluctuation based on number of functioning air purifiers. This study has helped to evaluate the success of the device in the control of airborne and surface microbes in the presence of an actively growing cannabis crop.
Funding: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) through the Applied Research and Technology Partnerships fund (ARTP).
