Wow! Who works in a building that draws in and heats/cools fresh air from outside? I never have. Every building I have ever worked in (and every home I have ever lived in) draws air from inside returns through an air filter. (I\'m looking at the air filter installed in the air return in my office ceiling right now.)
Once again, Europeans are \"discovering\" something American\'s have taken for granted for almost a century.

Well Mark you don\'t have to be rude about something you might not have a clue about. If what you said is true than I\'m sorry for you ... when will have the chance to breathe some fresh air ??? I understand that you are only breathing, in the office, air that is being recycled ... please look in the mirror and if your face is green you might want to take a fresh breathe because you just ran out of oxigen :(

I think the industrial application of this filtering technology should be studied further. Hopefully, it can provide a cheaper alternative to the very expensive pollution control technology available today in the western world. China and India could use less expensive controls, which would make cleaner air more economically feasible.
Alternatively, if you want to combine lower HVAC bills and cleaner air, why not install a green roof? Green roofs filter fine particulate air pollution, and reduce HVAC costs by 20-30%, as well as reducing storm water runoff. Currently mandated in some places (http://cleanerairforcities.blogspot.com/2009/06/where-green-roofs-are-law.html), they are a cheaper alternative to the more expensive point pollution controls.

Sorry Mark. Outside air must be brought into a building. Think about a structure that has 4 entrances on the first floor but 2800 people working in it... Where does the O2 come from?

For most older homes and commercial buildings, recycling indoor air is the norm. It is not without its problems. From Wikipedia \"Indoor Air Quality.\"
\"One way of quantitatively ensuring the health of indoor air is by the frequency of effective turnover of interior air by replacement with outside air.\"
And,
\"Generally, outdoor country air is better than indoor city air.\"
The entire article is worth reading.
Professor Johnson will have a challenge dealing with ASRAE, local code officials, et al, for commercial installations, but I wish him well. His best success may come from residential and industrial applications.

@ Mark Peterit - nah cummon, it would not be newsworthy if that was the case. This invention is about cleaning the air properly - not just filtering it through some cloth or charcoal. And plenty of air conditioners pull in air from outside! I think it might be something new. Airconditioning as it is is NOT good for you! You\'re breathing in all sorts for crap. This guy might be on to something.

What about the Oxygen level after being consumed in breathing and the level of CO2 after exhale, if there are many people are there, for example in a Movie theater?
How it may be replanished?
Best regards,
Arun

Mike, I my part of the U.S., in commercial buildings, there is an absolute minimum of 10% outside air that has to be brought into the buildings.
How well does an average air filter work in your home for taking out the kind of contaminants mentioned above.
It would seem to me the Europeans are quite a bit ahead of us in this technology.
Your home furnace brings in outside air for heating combustion, you are a slave to the outside environment in the winter. That air would would serve you better if it were tempered, or brought closer to inside air temperature prior to combustion, your heating bill would go down too.
Add all these things together and you cam imagine how much more comfortable your home and work environment would be.

What happens if we run our office air through an algae bubbler instead? Do we gain the same benifit as well as some added oxygen (and maybe biofeul), or do we end up with an office that smells like an aquarium?

The main problem I see is in any sealed building with the air scrubbed over and over is CO2 steadily increasing and O2 steadily decreasing until everybody passes out.
It doesn\'t take much of a CO2 increase or O2 decrease to kill people and nothing in either the picture or the write up seems to address those issues.