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UV-C Is Only Half The Story: Why Commercial HVAC Specifiers Are Adding PCO + Carbon to the Brief

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APCO carbon catalyst cells — UV-C plus PCO HVAC air treatment technology

HVAC Specifier Briefing

UV-C Is Only Half The Story

Why commercial HVAC specifiers are increasingly requesting PCO + carbon technology to the brief — and what it means for the environments where odour and VOC control actually matter.

UV-C germicidal irradiation has been the industry default for HVAC air and coil disinfection for over two decades. It works. Properly specified, a UV-C system reduces airborne bacteria, mould and viruses through the airstream and keeps cooling coils free of biofilm — which independently saves on cleaning costs and recovers the system efficiency that mould-fouled coils silently rob you of.

But for an increasing number of commercial environments, UV-C alone is solving half the problem. Odours and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) sail straight through a UV-C-only treatment with no measurable reduction. And those are exactly the contaminants occupants notice — and complain about.

This is the gap that photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) combined with activated carbon catalysts is now closing. It’s worth understanding when it matters, when it doesn’t, and how to specify it across project scales.

The Three Categories of Indoor Air Contamination

Anyone designing commercial HVAC already knows this implicitly, but it’s worth stating cleanly because it determines what technology you need:

1. Particulates

Dust, pollen, smoke, dander, fibres. Handled by mechanical filtration (MERV-rated filters, sometimes HEPA on critical applications). Filters do this part well — provided pressure drop is acceptable for the system.

2. Biological

Bacteria, viruses, mould spores, biofilm on coils and drain pans. UV-C at 254nm is the proven solution. Filters can capture some of this but cannot inactivate it.

3. Chemical (VOCs & odours)

Cleaning chemicals, cooking, off-gassing from furniture and finishes, combustion residues, body odours, formaldehyde. Neither filtration nor UV-C touches this category meaningfully.

For a standard commercial office with reasonable outside-air rates, addressing categories 1 and 2 is usually enough. The dilution from ventilation handles the chemical load.

For an increasing number of building types, that’s no longer true.

Where The VOC/Odour Problem Becomes a Specifier Problem

Some commercial environments have an atypical VOC and odour load — significant enough that the standard “good ventilation plus filters plus UV-C” approach leaves residual contamination that occupants notice. Common examples:

  • Fire stations. Firefighters return with PAHs, fuel residues, combustion VOCs and smoke odours bound into gear and equipment. These off-gas inside boot rooms, truck bays and living quarters that frequently share an HVAC system. Australian research (Banks et al., 2020) has documented elevated PAH and flame-retardant levels in fire station air and dust, with peer-reviewed studies reporting associations between firefighter exposure and elevated cancer and respiratory disease risk.
  • Aged care and healthcare. Cleaning chemical residues, body fluid odours, and high-volume disinfectant use create a continuous chemical load alongside the biological one. Occupants are often immunocompromised and odour-sensitive.
  • Restaurants and food service. Cooking VOCs, grease aerosols, and the long-tail of food odours that lingers in soft furnishings and recirculates through the system.
  • Gyms and fitness centres. Body odours, cleaning products, rubber off-gassing from new flooring and equipment. Member complaints about “the gym smell” are an HVAC specification problem, not a cleaning problem.
  • Manufacturing and laboratories. Process VOCs, solvents, adhesives. Often the local exhaust is properly designed but the makeup air system recirculates residual contamination through occupied office spaces.
  • Multi-tenant commercial. One tenant’s cooking, dry-cleaning or hair salon affects every neighbour’s IAQ through shared air handling.

In each of these, the building owner’s actual complaint isn’t biological. It’s “the place smells”, or “there’s chemical residue in the air”, or “staff are reporting headaches”. UV-C addresses none of those.

How Photocatalytic Oxidation (PCO) Closes the Gap

Photocatalytic oxidation isn’t new — but its application in HVAC air treatment has been refined considerably. The principle is analogous to a vehicle catalytic converter:

  1. Air passes across an activated carbon cell infused with titanium dioxide
  2. VOC molecules adsorb onto the carbon matrix
  3. UV-C light energises the titanium dioxide, generating hydroxyl radicals
  4. The radicals break the VOCs down into carbon dioxide and water vapour
  5. The carbon cell remains clean and active — it doesn’t fill up or saturate the way a passive carbon filter does

Critically, this process produces no ozone — independently validated by UL Labs under UL 2998. That matters wherever the system serves occupied space, and particularly in healthcare, aged care, and living quarters.

Three categories of indoor air contaminants: particulate, biological and chemical

The three contaminant categories. Filtration addresses #1, UV-C addresses #2, PCO + carbon addresses #3.

The Performance Numbers

Manufacturer testing on the APCO platform (Fresh-Aire UV, USA — the technology behind both residential APCO-X Ultra units and the commercial APCO Rack System we distribute in Australia) shows:

98.85%
Bacteria reduction
Single-pass HVAC test
99.03%
Virus reduction
Single-pass HVAC test
93–95%
VOC reduction (lab)
decane & toluene
~60%
VOC reduction (field)
Real-world average

Two things worth noting from the published data. First, the biological figures are consistent with conventional UV-C performance — adding the PCO layer doesn’t compromise the disinfection function. Second, the gap between lab and field VOC numbers is honest. Real environments have higher airflow rates, lower contact times, and varied contaminant loads. A ~60% reduction in real-world VOC concentration is still a substantial change to occupant experience, particularly for odour-driven complaints.

The APCO platform has won the AHR Innovation Award in the IAQ category and carries UL 2998 zero-ozone validation, CARB certification, ETL and CE marks.

Worked Example: A 32″ APCO Rack On a Mid-Size AHU

Headline percentages only tell you so much. To make this practical, here’s an estimation of progressive odour and VOC reduction in a real-world installation scenario — a single 32″ APCO Rack System fitted to a cooling coil typical of mid-size commercial AHUs.

Installation parameters used in this estimate:

  • Cooling coil face: 1118mm W × 350mm H (face area ≈ 0.391 m²)
  • Single APCO Rack: 32″ model — 14 × 50.8mm × 50.8mm carbon catalyst cells
  • Cell face area: ~36,129 mm² — covering 9.23% of the coil face
  • Building air change rate: 8 ACH (typical for occupied commercial space)
  • Air velocity at coil: 2 m/s, install distance 300mm from coil

With ~9.23% of the airstream being treated per pass and 8 air changes per hour, the cumulative reduction of an existing odour or VOC load (assuming no new load being introduced) builds progressively. Untreated fraction after n passes is (0.9077)n.

Time to 99% reduction
~5.9 hrs
of an existing VOC/odour load
Time to 99.9% reduction
~8.9 hrs
of an existing VOC/odour load

For larger coils or higher VOC loads, a 46″ or 60″ APCO Rack — or a multi-rack configuration — improves single-pass coverage substantially and shortens these clearance times. Sizing is what we help consultants work through on a project basis.

An honest framing for these numbers.

This is a model of load clearance — how long the system takes to drive an existing contamination level down, assuming no new VOC introduction during that period. In real-world operation VOCs are continuously being re-introduced (cooking continues during service, gear keeps off-gassing in a fire station boot room, occupants keep using cleaning products), so the practical outcome is a sustained reduction in steady-state concentration, not a one-time clearance. That sustained reduction is what occupants experience as the air “smelling clean” rather than “smelling like the space”. For consultants writing tenders, the relevant claim is the steady-state improvement, not the clearance time — though clearance time is a useful sanity check that the system is correctly sized for the airflow.

Calculation is an estimate based on manufacturer cell geometry, stated single-pass photocatalytic efficiency, and standard recirculating-airflow modelling. Real-world performance varies with specific contaminant species, humidity, lamp age, and load intensity. We don’t publish guarantees on these figures; we provide them as a sizing reference for technical discussion with consultants.

Scaling the Specification: From Residential to Large Commercial

One of the practical advantages of the APCO platform is that the same core technology — UV-C plus PCO/carbon cells — scales across system sizes. Specifiers can apply consistent IAQ logic across a project portfolio without learning a different technology for each scale.

APCO-X Ultra residential and light commercial UV-C plus PCO unit

Small AHUs & Residential-Scale Ducted

APCO-X Ultra

Compact UV-C + EverCarbon™ unit designed for residential ducted systems and small commercial AHUs. Single or dual-lamp configurations. A2L refrigerant compatible. Suitable for small offices, single-tenancy commercial, professional suites, child care, small medical practices.

APCO-X Ultra product details →

APCO Rack System for large commercial AHU installations

Large Commercial AHUs

APCO Rack System

Scaled-up rack-mounted configuration with 32″, 46″ or 60″ lamps, water-resistant power supply, and multi-lamp configurations for large duct or plenum installations. Same proprietary PCO/carbon technology as the residential unit, engineered for commercial airflow. Lifetime warranty on all parts except lamps.

Request APCO Rack specifications →

The Rack System is what we’d typically specify for fire stations, larger aged care facilities, hospital wings, hospitality kitchens, multi-tenant strata buildings and any commercial AHU above the residential size envelope. For mixed portfolios — for example a multi-site fire service with stations of varying age and AHU size — a single product family across the project simplifies installation, spares stocking and ongoing service.

When PCO + Carbon Is Worth Specifying (And When It Isn’t)

Adding PCO to a UV-C specification is a cost variation, not a free addition. Here’s the honest framing we offer consultants:

Worth specifying:

  • Buildings with documented or expected VOC load (fire stations, healthcare, food service, gyms, manufacturing-adjacent offices)
  • Projects where odour complaints have driven prior maintenance call-outs
  • Aged care and assisted living — the VOC + biological combination is exactly what occupants are most sensitive to
  • Multi-tenant buildings with mixed-use that creates cross-contamination via shared AHUs
  • Buildings pursuing premium IAQ ratings (NABERS IE, Green Star IEQ credits)

Standard UV-C alone is usually sufficient:

  • Standard commercial offices with high outside-air rates
  • Retail and warehousing without occupied office attached
  • Buildings where the primary brief is coil hygiene and biological control
  • Tight-budget projects where the VOC load is genuinely minimal

Our position with consultants is straightforward: don’t add PCO to a project that doesn’t need it. But don’t omit it from a project that does — and then have the building owner come back in 18 months asking why the place still smells.

HVAC Consultants, Mechanical Engineers, Specifiers

We support consultants with sizing, model selection and written technical justifications for variations. If you’re specifying IAQ for a project where the VOC or odour load is part of the brief — fire stations, healthcare, food service, multi-tenant — get in touch directly. We supply HVAC contractors and resellers across Australia with trade pricing, technical backup, and current product documentation.

Request Technical Support →

Mention “specifier enquiry” in your message — we’ll be in touch within one business day.

Further Reading

For specifiers wanting to dig deeper into the firefighter exposure research that has driven recent interest in PCO for fire stations, the Australian peer-reviewed work is a good starting point:

  • Banks et al. (2020) — PAHs and flame retardants in air and dust from Australian fire stations. Environment International. PubMed link
  • Banks et al. (2021) — Australian firefighter PAH exposure in simulated compartment fires. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health. ScienceDirect link
  • CDC / NIOSH — PAH exposure assessment in fire houses. CDC archive

Australian Ultra Violet is the authorised Australian distributor for the Fresh-Aire UV APCO platform, including residential APCO-X Ultra and commercial APCO Rack System. We supply HVAC contractors, mechanical consultants and facility owners across Australia.

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AIRsteril Cold Room Air Disinfection: Mould Control & Extended Shelf Life

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AIRsteril ULT Ultimate Range cold room air disinfection unit — food-grade stainless steel UV-C and PCO system for butchers, meat processing and cold storage

AIRsteril Ultimate Range — ULT & ULTSA

Cold Room Air Disinfection That Extends Shelf Life

Continuous, automatic mould and bacteria control for cool rooms, cold storage, meat chillers and food processing environments. Independent laboratory trials show up to 58% longer shelf life and bacterial loads driven to near-undetectable levels — without chemicals, without downtime, without breaks in production.

If you store fresh food in a cold room, you already know the problem. Traditional cleaning, hydrogen peroxide fogging and chemical disinfection all share the same limitations: they’re labour-intensive, they require the room to be emptied of product and staff, they leave damp atmospheres that play havoc with electrics, and the moment the cleaning stops, bacterial multiplication starts again. A single bacteria can multiply into millions within hours.

AIRsteril Ultimate units run continuously, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year — inside your occupied cold room — driving down airborne and surface bacterial counts while your operation runs uninterrupted. They’re the technology trusted by EU-regulated meat processors, accredited bakeries, and butcher associations across the UK, Europe and Australia.

The Evidence: Independent Laboratory Trial Data

AIRsteril technology has been the subject of multiple independent third-party trials. These aren’t manufacturer marketing numbers — they’re documented field and laboratory results from accredited testing facilities across the UK and Europe.

58.1%
Average shelf life increase
ALS Rotherham cold room trial
76%
Airborne contamination
reduction in cold storage
45%
Surface hygiene
improvement (ALS lab)
<1
cfu/100cm² achieved
Greek butcher trial

ALS Laboratories — 31-Day Cold Room Shelf Life Trial

A two-cycle, 31-day controlled trial conducted by ALS Laboratories (Rotherham) measured the effect of AIRsteril technology on a typical mixed-produce cold room. Phase 1 ran as a control. Phase 2 used identical conditions with an AIRsteril unit installed. Spoilage was determined by visible mould growth, detectable odour change, and unfitness for sale or use. The result: an average 58.1% increase in shelf life across products including asparagus, broccoli, cherries, cherry tomatoes, chestnut mushrooms, cucumber, grapes, green beans, peaches, raspberries and strawberries — with the largest gains in the most spoilage-prone items (strawberries went from 6 days to 15; broccoli from 18 days to 29).

EU Beef Slaughter Plant Trial (Commission Regulation EC 2073/2005)

18 carcasses from a beef slaughter plant were swabbed after slaughter and again after 48 hours of chilling. Half were chilled in an AIRsteril-equipped chiller, half in an identical untreated control. The control chiller showed Total Viable Counts between 1,000 and 2,500 cfu/cm² — well above the EU target of 250 cfu/cm². The AIRsteril chiller drove all 9 carcasses to 41–96 cfu/cm², comfortably below the regulatory target and well below typical industry benchmarks.

Greek Butchers Association Trial — Thessaloniki, 2021

Two butcher shops with comparable cold rooms participated in a three-month comparative trial sampled by accredited microbiological laboratory ALIMENT LAB. Baseline microbial loads exceeded 300 cfu/100cm². With the higher-output AIRsteril configuration installed, microbial counts fell to less than 1 cfu/100cm² — practically zero — in both stores. The unit producing those results uses the same five-technology approach as the Ultimate range we supply in Australia.

Stephen’s Fresh Foods — Replacing Hydrogen Peroxide Fogging

Stephen’s Fresh Foods, a UK cooked meats manufacturer operating since 1974 with their own accredited on-site microbiological testing laboratory, replaced their hydrogen peroxide fogging programme with AIRsteril Ultimate units. The trial — measured on their own lab equipment — showed swab results comparable or superior to fogging, but without the downsides: no plant shutdown, no chemical residue, no corrosion, no damp-atmosphere electrical problems. Their TVC test results are now reported as “consistently excellent.”

“With AIRsteril we have proven that science can provide us with a ‘belt and braces’ approach in addition to our existing best available techniques. Since installing AIRsteril, our bacteria TVC test results are now consistently excellent and we are committed to keeping it that way.”

— Gary Luff, Production Manager, Stephen’s Fresh Foods

Commercial Bakery — Pichia anomala Mould Resolution

A major UK bakery was being forced to dispose of large volumes of gluten-free product due to Pichia anomala mould contamination (described by tasters as a “pear drops” off-flavour). The Environmental Agency advised there was no solution because the mould was ubiquitous in the environment. Independent testing at ALS Rotherham using Public Health England’s reference strain confirmed AIRsteril effectiveness: 83% surface reduction within 24 hours, undetectable by day two. Units were installed in all five of the bakery’s plants. The contamination problem has not recurred.

How AIRsteril Works: Five Technologies in One Unit

The Ultimate range doesn’t rely on a single technology. AIRsteril combines five complementary mechanisms inside a single sealed cabinet — air is drawn in by a low-power fan, passes through a baffle system that maximises dwell time in the purifying chamber, and leaves the unit as an active cleaning agent that continues to work on airborne and surface contamination throughout the room.

  1. Dual UV-C germicidal irradiation — destroys the DNA of bacteria, viruses and mould inside the chamber
  2. Photocatalytic Oxidation (PCO) — UV reacts with a titanium dioxide catalyst to generate hydroxyl radicals that break down VOCs and odours
  3. Superoxide ions — negatively charged ions cluster airborne particulates (down to 0.0001 micron) so they fall out of the air
  4. Targeted ozone — controlled, low-level ozone reaches surfaces and corners conventional methods can’t penetrate
  5. “Plasma Quatro” — the combined effect of the above mechanisms working together on contaminants in the room
AIRsteril ULT internal view — 4 UV-C lamps in food-grade FEP shatterproof wrapping with high output ballasts and water-resistant lamp holders

A Note on Ozone — Honest Framing

Unlike our APCO platform (which is zero-ozone, designed for residential and commercial, occupied spaces), the AIRsteril Ultimate range produces controlled levels of ozone as part of its disinfection mechanism. This is deliberate and necessary — it’s what allows the unit to reach surface contamination in corners, on coil fins, behind racks, and in the cracks where bacteria thrive in cold rooms. Ozone emissions are substantially below the most stringent worldwide emissions regulations for occupied environments, and the unit is safe for use in occupied food processing areas. If you need zero-ozone air treatment for a residential or healthcare setting, whilst the AIRsteril Ultimate range can be UVC only lamps, this may not be the right product for your specific needs — therefore we suggest looking at our APCO range, for HVAC systems instead.

If you’re treating a working cold room, food processing facility, butcher chiller or commercial kitchen, the AIRsteril controlled-ozone approach is precisely what you want.

ULT vs ULTSA — Which Model for Your Application?

The AIRsteril Ultimate range comes in two cabinet sizes designed to match the volume of the room being treated. Sizing is based on volume (m³), not floor area — a 30m² butcher’s chiller with a 2.4m ceiling is a different problem from a 30m² display fridge that’s only 1.8m deep.

AIRsteril ULT cold room unit shown open and closed — IPX5 waterproof stainless steel cabinet with dual cam locks for food processing environments

AIRsteril ULT — Ultimate

For larger cold rooms and processing areas

  • Available in 4 configurations (ULT1 / ULT2 / ULT3 / ULT4)
  • Coverage up to 440m³ per unit
  • 4 × 20W food-grade FEP-wrapped UV-C lamps
  • 915mm × 290mm × 172mm cabinet
  • 85 watts total power
  • IPX5 waterproof stainless steel
  • Dual cam locks for secure cabinet closure
  • 13kg, wall-mounted

From $6,498.80 inc GST
Indicative price — quote on application

Request a Quote →

AIRsteril ULTSA — Ultimate Small Area

For smaller cold rooms and chillers

  • Single configuration
  • Coverage up to 110m³ per unit
  • 1 × 20W food-grade FEP-wrapped UV-C lamp
  • 550mm × 250mm × 125mm cabinet
  • 22 watts total power
  • IPX5 waterproof stainless steel
  • Same proven Plasma Quatro technology, compact format
  • 6kg, wall-mounted

From $2,807.82 inc GST
Indicative price — quote on application

Request a Quote →

Quick sizing guide

  • Small chillers & display fridges (under 110m³): 1 × ULTSA
  • Medium cold rooms (up to 220m³, around 90m² floor): 1 × ULT2 or 2 × ULTSA
  • Large cold rooms & boning halls (up to 440m³, around 100m² floor): 1 × ULT4 (the standard supplied configuration)
  • Larger or multiple connected rooms: multiple units — we’ll spec it on application

Final sizing depends on room geometry, airflow, contamination load and operational hours. We’ll work it out with you when you request a quote — there’s no extra cost and it prevents the wrong-product problem.

AIRsteril ULTSA installed in a small commercial cool room — wall-mounted continuous UV-C and PCO air disinfection for produce storage

AIRsteril ULTSA installed in a working cool room — continuous protection without interrupting daily operations.

Real-World Applications

Butcher Cold Rooms

The original AIRsteril application. Drives Total Viable Counts on meat surfaces to a fraction of regulatory targets, extends carcass hang times and reduces shrinkage from spoilage. Independently verified across UK and EU butcher operations.

Meat Processing & Boning Halls

Replaces or supplements chemical fogging programmes. No production downtime, no chemical residue, no damp atmosphere. EU-regulated processors using the same technology have met EC 2073/2005 hygiene standards on every sampled carcass.

Bakery Cold Storage

Specifically validated against Pichia anomala (a yeast-mould responsible for off-flavour contamination in gluten-free product). Also effective against Aspergillus fumigatus and similar fungal contaminants.

Restaurant & Hospitality Cool Rooms

Extends produce shelf life dramatically — soft fruit, herbs, salad greens, dairy. The ALS trial recorded a 58.1% average shelf life extension on a typical mixed-produce load. Less waste, fewer mid-week emergency deliveries, better food cost margins.

Supermarket & Retail Cold Storage

Reduces shrinkage in back-of-house cold rooms holding pre-display fresh produce, deli items, and pre-pack meat. Continuous treatment means consistent results — no batch-to-batch variability from cleaning schedules.

Listeria-Sensitive Environments

AIRsteril has full laboratory testing on Listeria monocytogenes and L. innocua in cold-room conditions. ALS results: counts driven from 2 log cfu/cm² to undetectable within 3 days. Particularly relevant for pre-cooked food production and ready-to-eat operations.

Technical Specifications

Specification ULT (Ultimate) ULTSA (Ultimate Small Area)
Coverage volume Up to 440m³ Up to 110m³
UV-C lamps 4 × 20W food-grade FEP 1 × 20W food-grade FEP
Cabinet dimensions 915 × 290 × 172mm 550 × 250 × 125mm
Power consumption 85W (220-230V) 22W (220-230V)
Weight 13kg 6kg
Construction Stainless steel, IPX5 waterproof, dual cam locks Stainless steel, IPX5 waterproof
Mounting Wall-mount, 4 fixing points Wall-mount, 4 fixing points
Internal fan 24V DC IP68, 150 CFM 24V DC IP68, 150 CFM
Operation Continuous (24/7/365) Continuous (24/7/365)
Servicing Annual lamp change & clean Annual lamp change & clean

How to Order — Quote, Deposit, Delivery

Because AIRsteril Ultimate units are specialist commercial equipment with site-specific sizing requirements, we don’t sell them through the standard online cart. Here’s how the buying process works:

  1. Request a quote using the form on our contact page. Tell us the cold room dimensions, what you’re storing, and any specific contamination concerns.
  2. We’ll call you within 1 business day to confirm sizing, discuss installation considerations, and answer any questions.
  3. You receive a formal written quote with the exact unit specification, price including GST, and delivery timeframe.
  4. Confirm with 50% deposit. The unit is then ordered from the UK manufacturer — typical lead time is approximately 3-4 weeks.
  5. Balance payment on delivery. We arrange shipping to your site Australia-wide.

Installation is performed by a qualified electrician — wall-mounted with 4 fixing points and connected to 220-230V mains. We can recommend installers in most Australian capital cities, or your existing maintenance electrician can do it.

Food Industry Professionals, HACCP Consultants, Facility Engineers

We support food industry clients, refrigeration contractors and HACCP consultants with technical specification, sizing for multi-room facilities, and supporting documentation for food safety audits. If you’re specifying air disinfection for a food processing project, a butcher operation, a bakery, or any cold-storage application — we can provide trade pricing, technical support and case study references on request.

Request Technical Support →

Mention “trade enquiry” in your message for priority response.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it safe to run AIRsteril in occupied cold rooms with staff working inside?

Yes. The UV-C lamps are sealed inside the stainless steel cabinet — no UV light escapes the unit. Ozone emissions are controlled to substantially below international occupied-environment thresholds. The units are specifically designed for continuous operation in occupied food processing areas, including boning halls and processing lines, and have been in use across UK and EU food businesses for years.

Does AIRsteril replace traditional cleaning?

No — and you shouldn’t treat it as a replacement. AIRsteril is a continuous “belt and braces” addition to your existing food safety programme. You still need physical cleaning of surfaces, equipment and walls. What changes is that traditional cleaning becomes the periodic baseline, while AIRsteril runs continuously between cleans to suppress regrowth and reach areas physical cleaning can’t.

How is this different from chemical fogging or peroxide sprays?

Chemical fogging requires the room to be empty of staff and product during treatment — production stops. It leaves chemical residue and a damp atmosphere that causes corrosion and electrical problems. AIRsteril is continuous and silent — staff work normally, product stays in place, there’s no residue, no moisture, no corrosion. The Stephen’s Fresh Foods case study found AIRsteril results comparable or superior to hydrogen peroxide fogging, without any of the operational downsides.

What maintenance is required?

Annual lamp change and internal clean — that’s it. Lamps must be replaced with the exact same specification to maintain performance (we supply these). Servicing should be performed by a qualified person with the power isolated. Each unit uses water-resistant lamp holders and connectors specifically designed to handle the moist environment of a cold room without ingress.

How quickly does it start working?

AIRsteril units begin treating the air immediately on switch-on. Bacterial reduction is measurable within hours, and the unit reaches peak performance within approximately 14 days as cumulative effects build up on surfaces. The Listeria laboratory trial recorded undetectable counts within 3 days; the Pichia anomala bakery trial showed 83% surface reduction in 24 hours.

Will the ozone affect my products or food?

No. Ozone levels are controlled to well below regulatory thresholds for food processing environments. The technology is in use across EU-regulated meat plants, accredited bakeries, and supermarket cold storage operations — all environments with strict food safety oversight. If you have specific concerns about a particular product or process, we recommend discussing it with your HACCP consultant alongside the trial data.

What’s the lead time and how do I pay?

Lead time is approximately 3-4 weeks from order confirmation. Payment is by 50% deposit on order, with the balance due on delivery. We’ll send you a formal written quote after your initial enquiry — no commitment until you accept the quote. Pricing shown on this page is indicative only; your formal quote will be specific to your sizing requirements.

Can you supply case study references for my industry?

Yes. We can provide the complete case study documents — including the ALS Rotherham laboratory reports, the Greek Butcher Association comparative trial, the Stephen’s Fresh Foods endorsement, the Bakery Pichia anomala resolution and the EU beef trial results — on request to qualified food industry buyers. Mention “case study request” in your enquiry.

Ready to Talk About Your Cold Room?

The biggest cost of mould and bacterial growth in cold storage isn’t the cleaning — it’s the product you throw away. The ALS trial averaged a 58% shelf life increase. For a butcher, a restaurant, a food processor or a supermarket, that’s significant money.

Request a Quote →

Or call us directly: (07) 3705 5995

AIRsteril is a registered trademark. Australian Ultra Violet is the authorised Australian distributor of the AIRsteril Ultimate range. All laboratory data, case studies and trial figures referenced on this page are independently sourced from ALS Laboratories (Rotherham, UK), ALIMENT LAB (Thessaloniki, Greece), the Butchers Association of the Prefecture of Thessaloniki, Stephen’s Fresh Foods (UK), and AIRsteril Ltd manufacturer documentation. Full source documents available on request to qualified buyers. Pricing shown is indicative only; formal quotes are site-specific.