UH Facilities Using New Technology Developed by UH Physicist to Fight COVID-19

Air Filter Coating to be Applied across Campus

Filter Coating
Physics professor Seamus Curran developed a coating designed to be used on air filters, capable of capturing airborne virus particles and trapping them on the filter’s coating without limiting air flow.

The Facilities/Construction Management Preventive Maintenance team is implementing a new nanotech coating, called Capture Coating, developed at the University of Houston by Seamus Curran, professor of physics.

This coating will improve the ability of air filters to trap the coronavirus that causes the COVID-19 illness. It was developed at UH's Technology Bridge by Curran Biotech and tested at the New York Family Court Building by DCAS-Energy Management Division. (See Related Article)

Capture Coating
Capture Coating developed by Curran Biotech

Facilities/Construction Management is working to install this new technology in all buildings that have less than MERV-13 rated filters in time for the Fall 2021 academic semester. The MERV rating system reflects a filter’s ability to capture particles of varying sizes.

“Facilities will be coating about 35,000 filters across campus on the first go around,” Curran said.

One of the unique traits of this technology is that treated filters have minimal effect on the HVAC operating systems, requiring no mechanical system upgrades or air flow adjustments. This feature was noted in the New York Department of Citywide Administrative Services report: “The M&V (Measurement and Verification) process evaluated the energy impact of this new technology developed to stop the COVID-19 virus without incurring an increase in air handling unit fan energy consumption.”

- Original article by UH Facilities/Construction Management