COVID-19 and Schools

Colorado District Adopts Tech to Reduce Viruses in the Air

• By David Nagel
• 01/26/21

A school district near Denver, CO where students have returned to in-person instruction has deployed a technology in its classrooms and common areas with the aim of killing viruses in the air and on surfaces. The deployment was funded by a Safe Schools Reopening Grant, a one-time, $15 million program offered through the Colorado Department of Education in conjunction with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

The district, Adams 14, installed 427 Synexis Spheres throughout its campuses. These convert elements in the air into “Dry Hydrogen Peroxide,” which circulates throughout rooms and corridors to kill microbes in the air and on surfaces.

According to Synexis LLC, which manufactures the Spheres: “Synexis is the sole developer of the process by which naturally occurring oxygen and humidity in the air is converted to Dry Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) or DHP. This unique, patented technology reduces viruses, bacteria, mold, odors, and insects both in the air and on surfaces, without relying on the exchange of air, while still continuously flowing through any indoor space without students or staff leaving the room. The oxygen and humidity flow across a fiber mesh called a sail. The sail creates a photo-catalytic reaction (a chemical reaction involving the absorption of light) that helps break the two molecules apart before putting them back together as DHP. Once DHP is actively introduced, it continually circulates through the occupied space. DHP is added to standard cleaning and helps reduce microbial contamination in air, on surfaces and in hard to reach areas of a room. Synexis technology is environmentally friendly and non-ozone producing.”

The installation was handled by Trane as part of a project “to improve indoor air quality across the district without negatively affecting energy efficiency and operating costs.”

“We commend the Adams 14 school district for going the extra mile to improve the quality of air in its schools — and for the smart, quick actions from school officials to leverage available funding solutions,” said Jim Knutson, director, integrated solutions, Trane Technologies, in a prepared statement. “Trane is proud to support the district’s comprehensive measures to mitigate risk of airborne exposures for a safer in person learning environment. Long-term investments in indoor air quality will benefit students, staff and building occupants for years, well beyond the immediate threat of this pandemic.”

Adams 14 has 900 employees and serves 6,000 students in 13 schools in Commerce City, CO, located just outside Denver.