Archive for January, 2009
Prolitec unveils home air-freshening system
Prolitec unveils the world’s first fully adjustable, HVAC-integrated home air-freshening system at Chicago’s AHR Expo
CHICAGO (1/26/09) – Amid the slowdown in commercial and residential construction, HVAC-industry professionals are focusing harder than ever on innovative ways to boost revenue. In a major new sales-generating opportunity for the industry, Prolitec, Inc. today unveiled the Air/Q™ Whole House Air Freshener™ (WHAF)—the first fully adjustable, HVAC-integrated home air freshening system.
The new technology, on view through Jan. 29 at the AHR Expo at McCormick Place (booth 1243), comes at a time of rising concern among consumers about the harmful effects of aerosols, plug-in air fresheners, reed diffusers and other low-performance air fresheners, noted Roger Bensinger, Prolitec’s Executive Vice President of Marketing and Business Development. “People today want to add scent to their total home experience, but thanks to the green movement they also are much more aware of what is in the air,” he said. “They are particularly concerned about the ill effects of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted in large doses by some of these old-fashioned products, including scented candles.”
Prolitec created Air/Q WHAF to give homeowners a safe, affordable and highly efficient air-freshening alternative, Bensinger said. This proprietary technology and chemistry, he added, already is in use at many major hotels, resorts and spas. Without flame or heat and without releasing any harmful VOCs, Air/Q WHAF creates a pleasant scent throughout the home. As an option, when used with ARIA ™, Prolitec’s breakthrough air-treatment agent also being introduced at AHR Expo, Air/Q WHAF and automatically sanitizes the air by killing airborne odor-causing bacteria and mold, fungus and microorganisms.
Patented micro-droplet technology enables Air/Q WHAF to deliver a uniform air treatment and scent throughout a home using an ultra-low concentration of liquid, and with no build-up in the duct work, Bensinger explained. “The system puts out droplets that are less than 1 micron in diameter, compared to a typical aerosol droplet of 50 microns,” he said. “These micro-droplets weigh about a million times less than those formed by traditional aerosols. Consequently, Air/Q WHAF can cover massive spaces using a tiny fraction of the liquid required by other air-fresheners, and does so in a much more uniform way.”
HVAC professionals will find Air/Q WHAF simple to install—it attaches to air handlers using a mounting template with four screws—and Prolitec designed the system to make cartridge-replacement easy for homeowners. In addition to direct sales of and installation fees for AIR/Q WHAF, a variety of air-freshening agents are available for sale as a recurring revenue opportunity, especially for spring and fall check-ups. “The ambient scent business has taken off in recent years,” Bensinger said. “Prior to Air/Q WHAF, however, no product could uniformly and efficiently cover the entire home.”
About Prolitec
Prolitec (www.prolitec.com) is a world leader in the development and deployment of innovative air-freshening technologies and solutions for aerobiology, indoor air quality and the use of scent as a medium of communication. Clients include retailers, hotels, casinos and other commercial organizations in the US and around the world.
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Press Contacts: At Prolitec, Roger Bensinger, (414) 615-4630, WHAFinfo@prolitec.com; at Parness & Associates Public Relations, Lisa Kreda or Bill Parness, (732) 290-0121, parnespr@optonline.net.
2 comments January 25, 2009
Prolitec introduces programmable air sanitizer
New Programmable System is First to Continually Sanitize the Air in HVAC Ducts and Commercial, Medical and Residential Spaces
Prolitec’s ARIA(TM) formulation works with HVAC-based delivery system to kill airborne odor causing bacteria and mold, fungus and organisms
MILWAUKEE, WI, Jan. 19 — Aerosol sprays that kill odor-causing bacteria in the air — including mold and fungal spores — clearly are a hit with consumers. But these products treat enclosed rooms one at a time, and their effects are temporary. A new chemical formulation and delivery system created by Prolitec, Inc., can be programmed to sanitize the air continuously or during specific times of day throughout HVAC ducts and occupied enclosed spaces — with applications ranging from homes to medical facilities; doctor, dentist and veterinary offices; schools and classrooms; long-term care facilities, health clubs, bars, hotels, cruise ships, schools, theaters and gaming facilities.
The new air-sanitizing agent, called ARIA™, won EPA registration in November. It works in tandem with Prolitec’s existing family of Air/Q ambient-scenting and odor-control systems, which already are widely used in the hospitality, gaming and retail sectors. Moreover, ARIA will also be available for the home via a soon-to-be-announced, next-generation version of Air/Q that Prolitec custom-designed for residential use. Because of its ability to continually sanitize the air within enclosed spaces, ARIA is of keen interest to HVAC professionals for continuously cleaning the air in ducts and any type of indoor facility where airborne odor causing bacteria and mold may thrive.
“ARIA and an Air/Q appliance provide a simple-to-use, cost-effective system to continuously sanitize the air we breathe,” said Richard Weening, Chairman and CEO of the Milwaukee-based Prolitec. “This is a real first, and we believe it is reasonable to call it a breakthrough. What is more, the EPA registration verifies our claims about what ARIA can do.
“ARIA is effective in a wide range of spaces from very small to very large,” he continued. The product uses Prolitec’s HVAC-mounted system for homes and larger commercial spaces, while the company’s table-top, wall or ceiling mounted units can serve individual rooms up to 20,000 cubic feet. Available in odorless or scented versions, ARIA is invisible, leaving no surface deposits.
Prolitec’s computer-controlled system Air/Q system works by converting the ARIA formulation into non-toxic, micro-droplets less than 1/100th the diameter of a human hair to instantly create a sanitizing vapor throughout the enclosed space. ARIA is packaged in tamper-proof, recyclable cartridges that are easily inserted into the installed Air/Q appliance, and changed periodically by the user in the home or office, or by Prolitec service technicians in large commercial facilities.
Today’s consumers show a clear preference toward pleasant ambient-scent experiences, and they also are more concerned than ever about potentially harmful airborne odor-causing bacteria and mold in their home. Indeed, this concern has helped fuel growth of an entire industry focused on cleaning HVAC ducts. Some of these companies even try to sweep away vegetative mold spores. “The challenge is that, mold spores are typically 1/50th the diameter of a hair, which is less than a micron in diameter,” Weening said. “Trying to physically sweep or vacuum them up is really not possible. The ARIA approach, by contrast, kills airborne mold and fungal spores circulating within HVAC systems, and helps prevent them from spreading within the home or building.”
Prolitec, which has filed preliminary patent applications for ARIA’s key processes, will unveil the new formulation and delivery system on January 26 at the AHR Expo show in Chicago.
About Prolitec
Prolitec (www.prolitec.com) is a world leader in the development and deployment of innovative air-freshening technologies and solutions for aerobiology, indoor air quality and the use of scent as a medium of communication. Clients include retailers, hotels, casinos and other commercial organizations in the US and around the world.
Via MarketWatch
Add comment January 20, 2009
Perfume kiosk targets individuals by supposed gender
A French scent marketing company has teamed up with an “audience measurement solutions developer” to make scent marketing a little more personal. They’ve developed a system that uses video technology to determine the apparent gender of a person walking by, then emits the scent deemed appropriate for that person’s gender. Given today’s variety of sex and gender configurations, is sounds problematic, to say the least.
Read more at Kiosk Marketplace
1 comment January 15, 2009
Odors of the world mapped by Smell Club
A Japanese web site dubbed the “Smell Club” has undertaken the mission of mapping the aromas of the world. Launched last month, the site has a couple hundred devoted “smellists” who are cataloging the scents they encounter. For now, you can click on map locations tagged with things like “the bad breath of cats,” “the toasty odor of cow dung,” or “freshly aired futons.” If you read Japanese, that is. It’s unclear how they’ll account for the fact that aromas change, or if they’ll make any attempt to verify the scents.
View the site at www.nioibu.com (Japanese language only) or read more at the UK Guardian
Add comment January 13, 2009
