What is the Briiv air cleaner? We briefly introduce the air purifier
According to the manufacturer, one Briiv can purify as much indoor air as 3,043 medium-sized houseplants. Inside the purifier, which looks like a stylish terrarium, there are visibly different layers of fresh moss, coconut shells and a nano-matrix combination. Due to the natural design, the device almost looks like a mini-greenhouse and contributes to the room decoration.
The air is sucked in via a fan in the floor and drawn through three filter layers before being released back into the environment. In the moss as well as the filter made of coconut shells, large particles such as dust or animal hair from the air should get stuck, so that the air is cleaned of these suspended particles. Both materials can be biodegraded in home compost. In addition to moss and coconut shells, the Briiv has a filter made of activated carbon from walnut shell waste, which is said to purify the air and enrich it with a pleasant scent. In addition, a tight mesh of advanced nanofibers is used to bind the finest harmful particles from the air.
The air purifier provides 1.5 cubic meters (m³) of purified, clean air per minute. Thus, the Briiv is able to improve the air quality in a 36 m² living room in just one hour.
The Briiv air filter is said to be able to remove the following toxins:
- PM₂,₅, PM₅, PM₁₀ (particulate matter particles, allergens such as animal hair or pollen, combustion emissions, smoke, odors).
- VOC (volatile organic compounds)
All filter sheets have different ageing times, which are also influenced by the selected stage: The lower the selected speed, the longer the filter can be used.
That's how long the Briiv filters last:
- Moss filter: 360 days (speed 1 & 2) to 250 days (speed 3 & 4).
- Coconut filter: 360 days (speed 1 & 2) to 250 days (speed 3 & 4).
- Nano-matrix filters: 90 days (speed 1 & 2) to 60 days (speed 3 & 4)
Note: The moss does not need to be moistened during use. In addition, the starter pack contains three nanofilters for replacement.
The Briiv practical test with the air-Q air meter
The first impression of the air purifier was very convincing. In line with the sustainable motto, the Briiv was delivered in plastic-free packaging. The device was well secured by stabilizers made of papier-mâché. Packed separately in a small jute bag came the fresh moss. Overall, the Briiv looks very high quality and stylish, especially since the coconut filter and moss can be seen in the glass container. The handling also works easily:
The app was installed quickly and the Briiv air filter was ready for use within a few minutes. The cleaner can even be started without instructions, since everything works very intuitively. An LED bar can be operated via touch and the fan strength can be adjusted. An individual cleaning schedule can be stored in the app.
While the filter works quietly at levels 2 to 3, on the other hand, it is quite noisy at the highest level. When the cleaner is running, you can feel the air flowing out at the bottom and smell a woodsy scent of moss.
air-Q Lab: The results
We conducted several tests with the air purifier and checked its effect on different scenarios with our air-Q air measuring device.
Test: Briiv under "laboratory conditions
First, we looked at how the air purifier acts in an unpolluted environment. To simulate a quasi "normal" room air, we use a 1m³ box. First, we had the air-Q do an analysis of the air conditions in the box for one hour (between 10:50 and 11:50). After that, we also put the Briiv in the air lab with it. Between 11:55 and 12:55, the air purifier worked - set at the highest level and powered by a power bank.
The health and performance index, volatile organic compounds (VOC) and air humidity were measured. As the evaluation diagrams show, all values changed significantly to the positive directly after the Briiv was switched on.
While the performance index was just over 30 percent at the start of the test, the values jumped when the Briiv was switched on and reached over 40 percent at peak. An optimization of 33 percent. The health index, which had previously been around 56 percent, also rose to almost 78 percent when the air purifier was activated. An improvement of almost 40 percent.
The relative humidity at the start of the experiment was about 58 percent. As a minimum threshold value for a good health index, the room humidity should be 60 percent. This value rose constantly through the Briiv to just under 64 percent. The quality of the room air was thus raised to a recommended level.
Initially, many VOC particles were suspended in the box, possibly originating from the perfume of the test subject performing the test. The initial value was 2,500 ppb (parts per billion), exceeding the recommended limit of 1,200 ppb. After switching on the Brii, the VOC content of the air dropped to about 700 ppb in less than 10 minutes, falling below the limit.
1. field test: Briiv under "normal air conditions
Our second test was dedicated to a longer trial period. Between August 1 and 5, the Briiv was in use every day from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. - always set to the highest level. We chose an ordinary room of about 38 m³ as the test location. During the five days, the room was neither ventilated nor artificially polluted. Moreover, there were no persons present in the room who could bring air pollutants into the room.
The average health and performance index during the test phase was ~ 59 percent. The graph shows that the values increase while the Briiv is running.
It is clearly visible that the indoor air has a relatively good quality, although it was not ventilated. Relevant limit values were therefore not exceeded and the air remained at an unobjectionably good level. Accordingly, it has a positive effect to use the Briiv daily. You can even configure the device for daily use via adjustable time intervals.
The effect of the Briiv is shown by the direct comparison without the air purifier. The diagram depicts the air development over the same period of time one week earlier, except that during this test phase only the air-Q air measuring device was running in the test room. Again, the test ran for five days, the room was not ventilated, not artificially polluted, and no people were present. In contrast to the test with the Briiv, the average indices were more than 10 percent (~48 percent) lower than the result with the air purifier - despite the same spatial conditions.
2. practical test: Briiv with "artificial air pollution".
During the second practical test, we wanted to examine how well the device can actually break down existing air pollution and ensure healthier indoor air. In order to be able to objectively assess the effect of the air purifier in case of air pollution, we first looked at how the air quality normalizes or behaves after pollution without an air purifier.
To artificially pollute the room, we lit an incense candle for 3 minutes and sprayed 15 squirts of alcoholic solution (disinfectant) into the room. Using the air-Q, we tested for 24 hours how long it would take for the pollutants to disappear from the air.
The graph shows that the amount of particulates particles (2.5 pm) peaked at 10:16 am at 186 µg/m³. VOC peaked at 10:24 am with > 60,000 ppb.
The air-Q determined a harmless level of particulate matter at 14:17. Within 24 hours, the particulate matter value was thus reduced to a harmless level and the artificial contamination caused by the Briiv was thus eliminated. The VOC value, on the other hand, did not fall below 6,000 ppb until the next day. Whereas the Briiv was able to reduce the particles suspended in the air from 60,000 to 6,000 ppb.
Since the VOC values were nevertheless very high, a brief airing was carried out in the run-up to the second experiment.
The following day, we repeated the experiment and polluted the experimental room again by burning an incense candle for 3 minutes and spraying 15 splashes of alcohol into the room. We then set the Briiv to the highest level and analyzed the duration of air purification.
The particulates initial value (2.5 pm) was at a maximum value of 163 µg/m³ at 10:15 am. The maximum VOC value again reached more than 60,000 ppb at 10:27 am. As early as 11:40 am, about 3 hours faster than the previous test day, the air-Q detected a harmless level of particulate matter. We could see how the Briiv sucked in the pollutants. Again, after 24 hours, the VOC level was still well above the recommended limit at over 10,000 ppb. Despite the air purifier being turned on, the Volatile Organic Compounds could not be completely broken down. These residues would have to be removed again by ventilation.
Our test shows that an air purifier is not a general substitute for ventilation. With regard to VOC pollution, it must be noted that the VOC concentration in the experiment was extremely high and the rather viscous disinfectant settled on surfaces instead of floating in the room air in a nebulized form. Thus, only a part could be purified from the air, since not all particles were suspended in the air, but sank to the ground due to their weight.
Conclusion: The air-Q air measuring device confirms the air-purifying effect of the Briiv
The Briiv air purifier works well. Especially the particulate matter level lowered extremely quickly. Positive to note: Due to the moss and natural materials, the filtered air smells very well like "forest air". The room appears refreshed. Therefore, we can recommend the Briiv. Especially in the workplace, the air purifier seems to help you keep a clear head. We see further areas of application in the kitchen, where odors arise and particulate matter levels are often elevated during cooking, frying or toasting. Moreover, the Briiv looks very stylish and unlike other electrical appliances, it looks like a decorative object.
