Do It Yourself SO2 Eliminator: The Best Vog Air Purifier

by mad professor

For $52.04 I made my own SO2 eliminator - And It Works!

This simple unit uses a fish tank air pump to push air through bubble stones immersed in a baking soda/water mixture.

My pump unit has a variable output knob so that I can adjust its air flow depending on the SO2 levels and how much 'bubble noise' I care to put up with, and a dual air output that I split again to run four 6 inch air stones. YES, there IS a noise factor - but I am SO2 free so I don't care about the background bubbling! (About as much noise as a conventional air conditioner but with less energy usage)

Just go to the pet store and buy a good powerful air pump, some air tubing, and a few air stones. When you get home snag a 5 gallon bucket, put in 1 cup Arm-n-hammer (sodium bicarbonate), and 2 gallons of water, mix until completely dissolved, drop in your stones and be SO2 free in 30 mins.

Do not cheat yourself and get a cheap pump and few air stones, it will not work as well and you will be upset. The key is to pass as much air through the system in as short a time as possible, and to do that you need a powerful pump. My pump cost $24.95, and was the highest capacity pump in the store, and came to about half of my setup cost.

I am using this in my room only - since I am allergic to SO2, and keep my door mostly closed. As long as the air in my room doesn’t get mixed with outside air I can stay SO2 free 24/7. I periodically check the PH level of my water and change it about once a week. You may need to change the water more or less frequently depending on your local SO2 levels. And just for looks I tossed a thin sarong over the whole setup to hide it from sight, as well as to catch any moisture that may be carried up by the bubbles into the air.

This system works because as the air is passed into the water it is in the form of tiny bubbles - bringing the most 'air surface' into contact with the water. The sodium bicarbonate in the water then reacts with the SO2 and turns it into sodium bisulfate, where it gets left behind in the water as the air escapes.

Personally, I have bought higher priced setups that always failed on me, and after examining the way they were built and figuring out the physics of how they worked, I decided to go cheap and do it myself.

I share this knowledge freely in the spirit of Aloha. If you find this knowledge useful then please DO tell others so that they may be SO2 free as well.