- IIT Tirupati researchers develop a portable sterilization unit to make PPE kits reuse safe
- The sterilization unit, a new technology making the coherent operation of UV-C, cold plasma, & H2O2 spray
- Flexible Design can be used for both household as well as commercial purposes
- Inbuilt electronic safety sensors to monitor the operation of UVC rays & stop the process in time
The COVID-19 crisis has made the importance of hygiene, sterilization, and sanitation felt like never before. In a bid to help people with better and technically sound sterilization options during the COVID pandemic, IIT Tirupati (IITT) and IISER Tirupati have jointly developed the Portable Sterilization Unit, which can help re-use the personal protective equipment kits (PPE).
Fast Sterilisation of PPE Kits
The unit can sterilize the PPEs in less than 10 minutes, but the researchers are trying to further curb the duration to two minutes per PPE Kits using UVC light, H2O2, and cold plasma. A new kind of technology, a hybrid sterilization system is used to create the sterilization unit. The technology is developed using the coherent operation of UV-C, cold plasma, and H2O2 spray, which perfectly complement each other to strengthen the sterilization efficiency.
The unit is equipped with UVC lamps that release photons, then photons are uniformly directed towards the treatment area using an optical cavity concept. This creates OH radicals, which are oxidized using H2O2 or cold plasma
Many Challenges, One Solution
Speaking to Machine Maker, Dr. Reetesh Kumar Gangwar, Asst. Professor Physics, IIT Tirupati, explained that the unit is made keeping in mind two objectives, one is considering the environmental contamination caused by the disposition of PPE Kits used for a single time. Another reason is the limit the health hazard caused by re-using the PPE Kits without taking proper sanitization measures. The third reason is to provide a sustainable product in the market for sterilization purposes.
Talking about the design on the unit, Dr. Gangwar said, “Initially we were developing a unit to use for sterilization household products. But the design of this product is very flexible, therefore, it can be used for household as well as commercial purposes.” Apart from PPE Kits, one can use the unit to sterilize packed and unpacked food, currency, and other household items. “The technology is novel in the sense that it is very different from the traditional UVC systems available in the market, which particularly deliver non-uniform treatment,” said Dr. Reetesh Kumar Gangwar.
High Safety System
Commenting on the safety of the unit Dr. Gangwar said, “The unit is extremely safe to use as we have installed electronic safety sensors that will immediately stop the process. We have installed this sensor to keep in mind that the UVC rays can sometimes be harmful and can cause damage to the human body.” “We have conducted numerous effectiveness tests on the unit and the evaluation process of the unit is still in progress as we are continuously modifying the parameters to achieve fast sterilization,” he added.
Along with Dr. Gangwar, the team of scientists, who developed this unit consists of Dr. Arijit Sharma (Asst. Prof., Physics), and Dr. Shihabudheen M. Maliyekkal (Asst. Prof., Civil & Environmental Engineering) from IIT, Tirupati.
“The durability depends on the product that is being treated. As the filter efficiency lowers with every use, the unit can still sterilize PPE suits or makes five to ten times, consecutively,” he added. Talks are on with some companies and the price range targeted is Rs. 10,000 per unit.
For more details contact Dr. Reetesh Kumar Gangwar. Assistant Professor, Dept. of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Tirupati at reetesh@iittp.ac.in
