Portable Gas Phase Advanced Oxidation Unit based on novel LED's and Hydrogen Peroxide Delivery System for Decontaminating Food and Non-Food Surfaces

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Surfaces can carry and spread virulent pathogens leading to outbreaks of illness in local, national or global scales. For example, fresh produce has been associated with high profile foodborne illness outbreaks. Infectious agents can also be transferred via Personal protective equipment especially under extended usage. In areas subject to natural disasters there is a need to decontaminate a broad range of items when traditional sterilization technologies are not available. There are a diverse range of chemical sanitizers to decontaminate surfaces although there is a risk of toxic residues, in addition to many surfaces encountered are moisture sensitive. In the following a successful decontamination method based on gas-phase Advanced Oxidation Process (gAOP) will be adapted into a portable device for use in domestic, public or in disaster/emergency zones. The process is based on using a combination of germicidal UV light (254 nm) and hydrogen peroxide and/or ozone to generate hydroxyl-radicals that can rapidly (<30s) inactivate microbes (including endospores) on a wide range of surfaces (fresh produce, masks, electronics). The process has been successfully applied within industrial food processing and health care facilities. The proposed project will take the same gAOP principle to develop a compact, self-contained, portable surface sterilization system for food and non-food surfaces. Recent advances in LED technology have made available UV sources that are reliable, have a low energy requirement coupled with being able to utilize wavelengths that can enhance the hydroxyl-radical formation from hydrogen peroxide. Additional advantage of LEDs is the ability to power-up lights without the need for a warming-up period as required by traditional lamp based units. The hydrogen peroxide mist will be delivered via a electrospraying approach then will ensure even coverage of the oxidant around the object being decontaminated enabling on-site generation of hydroxyl-radicals. The portable gAOP will be developed and operating parameters optimized for decontaminating model food and non-food surfaces.