Portable Electrochemical COVID-19 Unit for Biomedical Wastewater Treatment

由于技术不足，大量的COVID-19生物医学和医疗保健液体和固体废物没有得到适当处理，或者根本没有得到处理。通常，涉及医疗液体和固体废物处理的四个基本过程是使用热、化学、辐射和生物过程的传统系统。没有连接到综合废水处理系统并使用接触室/水箱的医院或卫生保健设施将需要采取额外措施。2019冠状病毒病大流行对废物和废水的潜在影响是：(i)病毒在废物容器、袋子和废水等材料上的半衰期较长，以及（ii）可能通过废水系统中受污染的废物表面和气溶胶传播。因此，替代和高效的处理工艺和缓解措施至关重要。南阿尔伯塔理工学院（SAIT）正在与Blue Eden CleanTech Inc. （BE）合作，快速组装、测试、评估和商业化一种新型、高性能、具有成本效益的电化学装置，该装置能够从生物医学废水中破坏COVID-19和病原体。BE在先进的电化学方面拥有专业知识，通过其电浮选和电化学氧化装置在废水处理中的应用。BE利用专有配置的硼掺杂金刚石（BDD）电极产生臭氧和羟基（OH）自由基，以有效破坏COVID-19污染。BE的加拿大技术可以提供一种潜在的解决方案，以减少与废水有关的对公众和环境的健康风险。

A large amount of COVID-19 biomedical and healthcare liquid and solid wastes is either not appropriately treated due to inadequate technologies, or not treated at all. Typically, the four basic processes involved in the treatment of healthcare liquid and solid wastes are conventional systems using thermal, chemical, irradiative and biological processes. Hospitals or health care facilities that are not connected to a comprehensive wastewater treatment system and use a contact chamber/tank will require additional measures. The potential ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic on waste and wastewater are: (i) the long half-life of the virus on materials such as waste containers, bags, and in wastewater, and (ii) the possible transmission via contaminated waste surfaces and aerosols from wastewater systems. Therefore alternative and highly effective treatment processes and mitigation measures are critical. The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) is partnering with Blue Eden CleanTech Inc. (BE), to rapidly assemble, test, evaluate and commercialize a novel, high performance and cost-effective electrochemical unit which is capable of COVID-19 and pathogen destruction from biomedical wastewater. BE has expertise in advanced electrochemistry through the application of its electro-flotation and electrochemical oxidation devices for wastewater treatment. BE utilizes Boron Doped Diamond (BDD) electrodes in a proprietary configuration to produce ozone and hydroxyl (OH) radicals for effective destruction of COVID-19 contamination. BE's Canadian technology can provide a potential solution to reduce the wastewater associated health risks to the public and the environment.