Pilot 2.4

Wide spectrum light, with particular regard for the UV component, is a prominent tool used for disinfection. In this pilot project the efficacy of this technology with respect to both air flow sanitization and surface disinfection will be assessed and compared to other competing techniques, such as ozone disinfection.

Air flow sanitization

An air contamination monitoring setup will be built, including an air flow production system, a disinfection chamber and a sampling device at the outlet. This system will be used to determine the capability of wide spectrum light sources to obtain an abatement of the bacterial and fungal load in the air stream. The combination of the different technologies will also be tested, looking for the optimal setup for the abatement of the different microorganisms. The optimal setup will be used as the basis for building a pilot device, that will be tested in a real-world healthcare environment.

Surface disinfection

In order to perform a systematic assessment of the surface disinfection capabilities of the different techniques, an online monitoring platform will be designed, built and tested. The monitoring platform will be subsequently used, after an appropriate calibration, to assess the disinfection efficacy of wide spectrum light sources in comparison with ozone generators on Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and fungi. Furthermore, tests on viruses will be performed in appropriate lab facilities. The optimal setup will be used as the basis for building a pilot device, that will be tested also in a real-world healthcare environment.