Novel air filter to suppress viral load in confined space

The project seeks to develop a robust low-cost air-filter suitable for low income countries in order to suppress aerosol transmission of diseases such as COVID-19 (SARs-CoV-2) and influenza in confined space. The filter is based on a novel idea of combining UV-C light disinfection technology with air ionization to produce a low-resistance filter suitable for a variety of enclosed confinements from offices to transport carriages. SARS-CoV-2 can be destroyed by UV-C light but it requires high irradiation about 1000 times more than influenza to achieve destruction in a similar period of time. In order to achieve this, UV-C air-filters require an over-long residence time or alternatively, a very high power, both of which are impractical. The solution is to combine UV-C with air ionization, where the air passing through the filter is ionized, causing the viral particles to be attracted to oppositely charged plates in a short time scale. Then the deposited particles will be destroyed by UV-C in a longer time scale. The research and development will be led by combined UK-India teams having aero-mechanical-electrical engineering and disease control expertise. Experimental proof of concept will be established along with operation envelopes of this novel filter concept.