Closed System Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation Reactor for Biological Pollutant Extraction and Neutralisation. (UVC-Reactor)

Biological pollutants include bacteria, moulds, viruses, animal dander and cat saliva, and pollen. Viruses are transmitted and bacteria are carried by people and animals. Dried, air borne protein in urine from rats and mice is also a potent allergen. Contaminated central air handling systems can become breeding grounds for these biological contaminants and can then distribute these contaminants into occupied spaces. The existing innovation is a closed system, air sterilisation unit which was developed during the later stages of the global COVID19 pandemic in 2021 with assistance from InnovateUK through a call for "Systems to Combat COVID-19" and subsequently through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) for the concept design phase conducted at the Sustainable Advanced Manufacturing centre, Sunderland University. A patent application was filled (UK Patent Application No 2107621.1) in 2021\. There is currently no international standard to determine the efficacy of air sterilisation units and quantifying their ability to destroy pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2\. Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), in conjunction with The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) trialled the first TRL9 Limited prototype UVC-Reactor in June 2023 in their Liverpool based Category 3 laboratories. Trials were conducted with live COVID virus from a patient at Royal Liverpool University Hospital. A clinical report was produced, which demonstrated 100% efficacy for the UVC-Reactor system compared to the control sample. The aim of this project is to conduct extended field trials to evaluate and enhance the UVC-Reactor solution for applications in the clean air domain. The technology focuses on monitoring, mitigating and extracting airborne pathogens and pollution. Field results from a real world environment and application will then provide insight and feedback from future users and customers to make final adjustments to the product that will lead to successful commercialisation. In parallel to the field trials, research at LSTM will enable testing for other pathogens such as measles, influenza and monkey pox, which will be integrated into the efficacy determination model.