PUNE: When the entire world is trying to find ways to beat the coronavirus pandemic, a Pune-based researcher Rajendra Jadgale has claimed that SciTech Arion Air Purifier can kill all types of viruses including the novel coronavirus.
“The process of making ion generator began two years ago when I was a member of Niti Ayog’s task force on controlling Delhi NCR pollution wherein several technologies were considered. There were a few from abroad too, but those were quite expensive.
“It was retired Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology scientist D B Jadhav who developed this technique, and I was the biologist. Then through the funds under Nidhi Parayas under Department of Science and Technology, we converted the idea into a useable product”, Prof. Jagdale told Sakal Times.
Speaking about the challenges, Prof. Jagdale added, “We faced numerous challenges while making it, as ion generator machines also create ozone. But gradually we mastered in not producing the ozone. These ion generators kill all types of fungi, bacteria and viruses. The technology used in it has been tested and verified with world’s largest labs”.
“One hour of operation of the ion generator machine reduces viral load within a room by 99.7% depending on room size. We have installed it at the Dr Naidu Contagious Disease Hospital. Still, our objective was not how does it work, but to protect the patients, doctors and other medical staff there.”
Within a week, a thousand machines will be in the market. A tie-up with the Maharashtra government will see 450 such machines being soon provided to Pune’s Sasson Hospital.
Speaking on the pricing and the demand in the domestic market, Prof Jagdale added, “There has been a great demand from the domestic market too for this product but currently we have focused only the hospitals. The cost of one machine is Rs 40,000 (excluding GST). We wanted to keep the cost at Rs 30,000, but since the import is closed and few components are not available we could not reduce the price”.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Scitech Airon ionizer machine generates negatively charged ions at approximately hundred millions per second (10 crore ions per sec) of emission rate that are electrostatically attracted to positively charged airborne particles and aerosol droplets and attaches to them in large numbers.
The negative ions generated by the ionizer form clusters around microparticles such as airborne mold, corona or influenza viruses, mite allergens, bacteria, pollens, dust etc. and render them inactive through a chemical reaction by creating highly reactive OH groups called hydroxyl radicals and H2 O2 which are highly reactive and known as atmospheric detergents.
The negative ions surround the hemagglutinin (surface proteins that form on organisms and trigger infections) and change into highly reactive OH groups which takes a hydrogen molecule from the hemagglutinin and change into water (H2O). The hemagglutinin molecules are destroyed, so the virus become deactivated.
