Ozone sterilization chamber
For sterilizing medical equipment*Please find Hungarian translation here.
The worldwide shortage of protective gear for healthcare workers could be soothed by making it possible to use them multiple times. To do so it’s crucial to send them through proper sterilization, but most hospitals are only equipped to sterilize small surgical items, and even those sterilizing processes are using UV light or autoclaves. The personal protective gear (such as masks for example) are made of plastic, so the autoclave’s high temperature could ruin the supplies.
In case of UV light travels straight, and unfortunately, it’s not always effective, as light doesn’t reach the full surface of the gear, it won’t kill all bacteria and viruses that could be found in those areas. The ozone gas in contrast (which is 3000 times more effective in sterilization than chlorine) flows in everywhere and kills all bacteria and virus.
We’ve thoroughly studied the available literature on such equipment, and developed the chamber based on it. The ozone concentration (that’s needed for the proper sterilization) was set after carefully considering the materials of the medical supplies, and a precise neutralization process was developed to keep the healthcare workers safe. We’ve selected the materials and parts based on the locally available stock, to make sure the machine can be mass-produced in a relatively short time.
Prototype
- Well-sealed refrigerator (120 liters)
- Ozone generator
- UV-C germicide (254 nm) fluorescent lights (see on the door)
- Fan
- Control electronics
- Sensor
How it works
You just need to put the equipment you’d like to sterilize in to the chamber, close the door and activate the generator. The sterilization process takes about 15 minutes, then the UV light turns on automatically and cleans up the ozone in the chamber. The UV also functions as an additional round of sterilization.
Please find detailed documentation on the project’s Github page, here:
https://github.com/nowtechnologies/open_ozone_project
The latest updates and most recent posts can be found on the project’s dedicated website, here:
We’d like to clarify that these documents are and will remain free to use, because it is in our intention that all hospitals in need could use it if necessary.
We’re looking for some help
The prototype is currently being tested by our team. To help us improve the product and move forward, we’re looking for some help in the following areas:
- Expertise in measuring ozone levels, especially with the MQ131 sensor
- Calibrated ozone level meter equipment (even just to borrow it), so we can calibrate our own meter accordingly
If you could help us in one of the above, please gdrop us a line to info@nowtech.hu!
NOW
We are currently in touch with the local authorities, trying to figure out how to supply as many hospitals as possible with our ozone chamber in Hungary.
Please note that although we did our best to create a safe gear for healthcare workers in an extremely short time, and we’ve been told by medical workers that it’s much safer than their current supplies, our ozone chamber is by no means certified medical equipment. So despite our best efforts, we can’t guarantee 100% protection against COVID-19 and can’t undertake any responsibility for the unintended consequences that could occur while and/or after using it.
We can provide further support and further details to healthcare facilities and makers who want to make the connection, if necessary. Feel free to reach out to us at info@nowtech.hu
