An IIT-Delhi incubated start-up ‘Chakr Innovation’ on Friday launched a device to decontaminate N95 masks for reuse upto 10 times as a sustainable solution to fight COVID-19. Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, launched the device that can decontaminate a mask in 90 minutes.
Designed in the shape of a cabinet, the device Chakr DeCoV utilises the high penetrability of Ozone gas for cleaning the pores of the N95 mask, ensuring complete decontamination of its intricate layers, the institute said. It added that the device has been launched at a time when the country needs it most as unsafe reuse of N95 masks may put lives of the healthcare professionals at risk. The device would also help in the reduction of biomedical waste.
Speaking about the innovation, the start-up said that Ozone is a strong oxidising agent that destroys viruses by diffusing through the protein coat, resulting in damage to the viral RNA. “Proper dosage and exposure of Ozone can result in inactivation of SARS CoV-2 and a 99.99% reduction in bacterial load, after which an N95 mask can be reused for up to 10 times without any impact on the filtration efficiency,” it said.
It added that some of the commonly available systems with UV light-based decontamination are insufficient due to shadow effects and limited penetration through the pores of N95 masks. The technology has been tested at IIT-Delhi’s Centre for Biomedical Engineering and has undergone rigorous in-house testing for safety and reliability, the team said.
Ramgopal Rao, Director, IIT-Delhi said the institute is committed to addressing the COVID-19 problem through its technological prowess and added that it was heartening to see Chakr Innovation working in this direction and building this product to mitigate the challenges posed by this pandemic.
