Research
Biological Warfare
Air Cleaning System Destroys Anthrax, Other Pathogens,
Says University Of Florida Professor
GAINESVILLE,
Fla. 10-25-2001- --- An indoor air cleaning system originally
developed to zap dust mites and mold spores also destroys
airborne anthrax and other pathogenic microbes, says the
University of Florida engineering professor who pioneered
the technology.
The system has been successfully tested against a close
cousin of the anthrax bacteria and could be installed relatively
inexpensively and quickly in office and home heating and
air conditioning systems, says Yogi Goswami, a UF professor
of mechanical engineering and director of UF's Solar Energy
and Energy Conversion Laboratory. "There are other technologies
for air cleaning, but for air disinfection, there is no
more effective system," Goswami said.
The
photocatalytic air cleaning system relies on the interaction
between light and titanium dioxide, a simple and widely
available chemical. When light is absorbed into the titanium
dioxide, it acts as a catalyst to produce an oxidizing agent.
The agent, called a hydroxyl radical, "is like a bullet
for the bacteria," Goswami said, destroying dust mites,
mold spores and pathogens by disrupting or disintegrating
their DNA. |
|
Goswami came up with the system in the mid 1990s as a cure for
so-called "sick building syndrome," when poor ventilation and
a build-up of mold or mildew cause illnesses for people who work
inside. Initial research proved that the system kills the mold
spore, aspergillus niger, considered to be one of nature's hardiest
spores, he said.
More recent research has shown that the system also destroys bacillus
subtilis, a spore that causes food spoilage and is a cousin of
the anthrax spore, bacillus anthracis. "In the laboratory, we
normally test with nonpathogenic bacteria that are closely related
to pathogenic bacteria, so there's no risk to people," Goswami
said. "As we expected, our tests showed the system was effective
against bacillus subtilis."
The technology is an improvement over traditional filter-based
systems in part because there is no opportunity for bacteria to
collect and multiply on the filters that clear it from the air,
he said. "Filters can actually increase the danger because they
concentrate the bacteria," he said. The system is also an improvement
over systems that use ultraviolet light, which do not consistently
kill all the bacteria, he said.
Goswami said the technology could be installed in central ventilation
systems to decontaminate buildings or homes or used in specific
locations where contamination is feared. Given the incidents of
anthrax contamination within the U.S. Postal Service, one application
would be to install it in mail sorting or collection areas, he
said.
"This
is affordable for people. A central system for a single-family
house would probably be in the range of $1,000 to $1,500," he
said. As part of UF's technology transfer mission, the technology
was patented and licensed to a Gainesville-based company, Universal
Air Technologies. The company, which got its start at UF's biotech
incubator, the Biotechnology Development Institute in Alachua,
Fla., sells a variety of portable and central air purification
systems based on the technology.
Note:
This story has been adapted from a news release issued by University
Of Florida for journalists and other members of the public. If
you wish to quote from any part of this story, please credit University
Of Florida as the original source. This article was taken from
Science Daily, www.sciencedaily.com.
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