Pune co.’s ‘virus-killer’ machine is world’s cheapest

An air purifier manufactured by the Science & Technology Park here promises to revolutionise the industry by offering the cheapest and among the most compact such machines that can kill disease causing airborne virus and bacteria, a leading scientist said here on Wednesday.

The Scitech Airon Ionizer is described as one of the most compact, effective and cheapest in the world for similar products, according to the scientist.

The Scitech Airon Ionizer can generate 100 million negatively-charged ions per second that are electrostatically attracted to positively-charged airborne particles or aerosol droplets and attaches to them in large numbers.

Then they form clusters around all types of disease spreading microparticles like airborne mold, Corona or influenza viruses, mite allergens, bacteria, pollens, dust, etc., but without harming the earths’ atmosphere or human health.

“This renders inactive all these disease causing viruses or bacteria through a chemical reaction by creating highly reactive groups called hydroxyl radicals and atmospheric detergents,” SciTech Park Director-General and CEO (Dr). Rajendra Jagdale told IANS.

The 9-kg machine is barely 1.5 feet high, 1 foot wide and 10 inches deep making it very compact and easy to use effectively for a 100-sq.metre enclosed or confined spaces like a house, flat, hospitals, clinics, aircraft cabin, trains, buses, railway stations, airports, restaurants, malls, cinemas, etc to make them ‘virus-free’ zones.

The negative ions from the machine surround the hemmagglutinin – or surface proteins that form on organisms and trigger infections – and with chemical reactions destroy them (hemmagglutinins) to deactivate the virus, in about a couple of hours, with minimal electricity used and no recurreing costs, he said.

“The machine costs around Rs.40,000+18 percent GST, though a similar machine with such a high capacity to generate 100 million negatively-charged ions can cost around Rs.10 million (one crore rupees) in the world. Most important, it does not emit any harmful ozone that can damage the atmosphere,” Jagdale pointed out.

The Pune-based award-winning scientist said that besides controlling airborne diseases spread through viruses or bacteria, the machine increases the human body’s resistance to infections and harmful environmental factors for up to four weeks – extremely beneficial in times of Coronavirus which has an incubation period of 14 days.

Plus, Scitech Airon Ionizer decomposes gaseous pollutants like Carbon Monoxide – considered 1000-times more harmful than Carbon Dioxide, Nitrogen Dioxide and Volatile Organic Components, etc, he said.

It activates and enhances body’s protective functions, increases OH and H2O2 in the air to act as detergent molecules kill pollutants, improves quickly a patient’s health, cardiovascular and respiratory systems, improves sleep quality and reduce fatigue, etc.

Incidentally, the SciTech Park here is supported by the Centre’s Department of Science & Technology.

After learning of the product, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sought a report on the machine to see how it can be deployed for combating the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that has gripped India and most parts of the world with massive afflictions and casualties.-IANS News