UV rays and Sanitizers

 COVID-19 is sure to leave a mark on humanity forever. Not just in terms of death tolls, but financially, ecologically and politically too. The economics seems to be changing gears and new market possibilities are taking place. This is especially true for the hygiene product manufacturers. Products like hand sanitizers, masks, PPE-kits etc. are in high demand nowadays, and for a good reason. These products are proving to be lifesavers and work as the primary shield against the threat of virus. Today we will talk about one such product – UV sanitizer.

 

Understanding UV:

Before we go further in the article, let us see what does one means by UV. In electromagnetic spectrum, UV rays or Ultraviolet rays are placed just before the visible band of light. Wavelength of UV rays ranges between 100nm to 400nm. UV waves are classified into 3 categories based on the wavelength range, namely,

• UV-A or Long Wave UV ranging from 315 to 400nm;
• UV-B or Middle Wave UV ranging from 280 to 315nm;
• UV-C or Short Wave UV ranging from 200 to 280nm. (VUV or Vacuum UV occupies 100 to 200nm band but is considered within UV-C sometimes)

When the sunlight reaches the Earth, all of the UV-C and 90% of UV-B waves are absorbed by the ozone, oxygen, carbon dioxide and water vapour. Therefore, the UV that reaches the surface of Earth comprises of only UV-A waves and a small amount of UV-B. UV-C waves, along with VUV or Vacuum UV waves ranging from 100 to 200nm, have the capability to disinfect or sanitize. This is the reason of utilising UV for disinfecting the virus amid COVID-19 pandemic. But this is not the first time we are using UV sanitizers, these have been used previously during the times of Ebola and SARS outbreak.

It is a well known fact that UV-rays can have a negative effect on humans; therefore personal hygiene is out of question. But as far as other stuff goes, anything, from cell phones to fruits and vegetables, can be sanitized using UV sanitizers. This pandemic has stimulated a heightened sense of hygiene in everyone. There are a number of devices and gadgets that are being sold and used worldwide. The immense possibility of huge profits from the manufacturing of these products has attracted a lot of business minds and new start-ups are popping up. But rapid production alone does not ensure protection. In fact, most of the budget-friendly models lack many safety features that might lead to accidents. They look more like a lunch box bag, equipped with a UV-bulb. Hard body, for example steel body, is avoided to reduce cost, yet the manufacturers are making hefty profits.

 

Can you make one yourself?

The answer is yes! Yes you can actually make a working UV sanitizing box at home. All you need are UV-bulbs, a box to fit those bulbs in, a little understanding of circuit and you’re all set to design a basic working model of UV sanitizing box. And we are not stating it just for the sake of article; we actually have seen one work! The credit for designing this working model we are talking about goes to Rajmohan Jena, our friend who holds an innate desire to understand and develop machinery and devices. His model is one that comes well equipped with several security features that even the commercial low-budget devices lack. He incorporated a system that cuts off the electricity supply to the bulbs as soon as the top lid of the box is opened. This ensures that the user is always away from harm. Although many models in the market have this feature, those devices cost more than 8k at the very least. The more pocket friendly features just simply do not use this security feature. Raj used 2 bulbs in his prototype, which enables a complete 360° action in one go. Many market variants also claim 360° range, but using only one bulb there is no way to achieve that. As usual, if the manufacturers use 2 bulbs, the price is significantly hiked. But why are we comparing Raj’s prototype with the market variants already being sold? The answer is very simple, COST! As we are told by Raj, his prototype, when completed with a ‘stainless steel’ chassis, 2 UV-bulbs ensuring 360 action and advanced safety feature to avoid mishaps and timer switchers that can be easily operated by the user, will cost 3.5-4k, at maximum. Any device available in market with all these features costs twice as much.

Raj's Prototype

(Note: if you wish to make your very own DIY-UV sanitizer, you can contact Rajmohan, who is willing to help any curious soul looking for a crafty job to do, by clicking here)

You might be wondering whether this self-made set-up will even work. Well here are the results from the test run of Raj’s prototype. As you can see in the picture, there are 3 different bottles filled with yeast, acting as virus for this experiment. Raj placed 2 of these bottles in the prototype, one for 5 minutes and another for 10 minutes, and left one outside. This experiment shows the capability of the device as the bottles placed inside device have lost fair amount of yeast, especially the one placed for 10 minutes, while on the other hand, the bottle that was placed outside, didn’t lose much.

 

 

Hope you learnt something new today..

Knowledge Villa appreciates and supports the extraordinary efforts made by the commoners like the one we stated today in this article. If you know someone of similar desire like Raj, one who loves to do stuff like these, feel free to contact us and provide us details so that we can write about their exceptional efforts and act as a little step of motivating them to do more!!