Feb 07 2021 Read 1489 Times
In a breakthrough for COVID-19 prevention, a team of researchers from Tel Aviv University (TAU) has used UV-emitting LED lights to kill the virus indoors. Fast, effective and affordable, the light-emitting diodes (LEDs) use ultraviolet (UV) rays to destroy COVID-19. The team say the technology will soon be available for both commercial and private use, with the potential to install the LEDs in air conditioning systems, vacuums and water supplies. Our research has commercial and societal implications, given the possibility of using such LED bulbs in all areas of our lives, safely and quickly,” reads the abstract published on the Tel Aviv University website.
This method provides a more effective solution to disinfect passenger service vehicles like buses, trains, halls or waiting lobbies like the one at Likoni Ferry which need physical manpower and enough time for the chemical sprays to be effective.
At least 10 minutes contact time is required to kill the virus, but “disinfection systems based on LED bulbs can be installed in the ventilation system and air conditioner, for example, and sterilise the air sucked in and then emitted into the room,” says Professor Mamane.
How do the bulbs work?
UV irradiation is a common method for inactivation of pathogenic microorganisms like viruses. Inactivation by UV could occur via several mechanisms, among them damage to nucleic acids, proteins or internal production of oxygen radicals. The mechanism of UV inactivation is largely dependent on the wavelength used.