Chargeability study of disinfectants and the optimization of design parameters of a handheld electrostatic disinfection device for small scale applications

PLoS One. 2023 Jun 8;18(6):e0286740. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286740. eCollection 2023.

Abstract

Apart from aerosols, contaminated surfaces with SARS-CoV-2 virus are the significant carriers of virus transmission. The disinfection and sanitization of the indoor and outdoor places are one among the powerful and effective strategies to avoid the surface-to-human transmission of SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2) through frequent touch and physical contact. Electrostatic spraying is one of the effective and efficient methods to apply the liquid-based sprays on surfaces to be disinfected or sanitized. This technique covers the directly exposed and obscured surfaces uniformly and reaches to hidden areas of the target. In this paper, the design and performance parameters of a motorized pressure-nozzle based handheld electrostatic disinfection device were optimized and the chargeability of ethanol (C2H5OH), formaldehyde (CH2O), glutaraldehyde (C5H8O2), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), phenol (C6H5OH) and sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) has been critically investigated. The chargeability indicator for disinfectants was presented in terms of the charge-to-mass ratio. The significant value of the charge-to-mass ratio of 1.82 mC/kg was achieved at an applied voltage of 2.0 kV, the liquid flow rate and pressure of 28 ml/min and 5 MPa, respectively. The experimental results are well aligned to the proposed theoretical context.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • COVID-19* / prevention & control
  • Disinfectants* / pharmacology
  • Disinfection / methods
  • Humans
  • Hydrogen Peroxide
  • Respiratory Aerosols and Droplets
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Static Electricity

Substances

  • Disinfectants
  • Hydrogen Peroxide

Grants and funding

The study was conducted with the financial assistance of “United States–India Science and Technology Endowment Fund (USISTEF) Forum and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi under the project grants GAP0441 and HCP0031 respectively. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.