Rosatom develops device for sterilizing medical instruments using ozone
SocietyMoscow, 8 April 2020 - The scientists at SSC RF TRINITI JSC (a subsidiary of Rosatom’s science division)
have developed a method of disinfecting and sterilising medical instruments,
clothing, equipment, and facilities using mobile devices for the production of
concentrated ozone.
Under the
supervision of Alexander Basiev, a researcher of physical and mathematical
sciences, a group of scientists at the research centre have learned to produce
ozone at concentrations of up to 0.7 g/l at speeds of up to 6 kg/h using a
mobile device about the size of an average home air purifier. The device is
simple to use: it is placed in a sealed box alongside tools that require
disinfecting and disinfects them within 15 minutes.
SSC RF
TRINITI JSC’s mobile ozoniser is capable of disinfecting virtually any medical
object occupying an area of up to 100 square metres. In terms of bactericidal
efficiency, ozonation with such a device is more effective than ultraviolet
germicidal irradiation or treating an area with chlorine.
“At the
moment, most medical rooms are treated with chlorine, which is a toxic
substance. Ozonation, by contrast, is a clean technology that, if used
correctly, does not have adverse effects,” said the project’s supervisor
Stanislav Kosarev. “Using our device allows you to sterilise scrubs, etc.
without thermal exposure, which will increase their lifespan.”
The main
advantages of SSC RF TRINITI JSC’s device is its high concentrations of ozone,
high disinfection and sterilisation rate, mobility, and compact size. Another
important advantage is its low cost of operation. It is expected that the
centre’s ozoniser will consume half the electricity consumed by other ozonisers
currently on the market.
In the near future, SSC RF TRINITI JSC is scheduled to test a prototype of its mobile ozoniser to determine the product’s effectiveness in real conditions and its possible use for medical needs
Rosatom
enterprises have begun sterilising medical masks
Sterion JSC, a part of JSC Rusatom Healthcare created by
Rosatom alongside a private investor, has signed a contract with Delrus to
sterilize more than 58 million medical masks.
Delrus supplies sterile masks to Russian medical facilities.
Masks need to be sterilised before use because their inner lining comes in
contact with wearers’ mucous membranes.
According to Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev, sterilisation
using radiation technology guarantees that medical devices are processed safely
and efficiently, which is especially important in the ongoing COVID-19
pandemic.
JSC Sterion has already processed its first batch of masks
comprising 92,000 units. The enterprise was urgently transitioned from its
ordinary two-shift operating mode to a round-the-clock operating mode
consisting of three shifts, which will enable it to sterilise up to 10 million
masks per week.
According to Alexander Shibanov, CEO of JSC Rusatom Healthcare, Rosatom’s integrator in the field of radiation technologies in medicine and industry, the enterprise JSC Karpov NIFHI (a JSC Rusatom Healthcare subsidiary) will also join the fight in the coming days and start sterilising up to 3 million masks per week. “Other enterprises involved in the sterilisation of medical devices have already been enlisted in this endeavour,” he added.