LED Technology
How LED technology can bring UV-C disinfection to the mass market
By Andrew Fawcett, senior product manager, Farnell T
he Covid-19 pandemic shows the importance of preventing viral transmission in as many ways as possible. In addition to airborne aerosol transmission,
surface contact has a signifi cant effect on infection rates for the SARS-CoV-2 virus as well as many others, such as infl uenza, that plague society. To deal with this pandemic and limit the threat of other viruses that may appear in the future, active decontamination of surfaces in industrial, medical, public transport and commercial environments is critical. UV-C light is becoming an important tool for achieving decontamination.
Spanning wavelengths from 200 to 280nm, UV-C represents the most energetic part of the ultraviolet band of the electromagnetic spectrum. The ability for UV-C light to disable viruses has been known since the early 20th Century. The light is highly effective at breaking important chemical bonds in the DNA and RNA of virus particles. This process deactivates them into a harmless state. Unfortunately, UV-C also attacks the DNA in our own bodies. This has traditionally limited the use of UV-C radiation for sterilisation to scenarios where the light can be contained within an enclosure.
Examples include sterilisation chambers and cleaning compartments inside air- conditioning units.
Another traditional drawback of UV-C is the cost and availability of light sources, which are largely based on mercury discharge tubes. The tubes are not only costly but present a pollution hazard as well. This has limited the use of the technique to applications where only small areas need to be decontaminated.
Sensor-driven AI in robotics supports UV-C roll-out
With the need to control the spread of the
SARS-CoV-2 virus, focus has shifted to how UV-C can be used for the treatment of larger areas. Technological improvements have made it safer, more cost-effective, and practical to introduce UV-C irradiation to a much broader range of applications. One important change is the increasing availability of sensor-driven Artifi cial Intelligence (AI) that can determine when it is safe to use UV-C. An example of this is the use of UV-C to clean the controls in lifts. The light source can be set to only activate once the lift is empty, ensuring that the keypad is ready for the next user.
Another change is the ability to use
32 November 2021
Components in Electronics
www.cieonline.co.uk
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