COVID-19: Startup from IIT-Guwahati develops disinfectant tunnel

Guwahati: Vixudha Bio Product, a startup at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati, in collaboration with Oasis Fabrications has developed a disinfectant tunnel (DT).

According to Prof Mihir Kumar Purkait of the department of chemical engineering, the virus has an enormous surface-to-mass ratio (approximately 107 times greater than man) because of their exceptionally small size (5-10 micron).

“A large proportion of the virion will be in direct contact once an affected person passes through the DT. High-pressure nozzles will then spray standard medicinal disinfectant fluid in the form of fine mist within the DT itself. The residence time and disinfectant dosages are fixed beforehand. The disinfectant will then damage the nucleic acid core and inactivate the virus,” he said.

Apart from Purkait, the other director of the startup is Prof Prabir Kumar Saha, who is also from the same department at IIT-Guwahati.

The product is indigenously designed and manufactured as the disinfection chamber is meant to destroy the virus along with the disinfection of personnel belongings and baggage at a time. The tunnel can be used in hospitals, office buildings, residential societies, food markets, schools, colleges, bus stands, cinema halls, malls, marriage halls, etc, said Rajeev Saikia, managing director of Vixudha Bio Product.

In April, IIT students also designed and developed low-cost intubation boxes. The device functions as an aerosol obstruction box which is placed atop the patient bed on the head-side, limiting the flow of virus-laden droplets from the patient to the doctor, especially during the process of intubation.

Also Read: COVID-19: IIT-Guwahati students develop low-cost intubation boxes