Mines Saint-Etienne, in collaboration with Jean Monnet University, is testing an air purifier specifically designed to destroy Covid-19. It is being experimented with in the laboratories of the Centre for Biomedical and Healthcare Engineering at the School.
For the past two months, researchers from Mines Saint-Etienne and Jean Monnet University have been testing the effectiveness of an air purifier. Designed by the company Gamma Pulse, the purifier, named KillViDTM, decontaminates ambient air of viruses by 99.9999%. The technology is based on atmospheric plasma micro-reactors. “Plasma is a gas with electrical charges that contains electrons or ions. When these electrons or ions strike bacteria or viruses, they destroy them,” explains Jérémie Pourchez, a research professor at Mines Saint-Etienne, to the newspaper Le Progrès.
When one million viruses are introduced via aerosols at the micro-reactor’s inlet, none survive.
Jérémie Pourchez, Research Professor at Mines Saint-Etienne
The Centre for Biomedical and Healthcare Engineering committed to the fight against coronavirus
This purifier is being tested in the laboratories of the Centre for Biomedical and Healthcare Engineering (CIS) at the School. The initial tests on the micro-reactors have been conclusive. With these promising results, the laboratory study phase is complete. A second phase is now underway, focusing on real-world conditions. The purifier will be tested in a 60m² show apartment and a medical station with a 12m² sealed tent. This show apartment and medical station are part of the MedTechLab. This is a space for observing innovative uses and practices, located at the heart of the CIS in partnership with AESIO Santé. It is entirely dedicated to industrialists, startups, researchers, engineers, healthcare professionals, etc., for conceiving, testing, experimenting with, and developing cross-disciplinary projects. It represents a unique offering in France.
Before the KillViDTM air purifier becomes available, there will be a short wait. Its commercialization is not expected before the first half of 2022. It is projected to cost several thousand euros.
