Airborne pathogens can be burned away

A device that in minutes, instead of months, safely and inexpensively could destroy airborne biological agents in structures as large as the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C.--which was closed for an extended period after anthrax was detected there in October, 2001--has been developed by engineers at the University at Buffalo (N.Y.).

The BioBlower has immediate homeland-security applications, with the potential to eradicate a wide range of biological pathogens, such as anthrax, smallpox, SARS, influenza, tuberculosis, and other toxic airborne species. It destroys pathogens by heating contaminated air rapidly and could be employed either as a portable air-purification unit for first responders at the site of a biological attack or installed as a permanent part of a building's air-handling system to be activated as soon as biological toxins are detected.

Moreover, the BioBlower could provide a continuous clean air supply in hospitals as well as military command centers and other battlefield facilities. It "destroys airborne biological agents essentially by sterilizing the air," says co-inventor Jim Garvey, professor of chemistry, who notes that the mechanism represents a quantum leap ahead of the current conventional technology, HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) paper filters, which are used to trap large airborne spores and need to be changed frequently, stored carefully, and ultimately destroyed.

"With our device, there are no filters to change and very minimal maintenance. The BioBlower indiscriminately decimates all airborne biotoxins via the extreme heating of the gas."

In a series of recent tests, it successfully destroyed more than 99.9% of aerosolized spores of a benign anthrax simulant, Bacillus globicii (Bg). "Bg spores are considered the gold standard for biotesting," explains Garvey. "Now that we can completely eliminate these hardy bacteria, we can kill any and all airborne biological toxins." In the BioBlower, the entire volume of air is ingested by a rotary pump, then rapidly compressed and heated to between 200-250[degrees]C. The air quickly is expanded and cooled before being returned--free of any biotoxins--to the area being remediated.

"The dramatic effect we observed is due to chemical combustion; these spores simply get burned away to ash," notes Garvey.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Society for the Advancement of Education
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