IIT-Delhi launches device to help reuse N95 masks

NEW DELHI: The reliability of N95 masks in fighting the novel coronavirus has prompted a start-up at IIT-Delhi, Chakr Innovation, to develop an ozone-based decontamination device that will enable safe usage of such face covers by at least 10 times.

Designed in the shape of a cabinet, Chakr DeCoV has a decontamination mechanism that utilises the high penetrability of ozone to clean the pores of the mask.

Designed in the shape of a cabinet, Chakr DeCoV has a decontamination mechanism that utilises the high penetrability of ozone to clean the pores of the mask. The innovation team claimed that proper exposure of ozone could result in inactivation of SARS CoV-2 and a 99.99% reduction in bacterial load, after which an N95 mask could be reused up to 10 times. The device was tested at IIT-Delhi's Centre for Biomedical Engineering. The cleaned mask was tested by the South India Textile Research Association.

IIT-Delhi director Ramgopal Rao, in a webinar where the product was launched, said, "The product is necessary as we are generating a lot of biowaste without any policy for discarding them. That may cause diseases in the future."

The CEO of Chakr Innovation, Kushagra Srivastava, said, "The device has an ozone-based mechanism, which ensures effective decontamination with high reliability and safety, as needed in a hospital environment."