dotlah! dotlah!
  • Cities
  • Technology
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Society
  • Science
  • About
Social Links
  • zedreviews.com
  • citi.io
  • aster.cloud
  • liwaiwai.com
  • guzz.co.uk
  • atinatin.com
0 Likes
0 Followers
0 Subscribers
dotlah!
  • Cities
  • Technology
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Society
  • Science
  • About
  • Environment
  • People
  • Technology
  • World Events

A Plasma Reactor Zaps Airborne Viruses – And Could Help Slow The Spread Of Infectious Diseases

  • February 7, 2020
Total
0
Shares
0
0
0

The big idea: It’s the enduring media image of infectious disease outbreaks, including the current coronavirus outbreak from Wuhan, China: people in public spaces with faces half-hidden by surgical masks.

Filters have long been used to remove particles, including viruses and bacteria, from the air we breathe. Particle filters are key components of building and aircraft ventilation systems. Unfortunately, viruses are much smaller than the smallest particles those filters typically capture reliably.

Researchers Tian Xia and Zijie Lin test a plasma prototype for preventing airborne transmission of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus at a Michigan pig farm. Robert Coelius/Michigan Engineering, Communications & Marketing, CC BY-ND

One possibility for curbing the spread of airborne pathogens is a nonthermal plasma reactor. Plasma is the fourth state of matter, a gas composed of electrically charged ions and electrons rather than neutral atoms and molecules. Nonthermal means the plasma isn’t formed at high temperatures. At the University of Michigan, my colleagues and I developed a nonthermal plasma reactor that leaves airborne pathogens unable to infect host organisms, including people. The plasma oxidizes the viruses, which disables their mechanism for entering cells.

After testing in the lab and at livestock facilities, we’ve shown that the reactor reduces the numbers of infectious viruses in an air stream by more than 99%. We’re developing the technology for use in animal agriculture, but it might also be useful where people are concentrated in enclosed spaces, including commercial aircraft.

Why it matters

Scientists don’t know what makes some viruses and bacteria more resilient in air than others. Tuberculosis and measles have long been known to be highly contagious, while a recent study proved that influenza can also remain infectious in air longer than an hour, something that researchers had previously thought unlikely. Enclosed or crowded spaces reduce opportunities for virus degradation or dilution in air, increasing the chances that an exposure will lead to infection.

Infectious diseases that have airborne transmission routes, including swine flu and avian flu, have affected pork, poultry and egg producers. Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome alone has been estimated to cost more than US$600 million annually in the U.S. In 2015, more than 50 million chickens and turkeys were culled to stop the spread of highly pathogenic avian flu because of its potential to infect humans.

What we don’t know

There are several theories of how nonthermal plasmas kill bacteria, but airborne viruses aren’t “alive” like bacteria and therefore can’t be “killed” in the same way. Also, researchers’ understanding of nonthermal plasma sterilization is mostly based on sterilizing contaminated surfaces using minutes-long plasma exposures, much longer than the subsecond exposures studied in our tests and an earlier similar study.

In our tests, the plasma reduced how many infectious viruses were in the air by more than 99%, but the viruses themselves remained with their DNA largely unchanged. This means that the plasma didn’t destroy the virus but rather altered its ability to infect. We’re working to understand how this happens, which will help us engineer, or “tune,” the reactor.

What’s next

My colleagues and I are currently evaluating how ammonia, ever-present around animals as a byproduct of their waste, affects the plasma generated by the reactor.

We’re also considering how to use nonthermal plasma reactors in aircraft. Long-distance flights can transport infected passengers all over the world, as is immediately clear from maps showing confirmed cases of the new coronavirus. Less clear is the risk to fellow passengers. There are many aspects of virus transmission in aircraft cabins, including passenger movement during flights. Cabin air circulation patterns are important in determining how far and where a virus can be transported once shed by an infected passenger.

Scientists will need to better understand these variables before aircraft makers and operators can use nonthermal plasma reactors to help fight the spread of infectious diseases.

The Conversation

Herek Clack, Associate Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Michigan

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Total
0
Shares
Share
Tweet
Share
Share
Related Topics
  • 2019-nCoV
  • Coronavirus
  • Infectious diseases
  • Plasma
  • Viruses
  • Wuhan Coronavirus
dotlah.com

Previous Article
  • Science
  • Society

A Plasma Reactor Zaps Airborne Viruses – And Could Help Slow The Spread Of Infectious Diseases

  • February 7, 2020
View Post
Next Article
  • Lah!

Coronavirus Outbreak: Singapore Introduces Additional Measures With DORSCON Orange

  • February 7, 2020
View Post
You May Also Like
View Post
  • Gears
  • Technology

Apple Vision Pro upgraded with the powerful M5 chip and comfortable Dual Knit Band

  • Dean Marc
  • October 15, 2025
View Post
  • People

Singapore’s national identity excludes those who don’t look like a ‘regular family’

  • dotlah.com
  • October 9, 2025
View Post
  • Gears
  • Technology

Meet Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Series: Packing Everything You Expect From a Premium Tablet

  • Dean Marc
  • September 4, 2025
View Post
  • Technology

Malaysia’s ‘ASEAN Shenzhen’ needs some significant legal reform to take off — here’s how

  • dotlah.com
  • August 25, 2025
View Post
  • Gears
  • Technology

Samsung Electronics Debuts Odyssey G7 Monitors, Showcasing Top Games on Its Displays at Gamescom 2025

  • Dean Marc
  • August 20, 2025
View Post
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Technology

Thoughts on America’s AI Action Plan

  • Dean Marc
  • July 24, 2025
View Post
  • Technology

ESWIN Computing launches the EBC77 Series Single Board Computer with Ubuntu

  • dotlah.com
  • July 17, 2025
View Post
  • Gears
  • Technology

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7: Raising the Bar for Smartphones

  • Dean Marc
  • July 9, 2025


Trending
  • 1
    • Cities
    PSA And A*STAR Collaborate On Smart, Scalable Solutions For Managing Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) Fleets In Preparation For Tuas Port
    • March 3, 2022
  • 2
    • Lah!
    • Technology
    Computer Model To Reduce COVID-19 Infections And Deaths
    • September 19, 2021
  • 3
    • Lah!
    8 Chinese New Year Traditions To Get Right
    • January 20, 2020
  • 4
    • Lah!
    • Technology
    CapitaLand Partners NavInfo DataTech And TPG Telecom To Set Up Singapore’s Largest 5G Smart Estate Trial Site At Singapore Science Park
    • October 28, 2019
  • Mercury 5
    • Science
    • Technology
    Study: Global Deforestation Leads To More Mercury Pollution
    • February 14, 2024
  • 6
    • Cities
    • Lah!
    • Technology
    ST Engineering Launches New High Performance AIR+ Reusable Mask With N95-Grade Filtration And Proven Anti-Microbial Protection
    • March 6, 2021
  • 7
    • Cities
    Exhibition To Commemorate 25 Years Of MPA’s Work In Developing Maritime Singapore
    • November 13, 2021
  • 8
    • Cities
    • Lah!
    Singaporean Researchers Both Home And Abroad Gather To Discuss Opportunities In A Post-COVID World
    • September 24, 2021
  • 9
    • Technology
    NTUC Income Launches SNACK, Singapore’s First Bite-sized, Stackable Insurance That Seamlessly Integrates Into Daily Lifestyle Activities
    • June 16, 2020
  • 10
    • Cities
    • Economy
    India’s Smartphone Market Set To Surge
    • September 22, 2023
  • support group holding hands 11
    • People
    Drug And Alcohol Rehab Success Rates: Do They Really Work?
    • October 22, 2020
  • 12
    • Lah!
    Sembcorp And SP Group To Collaborate On An Environmental Sustainability Platform
    • October 29, 2020
Trending
  • Bluetooth speakers 1
    Best Bluetooth Speakers Under $200 (2025 Edition)
    • October 16, 2025
  • 2
    Apple Vision Pro upgraded with the powerful M5 chip and comfortable Dual Knit Band
    • October 15, 2025
  • 3
    Apple unveils new 14‑inch MacBook Pro powered by the M5 chip, delivering the next big leap in AI for the Mac
    • October 15, 2025
  • 4
    Apple introduces the powerful new iPad Pro with the M5 chip
    • October 15, 2025
  • 5
    Singapore’s national identity excludes those who don’t look like a ‘regular family’
    • October 9, 2025
  • Smart Watch 6
    Best Smartwatches, Your Gateway to Health Monitoring and Everyday Use
    • October 5, 2025
  • Cooking pots and pans 7
    Best Pots and Pans 2025: All-Season, All-Purpose Picks for Every Kitchen
    • September 23, 2025
  • 8
    Politicians love comparing NZ’s economy to Singapore or Ireland – but it’s simplistic and misleading
    • September 21, 2025
  • Kitchen Knives - Best All-Around Picks in 2025 9
    Kitchen Knives : The Surgeons of Cooking – Best All-Around Picks in 2025
    • September 15, 2025
  • 10
    Apple unveils iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the most powerful and advanced Pro models ever
    • September 9, 2025
Social Links
dotlah! dotlah!
  • Cities
  • Technology
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Society
  • Science
  • About
Connecting Dots Across Asia's Tech and Urban Landscape

Input your search keywords and press Enter.