Swiss university student designs a device that transforms water into disinfectant

A master’s student at the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne (EPFL), in Swisshas designed a portable and low-cost device for his six-month project that transforms the water ordinary into antiseptic in less than a minute, which would improve the hygiene of hospital equipment in poor countries.

The prototype, which at the moment can produce between 20 and 60 milliliters of disinfectant water per hour, exploits the bactericidal properties of plasma-activated water for use in extreme conditions such as in space, the Swiss academic entity explained in a statement.

The idea for the project arose from the university student’s passion for plasma physics, which is already used in the aerospace sector for the propulsion of satellites and rockets.

“I am interested in studying activated water in a microgravity environment to determine if this technology can be used in future manned space missions, since with only water and electricity, the spread of diseases could be prevented in future space vehicles or in lunar bases”said Constant Panisset, the student responsible for the project.

When ordinary water is exposed to plasma, its acidity increases and its composition changes, so that it comes to contain new chemical compounds such as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), nitrite (NO2) and nitrate (NO3) that are used in agriculture, the medicine or hygiene.

The student plans that the device, currently costing around 100 euros, can also be used to disinfect hospital equipment in developing countries.

The project is still in the study phase and needs to optimize the dimensions and power of the device for use in space.

However, the prototype is expected to be ready for use on the Nordend rocket, which will be launched by the EPFL Rocket Team in October.

Source: EFE