According to a UC statement released on Monday, the new technology called "NovirBox" uses the disinfectant VIRCOV BAC 360 in an "innovative, fast, and easy to use" way to disinfect fabrics, clothing, and footwear.
The system was developed by researchers of the UC and Dynasys, an electronics engineering and telecommunications company.
The NovirBox's ultrasonic nebulization technology makes it possible "to generate an aerosol of the disinfectant with extremely small droplets, which allows it to penetrate the pores of the clothing fabrics and reach all areas of the footwear," said the statement.
The researchers said this disinfection system is "automatic and programmable," and can be used at room temperature without wetting cloths or shoes.
"It may be crucial in preventing the spread of infections in clothing and footwear stores, where items are dealt with on a massive scale, but also in spaces such as hospitals, laboratories, gyms, schools, and industries, among others," said the statement.
"The elimination of bacterial spores, viruses and gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria" was tested in a wide range of microorganisms, said Paula Morais, director of the UC Bacteria Culture Collection.
The results of the work have been published in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Morais stressed that the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic "highlighted the importance of disinfection processes in health safety."
"The risk of emergence of new variants of SARS-CoV-2 and new pandemics, such as monkeypox, in addition to the growing problem of multidrug-resistant microorganisms, makes it necessary to develop new and better methods of disinfection," she said.
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