ATULYA: Microwave sterilizer to disintegrate COVID-19 developed

The Defence Institute of Advanced Technology, deemed university operating under Defence Research and Development Organization has designed microwave sterilizer called “ATULYA”.

Highlights

• The Sterilizer is used to disintegrate COVID-19 virus. 
• The sterilizer uses differential heating to disintegrate the virus in the range of 56 degree Celsius to 60 degree Celsius. 
• The weight of the designed sterilizer is 3 kgs. 
• The time of sterilization depends on the size of the object. 
• The device is cost effective and can be run in fixed and portable installations as well.

What is Sterilization?

• Sterilization is the process by which different forms of life, especially micro organisms such as fungi, virus, bacteria, spores and other Eukaryotic organisms such as Plasmodium are eliminated, killed, removed or deactivated.
• Sterilization is different from sanitization, pasteurization, disinfection. 
• The main methods used in sterilization includes dry heat, pressure, gas vapor, ultra violet radiation, chlorine dioxide gas, etc.
• There are other methods of sterilization as well. 
• This includes dry heat, flaming, incineration, tyndallization, glass bead sterilizers, chemical sterilization. 
• The chemical sterilization is done using ethylene oxide or nitrogen dioxide or ozone, formaldehyde, hydrogen peroxide. 
• Sterilization is also done using radiation. 
• The safety of the irradiation is regulated by the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency.

Differential Heating

• Differential Heating is the process that creates two different temperatures to disintegrate the virus.