A technology developed by Narsimha Chary, a rural innovator from Nizamabad district of Telangana, which can generate optimum lux in a filament-less UV-C light to kill the coronavirus has been tested and validated by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research- Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology (CISR-CCMB).
A normal 30watts UV-C Light (which has been used for the test) with 254 Nanometer range can generate up to 210 Lux. The technology developed by Narsimha can generate 1288 Lux in the same light by a circuit he developed. Lux is a measure of how much light falls on a surface.
When a tube-light fuses out, it usually has five grams of mercury left in it. Narsimha earlier created a solution that can use this little mercury to revive a fused-out light. His current technology uses a similar method to increase the amount of lux in a light as per the need, thus increasing the thickness of the light.
Using this technology, Narsimha has created an Ultraviolet Box with filament-less UV-C Light, which was tested by CSIR-CCMB on SARS-CoV2 and was successfully able to neutralize 99% viral particles.
“When we try to increase the lux in the UV-C light more than what it is capable of, the filament can burst. The circuit technology that I developed could optimise the Lux to maximum using the residual mercury until it becomes 0 mg after the light is diffused. This is tested on 30 watts & 254 nanometre-ranged UV-C light (could be performed on lights with different specifications) without filament, which is the first time in the world. This increased lux generated, as per CCMB was able to kill 99% viral particles at the tested time points, minimum at 15 seconds and maximum 1200 seconds when the virus sample is placed at 30 centimeters away from the light. Currently, I hold a provisional patent of the technology,” Narsimha says.
CCMB has also signed an MoU with Narsimha Chary to further explore the technology in case of new interventions.
CCMB Director Dr. Rakesh Mishra said “It is very nice to see small entrepreneurs & startups coming up with innovative ideas and products. CCMB is happy to test, validate, and provide technical assistance wherever possible.”
The Telangana State Innovation Cell (TSIC) is working with Narsimha in facilitating various institutional validations required for the technology.
Principal Secretary of IT, Jayesh Ranjan said, “While Narsimha's technology to generate UV light without filament is an outcome of innate passion to answer problems with sustainable solutions, validation and accessibility to the innovator would be the foremost support by the State's Innovation Ecosystem.”
TSIC is currently working with the innovator to explore the possible scale-up opportunities.