To help health-care workers extend the life of personal protective equipment, a Lakehead University professor created a mask sterilizing device that enables health-care professionals to clean and reuse their N95 masks using UV light technology.
Dr. Siamak Elyasi, an Associate Professor in Chemical Engineering used a 3D printer and available materials to create a simple prototype that can clean two masks at a time and is seeking collaborators to help establish the required UV dosage to kill COVID-19. He estimates that the device can disinfect any type of mask in around 20 minutes.
To date, the research has received $10,000 in grant funding from the university towards the cost of building the device. Once they can show the effectiveness of the prototype, they will create a larger device that can clean five to 10 masks at a time.
To learn more, visit Lakehead University.
