Scientists have come up with mobile indoor Disinfection Sprayer units which can be used for cleaning and disinfecting pathogenic micro-organism effectively, especially in hospitals, the government said on Saturday.

Scientists at CSIR-Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI), Durgapur, have developed two mobile indoor Disinfection Sprayer units.

“Called Battery Powered Disinfectant Sprayer (BPDS) and Pneumatically Operated Mobile Indoor Disinfection (POMID), these units can be used to clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces such as tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets, sinks, and cardboards. Intermittent usage of these disinfecting units can help minimize the risk of transmitting coronavirus to people who inadvertently come in contact with those surfaces,” Ministry of Science and Technology said in a statement.

“Most of the disinfectant sprayers prevalent in the market are based either on cleaning or disinfecting using a single chamber storage for the liquid and are pump-based. The droplets produced by a pump sprayer are much larger in size and the effective coverage of surface is lesser,” said Prof Harish Hirani, Director, CSIR-CMERI.

“However, the CSIR-CMERI developed indoor sprayer systems consists of dual-chamber storage for disinfectants and cleaning and have better nozzle design, better arrangement of nozzles and lesser droplet sizes. The sprayed disinfectant can thus cover a greater surface area for the specified volume of liquid”, he added.

“The particle size and the number of particles of disinfectant are two important parameters in determining the effectiveness of the sprayed disinfectant. CSIR-CMERI is consistently focussed upon developing efficient and effective technologies to contain the spread of COVID-19.  The next stage of development for the devices would be to incorporate 360-degree coverage for disinfectants and cleaning spray as well as to make it compact and autonomous for usage in schools and homes”, he said.

These sprayers are also equipped with mopping features and extendable arms to reach hidden area and clean comprehensively.