The AeroPathAI project aims to validate technologies for air disinfection, focusing on airborne pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2. The transmission of the virus occurs mainly through droplets of different sizes: the larger ones fall quickly while the smaller ones can fly for hours, spreading in closed and crowded environments. This makes the development of effective methods to disinfect the air in public places such as schools, offices and hospitals crucial.
The project proposes the use of UV-C as inactivating agents, integrated into a test system including a generator of aerosol to simulate the presence of infectious droplets in a controlled environment. The distinctive feature of AeroPathAI is the creation of a virtual prototype based on thermo-fluid-dynamic numerical simulations, which allows the system to be tested and optimised before physical implementation.
The protocol that AeroPathAI intends to establish for the validation of disinfection technologies aims to imitate real conditions, with air currents and random droplet movements, to ensure the effectiveness of the system in dynamic scenarios. This is essential to ensure that the sanitation of the environment is reliable and safe for people.
With the goal of reaching a TRL 5 technology maturity level, AeroPathAI aims to provide a useful tool for companies in the disinfection sector, potentially extendable to the treatment of other airborne pathogens. In summary, AeroPathAI will not only increase the safety of indoor environments, but also offers a platform for future innovations in the field of air disinfection.
The Consortium:
Alessandro Marcello, ICGEB
