BGU-developed technology can filter airborne COVID-19 particles
The graphene air filters will be more efficient, cost-effective, consume less energy and require far less maintenance than other air filters currently on the market.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFA worker weighs graphene, which is used by biochemists to develop a possible Zika-repellent clothes detergent additive, at "Grupo Avance" (Advance Group) laboratory in Santiago, March 4, 2016.(photo credit: IVAN ALVARADO/REUTERS)
Laser-induced graphene (LIG) technology, developed by a partnership between Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) and Houston-based Rice University, is to be commercialized to make filtration systems that can filter out airborne COVID-19 particles.The commercialization will be done by LIGC Application Ltd., a leader in the field of graphene commercialization, which focuses on adapting the massive and diverse potential of graphene for the commercial sector.“For the past five years, our lab at the BGU Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research has focused on the development of LIG, specifically in antimicrobial filtration and environmental applications,” BGU's Dr. Chris Arnusch said in a statement.“We are excited to be commercializing our technology in a number of air filtration products for COVID-19 and other specialized filtration applications.”While its existence has been theorized since at least the 1960s, graphene was first properly isolated by University of Manchester researchers Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov in 2004, with their subsequent studies on the material earning them the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010.Since then, many scientists began exploring the potential applications of this material, with studies from Rice University in 2014 showing that the material is surprisingly strong, able to distribute force from an impact 10 times better than steel. Its utility is further aided by the fact that it is surprisingly easy to isolate high-quality graphene from a number of sources.Researchers have found a wide variety of different commercial applications for graphene, ranging from water purification to fuel cell catalysts and even combating other diseases, such as the Zika virus. Air filtration is simply one of these possible applications – and the timing couldn't be better.The development of an air filter that can successfully filter COVID-19 particles is especially relevant, as the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic has proven the importance of limiting the spread of the virus in indoor areas.“In the absence of better filtration technology, the indoor spaces where we used to spend most of our ‘normal’ life – schools, stores and workplaces – present a real risk due to COVID-19,” LIGC CEO and co-founder Yehuda Borenstein explained.“This technology will provide cleaner and more breathable air with lower energy and maintenance costs and virtually silent sound levels,” he said.
The filters function by creating a graphene mesh, which heats, electrocutes and neutralizes airborne pathogens and organic particles such as mold and bacteria at the micron and sub-micron levels. All of this is done by using commercially available CO2 lasers.Compared to existing filtration systems, such as UV-C and HEPA filters, the latter of which currently sees widespread use on aircraft, the LIG air filters are considerably more efficient, cost-effective and require far less maintenance. In addition, the fact that LIG filters only use low-voltage electricity means that they consume far less energy compared to existing air filters.“To understand the technology, imagine the porous graphene is an electric fence that functions like a mosquito zapper at the submicron level,” Borenstein said.“When an airborne bacteria or virus touches the graphene surface, it is shocked at a low voltage and currents that are safe for use," he said. "While 2020 has highlighted the importance of protecting against airborne viruses, the post-pandemic world will likely show us how important it is to do so without increasing energy costs past the point of affordability.”
