New device without electricity sterilizes medical instruments

A team of researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Indian Institute of Technology

Institute came up with a way to passivelygenerating the required steam using only the energy of sunlight, without the need for fuel or electricity. The device, which would require a solar collector of approximately 2 m² to power a typical small clinic autoclave, would provide access to safe, sterile equipment at low cost in remote locations. The prototype was successfully tested in Mumbai, India.

The key to the new system is to useoptically transparent airgel. The material is a lightweight silica foam and consists mainly of air. This lightweight material provides effective insulation, reducing heat loss tenfold.

Airgel sticks to the topequipment for the production of hot water for solar energy. It consists of a copper plate with a heat-absorbing black coating. When the sun heats the plate, water flowing through the pipes beneath it picks up that heat. But with the addition of a clear insulating layer on top and polished aluminum mirrors on each side of the plate, the system generates high-temperature steam instead of just hot water. At the end of the process, steam under pressure is supplied to the autoclave. 

This image shows a transparent, cloud-like thermal airgel, insulating autoclave powered by solar energy. Credit: Lin Zhao.

Much of the developing world faceslimited availability of reliable electricity or affordable fuel that is required for autoclaving or medical sterilization. The new development will help solve this problem, scientists are sure.

Read also

Neurons in the human brain and the network of galaxies are similar

Due to plate movement, the Pacific Ocean floor is now deep under China

Scientists hacked a robot vacuum cleaner to remotely record user conversations