Member Article

Pioneering Far-UVC technology that kills 99.98% of pathogens including COVID, to be trialled in White Rose Park, Leeds

A forward-looking Yorkshire-based business that was launched in spring 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been awarded a £271,000 grant by Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency, to enable it to develop and manufacture products using pioneering FAR-UVC light technology.

222Protect is a safe Far-UVC light fixture which can be installed in overhead lighting and air handling units to destroy COVID-19 found in exhaled microdroplets in indoor environments.

Moore MedTech, a health technology provider, has joined forces with indoor environment experts Free Running Buildings in Rotherham on a six-month trial of its new 222Protect products in the busy coffee shop of the White Rose Park in Leeds. Moore MedTech’s Far-UVC in duct sterilisation units will be installed into existing air handling units and downlights at The Hub, one of the business park’s main hospitality areas, to create a safe, continually sanitised environment.

The 18-month project, which will be launched in December, has been made possible with funding from Innovate UK which drives productivity and economic growth by supporting businesses to develop and realise the potential of new ideas.

Moore MedTech CTO Jamie Moore, who is leading the project, said: “Our focus is on utilising the latest technologies, techniques and applications to combat pathogens in order to tackle the pandemic and help organisations create safer, cleaner working environments in order to bring people back to shared spaces.

“We were aware that Far-UVC light was likely to be a valuable tool in our armoury and are excited that, working with our partners Free Running Buildings, this grant enables us to trial the technology in the truly testing environment of a busy hospitality hub with hundreds of customers using the coffee shop every day. Our thanks go to the White Rose Park for supporting us in this important trial and providing access to their facilities.

“The funding is vital to enabling us to further develop this innovative technology in a real-life situation in an environment which will give us the opportunity for exhaustive testing.”

David Aspin, founder & CEO of Munroe K, owners and operators of the White Rose Park, said: “We’re all adjusting to a new reality where we have to be innovative in the way we use space and technology in order to keep people as safe as possible whilst trying to minimise the impact of physical restrictions on everyday life. We were impressed that a Yorkshire venture has taken the lead in adapting this proven technology for facilities like ours, and we recognise the potential to improve protection for our tenants and visitors. We are working together to help Moore Medtech gather the important data and evidence of the system’s efficacy so that other landlords also have the chance to benefit from this tool as we all adjust to the new normal.”

Dr Ruby Hughes, technical director at Free Running Buildings, added: “It’s well-known that heating, ventilation, and HVAC systems exacerbate airborne transmission of COVID-19, particularly with unplanned air currents moving smaller respiratory droplets. As experts in providing thermally comfortable indoor environments, we have been able to work with Moore MedTech to use safe Far-UVC technology in an innovative light fixture to combat the risk of infection via airborne viruses indoors. We will also utilise our expertise in virtual simulation to simulate the hospitality facility in order to validate the right location and quantity for fitting these Far-UVC light units.

FAR-UVC has been shown to have the same highly effective germicidal properties of UV light, but without the associated human health risks. Its benefits include up to 1,000 times greater destruction than any other UV sources, greater ability to break the molecular bonds of all organisms, bactericidal effects and efficacy in destroying coronavirus whilst being safe for human use. “We are excited to be collaborating with Moore MedTech to create an energy-efficient, pathogen clean indoor environment and believe that this project could mark a major step in enabling us all to live with the virus.”

Having worked within the medical technology sector for the last 14 years, siblings, Samantha and Jamie Moore, set up Moore MedTech in April 2020 in response to the problems businesses and facilities management specialists were facing to provide safe work environments following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

As well as offering Far-UVC products, Moore MedTech also supplies a range of Covid testing services, from home testing for employees to antigen and antibody testing. Providing companies with the Covid-status of their workforce to quickly identify outbreaks and restore confidence in staff who are returning to the workplace.

Free Running Buildings is a spin-out from University of Leeds. It was set up in 2014 by Professor Ben Hughes with the aim of providing building occupants and owners with a thermally comfortable indoor environment while using minimal energy consumption.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Emma Kilmurray .