Mumbai startup develops disinfection system to make N95 masks, PPE and medical gears reusable

The disinfection system, called Vajra Kavach, will help in significantly cutting the cost of combating the pandemic

Mumbai-based startup Indra Water has developed a disinfection system for N95 masks, PPE  and other medical equipment, that has been installed at multiple government hospitals in Maharashtra and Telangana, according to a statement by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoH&FW).

The disinfection system, called Vajra Kavach, will help in significantly cutting the cost of combating the pandemic by making PPE, medical and non-medical gears reusable. It would also reduce the generation of excessive COVID-related bio-medical waste, thereby helping the environment, it said.

It is also making personal protective equipment (PPE) more available, affordable and accessible, said the statement.

The product uses a multi-stage disinfection process with advanced oxidation, corona discharge and UV-C light spectrum to inactivate viruses, bacteria and other microbial strains present on the PPE with more than 99.99 per cent efficiency, it said.

Indra Water, the startup which was initiated with the NIDHI-PRAYAS grant from DST (through SINE-IIT Bombay) for innovations in the water sector, used the Centre for Augmenting WAR with COVID-19 Health Crisis (CAWACH) grant to modify their technology and make it suitable for combating COVID-19.

The system has been validated and tested by the Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering at IIT Bombay, it added.