SBIR-STTR Award

The in situ production of biocidal reactive oxygen via directed energy work will develop a benign, environmentally safe decontamination solution. The effort will demonstrate the potential to produce biocidal reactive oxygen and thermal effects via exposure to radio frequency directed energy at two frequencies to kill bacterial (Bacillus thuringensis) and mold (Penicillium sp.) spores. Controlled experiments will demonstrate comparative kill based on solution and exposure time. A statistical analysis will be conducted on the results. The effect will be demonstrated on three different surfaces (glass, wood, plastic) to evaluate the potential uses of the system. The resulting data will include compositions of the decontamination system and evaluation of two types of radio frequency sources. The commercial applications of the product include hazardous material cleanup, military biological decontamination systems, mold remediation in buildings, and reduction in hospital acquired illnesses via whole room decontamination.

This effort will expand the universe of direct energy enhancers across a wider spectrum of RF parameters to produce optimal decontamination at even lower cost. During the course of the Phase II investigation proposed here, initial work will be carried out on the determination of the fundamental mechanism of decontamination of biological materials with an eye toward expanding applicability to chemical agent inactivation. The expansion of the EMCAT technology to molds and insects will be explored.