MATERIALS ENGINEERING AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT SERVICES CORP. — Environmental Protection Agency SBIR Phase I: 17-NCER-4A

Description

METSS will demonstrate the feasibility of utilizing two separate technologies, chlorine dioxide (ClO2) and Hot Air Decontamination (HAD; high temperature/low humidity) as on-site decontamination processes for treating_x000D_ Category A virus contaminated items including porous materials (e.g., upholstery, bedding, fabric, carpet, unpainted wood); sensitive equipment; and potentially reusable materials (e.g., computers, cell phones and tablets, appliances). Either on-site treatment process would significantly reduce the need for transporting contaminated waste and materials to an off-site treatment facility; a process that has inherent safety risks and costs. Room-scale decontamination demonstration tests will be performed with a unique, highly robust, inexpensive ClO2 gas generating system and with a novel HAD system to determine efficacy against Phi6 bacteriophage (a surrogate to the Ebola virus). Bench-scale and full-scale testing will be performed to_x000D_ demonstrate the ability of these decontamination processes to inactivate viruses in both non-porous and porous_x000D_ materials. Field-scale tests will also demonstrate the processes are robust and safe. While the initial targets are Category A viruses, which are rarely seen in the US, the technologies have application in numerous other market industries such as health-care, food safety, sports/fitness, and military sustainment.