Nano-tech startup Log 9 develops CoronaOven to kill viruses

Bengaluru headquartered nanotechnology startup Log 9 Materials has developed CoronaOven, a disinfection chamber that kills bacteria and viruses on objects using ultraviolet light.

The portable device, with a 20 litre volume,  works on the principle of UV germicdal irradiation and is specifically designed to kill Covid-19 or novel coronavirus, the company said in a statement. It claims to use UV with a wavelength of 235.7 nm to kill viruses from all types of surfaces. 

Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation is the process of killing microorganism using UV light and is used in laboratories and industrial settings to sterilize equipment. 

Log 9 Material is yet to receive a patent for its device.

“Not only does the CoronaOven provide accurate and necessary energy via multifocal UVC radiation on each point on the surface of an object to be disinfected, but also guarantees 100% destruction of the coronovirus and other harmful microorganisms. It is a scalable and cost-effective solution built with easily available materials, and is as simple to use as a normal microwave,” Akshay Singhal founder and CEO of Log 9 Materials said.

CoronaOven is listed by Log 9 Materials on the government’s emarketplace portal and is expected to soon be commercialised on a large scale, the company said.

Read: Coronavirus India live updates

Several startups in India are trying to find quick solutions to fight the pandemic. The Action Covid-19 Team (ACT), set up by the Indian startup community has so far funded seven such startups.

Marico Innovation Foundation, the corporate social responsibility (CSR) unit of fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) major Marico, has also offered a grant of Rs 2.5 crore to startups that can develop cost-effective equipment for the detection and treatment of Covid-19.

This is not the first time Log 9 has started a social impact initiative. In June last year, the company floated a subsidiary called Log 9 Spill Containment focused on clean-tech products for managing and cleaning spillage of chemicals and hydrocarbon-based liquids in water bodies.

In October 2019, the company had raised about $3.5 million in a Series A funding round from Sequoia Capital India’s accelerator programme Surge and Exfinity Venture Partners.