A water treatment company is seeking support to develop its existing proven water treatment solution, making it small enough to fit underneath every sink in healthcare environments. The device, once fitted, will mean taps can deliver ozonated water with the ability to kill bacteria and viruses on contact.
Oxfordshire-based Aqua 21 Ltd has been using ozonation technology to provide clean drinking water with the ability to disinfect contaminated supplies for many years. The science and technology is proven at an industrial scale and the company’s Founder, Trevor Costello, is now seeking support to engineer a smaller version of the solution that could fit beneath every sink, converting a normal tap into one that can deliver biocidal water with the power to kill COVID-19, MRSA and other harmful pathogens on contact.
To find out more, or offer your expertise here: www.aqua21.co.uk/help-save-lives
To support the project and do your bit to fight the virus, click here: www.gofundme.com/f/aqua21-help-save-lives
With the current unprecedented health emergency, this technology could give hospital staff the ability to wash their hands and wards with biocidal water straight from a tap. Trevor realised the opportunity for his technology to help, but the costs in developing the necessary small-scale gadget means he needs the help of engineers and water scientists, as well as funding and backers for the project.
Being stuck at home, unable to work at his office, Trevor realised there were probably many others in a similar situation who could lend their expertise while they were unable to attend to their normal duties.
He says: “I was at home, listening to the news reports and discussing with my colleagues at Imperial College London and knew there was a simple way we could help. With a possible second spike in COVID-19 cases expected in the Autumn, we have around six months to develop and commoditise this solution to be ready to help healthcare workers fight this threat.
“We’ve done it before. The UK introduced TMVs in the late 1980s to prevent scalds from boiling water out of taps and this is no different. Our solution could fit under a sink and supply biocidal water straight from the tap. We just need the support of the UK’s engineers and financial backing to make this a reality.”
Aqua 21 Ltd is applying for relevant Government funding for this project, but given the time constraints and the investment required, this is unlikely to come through, especially given the protracted timescales. Its GoFundMe page will be used solely for the development of this project.
Aqua21 technology was developed in collaboration with Imperial College London, and the patented equipment makes ozonation cheaper, energy efficient and scalable for any use case. The technology is also unique because it uses real-time sensors to test the amount of ozone in the water and therefore provide reassurance of disinfection. Levels of ozone can be changed to the use case – for example handwashing or deep cleaning.
Aqua21 equipment is currently being used in Vietnam as a disinfectant in the pork value chain, and in the UK and Europe within microculture and farming to irrigate greenhouses with safe water.
