• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Homemade Circuit Projects

Get free circuit help 24/7

  • 1000+ Circuits
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Disclaimer
  • Videos – Circuit Test Results
You are here: Home / Health Related / Face Mask with UVC Disinfected Fresh Air

Face Mask with UVC Disinfected Fresh Air

Last Updated on June 18, 2020 by Swagatam Leave a Comment

Face masks have so far proved to be the most effective first line of defense against all contagious epidemics and pandemics.

However, the biggest discomfort with face masks is the difficulty in breathing and accessing fresh air. On the other hand, if the masks are made porous for letting fresh air in could also allowing Covid-19 germs a safe passage inside the mask, defeating the main purpose of the mask.

If a provision is made wherein the air entering the mask is forced to pass through a quick disinfecting agent such as a UVC light channel, could possibly inactivate all pathogen including coronavirus, providing a healthier air for the user inside the face mask.

In the post below I have made an attempt in this direction with an innovative face mask idea that would disinfect the air entering the mask using UVGI concept, allowing the user to breathe much freely.

How UVGI can be Effective

UVGI technology stands for ultraviolet germicidal irradiation, that involves using the destructive properties of UV rays against pathogens, to eliminate them through UV irradiation.

Researchers have found that when pathogens are irradiated with concentrated UVC rays, their RNA material is quickly broken down and destroyed.

In our face mask disinfection concept, since the air has to first pass through a narrow channel, irradiated with concentrated UVC, is able to inflict maximum destructive properties on the viruses travelling through this passage.

What is UVC

In the term UVC, UV stands for UltraViolet, and C signifies the wavelength category of the UV light ,which is between 100 and 280 nm, as depicted in the following image:

The wavelength falling in the range between 100 and 280 nm is the ultraviolet range which has the ability to eliminate all forms of pathogens including bacteria and viruses.

UVC LED

Nowadays, it is possible to get specialized germicidal LEDs designed for generating UVC light in the range of 250 to 280 nm. These UV lights have proven to be quite competent in inactivating viruses entering its light zone.

You can see a few example of SMD UVC LED in the following figures which can be applied for the [proposed face mask air disinfection application. You can also also check out the adjoining datasheets.

datasheet1, datasheet2, datasheet3

Due to the fact that UVC in this range may be also harmful for human skin, that's exactly why the UVC LED in this concept has been confined inside a separate enclosure prohibiting any contact of the light with the human skin.

Applying UVC in Face Masks

Since UVC germicidal LEDs are now easily accessible, implementing them in innovative germicidal applications has now become easy.

In critical pandemics such as COVID 19 when wearing masks is a compulsion for everybody especially for all the healthcare workers, it can be a lot of inconvenience and stressful times for these

The concept shown in the following image could be used as an external attachment for face masks in order to enable fresh disinfected air for the user.

The inside surface of the tube must be white in color so that the UV rays can be reflected from the tube walls enhancing the disinfection efficiency.

Here, we can see a small cylindrical tube enclosing an UVC LED and a Li-Ion battery. The lower mouth of the tube is open for enabling the atmospheric air or possibly infected air to enter the tube, while the other end is attached with a pipe which connects with the face mask. The connection set up can be witnessed in the following image.

If the tube connection looks cumbersome and messy, it could be improvised into a plug-in type unit as shown in the following example

The set up allows the air to enter the tube, and get disinfected by the UV light, and then move ahead through the connecting pipe into the face mask interior.

When the user exhales, the opposite happens. Now, the exhaled air exits out from the tube, and in the process gets disinfected while moving out from the tube.

This way the UVC LED disinfects the air both ways, while inhalation and exhalation, thus helping greatly to suppress the spreading of the contagious disease.

Which type of Face Masks can be Used?

Since the design requires the connections to be rigid and firm, cloth face masks may not be compatible with this concept, rather the ones built with plastic or other harder material might be more suitable.

Which Battery Can be Used

Since the current consumption of the specified UVC LED is just 60 mA, a tiny 3.7 V 300 mAh Li-Ion or Lipo battery will be enough to provide a back up for more than 4 hours on each charging.

Specifications of 3.7V 300 mAH Lipo Battery:-

  • Voltage: 3.7 V
  • Capacity: 300 mAh
  • Size approx : 30 mm x 20 mm x 4 mm

How to Charge the battery

The battery can be charged through any standard Li-Ion battery charger with auto cut off or it may be also implemented using the following simple set up.

When the glow on the filament of the bulb is almost zero, the battery can be assumed to be fully charged.




Previous: 6 Best Ultrasonic Circuit Projects for Hobbyists and Engineers
Next: 110 V to 310 V Converter Circuit

About Swagatam

I am an electronic engineer (dipIETE ), hobbyist, inventor, schematic/PCB designer, manufacturer. I am also the founder of the website: https://www.homemade-circuits.com/, where I love sharing my innovative circuit ideas and tutorials.
If you have any circuit related query, you may interact through comments, I'll be most happy to help!

You'll also like:

  • 1.  Heart Rate Monitor Circuit
  • 2.  Ultrasonic Hand Sanitizer Circuit
  • 3.  Using UV-C Light Chambers for Disinfecting Humans from Coronavirus
  • 4.  Bluetooth Stethoscope Circuit
  • 5.  Electronic Ballast Circuit for UV Germicidal Lamps
  • 6.  Hospital Room Call Bell Circuit for Alerting Nurse with a Button Press

Please Subscribe (Only if you are Genuinely Interested in our Newsletters)


 

Reader Interactions

Your Comments are too Valuable! But please see that they are related to the above article, and are not off-topic! Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Electronic Projects Categories

  • 3-Phase Power (15)
  • 324 IC Circuits (19)
  • 4017 IC Circuits (51)
  • 4060 IC Circuits (25)
  • 555 IC Circuits (92)
  • 741 IC Circuits (18)
  • Amplifiers (49)
  • Arduino Engineering Projects (82)
  • Audio Projects (84)
  • Battery Chargers (75)
  • Car and Motorcycle (87)
  • Datasheets (45)
  • Decorative Lighting (Diwali, Christmas) (31)
  • DIY LED Projects (81)
  • Electronic Components (97)
  • Electronic Devices and Circuit Theory (35)
  • Electronics Tutorial (99)
  • Fish Aquarium (5)
  • Free Energy (34)
  • Games (2)
  • GSM Projects (9)
  • Health Related (17)
  • Heater Controllers (23)
  • Home Electrical Circuits (98)
  • Incubator Related (6)
  • Industrial Electronics (26)
  • Infrared (IR) (39)
  • Inverter Circuits (94)
  • Laser Projects (10)
  • LM317/LM338 (21)
  • LM3915 IC (24)
  • Meters and Testers (54)
  • Mini Projects (153)
  • Motor Controller (64)
  • MPPT (7)
  • Oscillator Circuits (12)
  • PIR (Passive Infrared) (8)
  • Power Electronics (33)
  • Power Supply Circuits (66)
  • Radio Circuits (9)
  • Remote Control (46)
  • Security and Alarm (56)
  • Sensors and Detectors (115)
  • SG3525 IC (5)
  • Simple Circuits (72)
  • SMPS (30)
  • Solar Controllers (60)
  • Timer and Delay Relay (51)
  • TL494 IC (5)
  • Transformerless Power Supply (8)
  • Transmitter Circuits (38)
  • Ultrasonic Projects (12)
  • Water Level Controller (45)

Follow Homemade Circuits

Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Instagram
My Facebook-Page
Quora

Feeds

Post RSS
Comment RSS

Circuit Calculators

  • AWG to Millimeter Converter
  • Battery Back up Time Calculator
  • Capacitance Reactance Calculator
  • IC 555 Astable Calculator
  • IC 555 Monostable Calculator
  • Inductance Calculator
  • LC Resonance Calculator
  • LM317, LM338, LM396 Calculator
  • Ohm’s Law Calculator
  • Phase Angle Phase Shift Calculator
  • Power Factor (PF) Calculator
  • Reactance Calculator
  • Small Signal Transistor(BJT) and Diode Quick Datasheet
  • Transistor Astable Calculator
  • Transistor base Resistor Calculator
  • Voltage Divider Calculator
  • Wire Current Calculator
  • Zener Diode Calculator

© 2021 · Swagatam Innovations