Sistema de ozonização de água para uso em desinfecção de superfície por aspersão

Abstract

The hospital infection control faces challenges with traditional methods, making ozone (O₃) – a powerful bactericidal, fungicidal, and virucidal oxidizing agent – an effective alternative for sterilization. However, ozone gas is harmful to the respiratory tract at a concentration of 0.1 ppm (parts per million), which is equivalent to approximately 0.2 mg/m³ (milligrams per cubic meter) in short-term occupational exposures, according to NR-15 standards, thus limiting its application in living beings. Precisely along these lines, this study investigates the use of gaseous ozone dissolved in water (ozonated water), eliminating the risk to the respiratory system due to the near-zero residual gas concentration, without altering its oxidizing power. The system, designed with an innovative configuration for continuous (uninterrupted) generation, combats pathogens, particularly the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) virus, on surfaces and in healthcare environments. The methodology employed, initially based on study and empirical observation, is characterized by applied research of an experimental nature, through the development of robust equipment for generating gaseous ozone from atmospheric air, coupled with a system for infusing this gas into a liquid medium in a semi-batch system. Following experimental tests and microbiological assays, the system’s efficiency in combating the target pathogen was demonstrated. The results showed pathogen inactivation of 3 log10, or 99.9%, after 3 and 5 seconds of exposure to this sanitizer, confirming the effectiveness of the developed system. Therefore, it is concluded that the creation of a system using ozone infused into an aqueous solution, via spraying, without the need for costly O2 gas cylinders, offers technical and economic viability, operational reliability, and potential application in scenarios requiring high levels of biosafety.