The use of UV light for decontamination of bacteria and viruses

Abstract

Since the start of the pandemic, many ultraviolet (UV) products have been sold on the market. However, the efficacy of most of these products are not clearly shown in the product description. Variables such as distance, duration of exposure and UV intensity all can affect the desired result of the product. To tackle these uncertainties, the variables were studied, and different UV light-emitting diodes (LED) were purchased off the market and tested. A paper currency decontamination prototype was also built to incorporate all this knowledge into an effective working device. This report will cover the experimentation results, design of the paper currency prototype, the hardware used and the optimisation of the prototype.