Georgia Tech News Center

ozone cleaning of ppe

Ozone Disinfection Could Safely Allow Reuse of Personal Protective Equipment

By Johnn Toon July 10, 2020

A new study shows that ozone gas, a highly reactive chemical composed of three oxygen atoms, could provide a safe means for disinfecting certain types of personal protective equipment that are in high demand for shielding healthcare personnel from Covid-19.

Conducted by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology using two pathogens similar to the novel coronavirus, the study found that ozone can inactivate viruses on items such as Tyvek gowns, polycarbonate face shields, goggles, and respirator masks without damaging them — as long as they don’t include stapled-on elastic straps.

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Spotlight

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Campus Leaders Share Plan to Return to Campus

During an online town hall campus leaders discussed the plan to safely return to campus this fall.
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During an online town hall campus leaders discussed the plan to safely return to campus this fall.
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Campus Leaders Host Virtual Town Hall on Health and Safety

Campus leaders reviewed some of the steps Georgia Tech is taking to encourage the safety of students, faculty, and staff who will be on campus this...
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As planning committees examine how to safely ramp up research activities, we talked to two campus leaders about possible next steps.
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Science and Technology

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Surfaces That Grip Like Gecko Feet Could Be Easily Mass-Produced

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Cognitive Empowerment Program Opens Doors to First Members

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Abdallah Testifies on U.S. Competitiveness, Research, STEM Pipeline at Congressional Hearing

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While Promoting Diseases Like Cancer, These Enzymes Also Cannibalize Each Other

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$25 Million Project Will Advance DNA-Based Archival Data Storage

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Scientists Transform Barbecue Lighter Into a High-Tech Lab Device

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Laser Pulse Creates Frequency Doubling in Amorphous Dielectric Material

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Business and Economic Development

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Remote worker using laptop at kitchen table. Coping with COVID-19 overlaid in text.
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Earth and Environment

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Energy Regulation Rollbacks Threaten Progress Against Harmful Ozone

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Adhesive Formed From Bee Spit and Flower Oil Could Form Basis of New Glues

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Society and Culture

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STEM Diversity Scholarships Subject of Husbands Fealing Grant

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Atlanta Honors College Namesake, Mayor Ivan Allen Jr., through Newly Dedicated Bridge in Downtown Atlanta

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Natural Disasters Contribute to Holiday Travel Delays

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llya Kaminsky is One of the World's Top Poets, and He Teaches at Georgia Tech

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Study Probes Gender Pay Gaps in U.S. Federal Science Agencies

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Kaye Husbands Fealing Elected NAPA Fellow; Keynotes AAAS Fellowship Program

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Georgia Tech Aerospace Engineering Graduate James McConville Sworn in as Army’s Top Officer

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$3M NSF Project Will Use Nature’s Designs to Spark High School Students’ Interest in Engineering

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Associate Professor Willie Belton
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HEALTH AND MEDICINE

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Atlanta Institutions Take Lead Role in Fast-Tracking COVID-19 Diagnostic Tests

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Simple, Low-Cost Ventilator Builds on Available Resuscitation Bags

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The Human Brain’s Meticulous Interface with the Bloodstream now on a Precision Chip

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Metagenomics Unlocks Unknowns of Diarrheal Disease Cases in Children

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3D-Printed Device Finds ‘Needle in a Haystack’ Cancer Cells by Removing the Hay

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Particles Emitted by Consumer 3D Printers Could Hurt Indoor Air Quality

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GTRI Interns Create Portable, Modular Medical Imaging Devices for Remote Places

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Featured Videos

For the next few months, visitors to the Atlanta Botanical Garden’s Canopy Walk will be able to watch the testing of a new high-tech tool in the battle to save some of the world’s most endangered species. SlothBot is a slow-moving and energy-efficient robot that can linger in the trees to monitor animals, plants, and the environment below. Built by robotics engineers at the Georgia Institute of Technology to take advantage of the low-energy lifestyle of real sloths, the solar-powered SlothBot demonstrates how being slow can be ideal for certain applications.

Kentez Craig grew up in Atlanta with two parents who served as first responders working as paramedics for local hospitals. Now, as a master's student of engineering, he is inspired by his parents as he helps develop and build protective equipment for healthcare professionals on the front lines fighting the battle against COVID-19.

The slightest bit of shear tension makes gecko adhesion surfaces grip, and the release of that same tension makes them let go. The same gripping surfaces can pick up objects of all shapes, sizes, and materials with the exception of Teflon and other non-stick surfaces. Credit: Georgia Tech / Varenberg lab