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Evaluation of electrostatic sprayers for the application of disinfectants
Citation:
Wood, Joe AND M. Magnuson. Evaluation of electrostatic sprayers for the application of disinfectants. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, 2021.
Impact/Purpose:
Use of electrostatic sprayers (ESS) and foggers to rapidly apply disinfectants over large areas or complex, intricate surfaces has increased substantially with the COVID-19 outbreak. ESS have been used for many years in several other industries (e.g., efficient application of pesticides to crops), but recently they have grown in popularity as a technique to efficiently and rapidly apply disinfectants to surfaces, i.e., especially those that may be contaminated with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. ESSs impart an electrostatic charge to the spray droplets (most do so as the droplets exit the nozzle of the sprayer), with the goal of improving deposition of the droplets onto surfaces and thus promoting more efficient use of the disinfectant. This attribute may be both an advantage and disadvantage: an ESS may allow less disinfectant to be used to cover a surface area, but with less disinfectant applied, disinfection efficacy may diminish if the surface does not remain wetted for the required contact time. There are several ESS parameters that may impact the disinfectant’s ability to inactivate the virus on surfaces, notwithstanding that an ESS is only as effective as the disinfectant chemical being sprayed. The purpose of this research is to evaluate spray parameters for several different types of sprayers and foggers.
Description:
This is a data packet that will be put onto the EPA website for COVID-19 research.