MHI Thermal Systems Confirms Effectiveness of Air Purification Filtering Technology for Removal and Inactivation of SARS-CoV-2

– Inactivation effectiveness for SARS-CoV-2 confirmed in test air filter, following previous verification of liquid formulation
– Demonstration test confirmed nearly complete inactivation of virus after one hour of reaction time.

Tokyo, May 12, 2021 – Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Thermal Systems, Ltd. (MHI Thermal Systems), a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, has confirmed that the air purification technology it has developed is effective for removal and inactivation of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). This technology suppresses pollen and other allergens collected in the filter utilizing the power of enzymes and urea. MHI Thermal Systems had previously verified that a liquid enzyme-urea formulation had the capability to remove and inactivate SARS-CoV-2 (announced in February this year) and has now completed effectiveness verification with a test air filter.

To ensure effectiveness, Japan Textile Products Quality and Technology Center (Q-TEC) conducted a demonstration test (Note 1). The tests included filtering media in MHI Thermal Systems’ air purification filters with an injection of a viral fluid containing SARS-CoV-2; then leaving it to rest in an incubator at 35℃ for one hour. The stirred material was then collected and the viral titer determined through plaque assay (Note2) (plaque-forming units (PFU). In comparison to another control sample of viral fluid containing SARS-CoV-2 (left for one hour), the rate of inactivation for the filtering media in the air purification filter was 99.998%. Therefore confirming that within one hour the SARS-CoV-2 became completely inactive.

 
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Source: pubblished the 2021-05-12 on MHI Group web-site.