Source: Michigan Technological UniversityAn engineering team at Michigan Technological University has built a prototype mobile thermal utility (MTU) sanitizer to clean personal protective equipment (PPE) worn by frontline workers battling the coronavirus.

To build the MTU sanitizer, the engineers outfitted a decommissioned shipping container with a heating unit and racks and trays. The MTU sanitizer disinfects PPE, which includes anything from lab coats, gowns, face shields and N95 masks worn by healthcare personnel, by exposing it to high temperatures from the heating unit.

Capable of heating the inside of the shipping container to temperatures ranging from 140° F to 170° F — temperatures hot enough to kill the virus, according to ranges estimated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — the PPE is placed on baking tray racks for a sanitation process that takes roughly two hours.

During testing of the prototype, which took place at the Michigan Technological University campus parking lot, the engineering team reportedly cleaned anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 PPE units every two hours. The team aims to make the design scalable to hospitals throughout the country, all of which are experiencing COVID-19-related PPE shortages.

The prototype’s developers also believe that the containers could be used to sanitize larger equipment such as beds, gurneys and firefighter gear, for instance.