Complicated and expensive chemistry That’s why the European Industrial Gases Association (EIGA) issued guidelines this past spring for the sterilization of medical transport tanks. They list several substances that can be used as disinfectants. “But these substances are either highly flammable – which, in combination with oxygen, increases the risk of fire – or corrosive,” explains Alexander Kriese, responsible at Messer for the hardware for the distribution of gases. “Handling them is rather complicated, expensive and even dangerous.” Alexander Kriese took a long, hard look at the question during the first lockdown and that’s when he learned about disinfection with ultraviolet light. UV-C radiation has already been used successfully against bacterial growth for a long time now, notably in the food industry. This method needs no foreign substances and leaves no residues. As long as the eyes and the skin are protected, there is no risk to people and no side effects from handling. The next step led to the technology group Heraeus, which manufactures disinfection systems that use UV-C technology. However, they were not suitable for use with transport tanks. As the two experts from Messer and Heraeus discussed the problem, the idea for a mobile, handheld device was born. Development started immediately, and the prototype was tested at Messer in Siegen a short time later. Meanwhile, the first UV-C handheld for industrial disinfection is in series production.

Barely a second suffices “At a distance of five centimeters, barely a second of exposure suffices,” explains Alexander Kriese. “For our routine operations, we have developed detailed procedures and instructed the employees accordingly on how to ensure a seamless and adequate dosage when processing the transport tanks with the device.” The disinfection is performed in a separate area, and the returning tanks are initially stored in a designated location. In more and more countries, Messer is relying now on this mobile UV-C disinfection system to sterilize transport tanks that supply medical oxygen. It replaces the far more complex chemical process. As a result, the sterilization process presents minimal risks for people and the environment. There is also virtually no risk whatsoever of damaging pressurized gas cylinders and component parts. Meanwhile, the new device is being used not only in the gases industry, but also in public transport, for example. For their own protection, maintenance crews there use it before starting repair work. It is also ideally suited for disinfecting the interior of rental cars. At Messer, the device is used in several hundred thousand individual operations per year throughout Europe: Nearly ten percent of the mobile pressure vessels are filled with medical gases.