Microbial Air Pollutant Control using Commercial UV-C Lamp for Preparing Re-opening Class Activities at Universitas Indonesia

Abstract

Airborne microorganisms must be controlled, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, to prevent infectious diseases. This research was conducted to prepare a clean room and eliminate infectious pathogens. This study studied a 36-watt UV C commercial lamp to examine its effectiveness in controlling airborne microorganisms in rooms at Universitas Indonesia. The germicide effect of lamp (100 mJ/cm2) predicted by the UV-C test card could be achieved at a distance of 2 to 3 meter after exposure for 60 minutes. UV-C's effectiveness as a germicide was also tested on bacteria, yeast, and mold. No germicides were observed in A. parasiticus and C. lunata after being exposed to the UV-C light at 1 to 2 meters distance for 60 minutes. The germicides UV-C lamps were also applied in examined rooms. Active and passive sampling methods measured airborne microorganisms before and after the treatment of UV-C lamp. The lowest germicide effect of UV-C lamp was 37.66% in the collaboration laboratory, and the highest was 86.12% obtained in seminar room at Department of Biology. Many factors, such as the type of group of microorganisms, air circulation, and equipment in the room, influence the germicide effect of UV-C lamp. Based on existing microorganism populations, the examined indoor air has good quality under 1,000 CFU/m3.