RGF® R&D Engineers Using Meteorites as Electrodes for Revolutionary New UV-C Germicidal Cells

PORT OF PALM BEACH, Fla., Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- RGF® Environmental Group, a leading manufacturer of air, water, and food purification systems announced that its research and development team, led by Dr. James Marsden, has successfully created a new UV-C germicidal UV cell using fragments of a meteorite that pre-date earth's existence. 

After acquiring a handful of meteorites (outer space debris), Jeff Behary, assistant to Dr. Marsden, and his research team at RGF decided to employ the material to create electrodes for a unique ultraviolet (UV) lamp or UV cell. The result was a near continuous spectrum of UV-C that fell along the theoretical curve of wavelengths thought best to disrupt the DNA of bacteria/viruses. RGF now has a patent pending on this novel UV-C generating cell. 

"We went on to replicate modern alloys based on the materials found in the meteorites and were able to secure similar results," says Jeff Behary, RGF's R&D Technician. "We then started exploring new alloys in addition to many softer elemental materials that were not able to be experimented with successfully in the past because of inferiorities of the apparatus used, lack of adjustability, etc. The next stage is to employ the various formulas under different gases and gas pressures."

RGF's patent employs a unique variable pulse capacitor based purely off mathematics as opposed to mechanics, allowing experiments to be replicated more accurately. The capacitor has no moving parts and is adjustable over a wide range not formerly available for this type of specialty component. "In the past, engineers were resigned to choose what was available to them on the market and make do with them, largely due to the high cost and limited availability of such items. This capacitor can have over 500 values, and to have a custom pulse capacitor built with any one of the values would exceed $500 apiece," said Behary.

Due to the increased application of UV-C in germ fighting around pandemics, Behary and his team believe the application of alternate electrode materials unlocks the potential to open up more UV-C wavelengths in addition to accessing parts of the UV spectrum that have been less-explored. Vacuum UV (VUV) and Far UV have been an interesting topic for years and with these new prototypes it is possible to explore the extreme limits of ultraviolet radiation extending from the shortest wavelengths to near visible light. These enhanced or focused wavelength UV-C cells may offer improved efficiency in real world applications, significantly reducing the exposure time required to inactivate microbes like COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) and other infectious pathogens that have proved difficult to manage in a variety of commercial settings. 

Along with pioneering some of RGF's most advanced research and development projects, Behary is also the curator of RGF's electromechanical museum. Through the museum RGF has access to authentic, historical UV equipment dating back to the 1800s. Behary goes on to say "Of course much of the inspiration for this work is based directly off that of the pioneers in the field – people like Victor Schumann, Theodore Lyman, Heinrich Kayser, William Marshall Watts. These are major pioneers in the UV field and I'm fortunate to have some personal history of many of them." 

About RGF Environmental Group, Inc.
RGF manufactures over 500 environmental products and has a 35+ year history of providing the world with the safest air, water, and food without the use of chemicals. RGF is an ISO 9001:2015 certified research and innovation company, holding numerous patents for wastewater treatment systems, air purifying devices, and food sanitation systems. Situated in the heart of the Port of Palm Beach Enterprise Zone, RGF Headquarters span 9 acres, with 130,000 square feet of manufacturing, warehouse and office facilities. RGF has recently upgraded their facilities, creating an increased vertical approach to manufacturing, further allowing the company to provide the highest quality and best engineered products on the market. 
For more information, go to www.rgf.com or contact RGF Environmental Group, Inc. 1101 West 13th Street, The Port of Palm Beach Enterprise Zone, Riviera Beach, Florida 33404 USA Tel: (561) 848-1826 or (800) 842-7771; Fax (561) 848-9454.

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SOURCE RGF Environmental Group