Running head: SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGY: KILLING MICROBES ON DENTAL INSTRUMENT 1

New Solar Technology: Killing Microbes on Dental Instruments

Mayra Quiroz and Becca DeLord

LIT Dental Hygiene Program

SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGY: KILLING MICROBES ON DENTAL INSTRUMENT 2

Abstract

Modern healthcare facilities often use autoclave systems to sterilize medical and dental

equipment and process waste that could contain harmful contagions. The lack of readily

available sterilization processes for medicine and dentistry practices in the developing world is a

major risk factor for the transmission of disease. The following text will explain the use of an

efficient, standalone solar autoclave system that uses light-absorbing nanoparticles as solar

photothermal heaters which generate high-temperature steam, useful for sanitation of instruments

or materials in remote and resource-limited locations.

SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGY: KILLING MICROBES ON DENTAL INSTRUMENT 3

New Solar Technology: Killing Microbes on Dental Instruments

The Solar Steam invention is a new technology that makes steam directly from

sunlight for the purposes of sanitation and sterilization. According to Boyd (2013), reliable

electricity is required to carry out the processes of sanitation and sterilization. The system is

completely off the grid and only uses sun-light and light-harvesting nanoparticles to create the

steam. The fact that the technology does not require any electricity is incredible and makes it

ideal for use in developing countries. The solar autoclave is portable and not very large which

is suitable for sterilization of medical and dental tools and does not require a lot of skills to

operate. Its importance can be recognized in its ability to kill disease causing organisms,

especially in dentistry (Williams, 2011).

According to Oara et al. (2013), light absorbing nanoparticles usually create a large

number of nucleation sites that is used for steam generation within the fluid. The metal-liquid

interface has a low conductivity that creates a temperature difference between the

nanoparticle and the fluid. This temperature difference is sufficient enough to turn the fluid

directly to vapor without requiring it to boil. On sustained heating, the nanoparticle steam

generation is combined with the bulk heating of the fluid leading to the solar steam production

that can be used for sterilization purposes. With nanoparticle dispersants, temperatures of

both the liquid and the steam increase far more rapidly than the temperature of pure water that

doesnt contain them. The system maintains temperatures between 115 C and 132 C for the

time period sufficient to sterilize the contents of a 14.2-L volume, which is in accordance with

Food and Drug Administration sterilization requirements. University (2012) states that the

particles used by the system are very small and are capable of making steam from nearly
SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGY: KILLING MICROBES ON DENTAL INSTRUMENT 4

frozen water, which shows a high rate of conversion. The small nature of the particles allows

the system to have a 24% efficiency, which is much higher than solar panels 15%.

The solar system machine brings many advantages to the current status of disease

control across the world. Unfortunately, more than 2.5 billion people lack adequate sanitation

because they dont have access to an electrical grid, making healthcare treatment, sanitation

and sterilization of dental and medical equipment a very difficult thing. The system is off the

grid, meaning that it can be used in countries that do not have an adequate source of

electricity especially in rural areas. Consequently, the cheap nature of the solar system

machine will make its use be most desirable in those nations that are prone to various diseases

mainly because of their low economic status. The system will also reduce the cost of

healthcare treatments. Dentist and other healthcare providers will not have to depend on

chemicals for the sterilization process. These chemicals can be costly and usually difficult to

transport in rural areas. The reduced cost of dental fees will allow for more people to maintain

good dental hygiene resulting in reduced cases of illnesses (Oara et al., 2013). The

implication is that its use will slow the transmission of disease in developing countries, such

as those in Africa (Boyd, 2013) increasing peoples overall health.

The system is also advantageous based on the time that it takes to produce the steam.

Rice University (2012) states that when nanoparticles are submerged in water and exposed to

sunlight, the particles heat up so quickly they instantly vaporize water and create steam. In

other words, this system can produce steam directly from water without causing any boiling,

and therefore taking only a short amount of time to produce enough steam to sterilize the

dental equipment required to carry out dental procedures. Quicker sterilization process means
SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGY: KILLING MICROBES ON DENTAL INSTRUMENT 5

having the ability to sterilize more instruments in a day and thus, being able to treat more

people and increase their overall health. On the same note, the time taken by the machine to

condense the fluid after the sterilization process is also short, which means that the machine

can continue working for a long time.

There are various people involved in the research, with the lead scientists being both Naomi

Halas and Professor Peter Nordlander from Rice University in Houston. However, the research

couldnt have been carried out without the development of the nanoparticles by Oara Neumann,

student graduate of Rice University. Thanks to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Program

who supported the project (Boyd, 2013), we now have an amazing machine that will be able to

play a big part in changing healthcare availability across the world. The team hopes to work with

waste-treatment pioneer Sanivation to conduct the first field tests of the solar steam sterilizer at

three sites in Kenya.

This invention is a breakthrough in the attempt to create an efficient way to handle the sanitation

and sterilization of healthcare equipment. The Solar Steam Autoclave will be an essential part in

dentistry as it will allow dentists and hygienists to work efficiently in all areas of the world

regardless of whether there is electricity or not. People in developing countries will be among the

first to see the benefits of the solar powered steam autoclave. The efficiency of the system, the

ease of use and the speed of steam production make it an ideal equipment to have in highly

populated areas where dental hygiene is in high demand. The system has been found to have the

potential of killing all microbes, including viruses and spores, and is the only technology seen to

completely sterilize waste. Once the use of the equipment is implemented, the rate of disease

spread will be reduced significantly and instead improve peoples overall health.
SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGY: KILLING MICROBES ON DENTAL INSTRUMENT 6

References

American Chemical Society. (2012, November 19). Major advance in using sunlight to

produce steam without boiling water. ScienceDaily. Retrieved from

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119104835.htm

Boyd, J. (2013, July 22). Off-grid sterilization with Rice U.s solar steam. Rice University

News and Media. Retrieved from http://news.rice.edu/2013/07/22/off-grid-

sterilization-with-rice-u-s-solar-steam/

Oara, N., Feronti, C., Neumann, A., Dong, A., Schell, K., Lu, B., . . . Halas, J. N. (2013, May

31). Compact solar autoclave based on steam generation using broadband light-

harvesting nanoparticles. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Retrieved

from http://www.pnas.org/content/110/29/11677.full?sid=dcfb7c92-6c6d-409d-a77e-

48659f96e80d

Rice University. (2012, November 19). Super-efficient solar-energy technology: Solar steam

so effective it can make steam from icy cold water. Science Daily. Retrieved from

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119140627.htm

Williams, M. (2011, April 28). Capteur Soleil may sterilize medical instruments in developing

world. Rice University News and Media. Retrieved from

http://news.rice.edu/2011/04/28/capteur-soleil-may-sterilize-medical-instruments-in-

developing-world/