During the pandemic, spraying a mist was one of the common solutions opted by local governments, especially in Southeast Asia. “What” is being sprayed can vary. Among the list of chemicals frequently sprayed are Bleach, Hydrogen peroxide, Alcohol, Peracetic Acid, or Chlorine Dioxide, for example. While they can achieve the goal of eliminating the contaminants, they can also cause some level of toxicity and environmental impact. Even the procurement and storage of these products can be problematic.
PALSOO (all caps) is a Korean company proposing a clever, non-toxic, and sustainable way to achieve the same result using only water. The company uses Plasma Sterilization, which only uses energy and water to generate sterilizing plasma-activated water. No chemical products are involved.
The Plasma reacts with water coming from the reservoir, creating a combination of Oxygen and Nitrogen ions, neutrals, and radicals (OH-, O3, H2O2, NO2-, NO3—and ONOOH) that will cause contaminants like viruses and chemical pollutants to degrade at the molecular level. Ultimately, this reaction destroys the contaminants.
The physical manifestation of this technology is the new FRIRUS sprayer (first image, photo credit: Aving News), which can generate and spray Plasma-activated water using electricity and water as an input. Created with the obvious environmental benefits above, the device remains eco-friendly even after its lifecycle is over: most of it is made from bio-degradable materials. PALSOO is aiming for RE100.
While decontamination by spraying has been highlighted during the pandemic, it is used routinely in many countries. This plasma solution could even be used more frequently, especially in locations where particularly vulnerable people (infants, elderly, injured) could be exposed to diseases.
By activating a myst of water with Plasma, PALSOO creates an efficient way to decontaminate without introducing harmful chemical products. The plasma sterilization effect will decay over time, but an interesting side-effect of this process is that the nitrogen-based elements left have a fertilizer effect.
How long does the Plasma effect last? PALSOO’s CEO says, “it varies depending on the temperature and type of plasma. If in a gaseous state, the lifespan is longer but shortens when converted to activated water. It lengthens at lower temperatures and shortens at higher temperatures. Typically, plasma-activated water has a lifespan of about 15 minutes at 25 degrees Celsius, sufficient to kill bacteria and is better as it disappears quickly, posing no harm to humans.”
This is not even taking into account that during times of crisis, some of the chemicals mentioned above, decontaminant, may not even be available, as it sometimes happened during the pandemic. Obviously, using water will also eliminate the cost of buying and storing such chemical products.
In a disaster situation, the FRIRUS_24 could be deployed quickly, without having to reply on the availability of any chemicals. Electricity generators are usually present and water is easier to find. PALSOO will present its sprayer, technology and vision at CES 2025 in Las Vegas.
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