Lack of decontamination in the event of a FAD outbreak amplifies the spread of disease and makes the outbreak even more challenging to contain, despite strict regulations that enforce sanitation processes. The impact that widespread disease could have on the export market is along the lines of billions of dollars. This creates a critical need for a simple, easy to use, environmentally friendly disinfecting system that can aids the prevention and elimination of widespread disease. At NOVATIO Engineering, we have developed a novel concept for a portable, rugged, tunnel wash system that is user-friendly to deploy, operate, and disassemble. Using compressed air and a flexible, lightweight disinfectant dispensing system, our concept can address, and in some cases exceed, the gap in technology. We plan to incorporate existing COTS technologies with novel concepts where needed, for a systems approach to address chemical compatibility, freeze prevention, disinfection with a 4- to 6- log reduction in microorganisms, waste water reduction, 'hot zone' isolation, and more. By the end of the Phase I program, we will have proven feasibility for our proposed systems and deliver a conceptual design. During the Phase II program, we plan to build and test at full scale, as well as refine and improve the detailed design per results from Phase I and Phase II testing. NOVATIO believes that by implementing a design that could be deployed by a single person and operated without users even exiting their vehicles, the rate of use, and disease elimination, would dramatically increase.
