The present invention relates to a portable decontamination machine. More particularly, the present invention provides a portable machine that sterilizes personal protection equipment (PPE) making them reusable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The eruption of the novel coronavirus disease, COVID-19, caused by the new coronavirus 2019-nCoV is now a pandemic threat to global public health and is officially designated as severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Due to sudden outbreak worldwide, demand of protection equipment has increased beyond supply capacity. For instance, demand for N95/N95 Equivalent masks, Surgical Gloves, Hazmat Suits and other PPE has shot up to 18 Billion Units in 2020 (up from 2 Billion in 2019). Global production capacity of N95/N95 Equivalent masks is expected to increase to 4 Billion/Annum from 1.9 Billion/Annum in 2019.
Due to domestic demands, most countries are banning exports of N95/N95 Equivalent Masks, Surgical Gloves, Hazmat Suits and other PPE and countries are facing huge shortage of material, resources for production at a pace to match that of the demand. Hence, N95/N95 Equivalent masks, Surgical Gloves, Hazmat Suits and other PPE are in short supply. This has resulted into increased price. Price of N95 Masks, Surgical Gloves, Hazmat Suits, and other PPE has surged by 7 times due to shortage in supply. Medical staff and health workers are at a high risk of contracting deadly diseases (including Covid-19) because of lack of availability of N95/N95 Equivalent masks, Surgical Gloves, Hazmat Suits, and other PPE.
It is noteworthy that PPE like masks, gloves and Hazmat suits cannot be reused due to contamination load after certain time and hence required to be discarded. This added burden of safe disposal as per standard protocols of biomedical hazard disposal. Reusing the PPE has its own set of challenge as the state-of-the-art decontamination procedures render the PPE safe for disposal, but not for reusing. For instance, if N95 masks are decontaminated through such procedures, the mask is left unusable as its filtering capacity is severely affected. The state-of-the-art devices and installations need such PPE to be transported to such facilities for decontamination procedures and hence is additional limitation.
Bettelle has recently got approval for its device for decontamination of N95 masks. However, the device is too cumbersome. The device uses a shipping container to be transported. The minimum operational capacity of the device is 8000 masks which makes it unfit for use in certain areas of application.
Steris Corp. USA has developed a small-scale device with minimum operable capacity at 150. However, despite of medium size, the device has limited application to sanitize only N95 masks.
The challenge to mitigate is to have a portable device which can decontaminate different types of PPE in optimum minimum operational capacity to render the PPE as reusable and as good as new.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the main object of the present invention is to provide a portable decontaminating machine to make used PPE disinfected and ready to re-use.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a portable decontaminating machine which is suitable for sterilizing any type of PPE, including but not limited to N95masks, surgical masks, surgical gloves, Hazmat suits, etc.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention is proposed a portable machine which automatically sanitizes and decontaminates N95/N95 equivalent masks, Surgical Gloves, Hazmat Suits and other PPE making them as good as new. The machine successfully sterilizes all types of Viruses & Bacteria by using Hydrogen Peroxide Solution for De-contamination & Sanitization. The USA FDA approved process enables PPE to be sanitized and reused 50 times.
In another embodiment, the present invention relates to a portable decontamination machine which uses Hydrogen Peroxide in liquid and/or vapour form for sanitization of PPE to retain the standard quality of the PPE. For instance, N95/equivalent masks have specific physico-chemical surface properties to make them effective while filtering the air being breathed in. Sanitizing the used masks with heat treatment or surfactant treatment or washing renders the mask useless. The proposed portable machine addresses this challenge.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the machine comprises following components:
a) at least one distillation unit to generate Hydrogen Peroxide vapor;
b) at least one heating unit to generate hot water;
c) at least one washing tank/treatment chamber which acts as a main tank where vapor hydrogen peroxide treatment/liquid hydrogen peroxide treatment, hot water treatment & drying using hot air blower & vacuum pump are done;
d) at least one air blower for blowing hot air in the washing tank/treatment chamber;
e) at least one vacuum pump for creating vacuum in the washing tank/treatment chamber;
f) at least one storage tank/collection chamber for collecting used hydrogen peroxide or hot water after treatment from the washing tank/treatment chamber;
g) at least one agitator fixed in the washing tank/treatment chamber for mixing during liquid hydrogen peroxide treatment and hot water treatment;
h) an electrical panel for controlling the machine; and
i) a HMI panel acting as a control & display unit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A complete understanding of the present invention may be obtained by reference to the following drawings:
Fig. 1 shows a schematic representation of the internal arrangement of components of the machine in accordance with the invention.
Fig. 2 shows a schematic perspective view representation of the decontamination machine in accordance with the invention.
Fig. 3a and Fig. 3b show optical microscopy images of Control sample 1 and 2 respectively which is untreated.
Fig. 4a and Fig. 4b show optical microscopy images of post treatment-1 sample 1 and 2 respectively.
Fig. 5a and Fig. 5b show optical microscopy images of post treatment-10 sample 1 and 2 respectively.
Fig. 6a and Fig. 6b show optical microscopy images of post treatment-20 sample 1 and 2 respectively.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention will now be described more hereinafter. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiment set forth herein. Rather, the embodiment is provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention is proposed a portable machine which can automatically sanitize and Decontaminate N95/N95 Equivalent Masks, Surgical Gloves, Hazmat Suits and other PPE making them as good as new. The machine successfully sterilizes all types of Viruses & Bacteria by using Hydrogen Peroxide Solution for De-contamination & Sanitization. The USA FDA approved process enables PPE to be sanitized and reused 10 times. Use of Hydrogen Peroxide in liquid and/or vapour form for sanitization of PPE help retain the standard quality of the PPE. For instance, N95/equivalent masks have specific physico-chemical surface properties to make them effective while filtering the air being breathed in. Sanitizing the used masks with heat treatment or surfactant treatment or washing renders the mask useless. The proposed portable machine addresses this challenge.
Referring to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, in an embodiment the decontamination machine (100) according to the present invention comprises following components: a portable housing (1) with a plurality of sliding/rolling units (12) preferably wheels at the bottom of the housing (1); at least one distillation unit (9) to generate Hydrogen Peroxide vapor; at least one heating unit (2) preferably geyser to generate hot water; at least one washing tank/treatment chamber (6) which acts as a main tank and wherein said personal protective equipment is placed over a polypropylene (PP) mesh (8) for vapor hydrogen peroxide treatment/liquid hydrogen peroxide treatment, hot water treatment & drying using hot air blower (17) & vacuum pump (18) are done; at least one air blower (17) for blowing hot air in the washing tank/treatment chamber (6); at least one vacuum pump (18) for creating vacuum in the washing tank/treatment chamber (6); at least one storage tank/collection chamber (11) for collecting used hydrogen peroxide or hot water after treatment from the washing tank/treatment chamber (6); at least one agitator (7) fixed in the washing tank/treatment chamber (6) for mixing during liquid hydrogen peroxide treatment and hot water treatment; an electrical panel (13) for controlling the machine; and a human machine interface (HMI) (14) as control & display unit which is integrated to a programmable logic controller (PLC) for controlling the operations. The vacuum pump (18) is provided at the back side of the storage tank (11). An agitator motor with gearbox (5) is connected to agitator (7) to provide agitating motion. A carboy (3) is further provided that stores liquid hydrogen peroxide with a concentration of 50%.
Said decontamination machine (100) further comprises a plurality of solenoid valves (4, 10) to control the flow of liquid hydrogen peroxide and hot water and a buzzer to cut operations. A plurality of connectors are provided in said machine (100) that includes a connector (15) to connect carboy (3) to the distillation unit (9), a connector (16) to connect carboy (3) to the washing tank/treatment chamber (6), a connector (19) to connect the washing tank/treatment chamber (6) to the vacuum pump (18), a connector (20) to connect the washing tank/treatment chamber (6) to the storage tank (11) and a connector (21) to connect storage tank (11) to the distillation unit (9).
Depending on the target PPE type, the machine uses either Vapor Phase Hydrogen Peroxide or Liquid Hydrogen Peroxide as a first crucial step for sanitizing and De-contamination. Vapor Phase Hydrogen Peroxide is generated within the machine from Liquid Hydrogen Peroxide (50% concentration). This is done using a distillation process and the vapors are sucked into the treatment chamber by creating a desired vacuum in the chamber.
Treating N95/equivalent Masks: The machine uses Vapor Phase Hydrogen Peroxide for sanitizing N95/N95 Equivalent Masks. The Vapor Phase Hydrogen Peroxide treatment is done in a vacuum chamber to ensure that Vapor Phase Hydrogen Peroxide can reach the entire chamber and can effectively sanitize. The Vapor Phase Hydrogen Peroxide Treatment is carried out for 60-300 Minutes. This is followed by vacuum drying while passing hot air at 40-80 deg. Celsius through the chamber. Vacuum drying is carried out for 50-190 Minutes.
Treating all other PPE, except masks: The machine uses Vapor Phase Hydrogen Peroxide for sanitizing PPE. The Vapor Phase Hydrogen Peroxide treatment is done in a vacuum chamber to ensure that Vapor Phase Hydrogen Peroxide can reach the entire chamber and can effectively sanitize. The Vapor Phase Hydrogen Peroxide Treatment is carried out for 50-190 Minutes. This is followed by hot water washing. Hot water is generated in the machine at a temperature of 40-80 deg. Celsius. Hot water washing is carried out for 50-190 Minutes. This is followed by vacuum drying. Vacuum drying happens while passing hot air at 40-80 deg. Celsius through the chamber. Vacuum drying is carried out for 60-300 Minutes.
In another embodiment of the invention additional step involves washing with hot water, which is skipped when the target PPE comprises for N95/N95 equivalent masks. The treatment processes of N95 masks and other PPE differ at this step, as N95 masks have an electrostatic charge which is discharged during water washing, thus reducing their performance.
In another embodiment of the present invention the machine has additional features like, but not limited to:
• Automatic operation
• Counter to count the units fed in every batch
• Data logging
• Internet connectivity
• PLC controlled operation
The following exemplary stages/operation are displayed on HMI screen (Programming)
• Panel ON
• Select Input (Mask/Gloves/Hazmat Suits)
• Counter
• Stage 1
o Distillation unit ON/OFF
o ON/ OFF Valve for H2O2
o Agitator/ Washing ON/OFF
o Drain valve On/OFF
• Stage 2
o ON/ OFF Valve Water
o Agitator/ Washing ON/OFF
o Drain valve ON/OFF
• Stage 3
o Hot air valve ON
o Hot air blower ON
o Speed of the Blower
o Vacuum Valve ON at 40-80 deg. Temp.
o Vacuum pump ON
o Vacuum pump speed
o Input Dried
• Buzzer to cut operations
• Safe/ Unsafe (determined by Chemical Indicator which changes color in presence of Hydrogen Peroxide concentration)
• Ready to pick
• Disposal: The used Hydrogen Peroxide Vapor or liquid is collected in the tank below the treatment chamber and heated till it completely disintegrates into Water which is then disposed of.

WORKING EXAMPLE 1
The portable machine with dimensions 5feet X 3feet X 5feet and weighs 100Kgs. The machine operates at a capacity of 2500 Masks/Day or 100 Hazmat Suits/Day or 5000 Gloves/Day.
Electrical power consumption is an average of 4.5 Units/Hr. The device can handle a batch size of 500 Masks or 20 Hazmat Suits or 1000 Gloves at a time. The batch time is 4hours. The machine accepts N95/N95 Equivalent mask, Surgical Gloves, Hazmat Suits and other PPE.
Filter Efficiency Test: An in-house particle penetration was carried out as specified by National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to certify N95 FFRs (42 CFR Part 84).

WORKING EXAMPLE 2
The machine in accordance with the present invention was run for sanitizing a batch of PPE. The step-wise sequence of process is as follows:
I. Panel ON
II. Select Input (Mask/Gloves/Hazmat Suits)
III. Counter
a) Stage 1
? If Input is Mask Then Distillation Unit ON Else Distillation Unit is OFF
? If Distillation Unit is ON Then
• Switch ON the Valve for feeding H2O2 into the Distillation Unit
• Switch Off the Valve for H2O2 for feeding H2O2 into the Distillation Unit when 2 Lt H2O2 (For 5-20 Minutes) is transferred to the Distillation Unit
• Wait for 10-50 Minutes
• Switch ON the Valve for feeding H2O2 into the Distillation Unit
• Switch Off the Valve for H2O2 for feeding H2O2 into the Distillation Unit when 2 Lt H2O2 (For 5-20 Minutes) is transferred to the Distillation Unit
• Wait for 10-50 Minutes
• Switch ON the Valve for feeding H2O2 into the Distillation Unit
• Switch Off the Valve for H2O2 for feeding H2O2 into the Distillation Unit when 1-4 Lt H2O2 (For 5-20 Minutes) is transferred to the Distillation Unit
• Wait for 10-50 Minutes
• Switch ON the Valve for feeding H2O2 into the Distillation Unit
• Switch Off the Valve for H2O2 for feeding H2O2 into the Distillation Unit when 1-4 Lt H2O2 (For 5-20 Minutes) is transferred to the Distillation Unit
• Wait for 10-50 Minutes
• Switch ON the Valve for feeding H2O2 into the Distillation Unit
• Switch Off the Valve for H2O2 for feeding H2O2 into the Distillation Unit when 2 Lt H2O2 (For 5-20 Minutes) is transferred to the Distillation Unit
• Switch on the heater in the Distillation Unit (By Enabling Power Supply to the Distillation Unit)
• Switch ON the Hot Air Blower (By Enabling Power Supply to the Hot Air Blower)
• Maintain Blower speed at Z RPM
• Switch ON the Vacuum Pump (By Enabling Power Supply to the Hot Air Blower)
• Maintain Vacuum Pump speed at T RPM
• Monitor Temperature of the Distillation Unit
• If the Temperature of the Distillation Unit goes beyond X deg then switch off the heater in the Distillation Unit by (By Disabling Power Supply to the Distillation Unit)
• If the Temperature of the Distillation Unit falls below Y deg then switch on the heater in the Distillation Unit by (By Enabling Power Supply to the Distillation Unit)
• Wait for 60-300 Minutes
• Switch OFF the heater in the Distillation Unit (By Enabling Power Supply to the Distillation Unit)
• Wait for 10-50 Minutes
• Switch OFF the Hot Air Blower (By Enabling Power Supply to the Hot Air Blower)
• Switch OFF the Vacuum Pump (By Enabling Power Supply to the Hot Air Blower)
? If Distillation Unit is OFF Then
• Switch ON the Valve for feeding H2O2 into the Treatment Chamber
• Switch Off the Valve for H2O2 for feeding H2O2 into the Treatment Chamber when 30 Lt H2O2 (For 10-30 Minutes) is transferred in the Treatment Chamber
• Switch on the Agitator in the Treatment Chamber
• Wait for 60-180 Minutes
• Switch OFF the Agitator in the Treatment Chamber
• Switch ON the Drain Valve in the Treatment Chamber
• Switch ON the Heater Unit by Enabling Power into the Heater Unit
• Wait for 5-25 Minutes
• Switch OFF the Drain Valve in the Treatment Chamber
• Switch ON the Valve for feeding Hot Water from the Heater Unit into the Treatment Chamber
• Switch Off the Valve for feeding Hot Water from the Heater Unit into the Treatment Chamber
• Switch OFF the Heater Unit by Enabling Power into the Heater Unit
• Switch ON the Agitator in the Treatment Chamber
• Wait for 60-180 Minutes
• Switch OFF the Agitator in the Treatment Chamber
• Switch on the Drain Valve in the Treatment Chamber
• Wait for 5-25 Minutes
• Switch OFF the Drain Valve in the Treatment Chamber
b) Stage 2
? Switch ON the Hot Air Blower (By Enabling Power Supply to the Hot Air Blower)
? Maintain Blower speed at Z RPM
? Switch ON the Vacuum Pump (By Enabling Power Supply to the Hot Air Blower)
? Maintain Vacuum Pump speed at W RPM
? Wait for 60-300 Minutes
? Switch OFF the Hot Air Blower (By Disabling Power Supply to the Hot Air Blower)
? Switch OFF the Vacuum Pump (By Disabling Power Supply to the Hot Air Blower)
c) Stage 3
? Check the H2O2 Indicator and Turn ON the Safe Light if the H2O2 Indicator shows Colour
? Wait for 5-25 Minutes
? Switch ON the Drain Valve in the Collection Chamber
? Wait for 5-25 Minutes
? Switch OFF the Drain Valve in the Collection Chamber
? Power OFF
? Turn ON the Ready to Pick Light
IV. Buzzer to cut operations

EXAMPLE 3
TESTS FOR MICROSTRUCTURAL AND MORPHOLOGICAL STUDY OF TREATED AND UNTREATED PPE
Tests were conducted for study of microstructural and morphological study of treated and untreated PPE. Sample of KN95 masks were used (without any treatment/modification) for Optical Microscopic analysis for study of any microstructural/morphological changes at micron level before and after treatment. The samples were provided in 3 numbers each for control (untreated) and after treatment as summarized in Table 1 given below:

Table 1
Summary of Samples
Serial No. Samples
1. Control Control Sample 1
2. Control Sample 2
3. Control Sample 3
4. Post Treatment-1 Post treatment-1 samples 1
5. Post treatment-1 samples 2
6. Post treatment-1 samples 3
7. Post Treatment-10 Post treatment-10 samples 1
8. Post treatment-10 samples 2
9. Post treatment-10 samples 3
10. Post Treatment-20 Post treatment-20 samples 1
11. Post treatment-20 samples 2
12. Post treatment-20 samples 3

Demarcation: The KN95 masks are 5 layer masks and all the layers were examined for any microstructural/ morphological changes at micron level before and after treatments in sequence of outer layer to inner layer of masks which was designated as L1, L2, L3, L4 and L5 respectively (i.e. L1 is outermost layer and L5 is inner layer).
Experimentation
All images were obtained from Optical Microscopy (Dewinter, germany) at micron level magnification as marked on every image. At the same time, sequentially upper surfaces of every layer were chosen for imaging. Two masks from each sample as shown in Table-1 were taken for study and five small pieces were cut and examined for each layers. For example, for Control sample 1 five pieces were cut from the mask and all five layers of each piece were examined.
Fig. 3a and Fig. 3b show optical microscopy images of Control sample 1 and 2 respectively which is untreated. Fig. 4a and Fig. 4b show optical microscopy images of post treatment-1 sample 1 and 2 respectively. Fig. 5a and Fig. 5b show optical microscopy images of post treatment-10 sample 1 and 2 respectively. Figs. 6a and Fig. 6b show optical microscopy images of post treatment-20 sample 1 and 2 respectively. The optical images of samples post treatment showed no changes in the morphology and structure of the fibers of the layers L1 to L5.
Observation
a. Every mask sheet is fibril in nature but its densities and diameter of fibres were different.
b. The morphology of fibres of L1, L2 and L5 were almost similar. Fibre diameter was in micron range.
c. The morphology of fibres of L3 and L4 are similar and relatively skinny than that of L1, L2 and L5. Fibre diameter was in submicron range.
d. In all the samples untreated (Control) and treated (1, 10, 20) showed almost same morphology and structure of the fibres in all the five layers.
Conclusion
No change in shape, morphology and structure of fibres were observed either in control (untreated) and treated samples (treatment -1, -10 and -20). No any leaching or breaking of fibres was observed after treatment in any layer of the masks at micron level.
Therefore, the portable decontamination machine provides a solution to the drawback of collection of PPE and carrying out the sanitization at one stop or particular stations. The present invention provides an affordable solution for industries and household which is conveniently taken to a desired place for decontaminating the PPE.
Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention set forth herein will readily occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

We claim:

1.A portable decontamination machine (100) for treating personal protective equipment (PPE) comprising:
a) a portable housing (1) with a plurality of sliding/rolling units (12) arranged at the bottom;
b) at least one distillation unit (9) to generate Hydrogen Peroxide vapor;
c) at least one heating unit (2) to generate hot water;
d) at least one washing tank/treatment chamber (6) wherein said personal protective equipment is placed over a polypropylene (PP) mesh (8) for treatment including vapor hydrogen peroxide treatment/liquid hydrogen peroxide treatment, hot water treatment and drying;
e) at least one air blower (17) for blowing hot air in the washing tank/treatment chamber (6) for drying the personal protective equipment;
f) at least one vacuum pump (18) for creating vacuum in the washing tank/treatment chamber (6);
g) at least one storage tank/collection chamber (11) for collecting used hydrogen peroxide or hot water after treatment from the washing tank/treatment chamber (6);
h) at least one agitator (7) fixed in the washing tank/treatment chamber (6) for mixing during liquid hydrogen peroxide treatment and hot water treatment;
i) a panel (13) for providing command to machine and selecting type of PPE fed in machine (100); and
j) a human machine interface (HMI) panel (14) as control and display unit.
2. The machine (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said PPE include but are not limited to N95/N95 Equivalent Masks, Surgical Gloves, Hazmat Suits and other PPE.
3. The machine (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said machine (100) based on the type of PPE fed for decontamination automatically selects either vapour phase hydrogen peroxide or liquid hydrogen peroxide treatment.
4. The machine (100) as claimed in claim 2 and 3, wherein said N95/N95 equivalent masks are decontaminated by vapour phase hydrogen peroxide treatment followed by vacuum drying.
5. The machine (100) as claimed in claim 4, wherein said vapour phase hydrogen peroxide treatment is carried out for 60-300 minutes and said vacuum drying is carried for 50-190 minutes while passing hot air at 40-80 deg. Celsius.
6. The machine (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said PPE except N95/N95 equivalent masks are treated through vapour phase peroxide treatment carried out for 50-190 minutes followed by washing with hot water at a temperature of 40-80 deg. Celsius for 50-190 minutes and vacuum drying for 60-300 minutes while passing hot air at 40-80 deg. Celsius.
7. The machine (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said decontamination machine (100) further comprises a carboy (3) that stores liquid hydrogen peroxide with a concentration of 50%.
8. The machine (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said decontamination machine (100) further comprises a plurality of solenoid valves (4, 10) to control the flow of liquid hydrogen peroxide and hot water and a buzzer to cut operations.
9. The machine (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said decontamination machine (100) further comprises a connector (15) to connect carboy (3) to the distillation unit (9), a connector (16) to connect carboy (3) to the washing tank/treatment chamber (6), a connector (19) to connect the washing tank/treatment chamber (6) to the vacuum pump (18), a connector (20) to connect the washing tank/treatment chamber (6) to the storage tank (11) and a connector (21) to connect storage tank (11) to the distillation unit (9).
10. The machine (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said hydrogen peroxide vapor or liquid is collected in the storage tank (11) below the washing tank/treatment chamber (6) and heated till it completely disintegrates into water and then disposed of.