Regina-made decontamination machine getting international attention

Regina Leader-Post, Jun 3, 2020

Just six weeks ago, Sean Frisky and Trevor Carlson wondered if it would be possible to use ozone to quickly and efficiently decontaminate businesses as they begin to reopen. Now they have a working prototype that has already garnered international attention.

Carlson, a principal consultant at Geosyntec Consultants based in Saskatoon, watched as businesses in Saskatchewan began to look at how to reopen safely as the province announced its plan to gradually unlock the economy.

He wanted a product that could clean large spaces quickly using ozone as a decontaminant. Frisky was the person who could make that happen.

As CEO of Regina-based company Ground Effects Environmental Services Inc., which already uses ozone in its industrial oil and gas wastewater treatment systems, Frisky had the needed knowledge and infrastructure to design and build this type of machine.

What he didn’t have was a way to test it against COVID-19. That’s where Geosyntec could step in, as the company had already been approved to test surfaces for the virus.

It was the perfect combination. Just two days after the initial idea, Frisky had a general design laid out. A working prototype followed two weeks later. Meanwhile Carlson secured research funding through Geosyntec for testing against viruses.

“By the time Sean’s equipment was complete, we had our research funding basically authorized for us to do the testing,” said Carlson.

The prototype has been tested against SARS-CoV-2 — the virus that causes COVID-19 — in both Ground Effects’ Regina laboratory and Geosyntec’s Knoxville, Tenn., laboratory to date. The earlier tests in Regina were positive, and Carlson hopes to see results from the second test later this week.

Sean Frisky (left), CEO of Ground Effects Environmental Services Inc and Trevor Carlson (right), principal consultant with Geosyntec Consultants, stand with the SANOZONE prototype in Geosyntec Consultants' Saskatoon laboratory. (Photo courtesy of Trevor Carlson)

Sean Frisky (left), CEO of Ground Effects Environmental Services Inc and Trevor Carlson (right), principal consultant with Geosyntec Consultants, stand with the SANOZONE prototype in Geosyntec Consultants’ Saskatoon laboratory. PHOTO BY TREVOR CARLSON /Submitted

The companies are already in discussions with professional major league sports teams, major hotel groups, casinos, metro transit authorities, universities and manufacturers around the globe.

“We just launched this thing and the interest in it is insane,” said Frisky, noting that in his 22 years of business he’s never seen such a quick uptake on new technology.

“It’s kind of gotten nutty actually.”

But how exactly does the machine work?

“What the system does is … it takes air, converts it to oxygen, which then converts it using high voltage electricity to ozone gas,” said Frisky.

At a high concentration, ozone works to decontaminate anything touching air in the space, even if it is in a cupboard or drawer, Frisky added.

“When we’re done, we have a conversion system that converts it back to oxygen … The beautiful thing about ozone is there’s no residual chemical. There’s no chlorine, there’s nothing left over.”

SANOZONE, which will cost buyers $40,000, can cover up to 15,000 square feet in one go, and work on another model that can cover up to 650,000 square feet for use in large sports arenas has already begun.

A high concentration of ozone is harmful to people if they breathe it in, so Frisky said buildings would need to be completely empty before SANOZONE is used. From the time it starts to the time people can re-enter the building is around two to three hours.

The machine is equipped with smart technology that allows it to be controlled remotely so no one needs to be near it to turn it on and off. The machine also sends a daily report via WiFi on its activity and when it is safe for people to re-enter the building.

Carlson is still waiting on the final data to come back from the tests, but he is optimistic the SANOZONE will soon be ready for use.

“The data has to say it’s going to work, but I think that once we have that data in our hands and share it … I think (Ground Effects) and Geosyntec will be busy,” he said. Geosyntec will also be providing training on how to safely use the machine to any person or company who purchases one.

Ground Effects is currently working on establishing a production line for the machines. Frisky hopes to have 10 produced by the end of next week.