Press Information_ Effect of Daikin Flash Streamer against Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 Variants
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Daikin Industries, Ltd., mother company of Daikin Europe N.V., and Osaka University’s Research Institute for Microbial Diseases1 have tested and confirmed the effectiveness of the Flash Streamer technology against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants2.
Brussels, April 2022 – The research confirmed that the Flash Streamer technology inactivates more than 99.9% of SARS-CoV-2 Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Omicron variants, and 99.8% of the Delta variant after 4 hours of exposure to Streamer discharge compared to without Streamer. This means the Flash Streamer technology can be used to improve indoor air quality when the air is contaminated with these respiratory viruses.
Inactivation of more than 60 types of harmful substances
As a specialist in indoor air quality management, Daikin not only develops new technologies, but also continuously verifies their effectiveness and relevance for solving societal challenges such as today’s pandemic.
Daikin’s unique air purification Flash Streamer technology was developed in 2004 and since then the company has conducted tests with many public research institutes around the world. Following these tests, it has been confirmed that the Flash Streamer technology inactivates over 60 types of harmful substances, such as bacteria, allergens and viruses, including the influenza virus, RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) and mouse noroviruses. In July 2020, the inactivation effect against the SARS-CoV-2 strain isolated in the early stages of the pandemic has also been confirmed.
Osaka University, which Daikin commissioned to test the effectiveness of the Flash Streamer technology against variants of the SARS-CoV-2, prove that it inactivates the Alpha, Beta, Delta, Gamma and Omicron variants.
Takashi Namikawa, Senior Engineer of Daikin’s Technology and Innovation Center for this project, says: “I am delighted that this shows that our technology has the potential to be applied to solve societal issues of improving the indoor air quality in schools or offices. This is very significant for Daikin and for society.”
Experimental Results
Irradiation with Streamer discharge for 4 hours inactivated more than 99.9% of the Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Omicron variants and 99.8% of the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2, compared to without Streamer discharge.
Explanatory video
Learn more about the main features and characteristics of Daikin's patented Flash Streamer technology, the evaluation method and the test results: Daikin Streamer Technology, Inactivation of Coronavirus, Omicron and Other Strains
Evaluation method
In the verification test, hCoV-19/Japan/QHN002/2020 strain (Alpha variant), hCoV-19/South Africa/KRISP-EC-K005321/2020 strain (Beta variant), hCoV-19/Japan/TY7-503/2021 strain (Gamma variant), hCoV-19/USA/PHC658/2021 strain (Delta variant) and hCoV-19/Japan/ TY38-873/2021 strain (Omicron variant) were used. Two acrylic boxes of about 31 litres were prepared, and a Streamer discharge device was installed in one of the boxes. Six-well plate with 0.5 ml/well of virus solution were placed on Seesaw shaker in both boxes. Streamer irradiation was performed with shaking. After 1, 2, and 4 hours, the virus solution was collected, and the virus titer was measured by TCID50 using Vero E6/TMPRSS2 cells.
Flash Streamer technology
The Flash Streamer technology is a technology that uses Streamer discharge to perform oxidative decomposition of harmful substances. It is a type of plasma discharge featuring an innovative air purification technology that stably generates high-speed electrons. When combined with air components, these high-speed electrons have a capability for powerful oxidative decomposition, and this capability enables Streamer discharge to continuously remove odors, bacteria and indoor air pollutants such as formaldehyde.
The mechanisms of the Flash Streamer technology and the test results are also introduced in our website “DAIKIN Streamer Research Institute".
Types of viruses that have been tested so far
In addition to in the viruses listed in the table, the effectiveness against 7 types of bacteria such as Legionella and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 30 types of allergens such as cedar pollen and Dermatophagoides farinae (excrement/carcass), and 19 types of harmful chemical substances have been verified by public institutions.
1The test is conducted by Professor Tatsuo Shioda and Assistant Professor Tadahiro Sasaki for the Department of Virus Infections, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University.
2The test described herein only concerns the patented Flash Streamer technology. The effects of products equipped with the Flash Streamer technology or the effects in actual use environment may differ. For more information on the Daikin products incorporating the Flash Streamer technology, please refer to the relevant product information.
