An unnamed Asian central bank is rolling out a banknote disinfection system from vendor Spectra Systems Corporation.
This is the first sale of a disinfection unit for Spectra, which says its patented technology uses an oxygen-free environment and heat to eliminate a broad spectrum of pathogens from mould to Sars-2 on both paper and polymer banknotes.
The system does not require external gasses as it extracts oxygen from the air and pumps pure nitrogen into the heating unit and is capable of disinfecting banknotes of varying volumes in one hour, even when strapped or in sealed bags.
Banknote disinfection became a hot topic at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. China and Korea began isolating and disinfecting used notes although as the pandemic developed central banks determined that the risk of transmission was low.
However, Spectra says that notes still pose a risk of transmitting other pathogens.
Nabil Lawandy, CEO, Spectra, says: “Whilst this first sale is not expected to materially impact our performance this year, we are optimistic that it will open the door to additional sales as central banks are seeing higher demands for cash with rising inflation while processing staff continue to struggle with pathogens ranging from common E. coli to Sars-2 and now monkeypox.”
