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What is Electrostatic Disinfection?

What is Electrostatic Disinfection?

by | Sep 15, 2021 | Cleaning Products and Services

Electrostatic disinfection is a method of disinfecting surfaces using magnetically charged (atomised) disinfectant applied through a specialised spray gun.

It is a highly effective and efficient method of disinfecting surfaces and hard to reach areas.

Electrostatic disinfection can be used anywhere, but it is ideal for disinfecting industrial and commercial spaces and for disinfecting surfaces in large buildings. Offered as a commercial surface, electrostatic spraying can cover the areas that need to be cleaned in a fraction of the time that would be required to disinfect them manually.

How Electrostatic disinfection works

Electrostatic disinfection is done using an electrostatic back-pack sprayer. This is worn by the person doing the spraying and is fully hand-held. No other machinery or materials are used.

The disinfectant solution is mixed with air in the back—pack part of the sprayer. The particles in the solution are then positively charged by an electrode in the sprayer as the solution is sprayed through the nozzle. The spray gun gives particles a positive charge as they pass through the spray gun mechanism. The positively charges ions then repel each other, while they are attracted to negative ions on surfaces.

  • The magnetic attraction augments the action and reach of the spray gun.
  • The disinfectant particles go further and stick on surfaces more efficiently.
  • The disinfectant coats the surface evenly and thoroughly, not missing any patches or areas that are hard to reach. (A normal spray gun is far less targeted and efficient as much of the disinfectant will hang in the air, eventually falling on the surface but with much of it potentially falling on the floor.)

What Electrostatic spraying is used for

Electrostatic disinfection can be used anywhere. However, it is ideal for disinfecting areas with difficult, or impossible, to reach surfaces.

Electrostatic spray cleaning is not a new technology. It has always been used for disinfecting large commercial surfaces. However, it was generally used infrequently or as part of a maintenance and cleaning schedule, for one-off disinfecting events, and for cleaning hospitals and clinics. Since the start of the Covid-19 Pandemic, electrostatic disinfection has become a front-line prevention tool, used to disinfect:

  • Hospitals, schools, shops, supermarkets, offices and auditoriums.
  • Taxis, school busses and other forms of public transport.
  • Anywhere where there is thought to be a risk of Covid-19 contamination

Electrostatic disinfection is not used instead of cleaning on visibly dirty or greasy surfaces. Heavy dirt must still be removed first. However, cleaning does not ensure disinfection. Manual cleaning can spread viruses and bacteria from one surface to another. Following up with electrostatic spraying ensures that surfaces do not only look clean but are 100% free of contamination.

Electrostatic disinfection can be used anywhere including grocery stores

Advantages of Electrostatic disinfection

  • It is the only form of spray disinfection that will reliably coat 100% of the surface that needs to be disinfected.
  • The coating of disinfectant is ensured of being completely even and free of drips and puddling. (An example of the perfectly even coating that can be applied with electrostatic spray technology is car paint sprayed on to vehicles)
  • It is fast. Large areas can be disinfected reliability in a fraction of the time that disinfection through normal spray mechanisms or physical application.
  • The layer of disinfectant also evaporates quickly. This means there are no sticky residues left on surfaces.
  • Provided a safe disinfectant is used, it can be used while people are still in the building. The disinfectant droplets are instantly attracted to surfaces, so it doesn’t hang in the air to be breathed in.
  • There is no risk of damage to surfaces, or staining.
  • The efficient application method means that it is not necessary to apply heavy cleaning regimes or use toxic chemicals to ensure 100% disinfection.
Soil remediation and the environment

Soil remediation and the environment

by | Aug 19, 2021 | BioTreat, Our Environment

Soil remediation is the removal, in whole or in part, of contaminants in soil. It is essential for environmental and health reasons, or so that the soil can be restored to its original state and used again. it’s also used to clean up chemical spills in soil and contamination from dumps and toxic waste.

The impact of all types of soil contamination on the environment and human health are now well recognised. Soil remediation is therefore becoming increasingly mandated to prevent further environmental damage from pollutants in soil.

 How soil contaminants impact the environment:

Soil contaminants are a huge source of widespread environmental pollution, through:

  • Toxic substances and hydrocarbons leaching into groundwater and reservoirs.
  • Soil erosion and run off into rivers and the ocean – with contaminants spreading, or gradually building to poisonous levels in rivers, wetlands and bays.
  • Wind whipping up volatile contaminants from dry or degraded soil – adding significantly to air pollution, with the potential to spread highly toxic substances through the air
  • Entering the food chain – directly impacting human health through vegetable and fruit that we eat, or indirectly through animals that eat the contaminated vegetation.

Soil remediation methods:

There are several soil clean-up methods commonly used – depending on the type and severity of the contamination. These fall into the following categories:

  • Various chemical treatments used to remove and/or render contaminants inactive
  • Stabilisation of soil and mineral waste (e.g. mine dumps)
  • Decontamination or removal of sources of soil pollution.
  • Landfill clean-ups and disposal of any soil that cannot be decontaminated.
  • Restoration of healthy soil post decontamination – specifically for agriculture, but also for urban gardens, parks, schools and other public areas where waste has been buried in the past.

The various methods can be used to clean up most soil contaminations – from domestic to commercial (including agricultural) to mining waste and industrial soil pollution, from oil spills to widespread contamination from chemical residues in effluent, and from agricultural applications and waste.

Landfill clean-ups and disposal of any soil that cannot be decontaminated

Landfill clean-ups and disposal of any soil that cannot be decontaminated

Cleaning up oil contamination of soil:

One of the most common soil remediation services supplied to commercial, industrial, and private customers is the clean-up of oil.

Oil spills and leaching of oils from wastewater and dumps into soil can have devastating effects on the environment, coating and killing wildlife, polluting water and damaging (or killing) vegetation. Oil does not go away on it’s own, but, thankfully, we now have the technology and products to clean oil contaminants in soil.

Soil Remediation is achieved through the use of biological agents (microbes) in targeted products.

These products, and the process used. are both environmentally friendly; the soil restoration they can achieve makes a huge difference to the immediate and long-term health of the surrounding environment.

As with other soil remediation application, the microbes and bio-augmentation processes used effectively remove contaminants make the soil itself safe, as well as laying the groundwork for environmental recovery and other restoration efforts.

What thorough soil remediation does for the environment(and human health)

  • Revitalises the soil through purification, aeration and the removal of toxic substances that impair natural biological processes in the soil.
  • Makes it possible for the soil to be used again for agriculture
  • Makes the soil (and surrounding environment) safe for humans and animals
  • Prevents continued run off of toxic chemicals and hydrocarbons into water bodies
  • Prevents further airborne contamination of the surrounding areas

Soil clean-up one of the most crucial and effective ways in which we can correct or mitigate the environmental damage of existing soil contamination, in addition to preventing further environmental impacts.

Soil remediation is therefore a core undertaking within broader efforts to restore environment around the globe.

What to expect from a professional cleaning service

What to expect from a professional cleaning service

by | Aug 3, 2021 | Cleaning Products and Services

The Covid-19 Pandemic hasn’t necessarily changed what we expect from professional domestic cleaning services. However, it has changed the level of expectation. It’s no longer a case of ‘it looks clean therefore it is clean’.

Customers need to know that they are safe in their homes after a professional cleaning service has been through them.

Expectations rightfully go beyond expecting a job well done, with clean, surfaces and floors, and clean, stain-free carpets, curtain, blinds, and upholstery. All of these ‘components’ need to be sanitary. Whatever can be sanitised to the highest degree possible, should be. This increases the scope of what a professional cleaning service needs to offer, and what customers expect from a professional full cleaning service.

Customers need to know that the cleaning service operates with exceptional diligence and professionalism. The service they provide should be of the highest standard, reliable, and thorough. Customers should also expect the highest personal safety standards from the cleaning service staff. Overall Covid-19 safety rules and recommendations, such as the wearing of masks, will change. However, it’s reasonable to expect any professional service staff entering your home to adhere to the highest possible safety protocols – even when no longer mandated by law. This is especially true for a professional cleaning service.

Expect your professional cleaning service to:

  • Use the best and latest available safety protocols, materials, cleaning and sanitising products.
  • Have their staff fully trained in Covid-19 safety specifics
  • Be prepared to issue a Covid-19 compliant sanitisation certificate or similar reassurance.
  • Put their customers’ concerns and safety requirements first.

Ideally, a professional cleaning service that promotes use eco-friendly products MUST also be able to offer assurance that their products and overall service fulfils the increased sanitary requirements brought on by Covid-19.

How vegetable microbes are used to clean pollution

How vegetable microbes are used to clean pollution

by | Jul 19, 2021 | Our Environment

Bacterial and other microbes exist in vast quantities in all environments with plant matter, playing a crucial role in their biological processes.

Microbes break down organic matter and naturally occurring chemical compounds into new substances and nutrients that trees and other flora use to grow and photosynthesise. Different microbes work together symbiotically to facilitate and organise these processes.

In the same way, these ‘vegetable’ microbes process hydrocarbons and other pollutants. Hydrocarbons are one of the most common and damaging pollutants. They enter the environment from domestic, commercial, and industrial waste, effluents, landfill seepage, oil spills, and airborne contamination.

Soil remediation & rehabilitation with bacterial and fungi microbes

Harnessing the biological capabilities of microbes offers us the most effective and environmentally friendly way of dealing with this pollution. It is done through specific techniques, with products that contain concentrated microbes, as well as the ‘food’ they need to do their jobs – such as oxygen and water.

The microbial clean-up process is called bioremediation. It can be done on site (in situ), or the soil can be removed to be cleaned (ex situ). In situ bioremediation is more efficient and cost effective, and more common. Methods may differ, but the processes by which the microbes break down the hydrocarbons is the same.

How microbes break down pollutants – ‘in situ’ bioremediation:

Bioventing

Ideal for deep hydrocarbon pollution of soils and underlaying substrates, using ‘resident microbes’. Air is pumped deep into the ground to activate the microbes. Pollutants from fuels such as gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and kerosene are then broken down. Toxic components as acetone, phenols, toluene, and benzene are gradually rendered into non-toxic, or less toxic, substances and organic by-products. 

 Phytoremediation & Phytodegradation

This method combines the toxin degradation capabilities of microbes with vegetable enzymes.

Bacterial microbes in the soil break down hydrocarbons while promoting plant growth in tandem with fungi. The healthy plants then take up rendered substances and remaining toxins, binding them, then transporting them from roots to leaves, where enzymes break them down into non-toxic compounds, water and carbon.

This is a long-term remediation technique that depends on the activities of microbes as well as their symbiotic relationship with each other and the right kinds of plants. While the process is slow, it is an excellent long-term remediation technique. It stabilises the soil, promoting the environment’s return to a natural state, restoring optimal soil health and microbial relationships, removing or rendering pollutants, and breaking down toxins into inert or beneficial compounds and even nutrients.

Enzymes break toxins down into non-toxic compounds, water and carbon

Microbial augmentation and amendments:

In each case, the existing (indigenous) microorganisms usually need to be augmented with added microbes. This is because long-term environmental pollution from landfill seepage, or air, water, and effluent pollution quickly results in unbalanced and degraded soil biomes – with many remaining microbes inactive without their ‘companion’ microbes.

  • To ensure the above processes work, more microbes, as well as specific types of microbes that might be absent, must be added, along with amendments that kick-start microbial activity and symbiosis.
  • Nutrient rich amendments such as molasses, hydrogel, water, air, or oxygen-producing chemicals are added to activate, maximise and maintain microbial biodegradation processes.
  • Importantly, for these processes to be effective, the right microbes need to be present in optimal amounts. The right microbes for a particular soil type, flora or environment need to be present in the right proportions, along with the right nutrients and the right temperatures.

There’s a lot of science that goes into making microbial bioremediation work properly. Done right, it’s exceptionally effective; many soil biomes can be fully restored, water purified or cleaned up, and environments transformed.

In the case of oil spills (including at sea – where marine microbes are employed to clean up) it might be a one-off remediation. However, pervasive environmental pollution can necessitate regular clean-ups, or adjusted follow-up biodegradation of hydrocarbons and other pollutants for effective, long lasting pollution control.

Microbial bioremediation done properly is exceptionally effective and many soil amd water biomes can be fully restored.
The Difference between Sanitising and Disinfecting

The Difference between Sanitising and Disinfecting

by | Jun 3, 2021 | Cleaning Products and Services

The words ‘sanitising’ and ‘disinfecting’ are often used interchangeably. It’s not always easy to distinguish between the two terms. This is especially the case now, during Pandemic time, when there is an emphasis on both sanitising and disinfecting in every walk of life. However, because they are both more prevalent than ever, it is important to know the difference. Knowing the difference between ‘sanitising’ and ‘disinfecting’ will help you choose the right products and services – for yourself, home and business.

Both sanitisers and disinfectants destroy existing microbes (either though killing them outright or by rendering them harmless, by ‘deactivating’ them). Unless otherwise stated on a bottle targeted at something specific, they also kill a wide range of microbes.

Sanitising:

Sanitisers kill 99.9% of all bacteria, fungi and viruses

  • Sanitisers reduce the number of microbes on a surface – e.g. your hands when you use hand sanitisers. You also cannot use sanitiser to treat an infection, or on its own where there is already a high concentration of bacteria, or to ‘disinfect’ wounds. They are not strong enough to clear up an existing ‘infection’. They will, however, help prevent the infection from happening in the first place.
  • Sanitisers are fine to clean surfaces such as home kitchen counter-tops and bathrooms. However, they are usually ‘quick use’; if you want to ensure a surface is truly clean, you need to use a disinfectant.

 Disinfecting:

Disinfectants kill 99.999% of all bacteria, fungi and viruses

  • Disinfectants are stronger than sanitisers. They are suitable for use on non-porous surfaces and are better choice than sanitisers for commercial use as they are more effective in killing bacteria.
  • Different disinfectants are designed for different applications – e.g. you can’t use the same disinfectant for a drain and a baby’s bottle.
  • Some disinfectants require the products to be left on the surface being disinfected for a period pf time. Other are designed for immersion of the material or object being disinfected.

The main difference between sanitising and disinfecting is strength and application. It’s fine to sanitise your hands when entering a shop, but you need to disinfect surfaces that are known to collect high concentrations of pathogens.