Methods for disinfection

• US 9,861,102 B2
• Filed: 01/06/2017
• Issued: 01/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Markesbery Blue Pearl LLC
• Original Assignee: Markesbery Blue Pearl LLC
• Inventors: Markesbery, W. Russell, Pancheri, Eugene J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chorbaji, Monzer R
• Application Number:
  US15/400,371
• Publication Number:
  US 20170354144A1
• Time in Patent Office: 368 Days
• Field of Search: 422 28, 134 26, 134 28
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 25/06 Aerosols
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 37/02 Saturated carboxylic acids or thio analogues thereof; Derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 37/16 containing the group; Thio analogues thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 59/00 Biocides, pest repellants or attractants, or plant growth regulators containing elements or inorganic compounds
• CPC Class Codes: A01P 1/00 Disinfectants; Antimicrobial compounds or mixtures thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/10 Ultraviolet radiation
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/183 Ozone dissolved in a liquid
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/186 Peroxide solutions
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/22 Phase substances, e.g. smokes, aerosols or sprayed or atomised substances
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2202/10 Apparatus features
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2202/11 Apparatus for generating biocidal substances, e.g. vaporisers, UV lamps
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2202/15 Biocide distribution means, e.g. nozzles, pumps, manifolds, fans, baffles, sprayers
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2202/24 Medical instruments, e.g. endoscopes, catheters, sharps
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2202/25 Rooms in buildings, passenger compartments
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2209/211 Use of hydrogen peroxide, liquid and vaporous
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 9/14 using sprayed or atomised substances including air-liquid contact processes
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 5/0535 at least two electrodes having different potentials being held on the discharge apparatus, one of them being a charging electrode of the corona type located in the spray or close to it, and another being of the non-corona type located outside of the path for the material

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to methods and system for disinfecting surfaces within an area by forming peracids in a reaction layer in situ on the surfaces to be disinfected. Aqueous compositions comprising peracid reactant compounds, particularly hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid, are sequentially dispersed into the area, preventing peracids from being formed until the two peracid reactant compounds contact each other on the surface to be disinfected. Additionally, aqueous compositions containing peracid reactant compounds can further comprise ethanol to both decrease the surface tension of the droplets and enhance the reactants'"'"' biocidal activity. Peracid reactant compounds can be sequentially dispersed as electrostatically-charged droplets, so that droplets of a first aqueous composition containing at least one peracid reactant compound are dispersed with a polarity opposite that of a subsequently-applied second aqueous composition containing at least one peracid reactant compound, driving formation of a peracid on the surface in situ.

Claims

1. A method of disinfecting a surface in need of disinfecting within an area, comprising the steps of:

a) dispersing into the area a multiplicity of droplets of a first aqueous composition comprising a first peracid reactant compound that is either hydrogen peroxide or an organic acid;

b) allowing a time sufficient for the first aqueous composition to distribute throughout the area, and to deposit and coalesce into a layer upon the surface;

c) dispersing into the area a multiplicity of droplets of a second aqueous composition comprising a second peracid reactant compound that is the other of the first peracid reactant compound; and

d) allowing a second time sufficient for the droplets of the second aqueous composition to deposit onto the coalesced layer of the first aqueous composition to form a reaction layer, thereby forming a peracid in situ on the reaction layer and disinfecting the surface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein an amount of the dispersed first aqueous composition is sufficient to provide the coalesced layer of the first aqueous composition with a substantially uniform thickness of at least about 1 micron, and up to about 20 microns.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein an amount of the dispersed second aqueous composition is sufficient to provide a coalesced layer of the second aqueous composition with a substantially uniform thickness of at least about 1 micron, and up to about 20 microns.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the amount of the dispersed first aqueous composition is sufficient to provide the coalesced layer of the first aqueous composition with a substantially uniform thickness of at least about 3 microns, and up to about 8 microns.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein a stoichiometric amount of hydrogen peroxide in the reaction layer is equal to or greater than a stoichiometric amount of the organic acid in the reaction layer.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a stoichiometric amount of the dispersed hydrogen peroxide is equal to or greater than a stoichiometric amount of the organic acid.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first aqueous composition comprises about 3% to about 7% by weight hydrogen peroxide.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the second aqueous composition comprises about 5% to about 10% by weight acetic acid.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first aqueous composition comprises about 0.1% to about 25% by weight hydrogen peroxide.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the second aqueous composition comprises about 0.5% to about 50% by weight acetic acid.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein at least one of the first aqueous composition or the second aqueous composition further comprises about 0.05% to about 25% by weight of a lower-chain alcohol, selected from the group consisting of ethanol, isopropanol, and t-butanol.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the lower-chain alcohol comprises isopropanol.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the multiplicity of droplets of the first aqueous composition are electrostatically-charged droplets.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the multiplicity of electrostatically-charged droplets of the first aqueous composition are formed by spraying electrostatically the first aqueous composition.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the multiplicity of electrostatically-charged droplets of the first aqueous composition are negatively charged.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the multiplicity of electrostatically-charged droplets of the first aqueous composition are positively charged.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the multiplicity of droplets of the second aqueous composition are electrostatically charged.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the multiplicity of electrostatically-charged droplets of the second aqueous composition have an opposite polarity of the multiplicity of electrostatically-charged droplets of the first aqueous composition.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the electrostatically-charged droplets of the first aqueous composition are negatively charged.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the electrostatically-charged droplets of the first aqueous composition are positively charged.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein the surface in need of disinfecting is electrically grounded.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein an amount of the dispersed first aqueous composition is sufficient to provide the coalesced layer of the first aqueous composition with a substantially uniform thickness of at least about 3 microns.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein an amount of the dispersed second aqueous composition is sufficient to provide a coalesced layer of the second aqueous composition with a substantially uniform thickness of at least about 3 microns.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein a stoichiometric amount of the hydrogen peroxide is equal to or greater than a stoichiometric amount of the organic acid.

25. The method of claim 14, wherein the first aqueous composition comprises about 0.1% to about 25% by weight hydrogen peroxide.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the second aqueous composition comprises about 0.5% to about 50% by weight acetic acid.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein at least one of the first aqueous composition or the second aqueous composition further comprises about 0.05% to about 25% by weight of a lower-chain alcohol, selected from the group consisting of ethanol, isopropanol, and t-butanol.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the lower-chain alcohol comprises isopropanol.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein the pH of the aqueous composition comprising the organic acid is less than or equal to about 7.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the organic acid is selected from the group of carboxylic acids consisting of formic acid, acetic acid, citric acid, oxalic acid, propanoic acid, lactic acid, butanoic acid, pentanoic acid, octanoic acid, including mixtures thereof.