Large volume chlorine dioxide sterilization and/or disinfection system and method of using same
OwnerAaron DEMENT, Erik HAGHEDOOREN +3inventors
InventorsAaron DEMENT, Erik HAGHEDOOREN, Gregory GRAMS, Eric OFFERMANN, Marie-Pierre HILDEBRAND
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Abstract
A decontamination method including the steps of arranging an article within a space area, introducing chlorine dioxide gas from an associated system into the space area, sterilizing the article, and venting the chlorine dioxide into a stream or volume of water.
Claims27
A sterilization apparatus configured for reducing microbial content of an article, the apparatus comprising:
- (i) a chlorine dioxide generation system for generating chlorine dioxide gas, (ii) a treatment chamber configured to receive the article, said treatment chamber being pressurized between 2 and 120 kPa, with an atmosphere that can have a relative humidity from about 20% to about 100% at a temperature from about 2 degrees Celsius to about 80 degrees Celsius, (iii) a ClO2 scrubber, and (iv) and one or more sensing unit(s) in combination with a controller having software configured to sense and optionally adjust one or more conditions in the chlorine dioxide generation system, treatment chamber, and/or ClO2 scrubber.
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A sterilization apparatus configured for reducing microbial content of an article comprising a chlorine dioxide electrochemical generation system for generating chlorine dioxide gas from an electrochemical reaction of sodium chlorate (NaClO2) and water (H2O) via an anode oxidation reduction reaction NaClO2→ClO2+e— and a cathode reduction reaction 2H2O+2e—→H2+20H— yielding an overall scheme in which 2NaClO2+2H2O→2ClO2+H2+2NaOH, said chlorine dioxide gas being provided to a treatment chamber.
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A sterilization method including the steps of arranging an article within a space area, introducing chlorine dioxide gas from an associated system into the space area, sterilizing the article, and introducing the chlorine dioxide after exposure to the article into a stream or volume of water.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.