Analytical Technology's electrochemical hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) gas sensors have been chosen by Bioquell to form part of its Bioquell Q-10 hydrogen peroxide vapour (HPV) bio-decontamination system.
The system effectively and safely bio-decontaminates rooms, equipment and electronic devices in hospital environments, eradicating problematic bacteria, fungi and viruses.
The Bioquell Q-10 is a portable HPV system that uses H2O2 vapour to disinfect potentially contaminated areas in the fight against 'superbugs'.
Analytical Technology's electrochemical gas sensors help optimise the HPV concentration to achieve surface sterilisation in the target area during the bio-decontamination process and ensure that Bioquell's Q-10 system has returned the target area to a safe HPV level prior to re-entry.
Bioquell's system, which integrates Analytical Technology's electrochemical gas sensor technology, provides safe and repeatable sterilisation of hospital environments, making HPV an effective replacement for traditional decontaminants such as formaldehyde, which has been banned for use in a number of European countries due to its carcinogenic nature.
One of the benefits of this treatment is that it can be safely used on sensitive equipment and electronics that are incompatible with chlorine-based products such as bleach.
The process is residue-free, breaking down to water vapour and oxygen, representing an environmentally friendly biocide and leaving no residual odour.
As a result, Bioquell's system can be used on a daily basis in fully functioning hospitals to decontaminate patient rooms and other units in less than two hours - depending on the room size, materials and starting environmental conditions.
Due to the commercial constraints on the healthcare industry, Bioquell worked together with Analytical Technology to integrate a replaceable sensor into the Bioquell Q-10, removing the need for more expensive sensors that require regular checks and maintenance.
They also developed a protocol for calibrating the sensors using H2O2.
