Chlorine dioxide disinfectant: the Thanos of the bacterial world

Li Feilong invented a chlorine dioxide ultra-nano air disinfection technology. Using an aerosol release machine made of an ultrasonic oscillator (oscillation frequency range: 1.50～2.60MHz) made of stainless steel, and a chlorine dioxide disinfectant prepared by a dedicated EPDioxide portable dual-reagent chlorine dioxide activation preparation technology, micron-sized activated chlorine dioxide aerosol droplets (particle size between 1～10μm) that do not wet the environment are released. After 60min, the temperature and humidity are controlled at 12～40℃ and 50%～75%, respectively. The experimental reference product of the air disinfection rate [concentration × aerosol release amount] is 625×10⁻⁶ mL /m³.

Air disinfection technology mechanism

Chlorine dioxide molecules consist of one chlorine atom and two oxygen atoms, totaling 19 electrons. One unpaired, active free electron exists in the outer orbital, giving it a strong oxidizing effect. Simultaneously, the generation of nascent oxygen can break down the amino acid chains that make up proteins in microorganisms, disrupting their enzyme systems. This effect is beyond the capabilities of chlorine-containing disinfectants that typically only denature proteins.

In terms of elimination mechanism, chlorine dioxide primarily uses its strong oxidizing power to strip electrons from the surface of single-celled organisms or viruses, causing the cellular enzyme system to lose activity and leading to natural death, thus achieving a sterilization effect. The elimination mechanism can be broadly divided into two types: In the first mechanism, chlorine dioxide can rapidly react with amino acids such as cysteine, tryptophan, and tyrosine, altering the original protein characteristics of the virus and causing it to lose activity. For example, it reacts with the RNA of poliovirus, disrupting RNA synthesis and preventing transcription and replication. The second elimination mechanism shows that chlorine dioxide can directly react with fatty acids surrounding the virus. Both of these mechanisms contribute to the inactivity or inactivation of the virus. Another disinfection method focuses on the physiological effects of chlorine dioxide.

Because chlorine dioxide can disrupt the permeability of the outer membrane, it increases the permeability of proteins and lipids in the outer membrane, leading to the gradual decomposition of pathogens. The survival and metabolism of microorganisms are greatly influenced by the redox potential of the environment in which they exist. Chlorine dioxide gas molecules are neutral compounds in the tetravalent oxidation state of chlorine. They urgently seek to acquire five electrons from the environment to become chloride ions (Cl⁻ ) , thus possessing extremely high oxidizing power and capable of killing microorganisms they come into contact with. Because it is a single-electron transfer system, it readily forms chlorite ions ( ClO₂⁻ ) through reduction , making chlorine dioxide a highly efficient oxide. Among a series of redox reactions, the important reaction equations are shown in equations (4-25) to (4-27):

The transmission patterns of airborne pathogens vary depending on their particle size: microparticles or airborne droplets containing pathogens with diameters between 0.2 μm and 5 μm can travel up to 100 dm and remain suspended in the air for extended periods. Inhalation of such airborne particles can lead to infection, such as smallpox, tuberculosis, Legionella, and rubella. Airborne droplets with diameters greater than 5 μm can also be dispersed within a 30 dm range through coughing and talking, causing the spread of diseases such as influenza and mumps. The superior mechanism of chlorine dioxide's ability to disinfect suspended colonies should be attributed to its ability to dissolve in aqueous solution to form stable small molecules. Chlorine dioxide gas molecules have a strong oxidizing ability that can steal 5 electrons. At room temperature (20-25℃), it can evaporate and vaporize from aqueous solution, disperse into the space, and easily penetrate into pathogen cells as extremely small 0.2nm gas molecules. With an oxidizing ability about 2.6 times higher than that of chlorine solution, it can quickly oxidize and destroy the glucose enzyme system of bacteria, thereby killing suspended colonies in the air.

Device diagram

The chlorine dioxide ultra-nano air disinfection device consists of five important components (A, B, C, D, E) (see Figure 4-32). The ultra-nano disinfection technology generates the following process: a drug supply tank A1, a liquid level balance replenisher A2, a current controller B1, an ultrasonic oscillator B2, an annular fixing pad B3, an air supply cooling fan C1, an air inlet filter C2, an air supply cooling baffle C3, an aerosol particle size sieve plate D1, an inclined aerosol nozzle D2, micron-level disinfection aerosol E1, and chlorine dioxide gas molecules E2. The device operates according to the above-mentioned disinfection technology and controls these important factors.

Technical solution

(1) Micron-sized activated chlorine dioxide aerosol droplets (particle size between 1 and 8 μm) are released by an ultrasonic oscillator made of stainless steel (oscillation frequency range: 1.50 to 2.60 MHz). The temperature of the indoor space is controlled between 12 and 40°C and the humidity is between 50% and 75%. A fan is used to evenly disperse the aerosol droplets in the indoor space, so that chlorine dioxide gas molecules (ClO₂ ) with a diameter of about 0.2 nm can evaporate and separate from the micron-sized aerosol droplets in an ultra-nano-sized molecular form, thereby exerting the indoor air disinfection effect of rapid fumigation and sterilization.

(2) This air disinfection system must be used with chlorine dioxide activated disinfectant prepared using EPDioxide portable dual-reagent chlorine dioxide activation technology to ensure a neutral pH (using a dedicated stainless steel oscillator that does not oxidize or corrode) and maintain the effectiveness and integrity of chlorine dioxide molecule release (oscillation frequency output energy is lower than molecular bond energy). Under normal indoor conditions (without special pollutants), after rapidly releasing a sufficient amount of ultrasonic mist for 30 minutes, the experimental reference product [concentration × mist release amount] can achieve a 90% colony disinfection rate: 625 × 10⁻⁶ mL / m³ . Furthermore, for a 33m³ indoor space (temperature 23℃, humidity 75%, indoor gas volume approximately 100m³ ) , by continuously releasing 2.5× 10⁻⁴ activated chlorine dioxide mist (2.5mL/min), after 30 minutes , when the concentration of chlorine dioxide molecules in the space increases to 0.068×10⁻⁶ ( below the US OSHA safe limit of 0.10× 10⁻⁶ for airborne concentration ), the total number of suspended bacteria and fungal colonies in the air can be reduced to below 500 CFU/m³ ( the EPA's recommended total colony limit in the Indoor Air Quality Bulletin), meeting the basic indoor airborne colony quality requirements. If , after 90 minutes of continuous release, the concentration of chlorine dioxide molecules in the space increases to 0.21×10⁻⁶ , still below the US OSHA hazard limit of 0.30× 10⁻⁶ for airborne concentration , then the suspended bacteria can be reduced to below 200 CFU/m³ , achieving even better air disinfection efficiency.