BIOQUELL Z: Zone / Room / Building Bio-Decontamination
17 May 2007
Bio-burden control is critical for the pharmaceutical research and production process as effective and rapid inactivation of micro-organisms from the environment is essential to avoid costly delays and to avoid the risk of contamination. In the fight against microbial contamination, BIOQUELL has launched the BIOQUELL Z, a radical new concept in safe and effective micro-organism deactivation.
Combining BIOQUELL's acclaimed Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) Vapour (HPV) based Clarus™ technology with first-hand experience of decontaminating over 2,700 rooms within the pharmaceutical industry, the BIOQUELL Z has been designed to rapidly bio-decontaminate all exposed surface areas within a room of up to 500m³, with minimal effort.
The BIOQUELL Z is ideally suited for routine disinfection of rooms thus acting as a preventative measure. The technology is proven to be a highly effective method of consistently eliminating micro-organisms. Typical pharma applications for this unique and patented HPV generator include:
- Disinfection of an area between campaigns or batches
- Disinfection of areas following maintenance
- Removal of bio-burden in an area following the identification of unacceptable growth levels
The BIOQUELL Z is designed for ease of use, allowing staff to decontaminate rooms with minimum effort and set-up time. The unit is modular, whereby the control lectern detaches for positioning outside the target room, allowing for safe control. Once the room has been sealed and vacated, then the unit can be set to run its decontamination cycle. High-velocity, multi-directional nozzles effectively distribute a controlled micro-coating of hydrogen peroxide throughout the room, rapidly killing both airborne and surface micro-organisms.
The unit's unique parametric monitoring system automatically controls the amount of H2O2 vapour required. Once effective kill has been achieved, the H2O2 vapour is aerated and catalytically converted into harmless water and oxygen. Following aeration, the decontaminated room is ready to be put back into immediate service, leaving no toxic residues or requiring additional cleaning or wipe-down.
Due to the excellent material compatibility of HPV, all equipment (including sensitive electronics and consumables) can be left within the room ensuring that decontamination is achieved throughout. In as little as four hours, all surface areas within a room of 110m³ can be decontaminated and ready to be put back into service. The time can be dramatically reduced to 90 minutes by simply adding an R20 aerator.
The Z unit is GxP compliant and comes complete with a printer and cycle parameter report, making it highly validatable. The whole process can be verified using 6 log pouched G stearothermophilus, biological indicators.
Hydrogen peroxide is fast becoming the disinfectant of choice within the pharmaceutical sector with its proven efficacy against bacterial endospores, vegetative bacteria, viruses, fungi, mycoplasma, bacteriophage and other organisms. The BIOQUELL Z provides a rapid, safe and effective means of applying hydrogen peroxide vapour within the work place, promoting a clean and contamination free environment.
