阅读说明：本技术 顺序输送含水过酸组合物的方法和系统 (Method and system for sequential delivery of aqueous peracid compositions ) 是由 W·拉塞尔·马克斯伯里 尤金·J·庞什里 拉里·D·莫尔 丹尼尔·H·拉吉奈斯 丹尼尔·F· 于 2018-10-11 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种使用过酸对容积空间内的表面进行消毒的方法。通过将包含过氧化物化合物的第一组合物和包含有机酸化合物的第一组合物顺序分散在表面上,从而直到过氧化物和有机酸在表面上彼此接触为止防止过酸形成,在表面上的反应层中原位形成过酸。提供了用于以时间相关的方式顺序施加液体组合物的输送系统,包括相关的软件和硬件。物联网和单板计算机组件可用于以时间相关的方式控制两种或多于两种液体组合物的顺序施加。(A method of disinfecting a surface within a volume using a peracid. The peracid is formed in situ in a reaction layer on the surface by sequentially dispersing a first composition comprising a peroxide compound and a first composition comprising an organic acid compound on the surface, thereby preventing the peracid from forming until the peroxide and the organic acid contact each other on the surface. A delivery system for sequentially applying liquid compositions in a time-dependent manner is provided, including associated software and hardware. The internet of things and single board computer assembly may be used to control the sequential application of two or more liquid compositions in a time-dependent manner.)

1. A method of disinfecting a surface in need of disinfection in a volume comprising the steps of:

a) dispersing onto a surface a first aqueous composition comprising a first peracid reactant compound, said first peracid reactant compound being a peroxide compound or an organic acid compound capable of reacting with a peroxide compound to form a peracid;

b) allowing sufficient time for the first aqueous composition to distribute over the entire surface and coalesce into a first aqueous composition layer on the surface;

c) dispersing a second aqueous composition comprising a second peracid reactant compound onto the surface, the second peracid reactant compound being another one of the first peracid reactant compounds; and

d) allowing sufficient second time for the second aqueous composition to bind to the coalesced first aqueous composition layer and form a reaction layer on the surface, thereby forming peracids in situ within the reaction layer and disinfecting the surface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the volumetric space is accessible to at least one of a human and an animal.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein substantially all of the first aqueous composition remains on the surface when the second aqueous composition is dispersed onto the surface.

4. The method of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first aqueous composition and the second aqueous composition are each dispersed onto the surface in the form of a liquid stream.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the method further comprises the step of providing a mechanical rough spray device, wherein the first aqueous composition and the second aqueous composition are each dispersed as a liquid stream onto the surface using the mechanical rough spray device; preferably wherein the liquid stream is dispersed in the form of a mist, shower or jet.

6. The method of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the sufficient time to distribute the first aqueous composition across the surface is a time sufficient to completely submerge the surface with the first aqueous composition.

7. The method of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the sufficient second time to distribute the second aqueous composition across the surface is a time sufficient to completely submerge the surface with the second aqueous composition.

8. The method of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the first and second aqueous compositions are substantially free of surfactants, polymers, chelating agents, and metal colloids or nanoparticles.

9. The process according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the stoichiometric amount of the dispersed peroxide compound is equal to or greater than the stoichiometric amount of the dispersed organic acid compound.

10. The method of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the pH of the aqueous composition comprising the organic acid compound is less than or equal to about 7.

11. The method of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein:

a) the first peracid reactant compound is a peroxide compound, preferably hydrogen peroxide, and

b) the second peracid reactant compound is an organic acid compound; preferably an organic carboxylic acid selected from the group consisting of formic acid, acetic acid, citric acid, succinic acid, oxalic acid, propionic acid, lactic acid, butyric acid, valeric acid, caprylic acid and mixtures thereof; acetic acid is more preferred.

12. The method of any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the first aqueous composition comprises at least about 2 wt% and up to about 15 wt% hydrogen peroxide.

13. The method of any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the second aqueous composition comprises at least about 1% by weight, up to about 10% by weight, of acetic acid.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein at least one of the first and second aqueous compositions further comprises an alcohol, preferably at least about 1% by weight, up to about 30% by weight alcohol.

15. The process according to claim 14, wherein the alcohol comprises a low chain alcohol selected from the group consisting of ethanol, isopropanol, tert-butanol and mixtures thereof, preferably isopropanol.

16. The method of any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein at least one of the first or second aqueous compositions comprises about 0.001 wt% to about 1 wt% of a natural biocide selected from the group consisting of manuka honey and oregano essential oil, thyme essential oil, lemon grass essential oil, lemon essential oil, orange essential oil, fennel essential oil, clove essential oil, anise essential oil, cinnamon essential oil, geranium essential oil, rose essential oil, mint essential oil, peppermint essential oil, lavender essential oil, citronella essential oil, eucalyptus essential oil, sandalwood essential oil, cedar essential oil, rosemary essential oil, pine essential oil, verbena essential oil, menglans musk essential oil, and ratanhia essential oil, and combinations thereof.

17. The method of any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein at least one of the first or second aqueous compositions comprises from about 0.001 wt% to about 1 wt% of a natural biocidal compound selected from the group consisting of methylglyoxal, carvacrol, eugenol, linalool, thymol, p-cymene, myrcene, borneol, camphor, caryophyllin, cinnamaldehyde, geraniol, nerol, citronellol, and menthol, and combinations thereof.

18. The method of any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the method further comprises the step of irradiating at least one of the first aqueous composition, the second aqueous composition, and the reaction layer at a wavelength consisting essentially of ultraviolet light.

19. The method of any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein the surface in need of disinfection is selected from the group consisting of plastic, metal, linoleum, tile, vinyl, stone, wood, concrete, wallboard, gypsum, pulp and fiber based materials, glass, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, ductwork, vinyl, and combinations thereof.

20. A method of disinfecting a surface in need of disinfection in a volume comprising the steps of:

a) dispersing into the volume of space a plurality of droplets of a first aqueous composition comprising a first peracid reactant compound, the first peracid reactant compound being a peroxide compound or an organic acid compound capable of reacting with the peroxide compound to form a peracid;

b) allowing sufficient time for a plurality of droplets of the first aqueous composition to distribute throughout the volumetric space, deposit on the surface and coalesce into a layer of the first aqueous composition;

c) dispersing into the volume, a plurality of droplets of a second aqueous composition comprising a second peracid reactant compound, the second peracid reactant compound being another one of the first peracid reactant compounds; and

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

wherein the method further comprises the steps of: one or more than one supplemental aqueous composition is dispersed into the volumetric space and allowed sufficient time for each dispersed supplemental aqueous composition to distribute throughout the volumetric space and deposit on the surface.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the supplemental aqueous composition is dispersed into the volumetric space at a time selected from the group consisting of: prior to dispersing the first aqueous composition into the volumetric space; after forming a layer of the first aqueous composition on the surface and prior to dispersing the second aqueous composition into the volume space; after the peracid is formed in situ in the reaction layer on the surface; and combinations thereof.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein each supplemental aqueous composition is selected from the group consisting of peracid scavenging compositions, pesticide compositions, and environmental conditioning compositions.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the peracid removal composition comprising a metal halide compound is dispersed after in situ formation of the peracid in a reaction layer on the surface, wherein the metal halide compound comprises an iodide or chloride, preferably a metal halide compound selected from the group consisting of potassium iodide, potassium chloride and sodium chloride, more preferably potassium iodide.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the peracid scavenging composition comprises at least about 0.0001 moles/liter potassium iodide and at most about 1 mole/liter potassium iodide.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the stoichiometric amount of the dispersed metal halide compound is equal to or greater than the stoichiometric amount of the peracid formed in situ within the reaction layer, thereby removing substantially all of the peracid formed from the surface.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein the pesticide composition comprises at least one fungicide, rodenticide, herbicide, larvicide, or insecticide, and combinations thereof, preferably an insecticide for killing bed bugs or termites.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the pesticide composition is dispensed into the volumetric space prior to dispensing the first aqueous composition into the volumetric space.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the pesticide composition is dispersed into the volumetric space after the peracid is formed in situ within the reaction layer on the surface.

29. The method of claim 22, wherein the environmental conditioning composition consists essentially of water.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein the environmental conditioning composition is dispersed into the volumetric space prior to dispersing the first aqueous composition into the volumetric space for a time sufficient to distribute the environmental conditioning composition throughout the volumetric space is a time sufficient for the volumetric space to have a relative humidity of at least about 50% and up to about 99%.

31. The method of claim 29 wherein the environmental conditioning composition is dispersed into the volumetric space after the first aqueous composition layer is formed on the surface and before the second aqueous composition is dispersed into the volumetric space.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein the environment-regulating composition is dispersed into the volumetric space after the peracid is formed in situ within the reaction layer on the surface.

33. The method of claim 22, wherein the environmental conditioning composition further consists essentially of the fragrance compound, and the environmental conditioning composition is dispersed into the volumetric space after the peracid is formed in situ within the reaction layer on the surface.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the aroma compound is selected from the group consisting of methylglyoxal, carvacrol, eugenol, linalool, thymol, p-cymene, myrcene, borneol, camphor, caryophyllin, cinnamaldehyde, geraniol, nerol, citronellol, and menthol, including combinations thereof.

35. The method of any one of claims 20 to 34, wherein one or more than one supplemental aqueous composition is dispersed as a plurality of droplets into the volumetric space.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the plurality of microdroplets of the supplemental aqueous composition are electrostatically charged.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the electrostatically charged droplets of the supplemental aqueous composition are negatively charged.

38. The method of claim 35, wherein the plurality of droplets of at least one of the first aqueous composition, the second aqueous composition, or the one or more supplemental aqueous compositions are formed by first heating the aqueous composition to generate a vapor and allowing sufficient time for the vapor to distribute throughout the volumetric space and cool and condense into droplets.

39. The method of any one of claims 20 to 38, wherein the first and second aqueous compositions are substantially free of surfactants, polymers, chelating agents, and metal colloids or nanoparticles.

40. The process of any one of claims 20 to 39, wherein the stoichiometric amount of the dispersed peroxide compound is equal to or greater than the stoichiometric amount of the dispersed organic acid compound.

41. The method of any one of claims 20 to 40, wherein the pH of the aqueous composition comprising the organic acid compound is less than or equal to about 7.

42. The method of any one of claims 20 to 41, wherein:

a) the first peracid reactant compound is a peroxide, preferably hydrogen peroxide, and

b) the second peracid reactant is an organic acid compound; preferably an organic carboxylic acid selected from: formic acid, acetic acid, citric acid, succinic acid, oxalic acid, propionic acid, lactic acid, butyric acid, valeric acid, and caprylic acid; acetic acid is more preferred.

43. The method of any one of claims 20 to 42, wherein the first aqueous composition comprises at least about 1% by weight hydrogen peroxide and up to about 25% by weight hydrogen peroxide.

44. The method of any one of claims 20 to 43, wherein the second aqueous composition comprises at least about 1% by weight acetic acid and at most about 25% by weight acetic acid.

45. The method of any one of claims 20 to 44, wherein at least one of the first and second aqueous compositions further comprises an alcohol, preferably at least about 1% by weight, up to about 30% by weight alcohol.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein the alcohol comprises a low chain alcohol selected from the group consisting of ethanol, isopropanol, tert-butanol, and mixtures thereof, preferably isopropanol.

47. The method of any one of claims 20 to 46, wherein at least one of the first or second aqueous compositions comprises from about 0.001 wt% to about 1 wt% of a natural biocide selected from the group consisting of manuka honey and oregano essential oil, thyme essential oil, lemon grass essential oil, lemon essential oil, orange essential oil, fennel essential oil, clove essential oil, anise essential oil, cinnamon essential oil, geranium essential oil, rose essential oil, mint essential oil, peppermint essential oil, lavender essential oil, citronella essential oil, eucalyptus essential oil, sandalwood essential oil, cedar essential oil, rosemary essential oil, pine essential oil, verbena essential oil, Mucuna glauca essential oil, and ratanhia essential oil, and combinations thereof.

48. The method of any one of claims 20 to 46, wherein at least one of the first or second aqueous compositions comprises from about 0.001% to about 1% by weight of a natural biocidal compound selected from the group consisting of methylglyoxal, carvacrol, eugenol, linalool, thymol, p-cymene, myrcene, borneol, camphor, caryophyllin, cinnamaldehyde, geraniol, nerol, citronellol, and menthol, and combinations thereof.

49. The method of any one of claims 20 to 48, wherein the method further comprises the step of irradiating at least one of the first aqueous composition, the second aqueous composition and the reactive layer at a wavelength consisting essentially of ultraviolet light.

50. A method of disinfecting a surface in need of disinfection in a volume comprising the steps of:

a) dispersing a plurality of droplets of a first aqueous composition comprising a peracid into a volumetric space; and

b) allowing sufficient time for the first aqueous composition to distribute throughout the volume and deposit on the surface, thereby disinfecting the surface;

wherein the method further comprises the steps of: dispersing a plurality of microdroplets of one or more than one supplemental aqueous compositions into a volumetric space and allowing sufficient time for each dispersed supplemental aqueous composition to distribute throughout the volumetric space and deposit on a surface, the supplemental aqueous compositions being selected from the group consisting of peracid scavenging compositions, pesticide compositions and environmental conditioning compositions.

51. The process according to claim 50, wherein the peracid is peroxyacetic acid.

52. The method of claim 50 or 51, wherein the peracid removal composition comprising a metal halide compound is dispersed after the first aqueous composition is deposited on the surface, wherein the metal halide compound comprises an iodide or chloride, preferably a metal halide compound selected from the group consisting of potassium iodide, potassium chloride and sodium chloride, more preferably potassium iodide.

53. The method of claim 52 wherein the peracid removal composition comprises less than about 6 moles/liter potassium iodide, including at least about 0.0001 moles/liter, and up to about 1 mole/liter potassium iodide.

54. The method of claim 52 wherein the stoichiometric amount of the metal halide compound dispersed into the volumetric space is equal to or greater than the stoichiometric amount of the peracid dispersed in the volumetric space, thereby removing substantially all of the peracid from the volumetric space.

55. The method of claim 50 or 51, wherein the pesticide composition comprises at least one fungicide, rodenticide, herbicide, larvicide, or insecticide, including combinations thereof, preferably an insecticide for killing bed bugs or termites.

56. The method of claim 55 wherein the pesticide composition is dispensed into the volumetric space prior to dispensing the first aqueous composition into the volumetric space.

57. The method of claim 55 wherein the pesticide composition is dispensed into the volumetric space after the first aqueous composition is deposited onto the surface.

58. The method of claim 50 or 51, wherein the environmental conditioning composition consists essentially of water.

59. The method of claim 58 wherein the environmental conditioning composition is dispensed into the volumetric space prior to dispensing the first aqueous composition into the volumetric space, and the method further comprises the steps of: sufficient time is allowed for the environmental conditioning composition to distribute throughout the volume of space and for the relative humidity of the volume of space to be at least about 50% and up to about 95%.

60. The method of claim 58 wherein the environmental conditioning composition is dispersed into the volumetric space after the first aqueous composition is deposited onto the surface.

61. A method according to claim 50 or 51 wherein the environment-regulating composition also consists essentially of the scented compound and is dispensed into the volumetric space after the first aqueous composition has been deposited onto the surface.

62. The method of claim 61, wherein a flavor compound is selected from the group consisting of methylglyoxal, carvacrol, eugenol, linalool, thymol, p-cymene, myrcene, borneol, camphor, caryophyllin, cinnamaldehyde, geraniol, nerol, citronellol, and menthol, including combinations thereof.

63. The method of any one of claims 50 to 62, wherein the plurality of droplets of the first aqueous composition are electrostatically charged.

64. The method of claim 63 wherein the electrostatically charged droplets of the first aqueous composition are negatively charged.

65. The method of any one of claims 50 to 62, wherein the plurality of droplets of at least one of the first aqueous composition or the one or more supplemental aqueous compositions are formed by first heating the aqueous composition to generate a vapor and allowing sufficient time for the vapor to distribute throughout the volumetric space and cool and condense into droplets.

66. The method of any one of claims 50 to 65, wherein the method further comprises the step of irradiating at least one of the first aqueous composition and the surface at a wavelength consisting essentially of ultraviolet light.

67. A method of disinfecting a surface in need of disinfection in a volume comprising the steps of:

a) dispersing onto a surface an amount of a first aqueous composition comprising a first peracid reactant compound, said first peracid reactant compound being a peroxide compound or an organic acid compound capable of reacting with a peroxide compound to form a peracid;

b) allowing sufficient time for the first aqueous composition to deposit on and coalesce into a first aqueous composition layer on the surface, wherein sufficient time is at least about 30 seconds, and at most about 15 minutes;

c) dispersing onto the surface an amount of a second aqueous composition comprising a second peracid reactant compound, said second peracid reactant compound being another one of the first peracid reactant compounds; and

d) allowing sufficient second time for the second aqueous composition to deposit on the surface and combine with the coalesced first aqueous composition layer to form a reaction layer on the surface, wherein sufficient second time is at least about 30 seconds, and at most about 15 minutes, to form peracid in situ within the reaction layer and disinfect the surface.

68. The method of claim 67, wherein the volumetric space is accessible to at least one of a human and an animal.

69. The method of claim 67 or 68, wherein substantially all of the first aqueous composition remains on the surface when the second aqueous composition is dispersed onto the surface.

70. The method of any one of claims 67 to 69, wherein the first aqueous composition and the second aqueous composition are each dispersed onto the surface in the form of a liquid stream.

71. The method of any one of claims 67 to 69, wherein the first aqueous composition and the second aqueous composition are each dispersed onto the surface as a plurality of droplets, wherein a majority of the plurality of droplets of the first aqueous composition dispersed in the volumetric space have an effective diameter of at least about 5 microns, up to about 100 microns, preferably an effective diameter of about 10 microns to 25 microns, more preferably an effective diameter of about 15 microns.

72. The method of claim 71, wherein the amount of the dispersed first aqueous composition is sufficient to provide an effective uniform thickness of the coalesced layer of the first aqueous composition of at least about 1 micron and at most about 20 microns, preferably an effective uniform thickness of about 3 microns to about 8 microns.

73. The method of claim 71 or 72 wherein the amount of dispersed second aqueous composition is sufficient to provide the reactive layer with an effective uniform thickness of at least about 1 micron and at most about 20 microns, preferably an effective uniform thickness of from about 3 microns to about 8 microns.

74. The method of any one of claims 67 to 73, wherein the first aqueous composition and the second aqueous composition are substantially free of surfactants, polymers, chelating agents, and metal colloids or nanoparticles.

75. The method of any one of claims 67 to 74, wherein the stoichiometric amount of dispersed peroxide compound is equal to or greater than the stoichiometric amount of dispersed organic acid compound.

76. The method of any one of claims 67 to 75, wherein the pH of the aqueous composition comprising the organic acid compound is less than or equal to about 7.

77. The method of any one of claims 67 to 76, wherein:

a) the first peracid reactant compound is a peroxide compound, preferably hydrogen peroxide, and

b) the second peracid reactant compound is an organic acid compound; preferably an organic carboxylic acid selected from: formic acid, acetic acid, citric acid, succinic acid, oxalic acid, propionic acid, lactic acid, butyric acid, valeric acid, and caprylic acid; acetic acid is more preferred.

78. The method of any one of claims 67 to 77, wherein the first aqueous composition comprises at least about 1% by weight, up to about 20% by weight, of hydrogen peroxide.

79. The method of any one of claims 67 to 78, wherein the second aqueous composition comprises at least about 2% by weight, up to about 25% by weight, of acetic acid.

80. The method of any one of claims 67 to 79, wherein at least one of the first and second aqueous compositions further comprises an alcohol, preferably at least about 1% by weight, up to about 40% by weight alcohol.

81. The method of claim 80, wherein the alcohol comprises a low chain alcohol selected from the group consisting of ethanol, isopropanol, tert-butanol, and mixtures thereof, preferably isopropanol.

82. The method of any one of claims 67 to 81, wherein at least one of the first or second aqueous compositions comprises about 0.001% to about 1% by weight of a natural biocide selected from the group consisting of manuka honey and oregano essential oil, thyme essential oil, lemon grass essential oil, lemon essential oil, orange essential oil, anise essential oil, clove essential oil, anise essential oil, cinnamon essential oil, geranium essential oil, rose essential oil, mint essential oil, peppermint essential oil, lavender essential oil, citronella essential oil, eucalyptus essential oil, sandalwood essential oil, cedar essential oil, rosemary essential oil, pine essential oil, verbena essential oil, Musca glaber essential oil, and ratanhia essential oil, and combinations thereof.

83. The method of any one of claims 67 to 81 wherein at least one of the first or second aqueous compositions comprises from about 0.001% to about 1% by weight of a natural biocidal compound selected from the group consisting of methylglyoxal, carvacrol, eugenol, linalool, thymol, p-cymene, myrcene, borneol, camphor, caryophyllin, cinnamaldehyde, geraniol, nerol, citronellol, and menthol, and combinations thereof.

84. The method of any one of claims 67 to 83, wherein the method further comprises the step of irradiating at least one of the first aqueous composition, the second aqueous composition and the reactive layer at a wavelength consisting essentially of ultraviolet light.

85. A sequential application and delivery system for sequentially dispersing a first aqueous composition and a second aqueous composition comprising:

a) a plurality of aqueous composition containers, each aqueous composition container for containing or containing an aqueous composition;

b) a plurality of pumps, each pump in fluid communication with a respective one of the aqueous composition containers; and the combination of (a) and (b),

c) one or more aqueous composition delivery nozzles, each aqueous composition delivery nozzle in fluid communication with at least one pump and configured to sequentially disperse the one or more aqueous compositions into the volumetric space.

86. The sequential application and delivery system of claim 85, further comprising a data acquisition and control system comprising:

a) means for detecting the volume of aqueous composition in each aqueous composition container;

b) a data acquisition bus;

c) a control bus; and

d) a controller electrically connected to the aqueous composition containers and configured to read the means for detecting the volume of the aqueous composition within each aqueous composition container.

87. The sequential application and delivery system of claim 86, wherein the means for detecting the volume of the aqueous composition comprises a float, a capacitance level meter, a conductivity level meter, an ultrasonic level meter, a radar level meter, and an optical sensor.

88. The sequential application and delivery system of claim 86 or 87, wherein each pump comprises a drive electrically connected to the controller through a control bus, wherein the drive is configured to connect with the pump to dispense the aqueous composition from the aqueous composition container to the aqueous composition delivery nozzle and through the aqueous composition delivery nozzle into the volumetric space.

89. The sequential application and delivery system of any one of claims 86 to 88, further comprising one or more sensors proximate or adjacent to the volumetric space and in data communication with the data acquisition bus, wherein at least one sensor comprises a device for detecting at least one environmental condition within the volumetric space selected from the group consisting of a motion detector, a Global Positioning System (GPS) detector, an infrared sensor, an audio sensor, a thermal sensor, an accelerometer, a camera, or a light sensor, preferably a laser sensor, including combinations thereof.

90. The sequential application and delivery system of claim 89, wherein the controller is programmed to stop dispensing the aqueous composition when the sensor detects the presence of an animal or human within the volumetric space.

91. The sequential application and delivery system of claim 89, wherein the sensor is configured to detect cartesian dimensions of the volumetric space and communicate the detected dimensions to the controller via the data acquisition bus.

92. The sequential application and delivery system according to any one of claims 86 to 91, wherein the controller is programmed to delay dispensing the first aqueous composition into the volumetric space for a defined time before dispensing the second aqueous composition into the volumetric space.

93. The sequential application and delivery system of any one of claims 85 to 92, wherein a portion of the sequential application and delivery system is connected to a mobile conveyance selected from the group consisting of: a hand held dispensing device, backpack, hand buggy, trolley, preferably a light controlled or directional trolley, a robot or an unmanned aerial vehicle.

94. The sequential application and delivery system of any one of claims 85 to 93, further comprising an ionization device proximate or adjacent to the one or more nozzles, the ionization device configured to electrostatically charge a quantity of the aqueous composition dispensed by the one or more nozzles.

95. The sequential application and delivery system of any one of claims 85 to 93, further comprising an evaporator proximate or adjacent to the one or more nozzles, electrically connected to and responsive to the controller, wherein the controller is programmed to energize the evaporator and cause the evaporator to release a stream of hot gas in the aqueous composition after the aqueous composition is dispensed from the nozzles.

96. A sequential application and delivery system for sequentially dispersing a plurality of aqueous compositions comprising a first aqueous composition comprising a peracid reactant compound selected from the group consisting of a peroxide compound and an organic acid compound capable of reacting with said peroxide compound to form a peracid, and a second aqueous composition comprising a peracid reactant compound which is another of the first peracid reactant compounds, said sequential application and delivery system comprising:

a) a plurality of containers for the aqueous composition, each container for containing or containing the aqueous composition;

b) a plurality of pumps, each pump in fluid communication with a respective one of the aqueous composition containers;

c) one or more aqueous composition delivery nozzles, each aqueous composition delivery nozzle in fluid communication with at least one pump and configured to sequentially disperse one or more aqueous compositions into the volumetric space; and

wherein the sequential application and delivery system is configured to prevent the first aqueous composition and the second aqueous composition from contacting each other until after each aqueous composition is dispersed into the volumetric space.

97. The sequential application and delivery system of claim 96, wherein the peroxide compound is hydrogen peroxide.

98. The sequential application and delivery system of claim 96 or 97, wherein the organic acid compound is acetic acid.

99. The sequential application and delivery system of any one of claims 96 to 98, wherein the sequential application and delivery system is configured to disperse the first and second aqueous compositions onto one or more surfaces in the volumetric space, thereby forming the peracid in situ on the surface.

100. The sequential application and delivery system of any one of claims 96 to 99, further comprising a data acquisition and control system comprising:

a) means for detecting the volume of aqueous composition in each aqueous composition container;

b) a data acquisition bus;

c) a control bus; and

d) a controller electrically connected to the aqueous composition containers and configured to read the means for detecting the volume of the aqueous composition within each aqueous composition container.

101. The sequential application and delivery system of claim 100, wherein the means for detecting the volume of the aqueous composition comprises a float, a capacitance level meter, a conductivity level meter, an ultrasonic level meter, a radar level meter, and an optical sensor.

102. The sequential application and delivery system of claim 100 or 101, wherein each pump comprises a drive electrically connected to the controller through a control bus, wherein the drive is configured to connect with the pump to dispense the aqueous composition from the aqueous composition container to the aqueous composition delivery nozzle and through the aqueous composition delivery nozzle into the volumetric space.

103. The sequential application and delivery system of any one of claims 100 to 102, further comprising one or more sensors proximate or adjacent to the volumetric space and in data communication with the data acquisition bus, wherein at least one sensor comprises a device for detecting at least one environmental condition within the volumetric space, the device selected from the group consisting of a motion detector, a Global Positioning System (GPS) detector, an infrared sensor, an audio sensor, a thermal sensor, an accelerometer, a camera, or a light sensor, preferably a laser sensor, including combinations thereof.

104. The sequential application and delivery system of claim 103, wherein the controller is programmed to stop dispensing the aqueous composition when the sensor detects the presence of an animal or human within the volumetric space.

105. The sequential application and delivery system of claim 103, wherein the sensor is configured to detect cartesian dimensions of the volumetric space and communicate the detected dimensions to the controller via the data acquisition bus.

106. The sequential application and delivery system of any one of claims 100 to 105, wherein the controller is programmed to delay for a sufficient time to allow the first aqueous composition to distribute throughout the volumetric space, deposit on one or more surfaces within the volumetric space and coalesce into a layer, and then disperse the second aqueous composition into the volumetric space.

107. The sequential application and delivery system of any one of claims 96 to 106, wherein a portion of the sequential application and delivery system is connected to a mobile conveyance selected from the group consisting of: a hand held dispensing device, backpack, hand buggy, trolley, preferably a light controlled or directional trolley, a robot or an unmanned aerial vehicle.

108. The sequential application and delivery system of any one of claims 96 to 107, further comprising an ionization device proximate or adjacent to the one or more nozzles, the ionization device configured to electrostatically charge the quantities of the first and second aqueous compositions dispersed by the sequential application and delivery system.

109. The sequential application and delivery system of claim 108, wherein the controller is programmed to disperse the first aqueous composition into negatively charged droplets.

110. The sequential application and delivery system of claim 108, wherein the controller is programmed to disperse the first aqueous composition into positively charged droplets.

111. The sequential application and delivery system of claim 109 or 110, wherein the controller is programmed to disperse the second aqueous composition into electrostatically charged droplets having a polarity opposite to that of the first aqueous composition.

112. The sequential application and delivery system of any one of claims 96 to 107, further comprising an evaporator proximate or adjacent to the one or more nozzles, electrically connected to and responsive to the controller, wherein the controller is programmed to energize the evaporator and cause the evaporator to release a stream of hot gas in the aqueous composition after the aqueous composition is dispensed from the nozzles.

113. The sequential application and delivery system of any one of claims 85 to 112, further comprising an internet of things (IoT) configured to connect one or more of the plurality of pumps in a sequential, timed manner.

114. The sequential application and delivery system of claim 113, wherein the internet of things includes one or more remote control receptacles in direct wireless electronic communication with the internet and configured to sequentially energize one or more of the plurality of pumps.

115. The sequential application and delivery system of claim 114, wherein the internet of things further comprises:

a) at least one of a mobile device and a computer in electronic communication with the internet, each comprising:

i) an operating system;

ii) a home automation application configured to run on an operating system; and

iii) a routine created in the home automation application configured to drive one or more remote control receptacles to connect one or more of the plurality of pumps in a sequentially timed manner.

116. The sequential application and delivery system of claim 115, wherein the internet of things further comprises one or more sensors in direct wireless electronic communication with the internet and configured to sense environmental conditions within the volumetric space, the sensors selected from the group consisting of: a motion detector; a global positioning system detector; an infrared sensor; an audio sensor; a thermal sensor; an accelerometer; a light sensor, preferably a laser sensor; and a camera; including combinations thereof.

117. The sequential application and delivery system of any one of claims 113 to 116, wherein the internet of things further comprises at least two remote control receptacles in direct wireless electronic communication with the internet, each remote control receptacle configured to sequentially energize at least one of the plurality of pumps.

118. The sequential application and delivery system of any one of claims 113 to 116, wherein sequential application and delivery system comprises a single aqueous composition delivery nozzle.

119. The sequential application and delivery system of claim 113, wherein the internet of things includes one or more remote control receptacles in wireless electronic communication with an intranet, and configured to sequentially energize one or more of the plurality of pumps.

120. The sequential application and delivery system of claim 119, wherein the internet of things further comprises:

a) a hub in electronic communication with an intranet, comprising:

i) an operating system;

ii) a home automation application configured to run on an operating system; and

iii) a routine created in the home automation application configured to drive one or more remote control receptacles to connect one or more of the plurality of pumps in a sequentially timed manner.

121. The sequential application and delivery system of claim 119 or 120, wherein the internet of things further comprises:

a) a mobile device in electronic communication with an intranet, comprising:

i) an operating system;

ii) a home automation application configured to run on an operating system; and

iii) a routine created in the home automation application configured to drive one or more remote control receptacles to connect one or more of the plurality of pumps in a sequentially timed manner.

122. The sequential application and delivery system of any one of claims 119 to 121, wherein the internet of things further comprises one or more sensors in direct wireless electronic communication with the intranet and configured to sense environmental conditions within the volumetric space, the sensors selected from the group consisting of: a motion detector; a global positioning system detector; an infrared sensor; an audio sensor; a thermal sensor; an accelerometer; a light sensor, preferably a laser sensor; and a camera; including combinations thereof.

123. The sequential application and delivery system of any one of claims 119 to 122, wherein the internet of things further comprises at least two remote sockets in direct wireless electronic communication with the intranet, each remote socket configured to sequentially energize at least one of the plurality of pumps.

124. The sequential application and delivery system of any one of claims 119 to 122, wherein sequential application and delivery system comprises a single aqueous composition delivery nozzle.

125. The sequential application and delivery system according to any one of claims 85 to 112, further comprising a single board computer component (SBC) configured to connect one or more of a plurality of pumps in a sequentially timed manner.

126. The sequential application and delivery system of claim 125, wherein the SBC comprises a top-mounted hardware circuit board (HAT) having one or more relays, each relay being respectively associated with one or more of the plurality of pumps and configured to deliver power to a respective one or more of the plurality of pumps in a sequentially timed manner.

127. The sequential application and delivery system of claim 126, wherein the SBC further comprises a display having a user interface for energizing one or more of the plurality of pumps in a sequentially timed manner.

128. The sequential application and delivery system of any one of claims 125 to 127, further comprising a moving device configured to energize one or more of the plurality of pumps in a sequentially timed manner.

129. The sequential application and delivery system of any one of claims 125 to 128, wherein the SBC comprises a HAT circuit board having at least two relays, each relay being respectively associated with and configured to deliver power to one or more of the plurality of pumps in a sequentially timed manner.

130. A kit for disinfecting a surface in need of disinfection within a volume, comprising:

a) a first aqueous composition comprising a first peracid reactant compound, said first peracid reactant compound being a peroxide compound or an organic acid compound capable of reacting with a peroxide compound to form a peracid;

b) a second aqueous composition comprising a second peracid reactant compound, said second peracid reactant compound being another one of the first peracid reactant compounds; and

c) instructions comprising the method of any one of claims 1 to 84,

wherein the kit is arranged such that the first aqueous composition and the second aqueous composition are packaged separately until the first aqueous composition and the second aqueous composition are sequentially applied to a surface to form a reaction layer comprising the first aqueous composition and the second aqueous composition are combined to form a peracid in situ within the reaction layer and disinfect the surface.

131. The kit of claim 130, wherein the kit further comprises the sequential application and delivery system of any one of claims 85 to 129.

132. The kit according to claim 130 or 131, wherein the first and second aqueous compositions are substantially free of surfactants, polymers, chelating agents, and metal colloids or nanoparticles.

133. The kit according to any one of claims 130-132, wherein the pH of the aqueous composition comprising the organic acid compound is less than or equal to about 7.

134. The kit of any one of claims 130-133, wherein:

a) the first peracid reactant compound is a peroxide, preferably hydrogen peroxide, and

b) the second peracid reactant is an organic acid compound; preferably an organic carboxylic acid selected from: formic acid, acetic acid, citric acid, succinic acid, oxalic acid, propionic acid, lactic acid, butyric acid, valeric acid, and caprylic acid; acetic acid is more preferred.

135. The kit according to any one of claims 130 to 134, wherein the first aqueous composition comprises at least about 1% by weight and at most about 15% by weight hydrogen peroxide.

136. The kit according to any one of claims 130 to 135, wherein the second aqueous composition comprises at least about 1% by weight, up to about 15% by weight, of acetic acid.

137. The kit according to any one of claims 130 to 136, wherein at least one of the first and second aqueous compositions further comprises an alcohol, preferably at least about 1% by weight, up to about 40% by weight alcohol.

138. The kit according to claim 137, wherein the alcohol comprises a low chain alcohol selected from the group consisting of ethanol, isopropanol, tert-butanol and mixtures thereof, preferably isopropanol.

139. The kit of any one of claims 130-138, wherein at least one of the first or second aqueous compositions comprises from about 0.001% to about 1% by weight of a natural biocide selected from manuka honey and oregano essential oil, thyme essential oil, lemon grass essential oil, lemon essential oil, orange essential oil, anise essential oil, clove essential oil, anise essential oil, cinnamon essential oil, geranium essential oil, rose essential oil, mint essential oil, peppermint essential oil, lavender essential oil, citronella essential oil, eucalyptus essential oil, sandalwood essential oil, cedar essential oil, rosemary essential oil, pine essential oil, verbena essential oil, menglans moschus essential oil, and ratanhia essential oil, and combinations thereof.

140. The kit of any one of claims 130 to 138, wherein at least one of the first or second aqueous compositions comprises from about 0.001% to about 1% by weight of a natural biocidal compound selected from the group consisting of methylglyoxal, carvacrol, eugenol, linalool, thymol, p-cymene, myrcene, borneol, camphor, caryophyllin, cinnamaldehyde, geraniol, nerol, citronellol, and menthol, and combinations thereof.

Technical Field

The present invention is in the field of systems for delivering aqueous compositions, and in particular to systems for disinfecting and sterilizing surfaces.

Background

There is a need for inexpensive, effective, but safe, convenient methods to minimize the microbial burden of objects in contact with us, and systems to apply these methods. Recently, the burden has become more severe as several microorganisms have developed resistance to almost all known antibiotics. It is predicted that this may soon enter the post-antibiotic era, similar to the pre-antibiotic era, where even minor infections can be life threatening. Accordingly, efforts have been made to disinfect and sterilize surfaces contaminated with bacteria that can transmit disease to humans, pets and other beneficial lives that may be exposed to them, using components and systems other than traditional antibiotics that are relatively safe to humans but still biocidal.

In centuries prior to the antibiotic age, humans have safely utilized natural biocides including, but not limited to: vinegar, ethanol, spice, essential oil and honey. More recently, hydrogen peroxide has proven to be antimicrobial and has long been an internal method of evolution during the immortal struggle of animals against microorganisms that attack them. Electricity and uv light energy have also been shown to have biocidal properties. However, each biocide alone is not effective against all types of microorganisms, and several target microorganisms have developed defense mechanisms against one or more biocides.

It has been demonstrated that the combined use of two or more biocides can act synergistically to enhance the effects of each other. In particular, it has proven particularly effective to combine hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid (the main component of vinegar) to form peroxyacetic acid. Several methods, apparatus and disinfection systems using peracids, including peracetic acid, have been described in patents US6692694, 7351684, 7473675, 7534756, 8110538, 8696986, 8716339, 8987331, 9044403, 9050384, 9192909, 9241483 and patent publications US2015/0297770 and 2014/0178249, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

However, one of the biggest disadvantages of using peracids is their easy hydrolysis to common acids as well as oxygen or water. Therefore, peroxyacetic acid has limited storage stability and a short shelf life. The instability of peracetic acid is described in detail in patent US8034759, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Typically, commercial products contain additional ingredients to address this problem by including a large excess of hydrogen peroxide to shift the equilibrium to the peracid form or stabilizers (such as other acids, oxidants and surfactants). Some methods prevent degradation during shipping and storage by requiring that the individual components of the peracid composition be mixed together and then applied at the location and time at which the target is to be disinfected or sterilized. However, these processes still require expensive, difficult to obtain additives such as polyols, esters and transition metals, and specific reaction conditions.

As a non-limiting example of measures taken to stabilize peracid compositions, U.S. patent No. 8716339 describes a disinfection system comprising: a first chamber comprising a first solution comprising an alcohol, an organic carboxylic acid, and a transition metal or metal alloy; and a second chamber containing a second solution comprising hydrogen peroxide. Prior to disinfecting, the system is configured to mix the first solution and the second solution prior to dispensing the mixture onto the surface. Mixing the first and second solutions prior to dispersion will form a peracid in the disinfection system, but during the time between solution mixing and arrival of the mixture at the contaminated surface, the presence of a transition metal is required to help stabilize the peracid.

Systems, and countless other systems using peracid chemistry, are described in U.S. patent No. 8716339, which form peracids prior to dispensing them onto the surface to be disinfected. Since the problem of peracid stability has not been solved, one or more than one chemical ingredient is typically added to stabilize the peracid composition prior to dispersion. These ingredients are often expensive, relatively scarce, and can cause adverse effects in the environment to be disinfected, such as leaving residues, films, stains and pungent odors on the treated surfaces and in the environment containing them. Even if these adverse effects can be corrected later, there are safety concerns associated with dispersing airborne particles or peracids into the environment to disinfect the environment. The safety data and recommended Exposure Levels are described in detail in the opening Expo sure Levels for Selected air minerals Chemicals, National Research Council (US) Committee on opening Expo sure Levels, page 327 and 367, volume 8, 2010, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Automated water delivery systems have been developed to disperse potentially toxic or hazardous substances into a space, such as a room, workspace, or passenger compartment, while enabling cleaning personnel to safely monitor progress elsewhere. However, these systems are typically either hardware-based machines that are poorly versatile or adaptable, or special purpose machines that are relatively costly. These machines are therefore expensive, inefficient, and extremely difficult to accommodate and utilize for those who wish to use chemicals in spaces where humans and/or animals are typically accessible or inhabitable.

Thus, there remains a need to develop sterilization and disinfection methods using peracids that are effective, convenient and safe while using inexpensive and readily available materials.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention provides a method for disinfecting surfaces by using peracid chemistry, while eliminating the instability problems and human safety problems associated with the formation of peracids at any location prior to contacting the surface by dispersing the peracid reactant compound in a separate application step and forming the peracid directly in situ on the surface.

In some embodiments, by carefully selecting mechanisms that act synergistically and substantially differently from each other, a broad and complete microbial kill can be achieved such that no microorganism produces mutations that may confer resistance to progeny. In other embodiments, the methods described herein can provide a prophylactic coating that can protect certain surfaces from corrosion and/or microbial contamination.

In some embodiments, a method of disinfecting a surface to be disinfected in a volumetric region or space is provided, the method comprising the steps of: a) dispersing onto a surface a first aqueous composition comprising a first peracid reactant compound, said first peracid reactant compound being a peroxide compound or an organic acid compound capable of reacting with a peroxide compound to form a peracid; b) allowing sufficient time for the first aqueous composition to distribute over the entire surface and coalesce into a first aqueous composition layer on the surface; c) dispersing a second aqueous composition comprising a second peracid reactant compound onto the surface, the second peracid reactant compound being another one of the first peracid reactant compounds; and d) allowing sufficient second time for the second aqueous composition to bind to the coalesced first aqueous composition layer and form a reaction layer on the surface, thereby forming peracid in situ within the reaction layer and disinfecting the surface.

In some embodiments, the volumetric space is a space that humans and/or animals can enter and perform daily activities. Examples of such volumetric spaces include, but are not limited to: living spaces such as home rooms, bedrooms, kitchens, washrooms, basements, garages and other rooms common to homes; a classroom; an office; a retail space; hotel rooms; ward, operating room; food handling spaces including dining, food preparation, packaging and processing facilities; a shipping container; stable, industrial and other industrial areas; passenger compartments used in transportation, including personal vehicles, taxis, buses, subways, and other trams, ferries, and airplanes.

In other embodiments, the volumetric space is inaccessible to humans and/or animals. Methods of disinfecting surfaces in inaccessible volumetric spaces include clean-in-place (CIP) and clean-out-of-place (COP) options. Surfaces within the inaccessible volume that can be sterilized using CIP methods include, but are not limited to: heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems; a piping system; and other chambers and spaces that humans or animals cannot or generally cannot enter. In another embodiment, the COP method may be used to sterilize the surfaces of parts that are typically housed in and removed from the apparatus. In this method, the part may be placed on top of a surface located in any of the volumes listed above, or placed inside a sealable tank, chamber or enclosure, once sealed, to form the volume.

In some embodiments, the methods of the present invention can be used to disinfect porous and non-porous surfaces commonly found in the aforementioned volumes, including building walls, floors, ceilings, furniture, appliances, and electronics found in volumes. In a further embodiment, the surface to be disinfected is selected from the group consisting of plastics; a metal; oil cloth; ceramic tiles; vinyl plastics; stone; structural and/or finished wood; concrete; a wallboard; gypsum; a carpet; an insulating material; pulp and fiber-based materials; glass; heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems; a piping system; and vinyl plastics, including combinations thereof.

In some embodiments, the surface to be disinfected may comprise a surface that has been damaged by water, including but not limited to water damage due to pipe blockage or damage or natural disasters (e.g., hurricanes, tsunamis, or floods). In some other embodiments, disinfecting the water-damaged surface may allow the surface to be ultimately recovered and/or reused. In other embodiments, disinfecting a water-damaged surface enables the surface to be safely collected and removed from the affected area.

In some embodiments, the first aqueous composition and the second aqueous composition are comprised of food grade components. In other embodiments, the one or more than one aqueous composition is substantially free of surfactants, polymers, chelating agents, and metal colloids or nanoparticles.

In some embodiments, the aqueous compositions of the present invention may be dispersed into the volumetric space and onto the surface using methods generally known to those skilled in the art, including but not limited to direct application using a mop, cloth, or sponge; flowing out of the hose or mechanical coarse spray device in the form of a liquid flow; or dispersed as a plurality of droplets into a volume of space, including a method in which a plurality of droplets are formed when an aqueous composition is dispersed as a vapor that has been cooled and condensed into droplets.

In some embodiments, substantially all of the first aqueous composition remains on the surface when the second aqueous composition is dispersed onto the surface.

In some embodiments, one or both of the first aqueous composition and the second aqueous composition are dispersed as a stream onto the surface. In other embodiments, the method further comprises the step of providing a mechanical rough spray device, wherein the first aqueous composition and the second aqueous composition are each dispersed as a liquid stream onto the surface using the mechanical rough spray device; in particular wherein the liquid stream is dispersed in the form of a mist, shower or jet. In even further embodiments, the aqueous composition dispersed in the form of a mist, shower or jet may comprise large droplets of any size, as long as the large droplets are capable of reaching the intended surface using a particular mechanical rough spray device. In still further embodiments, the large droplets have an effective diameter of at least about 100 microns, including at least about 250 microns, 500 microns, 1 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm, or 4 mm, and up to about 5 mm, including up to about 4 mm, 3 mm, 2 mm, 1 mm, 500 microns, or 250 microns. In still further embodiments, at least about 90%, including about 95% or 98%, up to about 99%, of the plurality of droplets have an effective diameter of at least about 100 microns, including at least about 250 microns, 500 microns, 1 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm, or 4 mm, up to about 5 mm, including up to about 4 mm, 3 mm, 2 mm, 1 mm, 500 microns, or 250 microns.

In some embodiments where the first aqueous composition and the second aqueous composition are each dispersed as a liquid stream, the sufficient time to distribute the first aqueous composition across the surface is a time sufficient to completely submerge the surface with the first aqueous composition. In other embodiments, the sufficient second time to distribute the second aqueous composition across the surface is a time sufficient to completely submerge the surface with the second aqueous composition. In other further embodiments, the sufficient second time to distribute the second aqueous composition across the surface is a time sufficient to allow substantially all of the second peracid reactive compound to bind to and react with substantially all of the first peracid reactive compound.

In some embodiments, the method of the present invention of dispersing a first aqueous composition and a second aqueous composition in a liquid stream can be used to disinfect selected surfaces within a volumetric space.

In other embodiments, the present invention provides methods of disinfecting a surface by dispersing a first aqueous composition and a second aqueous composition into a plurality of droplets. In some embodiments, a method of disinfecting a surface to be disinfected in a volume space comprises the steps of: a) dispersing into the volume of space a plurality of droplets of a first aqueous composition comprising a first peracid reactant compound, the first peracid reactant compound being a peroxide compound or an organic acid compound capable of reacting with the peroxide compound to form a peracid; b) allowing sufficient time for a plurality of droplets of the first aqueous composition to distribute throughout the volumetric space, deposit on the surface and coalesce into a layer of the first aqueous composition; c) dispersing into the volume, a plurality of droplets of a second aqueous composition comprising a second peracid reactant compound, said second peracid reactant compound being another of the first peracid reactant compounds; and d) allowing sufficient second time for a plurality of droplets of the second aqueous composition to deposit on the coalesced first aqueous composition layer to form a reaction layer on the surface, thereby forming peracid in situ within the reaction layer and disinfecting the surface.

In some embodiments, the one or more aqueous compositions dispersed as a plurality of droplets are volatile such that at least 90% of the reaction layer can evaporate within 30 minutes after formation. In a further embodiment, at least 95% of the reaction layer may evaporate under standard conditions within 30 minutes after formation. In an even further embodiment, at least 99% of the reaction layer may evaporate within 30 minutes after formation. In still further embodiments, at least 99.5% of the reaction layer may evaporate within 30 minutes after formation. In yet a further embodiment, at least 99.7% of the reaction layer may evaporate within 30 minutes after formation. In yet a further embodiment, at least 99.9% of the reaction layer may evaporate within 30 minutes after formation.

In another embodiment, the individual components of the one or more aqueous compositions may be selected to have a vapor pressure that promotes evaporation of the reactive layer after sterilization of the surfaces within the volumetric space is completed. In other embodiments, one or both aqueous compositions may be formulated such that at least about 99.0%, 99.5%, or 99.9% by weight of the components of the aqueous composition have a vapor pressure of at least 1.0mm Hg at 20 ℃. In an even further embodiment, one or both of the aqueous compositions may be formulated such that substantially 100% by weight of the components of the aqueous composition have a vapor pressure of at least about 1.0mm Hg at 20 ℃.

In some embodiments, the effective diameter of the plurality of droplets is controlled to be small enough to enable the droplets to reach various predetermined surfaces to be disinfected within the volumetric space, and large enough (if droplets are inhaled) to minimize deep lung intrusion. In other embodiments, a majority of the plurality of droplets dispersed into the volumetric space has an effective diameter of at least about 1 micron, including at least about 5 microns, 10 microns, 15 microns, 20 microns, 25 microns, 30 microns, 35 microns, 40 microns, 45 microns, 50 microns, 60 microns, 70 microns, 80 microns, or 90 microns, up to about 100 microns, including up to about 90 microns, 80 microns, 70 microns, 60 microns, 50 microns, 40 microns, 35 microns, 30 microns, 25 microns, or 20 microns. In further embodiments, at least about 90%, including about 95% or 98%, up to about 99% of the plurality of droplets have an effective diameter of at least about 1 micron, including at least about 5 microns, 10 microns, 15 microns, 20 microns, 25 microns, 30 microns, 35 microns, 40 microns, 45 microns, 50 microns, 60 microns, 70 microns, 80 microns, or 90 microns, up to about 100 microns, including up to about 90 microns, 80 microns, 70 microns, 60 microns, 50 microns, 40 microns, 35 microns, 30 microns, 25 microns, or 20 microns. In even further embodiments, at least about 90% of the plurality of droplets, including about 95% or 98%, and up to about 99% of the plurality of droplets, have an effective diameter of at least about 10 microns and up to about 25 microns. In still further embodiments, at least about 90% of the plurality of droplets, including about 95% or 98%, and up to about 99% of the plurality of droplets, have an effective diameter of about 15 microns.

In some embodiments, the coalesced layers of the first aqueous composition and the second aqueous composition each have an effective uniform thickness. In further embodiments, the effective uniform thickness of the coalescing layer is at least about 1 micron, including at least about 2 microns, or 3 microns, or 5 microns, or 8 microns, or 10 microns, or 15 microns, up to about 50 microns, including up to about 40 microns, or 30 microns, or 20 microns. In an even further embodiment, the coalescing layer has an effective uniform thickness of about 3 microns to about 8 microns.

In some embodiments, for example when the first and second aqueous compositions are applied with a mechanical rough spray device, the coalesced layers of the first and second aqueous compositions each have an effective uniform thickness of greater than about 50 microns.

In some embodiments, the plurality of droplets of the first aqueous composition are electrostatically charged.

In some embodiments, the plurality of droplets of the second aqueous composition are electrostatically charged. In a further embodiment, the plurality of droplets of the first aqueous composition are electrostatically charged and the plurality of droplets of the second aqueous composition are electrostatically charged and have an opposite polarity to the plurality of droplets of the first aqueous composition.

In some embodiments, the electrostatic charge of the plurality of droplets of the first aqueous composition and the second aqueous composition is optimized to provide the optimal reaction of the first peracid reactant compound and the second peracid reactant compound. In a further embodiment, the plurality of droplets of the aqueous composition comprising the peroxide compound are negatively charged dispersed. In other embodiments, a plurality of droplets of an aqueous composition comprising an organic acid compound are dispersed with a positive charge.

In some embodiments, the surface to be disinfected is electrically grounded. In a further embodiment, the surface to be disinfected is grounded.

In other embodiments, the plurality of droplets of the first and second aqueous compositions are formed by heating the first and second aqueous compositions to produce a vapor phase comprising the respective peracid reactant compound in ambient air, allowing sufficient time for the vapor phase comprising the peracid reactant compound to distribute throughout the volumetric space and cool and condense into liquid droplets.

In some embodiments, the first aqueous composition and the second aqueous composition are each heated to a temperature greater than about 250 ℃. Alternatively, the first and second aqueous compositions are heated to a temperature sufficient to evaporate a substantial portion of the first and second aqueous compositions in an evaporation time of less than about 30 minutes, including less than about 25 minutes, less than about 20 minutes, less than about 15 minutes, less than about 10 minutes, or less than about 5 minutes, respectively. In a further embodiment, the first aqueous composition and the second aqueous composition are heated to a temperature sufficient to evaporate a majority of the first aqueous composition and the second aqueous composition, respectively, in about two minutes.

In some embodiments, the first and second aqueous compositions, each in the gas phase, are cooled to a temperature of less than about 55 ℃ to condense into droplets and deposit on surfaces within the volume to be sanitized.

In some embodiments, the first aqueous composition in the vapor phase is formed by introducing the first aqueous composition into a first hot gas stream and the second aqueous composition in the vapor phase is formed by introducing the second aqueous composition into a second hot gas stream.

In some embodiments, the methods of the present invention can be used to sterilize all surfaces within a volume of space simultaneously.

In some embodiments, the stoichiometric amount of the dispersed peroxide compound is equal to or greater than the stoichiometric amount of the dispersed organic acid compound.

In some embodiments, the pH of the composition comprising the organic acid compound is less than or equal to about 7. In further embodiments, the reaction layer has a pH of less than or equal to about 7.

In some embodiments, the organic acid compound may include any organic acid capable of reacting with the peroxide compound to form a peracid. In further embodiments, the aqueous composition comprising an organic acid compound comprises at least about 0.5 wt% of an organic acid compound, including at least about 1 wt%, 2 wt%, 5 wt%, 10 wt%, 15 wt%, 20 wt%, 25 wt%, 30 wt%, 35 wt%, 40 wt%, or 45 wt%, up to about 50 wt%, including up to about 1 wt%, 2 wt%, 5 wt%, 10 wt%, 15 wt%, 20 wt%, 25 wt%, 30 wt%, 35 wt%, 40 wt%, or 45 wt%. In an even further embodiment, the aqueous composition comprising an organic acid compound comprises from about 2% to about 20% by weight of the organic acid compound. In a still further embodiment, the aqueous composition comprising an organic acid compound comprises about 10% by weight of the organic acid compound. In yet a further embodiment, the organic acid compound is dispersed in the second aqueous composition.

In some embodiments, the organic acid compound has one or more than one carboxylic acid functional group. In a further embodiment, the organic carboxylic acid is selected from formic acid, acetic acid, citric acid, succinic acid, oxalic acid, propionic acid, lactic acid, butyric acid, valeric acid, and caprylic acid. In an even further embodiment, the organic acid compound is acetic acid.

In some embodiments, the peroxide compound may include, without limitation, peroxides such as hydrogen peroxide, metal peroxides, and ozone. In further embodiments, the aqueous composition comprising a peroxide compound comprises at least about 0.1 wt% of a peroxide compound, including at least about 0.5 wt%, 1 wt%, 2 wt%, 4 wt%, 6 wt%, 8 wt%, 10 wt%, 12 wt%, 14 wt%, 16 wt%, 18 wt%, or 20 wt%, up to about 25 wt%, including up to about 20 wt%, 15 wt%, or 12 wt% of a peroxide compound. In an even further embodiment, the aqueous composition comprising a peroxide compound comprises at least about 5 wt% and at most about 15 wt% of a peroxide compound. In a still further embodiment, the aqueous composition comprising a peroxide compound comprises about 10% by weight of the peroxide compound. In yet a further embodiment, the peroxide compound is hydrogen peroxide. In yet a further embodiment, the hydrogen peroxide is dispersed in the first aqueous composition.

In some embodiments, at least one of the first aqueous composition or the second aqueous composition further comprises an alcohol comprising one or more than one alcohol compound. In further embodiments, the aqueous composition comprises at least about 0.05 wt.% alcohol, including at least about 0.1 wt.%, 1 wt.%, 5 wt.%, 10 wt.%, 15 wt.%, 20 wt.%, 25 wt.%, 30 wt.%, 40 wt.%, 50 wt.%, or 60 wt.%, up to about 70 wt.%, including up to about 65 wt.% or 60 wt.% or 55 wt.% or 50 wt.% or 45 wt.% or 40 wt.% or 35 wt.% or 30 wt.% or 25 wt.% or 20 wt.%. In an even further embodiment, the aqueous composition comprises at least about 1% and at most about 25% by weight alcohol. In still further embodiments, the aqueous composition comprises at least about 15% by weight alcohol. In still further embodiments, the alcohol comprises at least one lower chain alcohol selected from the group consisting of ethanol, isopropanol, and tert-butanol, and mixtures thereof. In yet a further embodiment, the alcohol comprises isopropanol.

In some embodiments, at least one of the first or second aqueous compositions further comprises one or more than one natural biocide. As non-limiting examples, such compounds include manuka honey and/or essential oils. In a further embodiment, the essential oil is selected from essential oils of oregano, thyme, lemon grass, lemon, orange, fennel, clove, anise, cinnamon, geranium, rose, mint, peppermint, lavender, citronella, eucalyptus, sandalwood, cedar, rosemary, pine, verbena, menglans musk (fleagrass), and ratanhiae, including combinations thereof. In an even further embodiment, the aqueous composition comprises from about 0.001% to about 1% by weight of a natural biocide.

In other embodiments, at least one of the first or second aqueous compositions further comprises one or more than one natural biocidal compound common in manuka honey and essential oils. In a further embodiment, the natural biocidal compound is selected from the group consisting of methylglyoxal, carvacrol, eugenol, linalool, thymol, p-cymene, myrcene, borneol, camphor, caryophyllin (caryophillin), cinnamaldehyde, geraniol, nerol, citronellol, and menthol, including combinations thereof. In an even further embodiment, the aqueous composition comprises from about 0.001% to about 1% by weight of the natural biocidal compound.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises the step of irradiating at least one of the first aqueous composition, the second aqueous composition, and the reaction layer at a wavelength consisting essentially of ultraviolet light.

In addition, the present invention provides a method of dispersing one or more than one supplemental aqueous composition in addition to the first aqueous composition and the second aqueous composition into a volumetric space. In some embodiments, a method of disinfecting a surface to be disinfected in a volume space comprises the steps of: a) dispersing into the volume of space a plurality of droplets of a first aqueous composition comprising a first peracid reactant compound, the first peracid reactant compound being a peroxide compound or an organic acid compound capable of reacting with the peroxide compound to form a peracid; b) allowing sufficient time for a plurality of droplets of the first aqueous composition to distribute throughout the space, deposit on the surface, and coalesce into a layer of the first aqueous composition; c) dispersing into the volume, a plurality of droplets of a second aqueous composition comprising a second peracid reactant compound, the second peracid reactant compound being another one of the first peracid reactant compounds; and d) allowing sufficient second time for a plurality of droplets of the second aqueous composition to deposit on the coalesced first aqueous composition layer to form a reaction layer on the surface, thereby forming peracids in situ within the reaction layer and disinfecting the surface, wherein the method further comprises the steps of: one or more than one supplemental aqueous composition is dispersed into the volumetric space and allowed sufficient time for each dispersed supplemental aqueous composition to distribute throughout the volumetric space and deposit on the surface.

In some embodiments, the supplemental aqueous composition is dispersed into the volumetric space before the first aqueous composition is dispersed into the volumetric space, after the first aqueous composition layer has been dispersed and at least partially or substantially completely formed on the surface and before the second aqueous composition is dispersed into the volumetric space, after the second aqueous composition layer has been dispersed and at least partially or substantially completely formed on the surface, and/or after the peracid is formed in situ within the reaction layer on the surface, including combinations thereof. In other embodiments, when disinfecting, a supplemental aqueous composition may be dispensed into the volumetric space in response to entry of a human or animal into the volumetric space.

In some embodiments, each supplemental aqueous composition is selected from the group consisting of peracid scavenging compositions, pesticide compositions, and environmental conditioning compositions.

In some embodiments, the peracid removal composition comprises a metal halide and the peracid removal composition disperses after in situ formation of the peracid within a reaction layer on the surface, wherein the metal halide comprises an iodide, a bromide or a chloride, particularly a metal halide selected from the group consisting of potassium iodide, potassium chloride and sodium chloride, more particularly potassium iodide. In further embodiments, the peracid removal composition comprises less than about 6 moles/liter of potassium iodide, including less than about 1, or 0.1, or 0.01, or 0.001, or 0.0001, or about 0.00001 moles/liter of potassium iodide, and a minimum of less than about 0.000001 moles/liter of potassium iodide. In an even further embodiment, the stoichiometric amount of dispersed metal halide is equal to or greater than the stoichiometric amount of peracid formed in situ within the reaction layer, thereby removing substantially all of the peracid formed from the surface.

In some embodiments, the pesticide composition comprises at least one fungicide, rodenticide, herbicide, larvicide, or insecticide, including combinations thereof, particularly insecticides for killing bed bugs or termites. In some embodiments, the pesticide composition is dispersed into the volumetric space prior to dispersing the first aqueous composition into the volumetric space. In other embodiments, the pesticide composition is dispersed into the volume of space after the peracid is formed in situ within the reaction layer on the surface.

In some embodiments, the environmental conditioning composition comprises water. In a further embodiment, the environmental conditioning composition consists essentially of water. In other further embodiments, the environmental conditioning composition is reactive inert with respect to the peracid reactant compound and/or the peracid formed.

In some embodiments, an environmental conditioning composition consisting essentially of water is dispensed into the volumetric space prior to dispensing the first aqueous composition into the volumetric space in order to increase the humidity in the volumetric space to stabilize or maintain the size and composition of the droplets of the aqueous composition containing the peracid reactant compound, and to limit or prevent the loss or evaporation of volatile components of the droplets into the environment or volumetric space before the droplets of the peracid reactant compound reach or reach and deposit on the surface to be disinfected. In further embodiments, the time sufficient for the environmental conditioning composition to be distributed throughout the volumetric space is a time sufficient for the volumetric space to have a relative humidity of at least about 50%, including at least about 60%, 70%, 80%, 90% or 95%, up to about 99%.

In other embodiments, an environmental conditioning composition consisting essentially of water is dispersed into the volumetric space after the first aqueous composition layer is formed on the surface and before the second aqueous composition is dispersed into the volumetric space in order to coalesce with and enhance deposition of any excess or resident droplets of the first aqueous composition in the air.

In other embodiments, the environmental conditioning composition consisting essentially of water is dispersed into the volumetric space after the peracid is formed in situ within the reaction layer on the surface in order to coalesce with and enhance deposition of any excess or resident droplets of the second aqueous composition.

In other embodiments, the environmental conditioning composition also consists essentially of the fragrance compound, and is dispersed into the volumetric space after the peracid is formed in situ within the reaction layer on the surface. In a further embodiment, the aroma compound is selected from the group consisting of methylglyoxal, carvacrol, eugenol, linalool, thymol, p-cymene, myrcene, borneol, camphor, caryophyllin, cinnamaldehyde, geraniol, nerol, citronellol, and menthol, including combinations thereof.

In some embodiments, the environmental conditioning composition consisting essentially of water and fragrance compounds can be dispersed into the volumetric space after the peracid is formed in situ within the reaction layer of the surface.

In some embodiments, the one or more supplemental aqueous compositions are dispersed into the volumetric space as a plurality of droplets. In a further embodiment, the plurality of microdroplets of the supplemental aqueous composition are electrostatically charged. In an even further embodiment, the electrostatically charged droplets of the make-up aqueous composition are negatively charged.

In some embodiments, the majority of the droplets of the supplemental aqueous composition have an effective diameter of at least about 1 micron, at least about 5 microns, 10 microns, 15 microns, 20 microns, 25 microns, 30 microns, 35 microns, 40 microns, 45 microns, 50 microns, 60 microns, 70 microns, 80 microns, or 90 microns, up to about 100 microns, including up to about 90 microns, 80 microns, 70 microns, 60 microns, 50 microns, 40 microns, 35 microns, 30 microns, 25 microns, or 20 microns. In further embodiments, at least about 90%, including about 95% or 98%, up to about 99% of the plurality of droplets have an effective diameter of at least about 1 micron, including at least about 5 microns, 10 microns, 15 microns, 20 microns, 25 microns, 30 microns, 35 microns, 40 microns, 45 microns, 50 microns, 60 microns, 70 microns, 80 microns, or 90 microns, up to about 100 microns, including up to about 90 microns, 80 microns, 70 microns, 60 microns, 50 microns, 40 microns, 35 microns, 30 microns, 25 microns, or 20 microns. In even further embodiments, at least about 90% of the plurality of droplets, including about 95% or 98%, up to about 99% of the plurality of droplets, have an effective diameter of at least about 10 microns and up to about 25 microns. In still further embodiments, at least about 90% of the plurality of droplets, including about 95% or 98%, and up to about 99% of the plurality of droplets, have an effective diameter of about 15 microns.

In some embodiments, the defined elapsed time is a time sufficient for the first aqueous composition, the second aqueous composition, and any supplemental aqueous composition to distribute throughout the volume of space, deposit on the surface, and/or form a layer of the aqueous composition or a reaction layer on the surface. In further embodiments, sufficient time is at least about 1 second, including at least about 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 4 minutes, 5 minutes, or 10 minutes, up to at least about 60 minutes, including up to about 30 minutes or 15 minutes.

In addition, the present invention provides a safer and potentially more efficient method for disinfecting or sterilizing surfaces within a volume of space into which a preformed peracid has been dispersed. In some embodiments, a method of disinfecting a surface to be disinfected in a volume space comprises the steps of: a) dispersing a plurality of droplets of a first aqueous composition comprising a peracid into a volumetric space; b) allowing sufficient time for the first aqueous composition to distribute throughout the volume and deposit on the surface, thereby disinfecting the surface; wherein the method further comprises the steps of: dispersing a plurality of microdroplets of one or more than one supplemental aqueous compositions into a volumetric space and allowing sufficient time for each dispersed supplemental aqueous composition to distribute throughout the volumetric space and deposit on a surface, the supplemental aqueous compositions being selected from the group consisting of peracid scavenging compositions, pesticide compositions and environmental conditioning compositions. In a further embodiment, the peracid is peroxyacetic acid.

In some embodiments, the peracid cleaning composition comprising a metal halide, including iodide or chloride, particularly a metal halide selected from the group consisting of potassium iodide, potassium chloride and sodium chloride, more particularly potassium iodide, is dispersed into the volumetric space after the first aqueous composition is deposited on the surface and for a time sufficient to distribute the peracid cleaning composition throughout the volumetric space and onto the surface to neutralize or remove the peracid remaining in or on the volumetric space after sterilization is complete. In further embodiments, the peracid removal composition comprises less than about 6 moles/liter of potassium iodide, including less than about 1, 0.1, 0.01, 0.001, 0.0001, or about 0.00001 moles/liter of potassium iodide, and a minimum of less than about 0.000001 moles/liter of potassium iodide. In an even further embodiment, when the metal halide compound is dispersed into the volumetric space, the stoichiometric amount of the metal halide compound is equal to or greater than the stoichiometric amount of the peracid dispersed in the volumetric space, thereby removing substantially all of the peracid from the volumetric space.

In some embodiments, to increase the humidity in the volumetric space to stabilize or maintain the size and composition of the droplets of the peracid-containing aqueous composition, and to limit or prevent the loss or evaporation of volatile components of the droplets into the environment or volumetric space before the droplets of the first aqueous peracid-containing composition reach the surface, an environment-regulating composition consisting essentially of water is dispensed into the volumetric space before the first aqueous peracid-containing composition is dispensed into the volumetric space. In other embodiments, the environmental conditioning composition consisting essentially of water is dispersed into the volumetric space after the first aqueous composition comprising peracid is deposited onto a surface. In a further embodiment, the environment-regulating composition also consists essentially of the aroma compound. In an even further embodiment, the aroma compound is selected from the group consisting of methylglyoxal, carvacrol, eugenol, linalool, thymol, p-cymene, myrcene, borneol, camphor, caryophyllin, cinnamaldehyde, geraniol, nerol, citronellol, and menthol, including combinations thereof.

In some embodiments, the plurality of droplets of the first aqueous composition comprising the peracid are electrostatically charged. In a further embodiment, the electrostatically charged droplets of the first aqueous composition are negatively charged.

In some embodiments, the plurality of droplets of at least one of the first aqueous composition or the one or more supplemental aqueous compositions are formed by first heating the aqueous composition to generate a vapor and allowing sufficient time for the vapor to distribute, cool, and condense into droplets throughout the volumetric space.

In some embodiments, the method of disinfecting a surface further comprises the step of irradiating at least one of the first aqueous composition and the surface with a wavelength consisting essentially of ultraviolet light.

The present invention also provides a sequential application and delivery system for sequentially dispensing a plurality of liquid compositions into a volumetric space in a time-dependent manner. In some embodiments, the sequential application and delivery system comprises a plurality of aqueous composition containers, each container configured to hold or contain an aqueous composition; a plurality of pumps, each pump in fluid communication with a respective one of the aqueous composition containers; one or more aqueous composition delivery nozzles, each aqueous composition delivery nozzle in fluid communication with at least one pump and configured to sequentially disperse the one or more aqueous compositions into the volumetric space.

In some embodiments, the liquid composition is an aqueous composition. In other embodiments, the liquid composition is a non-aqueous composition, including but not limited to oil-based compositions, organic compounds or compositions, and other substantially non-aqueous volatile compounds or compositions.

In some embodiments, the sequential application and delivery system comprises a first aqueous composition container for containing and comprising a first aqueous composition and a second aqueous composition container for containing and comprising a second aqueous composition. In a further embodiment, the first aqueous composition comprises a peracid reactant compound selected from the group consisting of a peroxide compound and an organic acid compound capable of reacting with said peroxide compound to form a peracid, and the second aqueous composition comprises a peracid reactant compound as another one of the first peracid reactant compounds.

In some embodiments, the sequential application and delivery system is configured to prevent the first aqueous composition and the second aqueous composition from contacting each other until after each aqueous composition is dispersed into the volumetric space. In a further embodiment, the sequential application and delivery system is configured to prevent the first aqueous composition and the second aqueous composition from contacting each other until after each aqueous composition is deposited and/or coalesced into a layer on the surface.

In some embodiments, the sequential application and delivery system further comprises a data acquisition and control system comprising: means for detecting the volume of aqueous composition in each aqueous composition container; a data acquisition bus; a control bus; and a controller electrically connected to the aqueous composition containers and configured to read the means for detecting the volume of the aqueous composition within each aqueous composition container. In further embodiments, means for detecting the volume of the aqueous composition include a float, a capacitance level meter, a conductivity level meter, an ultrasonic level meter, a radar level meter, and an optical sensor. In an even further embodiment, each pump in the sequential application and delivery system comprises a drive electrically connected to the controller through the control bus, wherein the drive is configured to connect with the pump to dispense the aqueous composition from the aqueous composition container and through the aqueous composition delivery nozzle into the volumetric space.

In some embodiments, the sequential application and delivery system further comprises one or more sensors proximate or adjacent to the volumetric space and in data communication with the data acquisition bus, wherein at least one sensor comprises a device for detecting at least one environmental condition within the volumetric space selected from the group consisting of a motion detector, a Global Positioning System (GPS) detector, an infrared sensor, an audio sensor, a heat sensor, a hygrometer, an accelerometer, a camera, or a light sensor, particularly a laser sensor, including combinations thereof. In a further embodiment, the controller is programmed to stop dispensing the aqueous composition when the sensor detects the presence of an animal or human within the volumetric space. In other further embodiments, the sensor is configured to detect cartesian dimensions of the volumetric space and communicate the detected dimensions to the controller via the data acquisition bus.

In some embodiments, the controller is programmed to delay dispensing the first aqueous composition into the volumetric space for a defined time after dispensing the first aqueous composition into the volumetric space, and then dispense the second aqueous composition into the volumetric space. In further embodiments, the delay is at least about 1 second, including at least about 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 4 minutes, 5 minutes, or 10 minutes, up to at least about 30 minutes, including up to about 15 minutes or 10 minutes or 5 minutes.

In some embodiments, a portion of the sequential application and delivery system is connected to a mobile conveyance selected from the group consisting of: hand-held dispensing devices, backpacks, hand carts, in particular light-operated or directional carts, robots or drones.

In some embodiments, the one or more aqueous composition delivery nozzles of the sequential application and delivery system are configured to dispense the first aqueous composition and/or the second aqueous composition as a plurality of droplets. In a further embodiment, the sequential application and delivery system further comprises an ionization device proximate or adjacent to the one or more aqueous composition delivery nozzles, the ionization device configured to electrostatically charge the quantity of aqueous composition dispensed by the one or more nozzles. In an even further embodiment, the plurality of droplets of the first aqueous composition and/or the plurality of droplets of the second aqueous composition are electrostatically charged by a sequential application and delivery system. In still further embodiments, the ionization device is configured to cause the dispersed plurality of droplets of the second aqueous composition to have an electrostatic charge of opposite polarity to the plurality of droplets of the first aqueous composition.

In some embodiments, the sequential application and delivery system is configured to optimize the electrostatic charge of the plurality of droplets of the first aqueous composition and the second aqueous composition to provide the most desirable reaction of the first peracid reactant compound and the second peracid reactant compound. In a further embodiment, the sequential application and delivery system is configured to disperse a plurality of droplets of a negatively charged aqueous composition comprising a peroxide compound. In other embodiments, the sequential application and delivery system is configured to disperse a plurality of droplets of an aqueous composition comprising a positively charged organic acid compound dispersed therein.

In some embodiments, the sequential application and delivery system further comprises an evaporator located near or adjacent to the one or more nozzles and electrically connected to and responsive to the controller, wherein the controller is programmed to activate the evaporator and cause the evaporator to release a hot gaseous stream in the aqueous composition after the aqueous composition is dispensed from the nozzles.

In some embodiments, the sequential application and delivery system further comprises an internet of things (IoT) configured to connect one or more of the plurality of pumps in a sequential, timed manner. In some further embodiments, the IoT may be configured to connect with any of the plurality of pumps for at least about 1 second, including at least about 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 4 minutes, 5 minutes, or 10 minutes, up to at least about 60 minutes, including up to about 30 minutes or about 15 minutes. In some even further embodiments, the IoT may be configured to connect with any one of the plurality of pumps for a sufficient period of time to disperse the aqueous composition throughout the volumetric space, deposit on the surface, and/or form a layer of the aqueous composition or a reactive layer on the surface. In other further embodiments, the IoT is configured to delay dispensing the second aqueous composition into the volumetric space after dispersing the first aqueous composition into the volumetric space for a defined time. In further embodiments, the delay is at least about 1 second, including at least about 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 4 minutes, 5 minutes, or 10 minutes, up to at least about 30 minutes, including up to about 15 minutes or 10 minutes or 5 minutes.

In some embodiments, the internet of things includes one or more remote control receptacles configured to sequentially connect one or more of the plurality of pumps in the sequential application and delivery system. In a further embodiment, the IoT includes at least two remote-controlled outlets (remote-controlled outlets), each configured to sequentially power at least one of the plurality of pumps.

In some embodiments, the one or more remote control outlets communicate directly with the internet, and the IoT also includes at least one mobile device and/or at least one computer in electronic communication with the internet. In a further embodiment, a mobile device and/or computer includes an operating system, a home automation application configured to run on the operating system, and a routine created in the home automation application configured to drive one or more remote control receptacles to connect one or more of a plurality of pumps in a sequential and time-dependent manner.

In other embodiments, the one or more remote control jacks communicate directly with an intranet, and the IoT also includes a hub in electronic communication with the intranet. In a further embodiment, the hub includes an operating system, a home automation application configured to run on the operating system, and a routine created in the home automation application configured to drive one or more remote control receptacles to connect one or more of the plurality of pumps in a sequentially timed manner. In an even further embodiment, the internet of things further includes a mobile device in electronic communication with the intranet, the mobile device including an operating system, a home automation application configured to run on the operating system, and a routine created in the home automation application, the routine configured to drive one or more remote control receptacles to connect one or more of the plurality of pumps in a sequentially timed manner.

In some embodiments, the IoT also includes one or more sensors in direct wireless electronic communication with the internet or intranet, the one or more sensors configured to sense environmental conditions within the volumetric space, the sensors selected from motion detectors; a global positioning system detector; an infrared sensor; an audio sensor; a thermal sensor; an accelerometer; light sensors, in particular laser sensors; and a camera; including combinations thereof.

In some embodiments, the sequential application and delivery system further comprises a single board computer component (SBC) configured to connect one or more of the plurality of pumps in a sequentially timed manner. In a further embodiment, the SBC includes hardware on a top-mounted circuit board (HAT) having one or more relays, each relay being associated with one or more of the plurality of pumps, respectively, and configured to deliver power to a respective one or more of the plurality of pumps in a sequentially timed manner. In an even further embodiment, the HAT circuit board has at least two relays, each relay being respectively associated with one or more of the plurality of pumps and configured to deliver power to one or more of the plurality of pumps in a sequentially timed manner.

In some embodiments, the SBC further comprises a display having a user interface for connecting one or more of the plurality of pumps in a sequentially timed manner.

In some embodiments, the SBC is in electronic communication with a mobile device configured to connect one or more of the plurality of pumps in a sequentially timed manner.

Additionally, the present invention provides a kit for disinfecting a surface to be disinfected in a volume of space, comprising: a) a first aqueous composition comprising a first peracid reactant compound, said first peracid reactant compound being a peroxide compound or an organic acid compound capable of reacting with a peroxide compound to form a peracid; b) a second aqueous composition comprising a second peracid reactant compound, said second peracid reactant compound being another one of the first peracid reactant compounds; c) comprising instructions for any of the above methods, wherein the kit is arranged such that the first aqueous composition and the second aqueous composition are packaged separately until the first aqueous composition and the second aqueous composition are combined after sequential application to a surface to form a reaction layer comprising the first aqueous composition and the second aqueous composition, thereby forming peracid in situ within the reaction layer and disinfecting the surface.

In some embodiments, the kit further comprises any of the sequential application and delivery systems described above for sequentially dispersing the first aqueous composition and the second aqueous composition. In a further embodiment, the sequential application and delivery system comprises an IoT.

In some embodiments, the first and second aqueous compositions in the kit are substantially free of surfactants, polymers, chelating agents, and metal colloids or nanoparticles. The kit may comprise any of the aqueous compositions and/or components described above, including any supplemental aqueous compositions, such that the contained aqueous composition is substantially free of detectable peracid, and peracid is formed in situ on the surface to be disinfected only according to the instructions attached to the kit.

In some embodiments, application of the first and second aqueous compositions achieves a log-6 or greater log-6 kill of microorganisms.

These and other embodiments of the present invention will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the following detailed description.

Drawings

Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a commercially available electrostatic spraying device according to the prior art.

Figure 2 shows the dispersion and distribution of the same charged droplets on the surface to be disinfected.

FIG. 3 illustrates a fluid flow diagram of a sequential application and delivery system in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic block diagram of data acquisition and control signals for the sequential application and delivery system shown in FIG. 3.

Fig. 5 illustrates a fluid flow diagram of an alternative embodiment of a sequential application and delivery system in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows a schematic block diagram of data acquisition and control signals for the sequential application and delivery system shown in FIG. 5.

Fig. 7 illustrates a fluid flow diagram of another alternative embodiment of a sequential application and delivery system in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 8 shows a schematic block diagram of data acquisition and control signals for the sequential application and delivery system shown in FIG. 7.

Fig. 9 shows a diagrammatic representation of an internet-based sequential application and delivery system in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

Figure 10 shows a schematic representation of an intranet based sequential application and delivery system according to the principles of the present invention.

Figure 11 shows a diagrammatic representation of an access point based single board computer based sequential application and delivery system in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

Fig. 12 shows a block diagram of an exemplary software architecture of the mobile device shown in fig. 9.

Figure 13 shows a graph illustrating the distribution of acetic acid from the electrospray device nozzle as varied in the x, y and z directions.

Figure 14 shows a graph illustrating the independent effect of several experimental variables on the percent of bacterial kill.

Figure 15 shows a graph illustrating the relative effect of several experimental variables on percent bacterial kill.

Detailed Description

The present disclosure includes methods of disinfecting rooms, enclosed areas and volumetric spaces, and surfaces within such areas or spaces, using peracids. In some embodiments, the peracid is formed in situ on those surfaces by sequentially applying the peracid reactant compound in two or more separate applications. The process of forming peracids in situ on the surface to be disinfected has several advantages over conventional disinfection systems that require the application of preformed peracids. Limitations of existing methods and systems for disinfecting surfaces using preformed acids include, but are not limited to, instability of peracid in solution, loss of peroxyacid activity and potency, increased toxicity, and increased cost. To address the instability of peracids and their associated loss of activity, conventional disinfection methods and systems typically require the addition of additional peracid reactants or stabilizers to the preformed peracid to extend its shelf life. However, the addition of such stabilizers increases toxicity and cost, thereby directly increasing the level of expertise required for the user to use peracids directly. In contrast, the method of the present invention does not require a stabilizer, as the reactant compounds for forming the peracid can be applied individually and sequentially to the surface to be disinfected. Thus, peracids are formed only on the target surface, disinfecting the surface with maximum efficacy and maximum safety for the user and bystanders.

The present disclosure also includes devices and systems configured to sequentially and substantially non-simultaneously disperse two or more aqueous compositions onto one or more surfaces within a volumetric space, followed by interaction of the two or more aqueous compositions upon reaching the surface to form peracids in situ on the surface.

It should be understood that while exemplary embodiments have been described with reference to and specific language employed to describe them, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Further modifications of the methods and systems described herein, as well as other applications of the principles of those inventions which would occur to persons skilled in the relevant art based on the disclosure, are considered to be within the scope of the invention. Furthermore, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which embodiments of this particular invention belong. The terminology used is for the purpose of describing those embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention unless otherwise specified.

Definition of

As used in this specification and the claims, the word "a" or "an" preceding an indicator does not imply that a particular indicator is included, unless the content clearly dictates otherwise.

The term "about" refers to quantitative variations that may occur, for example, in real life typical measurement and liquid handling procedures used to make concentrates or use solutions; inadvertent errors in these procedures; differences in the production, source, or purity of the ingredients used to make the composition or perform the method, and the like. The term "about" also encompasses amounts that differ due to different equilibrium conditions of the composition resulting from a particular initial mixture. Similarly, a stated element includes the same amount as the stated amount, regardless of whether the stated element is modified by the term "about".

The term "aqueous composition" refers to a combination of liquid components that includes water. Most commonly, an aqueous composition is synonymous with the term "solution," as it is commonly used in the art for the present invention. However, depending on the nature of the components in the composition other than water, "aqueous compositions" may also include mixtures, emulsions, dispersions, suspensions, and the like. Furthermore, although water must be present, water does not necessarily make up the majority of the aqueous composition.

The terms "biocide" and "biocidal compound" refer to a chemical substance intended to destroy, deter, render harmless, or exert a controlling effect on any organism that is harmful to the health of humans or animals or that causes damage to natural products or manufactured articles. Non-limiting examples of biocides include peroxide compounds, organic acid compounds, peracids, alcohols, manuka honey, essential oils, and natural biocidal compounds.

The term "effective diameter" refers to the geometric diameter of a spherical droplet, or to the side-to-side distance of a deformed spherical droplet at the widest point of the droplet, which can be used to describe a droplet having an effective diameter of less than 100 microns or a large droplet having an effective diameter of greater than 100 microns.

The term "effective uniform thickness" refers to a target or desired thickness of a liquid on a surface, wherein the mass or volume of liquid deposited on the surface has a substantially uniform thickness.

The term "essential oil" or "perfume oil" refers to a concentrated natural product produced from and extracted from aromatic plants due to having antimicrobial properties that interact with a variety of cellular targets.

The phrase "food processing surface" refers to a surface of a tool, machine, equipment, container, rail car, building structure, building, etc., used as part of a food transport, processing, preparation, or storage activity. Examples of food processing surfaces include the surfaces of food processing or preparation equipment (e.g., slicing, canning or shipping equipment, including sinks), the surfaces of food processing appliances (e.g., dishes, cutlery, washware and bar glasses), and the surfaces of floors, walls or fixtures of building structures in which food processing is performed. Food processing surfaces exist and are used in food preservation air circulation systems, aseptic packaging sterilization, food refrigeration and chiller cleaners and disinfectants, warewashing sterilization, blancher cleaning and sterilization, food packaging materials, cutting board additives, third tank sterilization, beverage coolers and heaters, meat cooling or scalding water, automatic dish disinfectants, sanitizing gels, cooling towers, food processing microbial garment sprays, and water-free to low-moisture food preparation lubricants, oils, and rinse additives.

The phrase "food product" includes any food product that may require treatment with an antimicrobial agent or composition, whether or not further prepared, that is edible. The food product includes meat (e.g., red meat and pork), seafood, poultry, produce (e.g., fruits and vegetables), eggs, raw eggs (live egg), egg products, ready-to-eat food, wheat, seeds, roots, tubers, leaves, stems, grains, flowers, sprouts, spices, or combinations thereof. The term "produce" refers to food products, such as fruits, vegetables, plants, or plant-derived materials, that are typically sold uncooked and are typically not packaged and can sometimes be eaten raw.

The term "free" or "substantially free" means that the specified compound is completely or almost completely absent from the composition, mixture or ingredient.

The term "medical care surface" refers to the surface of an instrument, device, cart, cage, furniture, structure, building, etc. that is used as part of a healthcare activity. Examples of healthcare surfaces include surfaces of medical or dental instruments, surfaces of medical or dental devices, surfaces of electronic equipment for monitoring patient health, and surfaces of floors, walls, or fixtures of buildings where healthcare is taking place. Medical care surfaces are found in hospitals, surgical operating rooms, hospital wards, delivery rooms, pacifiers, nursing homes and clinical diagnostic rooms. These surfaces may be typical "hard surfaces" (e.g., walls, floors, bed pans, etc.), but also textile surfaces (e.g., knitted, woven, and non-woven surfaces) (e.g., surgical gowns, drapes, sheets, bandages, etc.) or patient care devices (e.g., respirators, diagnostic devices, shunts, stereos, wheelchairs, beds, etc.) or surgical and diagnostic devices. Medical care surfaces include articles and surfaces used in medical care of animals.

The term "device" refers to various medical or dental devices or devices that may benefit from cleaning with a composition according to the present invention. As used herein, the phrases "medical instrument," "dental instrument," "medical device," "dental device," "medical apparatus" or "dental apparatus" refer to instruments, devices, tools, implements, instruments and equipment used in medicine or dentistry. Such instruments, devices and equipment may be cold sterilized, soaked or washed, and then heat sterilized or otherwise benefited from cleaning with the compositions of the present invention. These various instruments, devices and apparatuses include, but are not limited to: diagnostic instruments, trays, dishes, holders, racks, forceps, scissors, shears, saws (e.g., bone saws and their blades), hemostats, knives, chisels, rongeurs, files, forceps, drills, burs, rasps, bone drills, retractors, crushers, stiles, clamps, needle holders, carriers, clips, hooks, gouges, curettes, retractors, straighteners, punch chisels, extractors, spatulas, keratomes, spatula, squeezers, trocars, dilators, fusion devices, glassware, tubes, catheters, cannulas, plugs, stents, mirrors (e.g., endoscopes, stethoscopes, and arthroscopes), and related devices, and the like, or combinations thereof.

The term "internet" refers to the global system of interconnected computer networks that use the internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to connect devices around the globe. It is a network of networks (networks) consisting of private, public, academic, commercial and government networks of local to global extent and connected by a wide range of electronic, wireless and optical networking technologies. The internet carries a wide range of information resources and services such as the World Wide Web (WWW), e-mail, telephony, and file-sharing interconnected hypertext documents and applications. Thus, the term "internet-based internet of things" refers to an internet of things (IoT) that has the ability to electronically communicate over the internet with sequential application and delivery systems, as well as with specific devices and sensors within the sequential application and delivery systems, and/or users located inside or outside of the volumetric space.

The term "intranet" refers to a private network that is accessible only to organizational personnel. In general, a wide range of information and services are available from Information Technology (IT) systems within organizations, which are not available to the public from the internet. The company-wide internet can constitute an important focus for internal communication and collaboration and provide a single point of origin for accessing internal and external resources. In its simplest form, intranets are established by the technology of Local Area Networks (LANs) and Wide Area Networks (WANs). Thus, the term "intranet-based internet of things" refers to an internet of things having the capability of electronically communicating through the intranet with the sequential application and delivery system, as well as with specific devices and sensors within the sequential application and delivery system, and/or with a user located inside or outside the volumetric space.

The term "liquid composition" refers to a combination of liquid components. Although in several embodiments, the liquid composition may comprise water, and the term "liquid composition" is synonymous with "aqueous composition," the liquid composition may comprise a non-aqueous composition, including but not limited to oil-based compositions, organic compounds, solvents or compositions, and other substantially non-aqueous volatile compounds or compositions.

The term "microorganism" refers to any non-cellular or unicellular (including populations) organism. Microorganisms include all prokaryotes. Microorganisms include bacteria (including cyanobacteria), spores, lichens, fungi, protozoa, prions, viroids, viruses, bacteriophages and certain algae. As used herein, the term "microorganism" is synonymous with microorganism.

The phrase "organic acid compound" refers to any acid capable of forming a peracid that is effective for use as a disinfectant.

The term "peracid" or "peroxyacid" refers to any acid in which the hydrogen of the hydroxyl group is replaced by a perhydroxy group. The oxidized peracid is referred to herein as peroxycarboxylic acid.

The phrase "peracid reactant compound" refers to a reactant compound that will react in situ on a target surface to form a peracid.

The term "peroxide compound" refers to any compound that can react with an organic acid to form a peracid, including, but not limited to, hydrogen peroxide, metal peroxides, and ozone.

The term "polyol" refers to an alcohol having two or more hydroxyl groups. Polyols suitable for use in the aqueous composition include, but are not limited to, sugars, sugar alcohols, and non-aliphatic polyols such as phenols.

The term "reactive layer" refers to a layer formed on a surface to be disinfected when a second aqueous composition comprising a second peracid reactive compound is deposited onto a layer of coalesced first aqueous composition comprising a first peracid reactive compound formed on the surface. The peracid product of both reactant compounds is formed in situ on the reaction layer.

The term "sprayer" refers to any device configured to dispense an aqueous composition into a volumetric space or onto a surface. Non-limiting examples of "nebulizers" include conventional nebulizing devices, such as Hurricane, available from Curtis Dyna-Fog, ltd^TMNebulizers, which also include other dispersion devices, such as evaporators and mechanical coarse spray devices, such as spray systems capable of dispersing the aqueous composition in the form of a jet, mist or stream.

The term "vapor" means that, in contrast to other embodiments in which a majority of the liquid droplets of the aqueous composition are suspended in air, a portion of the aqueous composition is substantially completely in a gaseous fluid phase or fluid state.

As used herein, the terms "weight percent," "wt%", "w/w," and other variations refer to the concentration of a substance, i.e., the weight of the substance divided by the total weight of the composition multiplied by 100. It should be understood that "percent," "percent," and similar terms are intended to be synonymous with "weight percent," "wt%" and the like, and not a volume percent of the composition.

In describing embodiments of the disinfection methods and systems of the present disclosure, reference will be made to "first" or "second" when referring to an aqueous composition or a peracid reactant compound. Unless a specific order is specified in an explicit context, "first" and "second" are merely relative terms, and the described "first" composition or reactant compound may be easily and conveniently referred to as a "second" composition or reactant compound, and such description is implicitly included herein.

Concentrations, dimensions, amounts, and other numerical data may be presented herein in a range format. It is to be understood that such range format is used merely for convenience and brevity and should be interpreted flexibly to include not only the numerical values explicitly recited as the limits of the range, but also to include all the individual numerical values or sub-ranges encompassed within that range as if each numerical value and sub-range is explicitly recited. For example, a weight ratio range of about 0.5 wt% to about 10 wt% includes not only the explicitly recited limits of 0.5 wt% and 10 wt%, but also includes individual weights such as 1 wt% and 5 wt%, and sub-ranges such as 2 wt% to 8 wt%, 5 wt% to 7 wt%, etc.

Chemical disinfection method

In accordance with these definitions, several methods are provided for disinfecting target surfaces within a volume by using peracids, in particular methods wherein reactant compounds capable of forming peracids are sequentially dispersed on these surfaces and the peracids are formed directly in situ on the surfaces. In addition, the present invention overcomes the instability and safety problems associated with the formation of peracids prior to their application to a surface, as well as the potential environmental and safety hazards associated with the use of peracids throughout disinfection.

While other sterilization methods attempt to address the stability and safety issues of peracids by including one or more than one additive in the reaction mixture to increase their retention in the system, many of these additives are expensive to produce and are not readily available to the average person unrelated to the chemical industry. In contrast, several embodiments of the present invention take advantage of the ability of peracid chemistry to disinfect a target surface, while taking advantage of the very long shelf life and generally recognized safety ingredients available at local grocery or department stores. In these embodiments, the aqueous composition used in the disinfection method of the present invention is substantially free of surfactants, polymers, chelating agents, and metal colloids or nanoparticles.

Without being bound by theory, it is believed that peracids are effective as disinfectants because they are strong oxidants, which are capable of irreversibly destroying proteins and DNA within microorganisms. When a strong oxidizing agent, such as a peroxide compound, is contacted with an organic acid compound, a peracid is formed in an acid-catalyzed reaction. For example, in a system using acetic acid as an organic acid compound, the addition of a peroxide compound (such as hydrogen peroxide) causes a reaction in which peracetic acid and water are generated in an equilibrium as shown in the following reaction (1):

peracids are strongly electrophilic after they have been formed on the surface to be disinfected. If there is no source of electron enrichment in the peracid solution, the excess water will drive the equilibrium to hydrolyze the peracid and return to produce the parent acid. Furthermore, as the parent acid increases in acidity, the resulting peracid similarly becomes more reactive. Thus, even though the peracid generated under these conditions may be a better disinfectant, it is more unstable and may never reach the target surface, regardless of how the ingredients are mixed immediately prior to use. Thus, in industrial applications, embodiments of the present invention may similarly be more efficient than the prior art, use more robust and tightly controlled components, and cost is not an issue.

The volume in which the method of the invention can be performed is extremely diverse and may include human and animal accessible and inaccessible volume. The accessible volumetric space includes space for eating, working, sleeping, and/or performing other common activities associated with daily living. Non-limiting examples include, but are not limited to: living spaces such as home rooms, bedrooms, kitchens, washrooms, basements, garages and other rooms common to homes; a classroom; an office; a retail space; hotel rooms; ward, operating room; food handling spaces including dining, food preparation, packaging and processing facilities; a container; stable, factory and other industrial areas; passenger compartments used in transportation, including personal vehicles, taxis, buses, subways, and other railcars, ferries, and airplanes. Non-limiting examples of surfaces that may be disinfected and sterilized in a hospital patient room include walls, floors, bed frames, patient care equipment, bedside tables, and bedding.

In other aspects, inaccessible volumetric spaces include, but are not limited to: heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems; a piping system; liquid storage containers, and other compartments and spaces that are inaccessible to humans or animals. Methods of disinfecting surfaces in inaccessible volumetric spaces include clean-in-place (CIP) and clean-out-of-place (COP) procedures. For example, CIP methods may be used to disinfect surfaces within HVAC or ductwork by dispersing the composition through the inlet of the HVAC or ductwork. The HVAC or ductwork may also be used as a carrier system to disinfect surfaces inaccessible to the disinfection equipment, such as, by way of non-limiting example, surfaces within the cabin of a vehicle that are disinfected by the HVAC system of the vehicle, while the disinfection equipment itself remains outside the vehicle. In another non-limiting example, the first aqueous composition and the second aqueous composition can be transported by an HVAC system of an aircraft to the passenger cabin and other areas accessible to airline passengers.

Conversely, COP procedures can be used to disinfect contaminated surfaces of parts, assemblies, and other equipment that may be disassembled from a large machine or assembly. As a non-limiting example, the parts used in industrial meat packaging facilities may be removed from the frame of a large machine and sterilized separately from the rest of the machine. In this method, the part may be placed on top of a surface located in any of the volumes listed above, or placed inside a sealable tank, compartment or enclosure, once sealed, to form the volume.

Furthermore, the disinfectant compositions described in the methods of the present invention may be applied to a variety of hard or soft surfaces having smooth, irregular, or porous morphologies. Suitable hard and/or non-porous surfaces include, for example, architectural surfaces (e.g., floors, walls, windows, sinks, tables, counters, and signs); a food service appliance; hard surface medical or surgical instruments and devices; made of materials including, but not limited to, plastic; a metal; oil cloth; ceramic tiles; vinyl plastics; stone; wood; concrete; hard surface packaging of glass and vinyl materials. Suitable soft and/or porous surfaces include, for example, wallboard; gypsum; pulp and fiber-based materials; paper; filter media, hospital and surgical linens and garments; soft surface medical or surgical instruments and devices; and soft-surface packaging. Such soft surfaces can be made from a variety of materials including, for example, paper, fibers, woven or non-woven fabrics, soft plastics, and elastomers.

In a first embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method of disinfecting a surface to be disinfected in a volume of space, comprising the steps of: a) dispersing onto a surface a first aqueous composition comprising a first peracid reactant compound, said first peracid reactant compound being a peroxide compound or an organic acid compound capable of reacting with a peroxide compound to form a peracid; b) allowing sufficient time for the first aqueous composition to distribute on the surface and coalesce into a first layer of aqueous composition on the surface; c) dispersing a second aqueous composition comprising a second peracid reactant compound onto the surface, the second peracid reactant compound being another one of the first peracid reactant compounds; and d) allowing sufficient second time for the second aqueous composition to bind to the coalesced first aqueous composition layer and form a reaction layer on the surface, thereby forming peracid in situ within the reaction layer and disinfecting the surface.

The first and second aqueous compositions may be dispensed onto the volumetric space and/or surface to be disinfected using methods generally known to those skilled in the art, including but not limited to direct application using a mop, cloth, or sponge; flowing out of the hose or mechanical coarse spray device in the form of a liquid flow; or dispersed as a plurality of droplets into a volume of space, including a method in which a plurality of droplets are formed when an aqueous composition is dispersed as a vapor that has been cooled and condensed into droplets. In some embodiments, a method for disinfecting a surface to be disinfected in a volumetric space in a plurality of droplets, comprising the steps of: a) dispersing a plurality of droplets of a first aqueous composition comprising a first peracid reactant compound into the volumetric space, the first peracid reactant compound being a peroxide compound or an organic acid compound capable of reacting with the peroxide compound to form a peracid; b) allowing sufficient time for the first aqueous composition to distribute throughout the volume of space, deposit on the surface and coalesce into a layer; c) dispersing a plurality of droplets of a second aqueous composition comprising a second peracid reactant compound into the volumetric space, the second peracid reactant compound being another one of the first peracid reactant compounds; and d) allowing sufficient second time for droplets of the second aqueous composition to deposit on the coalesced layer of the first aqueous composition to form a reaction layer, thereby forming peracid in situ on the reaction layer and disinfecting the surface.

The effectiveness of the process described herein is expected to be independent of the order of dispersion of the peracid reactant compounds, as long as the peracid is formed only on the surface to be disinfected. Thus, the first peracid reactant compound may be an organic acid compound or a peroxide compound, so long as the second peracid reactant compound is the opposite compound to the compound selected as the first peracid reactant. For example, if peroxide is selected as the first peracid reactive compound, the second peracid reactive compound is an organic acid compound, and if organic acid is selected as the first peracid reactive compound, the second peracid reactive compound is a peroxide compound. Although the composition containing the peracid reactant compound is generally substantially aqueous, water need not comprise a substantial portion of the composition. In addition, any liquid carrier system capable of promoting the formation of peracids from peroxide compounds and organic acid compounds may be used.

Furthermore, the effectiveness of the methods described herein is also relevant to ensuring that the first aqueous composition remains on the surface to be disinfected within the first aqueous composition layer until the second aqueous composition is deposited on the surface. In some embodiments, substantially all of the first aqueous composition remains on the surface when the second aqueous composition is dispersed onto the surface. One skilled in the art will appreciate that retaining the first aqueous composition on the surface means that after the first aqueous composition is applied to the surface, the first aqueous composition is not rinsed, wiped or otherwise removed from the surface prior to dispensing the second aqueous composition onto the surface.

The peroxide compound may be any compound that reacts with an organic acid compound to form a peracid. Typically, these will include, but are not limited to, hydrogen peroxide, metal peroxides, or ozone. In some embodiments, the aqueous composition comprising a peroxide compound comprises at least about 0.1 wt.% of a peroxide compound, including at least about 0.5 wt.%, at least about 1 wt.%, at least about 2 wt.%, at least about 4 wt.%, at least about 6 wt.%, at least about 8 wt.%, at least about 10 wt.%, at least about 12 wt.%, at least about 14 wt.%, at least about 16 wt.%, at least about 18 wt.%, at least about 20 wt.%, or at least about 25 wt.% of a peroxide compound. In other embodiments, the aqueous composition comprising a peroxide compound comprises less than or equal to about 25 wt% peroxide, including less than or equal to about 20 wt%, less than or equal to about 18 wt%, less than or equal to about 16 wt%, less than or equal to about 14 wt%, less than or equal to about 12 wt%, less than or equal to about 10 wt%, less than or equal to about 8 wt%, less than or equal to about 6 wt%, less than or equal to about 4 wt%, less than or equal to about 2 wt%, less than or equal to about 1 wt%, less than or equal to about 0.5 wt%, or less than or equal to about 0.1 wt% of the peroxide compound. Useful ranges may be any value selected from between about 0.1 wt% to about 25 wt%, and include about 0.1 wt% and about 25 wt% of the peroxide compound. Non-limiting examples of these ranges include from about 0.1% to about 25%, from about 0.5% to about 25%, from about 1% to about 25%, from about 2% to about 25%, from about 4% to about 25%, from about 6% to about 25%, from about 8% to about 25%, from about 10% to about 25%, from about 12% to about 25%, from about 14% to about 25%, from about 16% to about 25%, from about 18% to about 25%, from about 20% to about 25%, from about 0.5% to about 20%, from about 1% to about 18%, from about 2% to about 16%, from about 5% to about 15%, or from about 7% to about 12% by weight of the peroxide compound. In some embodiments, the aqueous composition comprises about 10 wt% peroxide compound. In a preferred embodiment, the peroxide compound is hydrogen peroxide.

The organic acid compound may be any organic acid that is effective to form a peracid when reacted with a peroxide compound. Typically, these will include, but are not limited to, carboxylic acids. Non-limiting examples of carboxylic acids that may be used include formic acid, acetic acid, citric acid, succinic acid, oxalic acid, propionic acid, lactic acid, butyric acid, valeric acid, caprylic acid, amino acids, and mixtures thereof. In some embodiments, the aqueous composition comprising an organic acid compound comprises at least about 0.5 wt% of an organic acid compound, including at least about 1 wt%, at least about 2 wt%, at least about 5 wt%, at least about 10 wt%, at least about 15 wt%, at least about 20 wt%, at least about 25 wt%, at least about 30 wt%, at least about 35 wt%, at least about 40 wt%, or at least about 45 wt%, or at least about 50 wt% of an organic acid compound. In other embodiments, the aqueous composition comprising an organic acid compound comprises less than or equal to about 50 wt% of an organic acid compound, including less than or equal to about 45 wt%, less than or equal to about 40 wt%, less than or equal to about 35 wt%, less than or equal to about 30 wt%, less than or equal to about 25 wt%, less than or equal to about 20 wt%, less than or equal to about 15 wt%, less than or equal to about 10 wt%, less than or equal to about 5 wt%, less than or equal to about 2 wt%, less than or equal to about 1 wt%, or less than or equal to about 0.5 wt% of an organic acid compound. Useful ranges may be any value selected from between about 0.5 wt% to about 50 wt%, and include about 0.5 wt% and about 50 wt% of the organic acid compound. Non-limiting examples of these ranges include from about 0.5% to about 50%, from about 1% to about 50%, from about 2% to about 50%, from about 5% to about 50%, from about 10% to about 50%, from about 15% to about 50%, from about 20% to about 50%, from about 25% to about 50%, from about 30% to about 50%, from about 35% to about 50%, from about 40% to about 50%, from about 45% to about 50%, from about 1% to about 35%, from about 2% to about 20%, or from about 4% to about 12% by weight of the organic acid compound. In some embodiments, the aqueous composition comprises about 10% by weight of the organic acid compound. In a preferred embodiment, the organic acid compound is acetic acid.

As described above, the synthesis of peracids from organic acid compounds and peroxide compounds is an acid-catalyzed process (see Zhao, X. et al, (2007) Journal of Molecular Catalysis A271: 246-252). Typically, organic acids, such as acetic acid and other acids listed above, have at least one carboxylic acid functional group with an acidic pKa value of less than or equal to about 7, making such compounds suitable for reaction with peroxide compounds to produce peracids. Some organic acids, such as citric acid, have multiple carboxylic acid groups, each having a pKa value of 7 or less, and thus can react with peroxide compounds to form peracid products. However, organic acids having carboxylic acid functional groups with pKa values above 7 may also be used as substrates, as long as at least one of the carboxylic acid functional groups has a pKa value of less than or equal to about 7. Thus, in some embodiments, the pH of the composition comprising the organic acid compound is less than or equal to about 7. In further embodiments, the reaction layer has a pH of less than or equal to about 7.

In some embodiments, the first aqueous composition and/or the second aqueous composition are each dispersed as a liquid stream onto the surface. In a further embodiment, the method further comprises the step of providing a mechanical rough spray device, wherein the first aqueous composition and/or the second aqueous composition is dispersed as a liquid stream onto the surface using the mechanical rough spray device; in particular wherein the liquid stream is dispersed in the form of a mist, shower or jet. Non-limiting examples of such mechanical rough spray devices include nozzles and spray systems capable of dispersing the aqueous composition as a stream and/or large droplets having an effective diameter of 100 microns or greater than 100 microns. In even further embodiments, the large droplets have an effective diameter of at least about 100 microns, including at least about 250 microns, 500 microns, 1 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm, or 4 mm, up to about 5 mm, including up to about 4 mm, 3 mm, 2 mm, 1 mm, 500 microns, or 250 microns. In still further embodiments, at least about 90%, including about 95% or 98%, up to about 99%, of the plurality of droplets have an effective diameter of at least about 100 microns, including at least about 250 microns, 500 microns, 1 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm, or 4 mm, up to about 5 mm, including up to about 4 mm, 3 mm, 2 mm, 1 mm, 500 microns, or 250 microns.

When non-porous surfaces that are not sensitive to the amount of liquid placed thereon are to be disinfected, it may be advantageous to disperse the first and second aqueous compositions as a stream when only one or a small number of surfaces need to be disinfected relative to the number of surfaces in the volume or the size of the volume, or when peracid is formed on the surfaces and the surfaces can be hand dried after disinfection. In particular, the liquid stream can be used for flood restoration and rainfall remediation to disinfect contaminated non-porous surfaces and construction materials that remain after removal of all non-recoverable soft or porous materials. Such non-porous surfaces and construction materials may include, but are not limited to, metals, glass, certain ceramic tiles, and hard plastics.

Similarly, a method of disinfecting only a selected number of surfaces within a volume may be accomplished while avoiding contacting other surfaces within the volume with any of the aqueous compositions. As a non-limiting example, a user may selectively dispense or apply the first aqueous composition onto a surface using a handheld mechanical rough spray device, and after sufficient time has elapsed for the first aqueous composition to distribute and coalesce to the first aqueous composition layer on the surface, the user may dispense or apply the second aqueous composition onto the first aqueous composition layer using the handheld mechanical rough spray device. In another non-limiting example, the first aqueous composition and the second aqueous composition can be dispensed into the volumetric space and onto an underlying surface by an overhead spray system installed. In further embodiments, the surface to be sanitized using the overhead spray system may include food and/or food-contact surfaces.

In some embodiments, at least about 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% of the aqueous composition is dispersed as a plurality of droplets in the volumetric space and on the surface to be disinfected. In a further embodiment, substantially 100% of the aqueous composition is dispersed into a plurality of droplets. As mentioned above, the droplets have an effective diameter of less than 100 microns. In these embodiments, the method of disinfecting a surface within a volume may comprise the steps of: a) dispersing into the volume of space a plurality of droplets of a first aqueous composition comprising a first peracid reactant compound, the first peracid reactant compound being a peroxide compound or an organic acid compound capable of reacting with the peroxide compound to form a peracid; b) allowing sufficient time for a plurality of droplets of the first aqueous composition to distribute throughout the space, deposit on the surface, and coalesce into a first aqueous composition layer; c) dispersing into the volume, a plurality of droplets of a second aqueous composition comprising a second peracid reactant compound, the second peracid reactant compound being another one of the first peracid reactant compounds; and d) allowing sufficient second time for a plurality of droplets of the second aqueous composition to deposit on the coalesced first aqueous composition layer to form a reaction layer on the surface, thereby forming peracid in situ within the reaction layer and disinfecting the surface.

The time sufficient for the plurality of droplets of each aqueous composition to disperse into the volume of space and deposit and coalesce into a layer on the surface to be disinfected depends on several factors, including but not limited to: the size and speed of droplet dispersion; the volume size and humidity of the volume space; as well as the identity and concentration of each component in the aqueous composition. With respect to droplet size, the time sufficient for the droplets to reach and coalesce on the surface to be disinfected is roughly inversely proportional to the droplet size. Thus, when the droplets are small, e.g., having an effective diameter of about 1 micron to about 2 microns, more time is required for the droplets to deposit on the surface than when the droplets are large (e.g., having an effective diameter of about 50 microns to about 100 microns). While these large droplets are functionally sufficient to disinfect multiple surfaces in a large volume space (e.g., a room or container), it has been observed that once the droplets reach an effective diameter of about 20 microns or greater than 20 microns, the ability of the droplets to stay in the air long enough to overcome gravity and reach the surface to be disinfected is compromised.

Thus, in some embodiments, the majority of the plurality of droplets has an effective diameter of at least about 1 micron, including at least about 5 microns, at least about 10 microns, at least about 15 microns, at least about 20 microns, at least about 25 microns, at least about 30 microns, at least about 35 microns, at least about 40 microns, at least about 45 microns, at least about 50 microns, at least about 60 microns, at least about 70 microns, at least about 80 microns, at least about 90 microns, or at least about 100 microns. In other embodiments, a majority of the plurality of droplets has an effective diameter of less than or equal to about 100 microns, including less than or equal to about 90 microns, less than or equal to about 80 microns, less than or equal to about 70 microns, less than or equal to about 60 microns, less than or equal to about 50 microns, less than or equal to about 45 microns, less than or equal to about 40 microns, less than or equal to about 35 microns, less than or equal to about 30 microns, less than or equal to about 25 microns, less than or equal to about 20 microns, less than or equal to about 15 microns, less than or equal to about 10 microns, or less than or equal to about 5 microns. Useful ranges for the effective diameter of the majority of the plurality of droplets can be selected from any value between about 1 micron to about 100 microns, and include about 1 micron and about 100 microns. Non-limiting examples of these ranges may include from about 1 micron to about 100 microns, from about 5 microns to about 100 microns, from about 10 microns to about 100 microns, from about 15 microns to about 100 microns, from about 20 microns to about 100 microns, from about 25 microns to about 100 microns, from about 30 microns to about 100 microns, from about 35 microns to about 100 microns, from about 40 microns to about 100 microns, from about 45 microns to about 100 microns, from about 50 microns to about 100 microns, from about 60 microns to about 100 microns, from about 70 microns to about 100 microns, from about 80 microns to about 100 microns, from about 90 microns to about 100 microns, from about 3 microns to about 75 microns, or from about 10 microns to about 25 microns. Spraying and atomizing devices capable of dispersing a plurality of droplets having an effective diameter suitable for any of the above ranges are well known to those skilled in the art.

However, problems may also arise when the effective diameter of the droplet is small. Droplets of effective diameter of less than about 8 microns to about 10 microns in air are known to be inhaled and retained in the deep lung as described in Drug and biological Development, From molecular to Product and Beyond, page 210 and applicable, 2007, edited by Ronald Evens, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Thus, while humans and animals should not be present in the volumetric space without adequate protection during the process of dispersing the aqueous composition, in certain embodiments of the invention, when humans are present in the region or volumetric space and either aqueous composition is dispersed in the form of droplets, the minimum effective diameter of substantially all of the droplets should be maintained above about 10 microns to minimize and avoid invasion deep into the lungs. Thus, in some embodiments, the minimum effective diameter of the plurality of droplets dispersed by the aqueous composition is about 15 microns. In other embodiments where a person is not present in the room when dispersing the aqueous composition, the minimum effective diameter of the plurality of droplets can be any diameter that facilitates distribution, deposition and coalescence of the droplets onto the surface to be disinfected, including the effective diameters described above.

In some embodiments, after depositing a plurality of droplets of the first aqueous composition onto the surface to be disinfected, the droplets are preferably coalesced into a layer having a substantially uniform thickness to provide maximum coverage on the surface. In a preferred embodiment, the actual deposited thickness of the coalescing layer should be minimized, while also covering and coating substantially the entire surface at all exposed and unexposed locations. The thickness of the coalescing layer depends on the size and surface tension of the plurality of droplets. In some embodiments where the plurality of droplets consists only of the peroxide compound or the organic acid compound in an aqueous solution, the droplets may have a surface tension near pure water, which is about 72 dynes/cm at 20 ℃. In this case, the coalescing layer may be thicker because the droplets have limited spread after deposition to the surface. Thus, more ingredients are needed to completely cover the entire surface area and sterilize the entire surface. Conversely, the plurality of droplets may further comprise a non-aqueous compound that reduces the surface tension of the composition. For example, pure ethanol has a surface tension of about 22.27 dynes/cm at 20 ℃. In this case, the droplets of the composition having the lower surface tension will spread more widely across the surface, thereby forming a thinner coalesced layer that requires less composition to completely cover the entire surface area, thereby disinfecting the entire surface.

Thus, in some embodiments, the coalescing layer can have an effective uniform thickness of at least about 1 micron, preferably a substantially uniform thickness, including at least about 2 microns, at least about 3 microns, at least about 5 microns, at least about 8 microns, at least about 10 microns, at least about 15 microns, or at least about 20 microns. In other embodiments, the coalescing layer can have an effective uniform thickness of less than or equal to about 20 microns, preferably a substantially uniform thickness, including less than or equal to about 15 microns, less than or equal to 10 microns, less than or equal to 8 microns, less than or equal to 5 microns, less than or equal to 3 microns, less than or equal to 2 microns, or less than or equal to 1 micron. Useful ranges for the substantially uniform thickness of the coalesced layer of the aqueous composition may be selected from any value between about 1 micron to about 20 microns, and include about 1 micron and about 20 microns. Non-limiting examples of such ranges can include from about 1 micron to about 20 microns, from about 2 microns to about 20 microns, from about 3 microns to about 20 microns, from about 5 microns to about 20 microns, from about 8 microns to about 20 microns, from about 10 microns to about 20 microns, from about 15 microns to about 20 microns, or from about 3 microns to about 8 microns.

In some embodiments, an alcohol may also be included in one or both of the aqueous compositions to reduce the surface tension of the composition deposited on the surface to be disinfected. In a further embodiment, an alcohol may also be included in the aqueous composition dispersed into microdroplets. The alcohol contained in both aqueous compositions may facilitate a thinner coalescing layer without having to reduce droplet size to a smaller effective diameter, where a sufficiently small diameter may result in deep lung invasion of any human or animal in the region or volume space. In addition, some alcohols also independently provide biocidal activity independent of peracids. Thus, the in situ formation of peracids on the surface to be disinfected in combination with alcohol results in an additive effect on the antibacterial activity compared to a reaction layer comprising only a peroxide compound and an organic acid compound.

Although alcohol in liquid form can be used at high concentrations (70% by weight or above 70% by weight) to sterilize instruments or surfaces, the lowest molecular weight alcohol may burn at the same concentration when volatilized, especially as the temperature of the area or volume space increases. Thus, in some embodiments, an aqueous composition comprising an alcohol may comprise at least about 0.05 wt.% alcohol, including at least about 0.1 wt.%, 1 wt.%, 5 wt.%, 10 wt.%, 15 wt.%, 20 wt.%, 25 wt.%, 30 wt.%, 40 wt.%, 50 wt.%, 60 wt.%, or 70 wt.% alcohol. In other embodiments, the aqueous alcohol-containing composition comprises less than or equal to about 0.05 wt.% alcohol, including less than or equal to about 0.1 wt.%, 1 wt.%, 5 wt.%, 10 wt.%, 15 wt.%, 20 wt.%, 25 wt.%, 30 wt.%, 40 wt.%, 50 wt.%, 60 wt.%, or 70 wt.% alcohol. Useful ranges may be any value selected from between about 0.05 wt% to about 70 wt%, including about 0.05 wt% and about 70 wt% alcohol. Non-limiting examples of these ranges may include from about 0.05% to about 70%, from about 0.1% to about 70%, from about 1% to about 70%, from about 5% to about 70%, from about 10% to about 70%, from about 15% to about 75%, from about 20% to about 70%, from about 25% to about 70%, from about 30% to about 70%, from about 40% to about 70%, from about 50% to about 70%, from about 60% to about 70%, from about 1% to about 25%, or from about 10% to about 20% by weight of the alcohol. In some embodiments, the aqueous alcohol-containing composition may comprise about 15% by weight alcohol. In other embodiments, the aqueous composition comprising an alcohol may comprise about 5% by weight alcohol.

The alcohol present in the aqueous composition may be a single alcohol or a combination of alcohols. The alcohols may include aliphatic alcohols and other carbon-containing alcohols having from 1 to 24 carbons. The alcohol may be selected from straight chain or fully saturated alcohols or other carbon containing alcohols, including branched aliphatic, alicyclic, aromatic and unsaturated alcohols. The polyols may also be used alone or in combination with other alcohols. Non-limiting examples of polyols that may be used in the present disclosure include ethylene glycol (ethane-1, 2-diol), glycerol (or glycerol, propane-1, 2, 3-triol), propane-1, 2-diol, polyvinyl alcohol, sorbitol, other polyols, and the like. Other non-aliphatic alcohols may also be used, including but not limited to phenol and substituted phenols, erucyl alcohol, ricinoleic alcohol (ricinolylalchol), arachidyl alcohol, caprylic alcohol, capric alcohol, behenyl alcohol, lauryl alcohol (1-dodecanol), myristyl alcohol (1-tetradecanol), cetyl (or palmityl) alcohol (1-hexadecanol), stearyl alcohol (1-octadecanol), isostearyl alcohol, oleyl alcohol (cis-9-octadecen-1-ol), palmityl alcohol, linolenyl alcohol (9Z, 12Z-octadecadien-1-ol), elaidyl alcohol (9E-octadecen-1-ol), elaidyl alcohol (9E, 12E-octadecadien-1-ol), linolenyl alcohol (9Z,12Z, 15Z-octadecatrien-1-ol), Elactol (9E,12E, 15E-octadecatrien-1-ol), or a combination thereof.

In some embodiments, for practical considerations, due to their nature and cost, methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, propanol, tert-butanol, pentanol, hexanol, heptanol, octanol, nonanol, and decanol, including all structural isomers, stereoisomers, and denatured alcohols thereof, may be used. The alcohol may be selected to meet the requirements of food grade and food safety systems. However, many alcohols, particularly primary alcohols, such as methanol and ethanol, can form esters in side reactions with organic acid compounds. By way of non-limiting example, ethanol and acetic acid may form ethyl acetate at room temperature, particularly under acidic pH conditions. Thus, in a preferred embodiment, isopropanol and tert-butanol may be selected because they are secondary and tertiary alcohols, respectively, and their side reactions with organic acid compounds are not favored.

In some embodiments, alcohols having four or more than four carbon atoms may be used, includingBut is not limited to C₄Alcohol, C₅Alcohol, C₆Alcohol, C₇Alcohol, C₈Alcohol, C₉Alcohol and C₁₀Alcohols because they have a lower vapor pressure, a higher flash point, and can reduce the surface tension of the coalescing and/or reactive layers on the surface at lower concentrations. In one non-limiting example, an aqueous solution containing 15% (v/v) ethanol has a surface tension of about 33 dynes/cm at 20℃, while an aqueous solution containing about 0.5% (v/v) 1-hexanol has a surface tension of less than 30 dynes/cm at 20℃. Furthermore, pure C₄Alcohol, C₅Alcohol, C₆Alcohol, C₇Alcohol, C₈Alcohol, C₉Alcohol and C₁₀The alcohols have flash points well above the standard room temperature of 20 ℃ and can be safely used in any aqueous composition of the present invention when they are dispersed in a volumetric space.

In other embodiments, other compounds may be included in both aqueous compositions to enhance or supplement the effectiveness of the peracid generated in situ on the surface to be disinfected. Such compounds may include one or more than one natural biocide, such as manuka honey and essential oils, and/or natural biocidal compounds typically found in manuka honey and essential oils, such as methylglyoxal, carvacrol, eugenol, linalool, thymol, p-cymene, myrcene, borneol, camphor, caryophyllin, cinnamaldehyde, geraniol, nerol, citronellol, and menthol, including combinations thereof. It has long been known that honey, particularly manuka honey, has a bactericidal effect. The antimicrobial properties of methylglyoxal, the major component of manuka honey, have been previously described (see Hayashi, k. et al, (April 2014) Frontiers in Microbiology,5(180):1-6, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety). Methylglyoxal has been shown to be effective against a variety of drug-resistant bacteria, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), multidrug-resistant pseudomonas aeruginosa (pseudomonas aeruginosa) and pathogenic Escherichia coli (Escherichia coli), with a Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of only 0.005% by weight of the composition.

In other embodiments, essential oils may be included in both aqueous compositions. Essential Oils have been widely used in medicine throughout human history, especially at concentrations as low as 0.001% by weight with antibacterial Activity, as described in the Effect of Essential Oils on nutritional Bacteria, Pharmaceuticals, p. 1451-. US patent 6436342, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, describes the use of essential oils as components of disinfectants. Non-limiting examples of essential oils that may be included in one or more than one aqueous composition include essential oils of oregano, thyme, lemongrass, lemon, orange, fennel, clove, anise, cinnamon, geranium, rose, mint, peppermint, lavender, citronella, eucalyptus, sandalwood, cedar, rosemary, pine, verbena, menglans musk, and ratanhia.

After completion of the process, several essential oils, in addition to their antimicrobial properties, also produce odors which are pleasant to the user of the room or volume space which is subsequently disinfected. Thus, one or more than one natural biocide or natural biocidal compound, in particular an essential oil and/or a chemical component thereof, may be included in the aqueous composition at a concentration below the MIC. Thus, in some embodiments, the aqueous composition may comprise one or more than one natural biocide or natural biocidal compound at a concentration of at least about 0.001% by weight of the aqueous composition, including at least about 0.005%, 0.01%, 0.05%, 0.1%, 0.25%, 0.5%, or 1% by weight of the aqueous composition. In other embodiments, the aqueous composition may comprise one or more than one natural biocide or natural biocidal compound in a concentration of less than or equal to about 0.001% by weight of the aqueous composition, including less than or equal to about 0.005%, 0.01%, 0.05%, 0.1%, 0.25%, 0.5%, or 1% by weight of the aqueous composition. Useful ranges may be selected from any value between about 0.001% to about 1% by weight of the natural biocide or natural biocidal compound in the aqueous composition, including about 0.001% and about 1% by weight. Non-limiting examples of these ranges can include from about 0.001% to about 1%, from about 0.005% to about 1%, from about 0.01% to about 1%, from about 0.05% to about 1%, from about 0.1% to about 1%, from about 0.25% to about 1%, from about 0.5% to about 1%, from about 0.01% to about 0.5%, or from about 0.06% to about 0.3% by weight of the natural biocide or natural biocidal compound in the aqueous composition.

Without wishing to be bound by theory, the effective uniform thickness of the coalesced liquid layer or reaction layer may be optimized according to the desired concentration of the peracid reactant compound or any other component of the aqueous composition. In other embodiments, the concentration of the peracid reactant compound or other component may be optimized according to the desired effective uniform thickness. For example, in some embodiments where relative dilution of the concentration of the peracid reactant compound or other reaction component is desired, the volume of the dispersed aqueous composition can be adjusted accordingly to increase the effective uniform thickness of the reaction layer (and thereby increase the total amount of peracid reactant compound present) and achieve the desired microbial kill. Such embodiments are useful where the stock solution used to form the one or more aqueous compositions is of a lower concentration, as acetic acid or hydrogen peroxide can be purchased by the consumer at their local grocery store or pharmacy. Conversely, in other embodiments where commercial grade stock solutions are available, it may be desirable to obtain relatively high concentrations of the peracid reactant, or a relatively large volume of space, and the volume of the dispersed aqueous composition may be adjusted to form a relatively thin reaction layer. Based on factors such as the stock solution concentration, the desired biocidal power of microorganisms, and the volume within the volumetric space, among others, those skilled in the art will have the necessary knowledge to determine the concentration of the peracid reactant compound or other component to determine the volume of aqueous composition to be dispersed to form a reaction layer having the desired effective uniform thickness.

An advantage of the above components comprising the peracid reactant compound, alcohol and natural biocide is that they are readily volatilized after sterilization is complete. Such embodiments include situations where a high turnover rate is required to allow a person to return to the volumetric space as soon as possible after the sterilization process is completed. In embodiments where the coalesced layer on the surface to be disinfected has an effective uniform thickness of from about 1 micron to about 20 microns, the aqueous composition can evaporate rapidly from the treated surface, thereby avoiding the need for additional treatment to remove unwanted ingredients and waste products and promoting faster turnaround in the area where the surface is located. Such embodiments therefore require the use of small amounts or the complete omission of non-volatile salts and high molecular weight materials to promote high turnover rates of the volume space containing the surface to be disinfected. In some embodiments, the aqueous composition has a volatility such that at least about 90% by weight of the reactive layer, including at least about 95%, at least about 99%, at least about 99.5%, at least about 99.7%, or at least about 99.9% by weight of the reactive layer, can evaporate within 30 minutes after formation.

To increase the volatility of the aqueous composition after deposition on one or more surfaces, the individual components of each aqueous composition may be selected to have a relatively high standard vapor pressure compared to less stable components that remain on the surface for a long period of time after sterilization. The standard vapor pressures for several typical components of the aqueous composition are set forth in table 1 below. It should be noted that hydrogen peroxide on the surface that has not reacted with the organic acid compound will subsequently decompose into water and oxygen, each of which is much more volatile than hydrogen peroxide itself.

TABLE 1

Standard vapor pressure at 20 ℃ for common aqueous composition components

Thus, in some embodiments, one or both aqueous compositions may be formulated such that at least about 99.0 wt.%, or at least about 99.5 wt.%, or at least about 99.9 wt.% of the components in the aqueous composition have a standard vapor pressure of at least 1.0mmHg at 20 ℃. In a further embodiment, one or both of the aqueous compositions may be formulated such that substantially 100% by weight of the components of the aqueous composition have a vapor pressure of at least about 1.0mm Hg at 20 ℃.

The dispersion of the first and second aqueous compositions into a plurality of droplets is particularly useful for disinfecting a wider range of materials, including materials that are damaged upon contact with large amounts of liquid. In one non-limiting example, water-damaged or flood-damaged porous and semi-porous materials that can be dried and recycled, such as drywall, carpet, insulation, ceiling, wood, and concrete, can be sterilized by dispersing an aqueous composition into a plurality of droplets and forming a reactive layer on the surface in micron-sized thicknesses, particularly when the ingredients comprising the aqueous composition are volatile and readily evaporate after sterilization of the surface.

As noted above, in some embodiments of the invention, the one or more aqueous compositions are substantially free of surfactants, polymers, chelating agents, and metal colloids or nanoparticles, and in particular may comprise only food grade components. However, in other embodiments, it may be advantageous to include chemical stabilizers or enhancers in at least one of the aqueous compositions in order to coordinate the disinfection of surfaces within the volumetric space, particularly without regard to volatility of the aqueous composition after deposition onto the surface. Such chemical stabilizers or enhancers may include, but are not limited to: surfactants, polymers, chelating agents, metal colloids and/or nanoparticles, oxidizing agents and other chemical additives, including combinations thereof, used in patents US6692694, US7351684, US7473675, US7534756, US8110538, US8679527, US8716339, US8772218, US8789716, US8987331, US9044403, US9192909, US9241483 and US9540248, and US patent publication US 2008/0000931; US 2013/0199539; US 2014/0178249; US 2014/0238445; US2014/0275267 and US2014/0328949, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety.

In some embodiments, in addition to the first or second aqueous compositions comprising the peracid reactant compound as described above, one or more chemical stabilizers or enhancers, such as the surfactants, polymers, chelating agents, metal colloids and/or nanoparticles described above, oxidizing agents, and other chemical additives may be delivered or dispersed in the one or more aqueous compositions.

Similarly, in addition to the first and second aqueous compositions comprising the peracid reactant compound, one or more supplemental aqueous compositions can be dispersed into the volume space. Thus, according to the method of the present invention, three or more aqueous compositions can be used and dispersed during a single treatment. Thus, in such embodiments, the peracid reactant compound may be delivered by any two separate aqueous compositions dispersed in the process, not necessarily included in the dispersed "first" or "second" aqueous composition, so long as the peroxide compound and the organic acid compound are dispersed as part of the two separate compositions and the peracid is formed in situ on the surface to be disinfected.

Thus, in some embodiments, a method of disinfecting a surface within a volume may comprise the steps of: a) dispersing into the volume of space a plurality of droplets of a first aqueous composition comprising a first peracid reactant compound, the first peracid reactant compound being a peroxide compound or an organic acid compound capable of reacting with the peroxide compound to form a peracid; b) allowing sufficient time for a plurality of droplets of the first aqueous composition to distribute throughout the volumetric space, deposit on the surface and coalesce into a layer of the first aqueous composition; c) dispersing into the volume, a plurality of droplets of a second aqueous composition comprising a second peracid reactant compound, the second peracid reactant compound being another one of the first peracid reactant compounds; and d) allowing sufficient second time for a plurality of droplets of the second aqueous composition to deposit on the coalesced first aqueous composition layer to form a reaction layer on the surface, thereby forming peracids in situ within the reaction layer and disinfecting the surface, wherein the method further comprises the steps of: one or more than one supplemental aqueous composition is dispersed into the volumetric space and allowed sufficient time for each dispersed supplemental aqueous composition to distribute throughout the volumetric space and deposit on the surface. Thus, the supplemental aqueous composition can be dispersed into the volumetric space before the first aqueous composition is dispersed into the volumetric space, after the first aqueous composition layer is formed on the surface and the peracid is formed in situ within the reaction layer on the surface, including combinations thereof, before the second aqueous composition is dispersed into the volumetric space.

Similar to the first and second aqueous compositions, the supplemental aqueous composition can be applied directly to the surface using a mop, cloth, or sponge; flowing from a hose or mechanical rough spray device as a stream onto the surface; or dispersed as a plurality of droplets into a volume of space, including a method in which a plurality of droplets are formed when an aqueous composition is dispersed as a vapor that has been cooled and condensed into droplets.

In some embodiments, the supplemental aqueous composition may be selected from the group consisting of peracid scavenging compositions, pesticide compositions, and environmental conditioning compositions.

The peracid removal composition includes a component that reduces or eliminates any excess peracid remaining on the surface after disinfection of the surface. In some embodiments, the peracid removal composition comprises a metal halide dispersed after the peracid is formed in situ within a reaction layer on the surface, wherein the metal halide comprises an iodide, bromide or chloride, particularly a metal halide selected from the group consisting of potassium iodide, potassium chloride and sodium chloride, more particularly potassium iodide. In other embodiments, the dispersion of the peracid removal composition after the peracid is formed on the surface to be disinfected can reduce the number of air exchanges required to restore the volume to habitability and allow access to humans. By way of non-limiting example, the peracid scavenging composition can be dispensed into the volumetric space as a final step of neutralizing and removing residual droplets that may be present in the volumetric space when the first aqueous composition and the second aqueous composition are dispensed as a vapor.

In aqueous systems, halide ions are known to react with peracids, particularly peracetic acid, to form various products (see Shah, A.D. et al, (2015) Environmental Science & Technology 49: 1698-1705). As observed in Shah, the most common reaction in aqueous solution is the reaction that forms the acid, acetate and water. The following reaction (2) shows the chemical reaction between peracetic acid and iodide ion to form hypoiodic acid:

CH₃C(O)OOH+I^-→HOI+CH₃COO^-+H₂O (2)，

wherein k is 4.2 × 10²M^-1s^-1(literature value). Reaction with chloride or bromide ions forms similar hypohalous acid products, hypochlorous acid (HOCl) and hypobromous acid (HOBr), respectively. However, the reaction between peracid and halide results in a complex equilibrium, with multiple reactions occurring simultaneously. For example, hypohalous acids rapidly dissociate in the presence of peroxides such as hydrogen peroxide to form the parent halides, oxygen and water. The dissociation reaction of hypoiodic acid is shown in reaction (3) below:

HOI+HO₂ ^-I^-+1/2O₂+H₂O (3)，

wherein k is 1 × 10¹⁰M^-1s^-1(estimated value). In addition, in the presence of an acid, a peroxide such as hydrogen peroxide can undergo a redox reaction directly with a halogen ion to form an elemental halogen. The reaction between hydrogen peroxide and iodide ion (see Sattsangi, P.D. (2011) Journal of Chemical evolution 88 (2): 184-:

2I^-+H₂O₂+2H⁺→I₂+H₂O (4)，

wherein k is 8.9 × 10^-3M^-1s^-1(literature value).

At sufficiently high concentrations, hypoiodic acid, particularly HOCl and HOBr, as well as elemental bromine, chlorine or iodine, may be toxic to humans or animals exposed to the compound. However, as long as hydrogen peroxide and peracetic acid are present in the system, the reactions (2) and (3) form a catalytic cycle, as shown in the following scheme (S1):

wherein PAAH is the acidic form of peroxyacetic acid. Without being bound by a particular theory, it is believed that the rate due to each reactionConstant, catalytic cycling in scheme (S1) occurs readily in aqueous solution without reaction (4). Formation of I in reaction (4)₂Is less prevalent because its rate constant indicates that the reaction is about five orders of magnitude slower than reaction (2) and about 13 orders of magnitude slower than reaction (3). In embodiments where the peroxide compound, particularly hydrogen peroxide, is added in excess of the organic acid compound, particularly acetic acid, the catalytic cycle will continue until all of the peracid is removed, leaving the peroxide and halide in solution until the solution is evaporated or the surface is hand dried.

Historically, iodide has been used to assess the concentration of peracids in a system because the amount of iodine formed is proportional to the amount of peracid in the system, as described in U.S. patent 3485588, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety potassium iodide is a very common source of iodide ions, the concentration of potassium iodide available for reaction with peracid is limited in practice by its solubility in solution and can be included in solution at concentrations of up to 100 grams per 100 grams of water (equivalent to about 6 moles/liter). however, the use of high concentrations of potassium iodide results in the formation of excess iodine or triiodide ions in solution, forming undesirable residues^-5Molarity), especially because the process in scheme (S1) is catalytic and iodide in the system is reduced after the reaction of hypoiodic acid with hydrogen peroxide. Thus, in some embodiments, the peracid removal composition comprises at least about 0.000001 moles/liter of potassium iodide, including at least about 0.00001 moles/liter, 0.0001 moles/liter, 0.001 moles/liter, 0.01 moles/liter, 0.1 moles/liter, or 1 moles/liter of potassium iodide, and up to about 6 moles/liter of potassium iodide. In other embodiments, the stoichiometric amount of metal halide is equal to or greater than the stoichiometric amount of peracid formed in situ within the reaction layer, thereby removing substantially all of the peracid formed from the surface.

The pesticide composition may comprise any commercially available or synthetic fungicide, rodenticide, herbicide, larvicide, or insecticide, including combinations thereof, particularly pesticides that may be applied by liquid flow, as a plurality of droplets, or as a vapor. In some embodiments, the included pesticide may provide, supplement, or enhance the activity of the in situ generated peracid on pests including, but not limited to, parasites, insects, nematodes, molluscs, fungi, and rodents.

As one non-limiting example, one or more pesticides specifically designed to control and/or eradicate bed bugs or termites may be included in the pesticide composition. In particular for bed bugs, the U.S. environmental protection agency has defined over 300 pesticidal compounds in seven chemical classes, including pyrethrins, pyrethroids, azole fungicides, neonicotinoid insecticides, desiccants, insect growth regulators, and other biochemical compounds. Pyrethrins and pyrethroids are the most common compounds used to control bed bugs and other indoor pests, and are particularly effective when the pyrethroids are dispersed in the form of droplets or vapors. However, some bed bug populations are resistant to pyrethrins and pyrethroids. In these cases, desiccants, azole fungicides, neonicotinoid insecticides, and other biochemical substances (including neem oil) have proven effective against bed bugs because they function using different physical and/or chemical modes of action. Non-limiting examples of desiccants include diatomaceous earth and boric acid. Insect growth regulators may be used in conjunction with or separately from other insecticides used against bed bugs, and may not necessarily kill the bed bug population, but may affect the ability of the bed bugs to form exoskeletons, and may also alter the adult life of the bed bugs.

One skilled in the art can understand and identify specific chemical classes of compounds that are effective against a particular plague population, as well as the measures necessary to protect users or bystanders from exposure to such chemicals. In combination with spraying the peracid reactant compound and forming the peracid on the in situ surface, the additional dispersal of one or more than one pesticide makes it possible to effectively and effectively eliminate substantially all pests, whether microscopic or macroscopic, from the surface in the area. In some embodiments, the pesticide composition is dispersed into the volumetric space prior to dispersing the first aqueous composition into the volumetric space. In other embodiments, the pesticide composition is dispersed into the volume of space after the peracid is formed in situ within the reaction layer on the surface.

As a non-limiting example, a method of the present invention may be incorporated to dispense an anti-insect pesticide composition during the disinfection of a hotel room of a resident. In some embodiments, the pesticidal composition may comprise one or more than one compound selected from the group consisting of pyrethrins, pyrethroids, azole fungicides, neonicotinoid insecticides, desiccants, insect growth regulators, and neem oil. In a further embodiment, the pesticidal composition comprises a pyrethrin or pyrethroid.

The environmental conditioning composition can be dispersed with the first aqueous composition and the second aqueous composition for a variety of applications, including preparing a volume of space for dispersing the first aqueous composition, the second aqueous composition, or any other supplemental aqueous composition; returning the volume to a state accessible to a human or animal; and/or dilute peracid concentration on a surface after sterilization.

In some embodiments, the environmental conditioning composition consists essentially of water. The dispersion composition consisting essentially of water opens up several alternative possibilities in terms of pre-treatment steps, intermediate steps and finishing steps, which can be achieved in combination with the process proposed herein. For example, in some embodiments, the method may further comprise the step of dispersing the first aqueous composition into the volumetric space prior to dispersing the first aqueous composition into the volumetric space. Dispersing the environmental conditioning composition prior to the first aqueous composition can increase the humidity in the volumetric space and inhibit or prevent evaporation of the first aqueous composition or the second aqueous composition prior to the peracid reactant compound reaching the surface to be disinfected. In some embodiments, the time sufficient for the environmental conditioning composition to be distributed throughout the volumetric space is a time sufficient for the volumetric space to have a relative humidity of at least about 50%, including at least about 60%, 70%, 80%, 90% or 95%, up to about 99%. In a further embodiment, the time sufficient for the environmental conditioning composition to be distributed throughout the volumetric space is a time sufficient for the volumetric space to have a relative humidity of at least about 90%. One skilled in the art can determine the necessary volume of the environmentally-friendly composition consisting essentially of water to achieve the desired relative humidity based on the atmospheric conditions within the volumetric space and the cartesian dimensions of the volumetric space.

In other embodiments, the environmental conditioning composition is dispersed into the volumetric space after the first aqueous composition layer is formed on the surface and before the second aqueous composition is dispersed into the volumetric space in order to coalesce with and enhance deposition of any excess or residual droplets of the first aqueous composition in the air. In another embodiment, the environmental conditioning composition may be dispersed into the volume following dispersion of the second aqueous composition, including following in situ formation of the peracid on the surface, to coalesce with and enhance deposition of any excess or residual droplets of the second aqueous composition in the volume, or to dilute the peracid concentration on the surface after disinfection of the surface. Removal of excess or residual suspended droplets of any aqueous composition containing the peracid reactant compound leaves the volume substantially free of any chemical constituents dispersed during the disinfection process.

Furthermore, the climate regulating composition may also consist of a scented compound in order to impart a pleasant smell to the volume space. The aroma compound may comprise one or more than one of the essential oils described above, such as oregano, thyme, lemongrass, lemon, orange, fennel, clove, anise, cinnamon, geranium, rose, mint, peppermint, lavender, citronella, eucalyptus, sandalwood, cedar, rosemary, pine, verbena, menglans and ratanhia, or an aroma compound comprising an essential oil, including methylglyoxal, carvacrol, eugenol, linalool, thymol, p-cymene, myrcene, borneol, camphor, dianthus, cinnamaldehyde, geraniol, nerol, citronellol and menthol. In a further embodiment, the climate regulating composition comprises from about 0.001% to about 1% by weight of a fragrance compound.

In other embodiments, a plurality of environmental conditioning compositions consisting essentially of water are dispersed during the process. In some embodiments, the environmental conditioning composition consisting essentially of water is dispersed into the volumetric space prior to dispersing the first aqueous composition into the volumetric space, and after the peracid is formed in situ within the reaction layer on the surface, the environmental conditioning composition consisting essentially of water is dispersed into the volumetric space. In another embodiment, the environmental conditioning composition consisting essentially of water is dispersed into the volumetric space prior to dispersing the first aqueous composition into the volumetric space, and the environmental conditioning composition consisting essentially of water is dispersed into the volumetric space after forming a layer of the first aqueous composition on the surface and prior to dispersing the second aqueous composition into the volumetric space. In another embodiment, the environmental conditioning composition consisting essentially of water is dispersed into the volumetric space after the first aqueous composition layer is formed on the surface and before the second aqueous composition is dispersed into the volumetric space, and the environmental conditioning composition consisting essentially of water is dispersed into the volumetric space after the peracid is formed in situ within the reaction layer on the surface. In another embodiment, the environmental conditioning composition consisting essentially of water is dispersed into the volumetric space prior to dispersing the first aqueous composition into the volumetric space, the environmental conditioning composition consisting essentially of water is dispersed into the volumetric space after forming the first aqueous composition layer on the surface and prior to dispersing the second aqueous composition into the volumetric space, and the environmental conditioning composition consisting essentially of water is dispersed into the volumetric space after forming the peracid in situ within the reaction layer on the surface.

When dispersed as droplets, the effective diameter of the plurality of droplets of any supplemental aqueous composition can be controlled similarly to the first aqueous composition or the second aqueous composition. In some embodiments, the majority of the droplets of the supplemental aqueous composition have an effective diameter of at least about 1 micron, including at least about 10 microns, 20 microns, 30 microns, 40 microns, 50 microns, or about 100 microns. In other embodiments, the majority of the droplets of the supplemental aqueous composition have an effective diameter of from about 20 microns to about 30 microns. In other embodiments, the majority of the plurality of droplets has an effective diameter of less than or equal to about 1 micron, including less than or equal to about 10 microns, 20 microns, 30 microns, 40 microns, 50 microns, or about 100 microns. Useful ranges for the effective diameter of any of the plurality of droplets that supplement the aqueous composition can be selected from any value between about 1 micron to about 100 microns, and include about 1 micron and about 100 microns. Non-limiting examples of such ranges can include from about 1 micron to about 100 microns, from about 10 microns to about 100 microns, from about 20 microns to about 100 microns, from about 30 microns to about 100 microns, from about 40 microns to about 100 microns, from about 50 microns to about 100 microns, or from about 20 microns to about 30 microns.

In some embodiments, multiple supplemental aqueous compositions can be dispersed in the same disinfection process. Non-limiting examples include methods further comprising dispersing an environmental conditioning composition and a peracid removal composition; environmental conditioning compositions and pesticidal compositions; or environmental conditioning compositions, pesticide compositions, and peracid scavenging compositions. In further embodiments, the methods of the present invention further comprise dispersing a plurality of the environmental conditioning composition, and either or both of the pesticide composition and the peracid scavenging composition.

In a non-limiting example, a method of disinfecting a surface to be disinfected within a volume of space can include the steps of: a) dispersing an environmental conditioning composition consisting essentially of water into a volumetric space; b) allowing sufficient time for the environmental conditioning composition to distribute throughout the volumetric space and for the relative humidity of the volumetric space to be at least about 50%, including at least about 60%, 70%, 80%, 90% or 95%, up to about 99%; c) dispersing into the volume of space a plurality of droplets of a first aqueous composition comprising a first peracid reactant compound, the first peracid reactant compound being a peroxide compound or an organic acid compound capable of reacting with the peroxide compound to form a peracid; d) allowing sufficient time for a plurality of droplets of the first aqueous composition to distribute throughout the space, deposit on the surface, and coalesce into a first aqueous composition layer; e) dispersing into the volume, a plurality of droplets of a second aqueous composition comprising a second peracid reactant compound, the second peracid reactant compound being another one of the first peracid reactant compounds; f) allowing sufficient second time for a plurality of droplets of the second aqueous composition to deposit on the coalesced first aqueous composition layer to form a reaction layer on the surface, thereby forming peracids in situ within the reaction layer and disinfecting the surface; g) dispersing a peracid removal composition comprising a metal halide into the volumetric space; h) sufficient time is allowed for the peracid removal composition to distribute throughout the volume of space and deposit onto the disinfected surface. In a further embodiment, the method further comprises the steps of: i) dispersing an environmental conditioning composition consisting essentially of water into a volumetric space; j) sufficient time is allowed for the environmental conditioning composition to distribute throughout the volume of space and deposit onto the sterilized surface. In an even further embodiment, the atmosphere modifying composition of step i) also consists essentially of a fragrance compound.

In another non-limiting example, a method of disinfecting a surface to be disinfected in a volume of space may include the steps of: a) dispersing an environmental conditioning composition consisting essentially of water into a volumetric space; b) allowing sufficient time for the environmental conditioning composition to distribute throughout the volumetric space and for the relative humidity of the volumetric space to be at least about 50%, including at least about 60%, 70%, 80%, 90% or 95%, up to about 99%; c) dispersing a pesticide composition into the volumetric space; d) allowing sufficient time for the pesticide composition to distribute throughout the volume and deposit on the surface; e) dispersing into the volume of space a plurality of droplets of a first aqueous composition comprising a first peracid reactant compound, the first peracid reactant compound being a peroxide compound or an organic acid compound capable of reacting with the peroxide compound to form a peracid; f) allowing sufficient time for a plurality of droplets of the first aqueous composition to distribute throughout the volumetric space, deposit on the surface and coalesce into a layer of the first aqueous composition; g) dispersing into the volume, a plurality of droplets of a second aqueous composition comprising a second peracid reactant compound, the second peracid reactant compound being another one of the first peracid reactant compounds; h) allowing sufficient second time for a plurality of droplets of the second aqueous composition to deposit on the coalesced first aqueous composition layer to form a reaction layer on the surface, thereby forming peracids in situ within the reaction layer and disinfecting the surface; i) dispersing a peracid removal composition comprising a metal halide into the volumetric space; j) sufficient time is allowed for the peracid removal composition to distribute throughout the volume of space and deposit onto the disinfected surface. In a further embodiment, the method further comprises the steps of: k) dispersing an environmental conditioning composition consisting essentially of water into a volumetric space; l) allowing sufficient time for the environmental conditioning composition to distribute throughout the volume of space and deposit onto the sterilized surface. In an even further embodiment, the atmosphere-regulating composition dispersed into the volumetric space in step k) also consists essentially of the aroma compound. In other further embodiments, the pesticide composition dispersed into the volumetric space in step c) comprises an insecticide, in particular an insecticide configured to kill bed bugs or termites.

The present invention also provides a safer and potentially more efficient method of disinfecting surfaces with already formed peracid, particularly in disinfecting applications where the already formed peracid is dispersed as a spray, mist or vapor, due to the use of one or more than one supplemental aqueous composition. As mentioned above, problems associated with commercially available peracid compositions for disinfecting surfaces typically comprise at least about 0.01 wt% peracid, including at least about 0.05 wt%, 0.1 wt%, 0.25 wt%, 0.5 wt%, 0.75 wt%, 1 wt%, 5 wt%, 10 wt%, 20 wt% or 30 wt%, up to about 40 wt% peracid (see Centers for Disease Control "guidelines for dispensing and drying in Healthcare Facilities (2008)", addresshttp://www.cdc.gov/ infectioncontrol/guidelines/disinfection/disinfection-methods/chemical.htmlThe page was most recently updated on 9/18/2016).

In some embodiments, a method of disinfecting a surface to be disinfected in a volume of space using a preformed peracid comprises the steps of: a) dispersing a plurality of droplets of a first aqueous composition comprising a peracid into a volumetric space; b) allowing sufficient time for the first aqueous composition to distribute throughout the volume and deposit on the surface, thereby disinfecting the surface; wherein the method further comprises the steps of: dispersing a plurality of microdroplets of one or more than one supplemental aqueous compositions into a volumetric space and allowing sufficient time for each dispersed supplemental aqueous composition to distribute throughout the volumetric space and deposit on a surface, the supplemental aqueous compositions being selected from the group consisting of peracid scavenging compositions, pesticide compositions and environmental conditioning compositions. In a further embodiment, the peracid is peroxyacetic acid.

In particular, the use of the peracid removal composition after dispensing the peracid into the volume space and/or on the surface can enhance the deposition of any excess or residual peracid in the volume space after dispensing, or the removal of peracid from the surface after disinfecting the surface. Similar to other methods of the present invention for forming peracids in situ on the surface to be disinfected, the peracid removal composition may comprise a metal halide, particularly a metal halide selected from the group consisting of potassium iodide, potassium chloride and sodium chloride, more particularly potassium iodide. Because the peracid is formed in a preformed composition, rather than on the surface to be disinfected, in some embodiments it may be desirable or advantageous for the stoichiometric amount of metal halide dispersed in the volume to be equal to or greater than the amount of peracid dispersed in the volume to ensure that substantially all of the dispersed peracid is removed from the volume. In further embodiments, the stoichiometric amount of metal halide dispersed in the volumetric space is at least 2 times the amount of peracid dispersed in the volumetric space, including at least 3 times, 4 times, 5 times, 10 times, 25 times, 50 times, or 100 times the amount of peracid dispersed in the volumetric space. When potassium iodide is included in the peracid removal composition, the peracid removal composition can include at least about 0.000001 moles/liter of potassium iodide, including at least about 0.00001 moles/liter, 0.0001 moles/liter, 0.001 moles/liter, 0.01 moles/liter, 0.1 moles/liter, or about 1 moles/liter of potassium iodide, and up to about 6 moles/liter of potassium iodide.

Similarly, the environmental conditioning composition consisting essentially of water may be dispersed before or after the first aqueous composition comprising the preformed peracid. In particular, dispersing the environmental conditioning composition after dispersing the first aqueous composition may have the effect of diluting, reducing or removing residual or excess peracid in the volumetric space after disinfecting the surface in the volumetric space. Additionally, the environmental conditioning composition may also consist essentially of a fragrance compound, particularly a fragrance compound selected from the group consisting of methylglyoxal, carvacrol, eugenol, linalool, thymol, p-cymene, myrcene, borneol, camphor, caryophyllin, cinnamaldehyde, geraniol, nerol, citronellol, and menthol, including combinations thereof.

In another aspect, when the environmental conditioning composition is dispersed into the volumetric space prior to dispersing the first aqueous composition into the volumetric space, the method may further comprise the steps of: the environmental conditioning composition is allowed sufficient time to distribute throughout the volume of space and the relative humidity of the volume of space is at least about 50%, including at least about 60%, 70%, 80%, 90% or 95%, and up to about 99% to enhance coverage and deposition of the first aqueous composition on all desired surfaces within the volume of space.

As with the embodiment in which the peracid is formed in situ on the surface to be disinfected, any combination of supplemental aqueous compositions can be dispersed sequentially with the first aqueous composition comprising the preformed peracid. In one non-limiting example, an environmental conditioning composition consisting essentially of water can be dispensed into the volumetric space prior to dispensing the first aqueous composition, and a composition that removes peracid can be dispensed into the volumetric space after disinfecting a surface. In another non-limiting example, the pesticide composition can be dispersed into the volumetric space before or after the first aqueous composition is dispersed. In yet another non-limiting example, the pesticide composition can be dispensed into the volumetric space prior to dispensing the first aqueous composition, the peracid removal composition can be dispensed into the volumetric space after disinfecting the surface, and the environment-regulating composition consisting essentially of water and a fragrance compound can be dispensed into the volumetric space after substantially all of the peracid has been removed from the volumetric space. One skilled in the art will appreciate that there are several other combinations in which one or more than one supplemental aqueous composition is sequentially dispersed with a dispersed first aqueous composition comprising a preformed peracid.

In other embodiments of the present invention, particularly where the aqueous composition is dispersed as a liquid stream, a plurality of droplets, or a vapor, the time sufficient for any of the first aqueous composition, the second aqueous composition, or any supplemental aqueous composition to distribute throughout the volume of space, deposit on a surface, and/or form a layer of the aqueous composition on a surface can be defined as a specific unit of time. As a non-limiting example, as described below, a mechanized or automated spraying, atomizing, or delivery system may include a procedure to require a delay between dispensing the aqueous composition and dispensing a subsequent aqueous composition. In some embodiments, the time sufficient for the aqueous composition to distribute throughout the volume of space and/or deposit on the surface is at least about 1 second, including about 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 4 minutes, 5 minutes, or 10 minutes, up to at least about 15 minutes.

In another non-limiting example, a method of disinfecting a surface to be disinfected in a volume of space may include the steps of: a) dispersing onto a surface an amount of a first aqueous composition comprising a first peracid reactant compound, said first peracid reactant compound being a peroxide compound or an organic acid compound capable of reacting with a peroxide compound to form a peracid; b) allowing sufficient time for the first aqueous composition to deposit on and coalesce into a first aqueous composition layer on the surface, wherein sufficient time is at least about 1 second, including about 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 4 minutes, 5 minutes, or 10 minutes, up to at least about 15 minutes; c) dispersing onto the surface an amount of a second aqueous composition comprising a second peracid reactant compound, the second peracid reactant compound being another one of the first peracid reactant compounds; d) allowing sufficient second time for the second aqueous composition to deposit on the surface and combine with the coalesced first aqueous composition layer to form a reaction layer on the surface to form a peracid in situ within the reaction layer and disinfect the surface, wherein sufficient second time is at least about 1 second, including about 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 4 minutes, 5 minutes, or 10 minutes, up to at least about 15 minutes. In an even further embodiment, the method further comprises the steps of: dispersing one or more than one supplemental aqueous composition into the volumetric space and allowing sufficient time for each dispersed supplemental aqueous composition to distribute throughout the volumetric space and deposit onto the surface, wherein sufficient time is at least about 1 second, including at least about 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 4 minutes, 5 minutes, or 10 minutes, up to at least about 15 minutes.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of droplets of any of the aqueous compositions described above may be electrostatically charged. Examples of electrostatic spraying are described in patent US6692694, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Fig. 1 shows an example of a commercially available electrostatic spraying device 110 according to the prior art. The electrostatic spraying device 110 includes a housing 112; and a container 114 associated with the housing 112 for storing a liquid; a plurality of nozzles 116 in liquid communication with the reservoir 114 for dispensing atomized droplets of the liquid; and a high voltage charging system 118 capable of imparting an electrostatic charge on the droplets after they are dispersed. One skilled in the art will appreciate that any electrostatic spray device may be used to disperse the electrostatically charged droplets, including devices that eject droplets having only a positive charge, devices that eject droplets having only a negative charge, and devices that are adjustable to selectively eject droplets having any desired charge. In some embodiments, an electrostatic spray device may be used that is adjustable to selectively spray droplets having a positive, negative, or neutral charge.

By dispersing droplets having an electrostatic charge, a number of advantages can be achieved, including but not limited to: more effective and targeted dispersion on the surface to be disinfected, application on non-line-of-sight vertical and underside surfaces, and enhanced activity of the peracid reactant compound prior to formation of peracid on the surface. Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that the application of an electrostatic charge results in more effective dispersion of the aqueous composition because multiple droplets of the same charge repel each other according to coulomb's law. As shown in fig. 2, negatively charged particles 220 dispersed from the nozzle of the electrostatic spray device 216 will deposit on all sides of the positively charged or neutral surface 230. In addition, the droplets will be distributed evenly throughout the area or volume and deposited onto multiple surfaces of the target, including the back and bottom surfaces, to maximize the droplet-to-droplet distance as much as possible.

Similarly charged particles can spontaneously coalesce into a layer on the surface due to the volume of the aqueous composition dispersed in the volume space. In some embodiments, the first aqueous composition is electrostatically charged to provide a uniformly distributed layer of the first aqueous composition on the surface to be disinfected, and then the second aqueous composition is dispersed into the volumetric space. In other embodiments, coulombic law may be further utilized to create an attractive force between the first aqueous composition layer and the plurality of droplets of the second aqueous composition by bringing the plurality of droplets of the second aqueous composition to an electrostatic charge of opposite polarity to the plurality of droplets of the first aqueous composition and ensuring that the peracid reactant compounds contact each other, thereby forming a reaction layer on the surface to be disinfected.

In addition, the electrostatic charge of the aqueous composition may be selected to enhance the reactivity of the peracid reactant compound. In some embodiments, aqueous compositions comprising peroxide compounds can be electrosprayed with a negative charge, while aqueous compositions comprising organic acid compounds can be electrosprayed with a positive charge. In other embodiments, aqueous compositions comprising peroxide compounds may be electrosprayed positively, while aqueous compositions comprising organic acid compounds may be electrosprayed negatively. In general, any combination of electrostatic charges (positive, negative or neutral) can be applied to any aqueous composition regardless of the identity of the components present in any aqueous composition.

In addition to increasing the deposition of the aqueous composition on the surface to be disinfected and enhancing the peracid formation reaction, utilizing the electrospray technique also provides additional complementary benefits to the process described herein. Although the attraction of the electrostatically charged droplets to the surface is beneficial in promoting reactions on the surface to be disinfected, it also provides an additional safety measure if someone enters the volume during the disinfection process. Without wishing to be bound by a particular theory, it is believed that the smaller droplets that would otherwise penetrate into a person's deep lung are attracted to the person's nasal or oral surfaces, where the effects of these droplets (if any) are easily counteracted. Furthermore, the repulsion forces generated by the same charged particles will cause the droplets to stay in the air for a longer time without being forced to land by gravity. Thus, larger droplet sizes may be used and surface disinfection in larger volumes may be facilitated.

In some embodiments, the surface within the volume of space may also be electrically grounded prior to dispensing the first aqueous composition by electrostatic spraying. In further embodiments, the surface may be grounded. Because of the electrical attraction that can occur between the grounded surface and the charged droplet in the volume, the droplet may be preferentially or only attracted to the grounded surface. By way of non-limiting example, high flow or highly contaminated surfaces in hospital rooms, such as door handles, faucets, and hospital bed rails and bars, may be locked in by grounding them prior to sterilization to expedite room turnaround between patients. In other embodiments, the surface that has been grounded within the area or volume may be isolated from the ground prior to dispersing the electrostatically charged first aqueous composition to better cover all surfaces within the volume. In a further embodiment, a selected grounded surface can be electrostatically sprayed with a first aqueous composition in combination with a second aqueous composition that disperses the static free charge to provide overall surface coverage throughout the volume of space.

In some embodiments, the electrostatic charge may be applied prior to atomization of the aqueous composition or after dispersion of the composition. The distribution of the plurality of electrostatically charged droplets can be controlled by adjusting the magnitude of the voltage applied to the nozzle on the electrostatic atomizer, the size or type of the nozzle, and the flow rate of the aqueous composition through the nozzle.

In some embodiments, especially when the surfaces to be disinfected are difficult to contact, for example inside an air duct or in an enclosed space, or when there are several surfaces to be disinfected in a very large volume of space, it may be effective to evaporate the aqueous composition in the surrounding air or to introduce it into the stream of hot air. Sterilization using these methods has been described in patents US8696986 and 9050384, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Similar to the other patent references mentioned above, the process described in patents US8696986 and 9050384 requires the formation of a peracid which is then dispersed into the volume space. In contrast, the peracid reactant compound according to the process of the present invention may be dispersed in a separate application step, thereby forming the peracid in situ only on the surface to be disinfected.

By way of non-limiting example, surfaces to be disinfected within a volume containing ambient air may be disinfected using a method comprising the steps of: a) heating a first aqueous composition comprising a peroxide compound in ambient air to produce a vapor comprising the peroxide compound; b) allowing sufficient first time for the vapor comprising the peroxide compound to distribute throughout the volume, cool, condense, and deposit into a liquid layer on the surface, the liquid layer comprising the peroxide compound; c) heating a second aqueous composition comprising an organic acid compound to produce a vapor comprising the organic acid compound; and d) allowing sufficient second time for the vapor comprising the organic acid compound to distribute throughout the volume of space and cooling, condensing and depositing the organic acid compound onto the liquid layer comprising the peroxide compound to form a reaction layer, thereby forming peracid in situ on the reaction layer and disinfecting the surface thereof.

In some embodiments, to form the vapor, the aqueous composition can be pressure fed into an atomization device, wherein the composition is mechanically introduced into an atmosphere of ambient temperature as a high pressure mist, thereby forming a mist or spray. The mist or spray is then heated and vaporized by repeatedly passing the mist or spray next to one or more heating elements of the atomizing device. The aqueous composition is further activated to superheated steam at any user-selectable temperature, such as greater than or equal to about 250 c, as it is repeatedly circulated. Alternatively, the aqueous composition may be heated to a temperature sufficient to evaporate the aqueous composition in less than about 30 minutes, including less than about 25 minutes, 20 minutes, 15 minutes, 10 minutes, or about 5 minutes. In a further embodiment, the aqueous composition may be heated at a temperature sufficient to evaporate a substantial portion of the aqueous composition in about two minutes.

After leaving the atomizing device, the superheated vapor cools and condenses into a plurality of droplets as it diffuses and settles in the air. In use, the atomizing device may be maintained a sufficient distance from the surface to be disinfected such that the temperature of the condensed droplets as they are deposited on the surface is less than or equal to about 55 ℃. In some embodiments, the application temperature of the condensed droplets should be close to the ambient temperature in the storage device, with an optimal range of about 10 ℃ to about 25 ℃. By condensing the vapor into droplets and cooling to near ambient temperature, the user can safely apply the vapor to inert solid surfaces and non-inert surfaces of the agricultural produce. In embodiments where the entire method is applied over a period of 40 minutes to 8 hours, substantially all of the surface can be disinfected within the volumetric space, killing almost all of the bacteria, bacterial spores, fungi, protozoa, algae and viruses on the surface of the stored produce and the storage facilities where the produce is stored.

Similar to the other embodiments of the invention described above in which liquid droplets of an aqueous composition are dispersed in air, the efficacy of the disinfection method according to the invention involving evaporation in a dry environment is also reduced. Thus, in some embodiments, the evaporation method may further comprise the step of pre-treating the volumetric space by dispersing an environmental conditioning composition consisting essentially of water to increase the humidity of the area.

In another embodiment of the invention, the aqueous compositions may be vaporized by introducing them into a hot gas stream prior to dispersion into the volumetric space. In some embodiments, the heated gas stream is sterile air, although other gases, such as nitrogen, carbon dioxide, or inert noble gas carriers, may also be used. The gas stream may be heated to any user-controlled temperature above about 250 c. The aqueous composition may be introduced into the air stream by any method known to those skilled in the art. In a preferred embodiment, the aqueous composition is dispersed directly into the stream. Similar to the embodiments described above, the sufficient time required for the vapor containing the aqueous composition to cool, condense into a plurality of droplets and deposit as a liquid layer on a surface immediately after it is dispersed into the volume will depend on factors including, but not limited to, the identity and concentration of the components in the aqueous composition and the material properties of the surface to be disinfected.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, any of the above methods may further comprise the steps of: the surface to be disinfected is irradiated with a wavelength consisting essentially of ultraviolet light (UV). Ultraviolet light is known to kill pathogens in the air, on surfaces and in liquids. Methods of killing pathogens using ultraviolet light are described in patents US6692694 and US8110538, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. In addition to having its own germicidal activity, uv light can also activate peroxide compounds, making them more reactive when reacted with organic acid compounds to form peracids. For example, hydrogen peroxide forms two hydroxyl groups under intense uv irradiation and can therefore be activated. In a preferred embodiment, immediately after the peroxide-containing aqueous composition is deposited and coalesced on the surface to be disinfected, the surface is subsequently irradiated at a wavelength consisting essentially of ultraviolet light. Alternatively, the peroxide-containing aqueous composition may be irradiated with a wavelength consisting essentially of ultraviolet light at the time of dispersion. Any means known to those skilled in the art may be used to generate the UV light.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the disinfection method described above for generating peracid on a surface to be disinfected may be used for a variety of user-defined germicidal purposes, including antimicrobial, bleaching or disinfection applications. In other aspects, the generated peracid can be used to kill one or more food-borne pathogenic bacteria associated with food products, including but not limited to Salmonella typhimurium (Salmonella typhimurium), Campylobacter jejuni (Campylobacter jejuni), Listeria monocytogenes (Listeria monocytogenes), and Escherichia coli 0157: H7(Escherichia coli 0157: H7), yeast, and mold.

In some embodiments, the peracids produced according to the methods and systems of the present invention are effective in killing one or more pathogenic bacteria associated with medical care surfaces and instruments, including but not limited to, Salmonella typhimurium, Staphylococcus aureus (Staphylococcus aureus), Salmonella choleraesuis (Salmonella choleraesuis), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pseudomonas aeruginosa), Escherichia coli (Escherichia coli), mycobacterium (mycobacterium), yeast, and mold.

Furthermore, the peracids produced according to the methods and systems of the present invention are effective against a variety of microorganisms, such as gram-positive bacteria (listeria monocytogenes or Staphylococcus aureus), gram-negative bacteria (escherichia coli or pseudomonas aeruginosa), catalase-positive bacteria (Micrococcus luteus) or Staphylococcus epidermidis (Staphylococcus epidermidis)) or sporozoites (Bacillus subtilis).

In some embodiments of the invention, the methods may be practiced using only food-grade ingredients. For example, although not required, the disinfecting method of the present invention may be substantially free of ingredients typically found in many commercially available surface cleaners. Examples of non-food grade components that may be omitted include, but are not limited to, aldehydes such as glutaraldehyde, chlorine and bromine containing components, iodine containing compounds, phenol containing components, quaternary ammonium containing components, and the like. Furthermore, because the peracid is formed in situ on the surface to be disinfected, heavy transition metals, surfactants or other stabilizing compounds to prevent hydrolysis of the peracid prior to disinfecting the target surface are not necessary and may be omitted from the aqueous composition in contact with the food preparation surface or the food itself.

Thus, the method of generating peracid directly on surfaces to be disinfected can be used on food and plant species to reduce surface microbial populations, or in refrigerated and non-refrigerated transportation locations for manufacturing, processing or treating such food and plant species. For example, the composition can be used in food transport lines (e.g., as a conveyor belt spray); cleaning and dipping discs of boots and hands; a food storage facility; a container; a rail car; an anti-corrosion air circulation system; a refrigeration and chiller apparatus; beverage coolers and warmers; a blanching machine; a chopping board; a third groove; and meat freezers or scalding devices.

Sequential application and delivery system

In addition to the chemical methods described above for disinfecting one or more surfaces within a volumetric space, the present invention also provides a plurality of sequential application and delivery systems configured to perform those methods. The sequential application and delivery system can sequentially dispense two or more liquid compositions onto a surface within a volume space such that the two or more liquid compositions can chemically or physically interact on the surface.

In some embodiments, the sequential application and delivery system can disperse a first liquid composition into a volumetric space, and after sufficient time has elapsed such that the first liquid composition is distributed throughout the volumetric space and deposits and coalesces into a layer on one or more surfaces within the volumetric space, the system can disperse a second liquid composition. After the second liquid composition is deposited on a particular surface onto the coalesced layer of the first liquid composition, the two liquid compositions can interact with each other in situ on the surface. In a further embodiment, the interaction between the first liquid composition and the second liquid composition comprises a chemical reaction, wherein a chemical reaction product is formed in situ within a reaction layer formed on a surface within the volume space. In other further embodiments, the interaction between the first liquid composition and the second liquid composition comprises a physical interaction in which physical properties of the first liquid composition and the second liquid composition are combined and/or enhanced.

In some embodiments, the liquid composition is an aqueous composition. In other embodiments, the liquid composition is a non-aqueous composition, including but not limited to oil-based compositions, organic compounds or compositions, and other substantially non-aqueous volatile compounds or compositions. Examples of sequential application and delivery systems that may be used in addition to the disinfection and sterilization methods described above include, but are not limited to, painting, dyeing, chemical treatment, application of anti-corrosive coatings, personal health and beauty treatment, and fertilization and maintenance of lawn care.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 3, the sequential application and delivery system 310 includes a plurality of aqueous composition containers 312_1-nEach container configured for containing or containing an aqueous composition, a plurality of associated dedicated pumps 314_1-mEach dedicated pump being associated with a respective container 312_1-nOne in fluid communication with, one or more aqueous composition delivery nozzles 316_1-xEach of which is associated with a respective pump 314_1-mIs in fluid communication and is configured with reference numeral 318_1-yThe aqueous composition is shown delivered to the volumetric space 330. In various embodiments, a plurality of associated dedicated pumps 314_1-mFor example, it may be one of several types, including but not limited to centrifugal pump 314₁Metering pump 314₂And a venturi pump 314_m. As shown in FIG. 4, the sequential application and delivery system 310 also includes a data acquisition and control system 320, which generally includes a central processing unit or controller 322, a data acquisition bus 324, and a control bus 326. More specifically, the controller 322 is electrically connected to the aqueous composition container 312 through a data acquisition bus 324_1-nAnd is configured to determine, e.g., read, for detecting each aqueous composition container 312_1-nOf the aqueous composition of (a) a corresponding device 328_1-z. Such devices include, but are not limited to, float sensors, capacitive sensors, conductivity sensors, ultrasonic sensors, radar level sensors, and optical sensors. The controller 322 is also electrically connected to the pump 314 via a control bus 326_1-mIs configured to drive the pump 314, e.g. an electric motor_1-mPower is supplied to from the aqueous composition container 312_1-nDispersing the aqueous composition and delivering the nozzle 316 through the aqueous composition_1-xInto the volume 330.

In some embodiments, the container may be used to hold each aqueous composition container 312 without departing from the spirit of the present invention_1-nIn place of the pump 314_1-mTo allow the aqueous composition to flow from each container 312_1-nOut of the pump 314 instead of the pump_1-mRemoving the aqueous composition from the container 312_1-nAnd then the liquid is pumped out or sucked out.

In use, the controller 322 is programmed to base the predetermined amount of the aqueous composition or at a time t₁A predetermined first rate of dispersing the aqueous composition the first aqueous composition 318₁Dispersed into the volume 330. After the dispersion of the first aqueous composition is stopped, and sufficient time has elapsed for the first aqueous composition 318 to remain₁After being distributed throughout volume 330 to deposit and coalesce into a first layer of aqueous composition on surfaces within volume 330, controller 322 is programmed to again be based on a first layer of aqueous composition over time period t₂The amount and/or rate of internal dispersion of the aqueous composition to disperse the second aqueous composition 318₂. The controller 322 can also be programmed to sequentially dispense the supplemental aqueous composition into the volumetric space 330 at various intervals.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the programming may reside over a network 334, such as a Local Area Network (LAN) or a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), included in controller 322, or distributed or resident elsewhere, such as in a remote controller or processor 332. The network 334 may be wired 338 or wireless 336, or a combination of wired 338 and wireless 336. In some embodiments, the hardware components containing the program may provide the ability to communicate with programs residing outside of the volumetric space 330 to obtain the necessary information. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the computing environment 340 is in no way limiting of the present invention and that specialized and application-based software may be used without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 4, the sequential application and delivery system 310 may further include one or more sensors 344 in data communication with the data bus 324_xWhich is located within the volume 330, near or adjacent to the volume 330, when the sterilization process is performed. In some embodiments, in preparation for sequential application and delivery system 310, sensor 344 is used or after all dispensing of the aqueous composition has been completed_xMay be configured and used to detect one or more functions within the volumetric space 330. Non-limiting examples of such functions include: detecting motion or presence of a human or mammal within the volumetric space 330; volume space 330The coordinate size of (d); the presence and identity of various objects and surfaces within the volume 330, including the materials or compositions of those objects; and the temperature, pressure, or relative humidity within the volume 330. Such devices may include mechanical and/or electrical sensors, such as Global Positioning System (GPS) detectors, infrared sensors, accelerometers, and doppler-based, thermal-based, camera-based, audio-based, or light-based mechanical devices, particularly laser-based mechanical devices.

In some embodiments, sensor 344_xMay be configured and used to determine the size of the volumetric space 330. A non-limiting example of a sensor capable of determining the size of the volumetric space 330 includes a three-axis coordinate doppler rangefinder. In other embodiments, information about the volumetric space 330 (including room dimensions) may be preloaded into the controller 322 through an interface of the device itself or through an electrically connected remote control or interface on the processor 332 (e.g., tablet, smartphone, or laptop). In further embodiments, remote control or processor 332 may operate via Wi-Fi via a non-limiting frequency band specified by the Federal communications Commission^TMOrThe technology makes a physical connection (i.e., wired or wireless connection).

In some embodiments, sensor 344_xCan be configured and used to measure the humidity or relative humidity within the volumetric space 330. In some embodiments, the sequential application and delivery system 310 may be configured to respond to the sensor 344_xA relative humidity below a desired threshold is detected to disperse an aqueous composition consisting essentially of water or other reaction inert ingredients into the volumetric space 330. In further embodiments, the sequential application and delivery system 310 can be configured to stop dispensing the aqueous composition consisting essentially of water in response to increasing the relative humidity to a desired threshold. In even further embodiments, the relative humidity threshold is at least about 50%, including at least about 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, or 95%, up to about 99%. In a sequential application and delivery system310 includes a single nozzle 316₁In embodiments of (a) the aqueous composition consisting essentially of water or other reactive inert component(s) may be dispersed immediately after dispersing any or all of the first aqueous composition and the second aqueous composition to clear the aqueous composition and its components from the supply line and the nozzle body.

In some embodiments, the controller 322 may utilize one or more sensors 344 before dispersion_xThe information determined or estimated includes the size of the volumetric space 330, the relative humidity within the volumetric space 330, and/or the desired effective uniform thickness of the coalescing layer to determine the appropriate amount of the aqueous composition to be dispersed to contact all desired surfaces with the desired amount of each aqueous composition. In use, the controller 322 is based on one or more sensors 344_xThe calculations performed or carried out by the detected predetermined data or information may specify a particular amount, rate, and/or time for dispersing a particular aqueous composition, and a calculated or predetermined time delay may be achieved between dispersing the first aqueous composition, the second aqueous composition, and any other aqueous composition. In addition, the controller 322 can be programmed to select from one or more optional preset protocols, including a protocol for dispersing a composition consisting essentially of water or other inert, non-reactive material before dispersing the first aqueous composition, after dispersing the first aqueous composition, and before dispersing the second aqueous composition or after dispersing the second aqueous composition.

In some embodiments, nozzle 316_xCan be configured, altered or adjusted to disperse the aqueous composition into droplets. In use, the nozzle 316_xA majority of droplets having an effective diameter of at least about 1 micron (including at least about 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 60, 70, 80, or 90 microns, up to about 100 microns) can be dispersed into the volume of space 330 as directed by the controller 322.

In some embodiments, the sequential application and delivery system 310 may optionally further comprise an ionization device 348, as shown in figures 3 and 4,such as an ionizing pin or a high voltage charging system, proximate to the nozzle 316_xConfigured such that the nozzle 316_xThe droplets of the dispersed aqueous composition are electrostatically charged. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the means capable of dispensing electrostatically charged droplets of an aqueous composition dispenses droplets having a positive, negative or neutral charge, including means for ejecting droplets having only a positive charge, means for ejecting droplets having only a negative charge, and means that can be adjusted manually or by the controller 322 to selectively eject droplets having any desired charge. In addition, the amount of voltage applied by the ionization device 348 can be varied using the controller 322 electrically connected thereto.

In some embodiments, the sequential application and delivery system 310 optionally further comprises a vaporizer 350 having a nozzle 316_xA nearby output. The evaporator 350 is electrically connected and responsive to the controller 322 via a control bus 326. In use, the controller 322 energizes the evaporator 350, causing the evaporator 350 to release a flow of hot gas. In conjunction with the discharge of the hot gas stream, the controller 322 is also the associated pump 314_mBy applying electricity to disperse the aqueous composition, e.g. 318_yAs shown. Hot gas flow at 318_yIs contacted with an aqueous composition at 318_yThe aqueous composition is evaporated and dispersed as a vapor into the volume 330.

In use, the aqueous composition 318_1-yMay be separately heated by the evaporator 350 to a temperature greater than about 250 c. Alternatively, the aqueous composition 318 may be_1-ySeparately heated to a temperature sufficient to evaporate a substantial portion of the first and second aqueous compositions in an evaporation time of less than about 30 minutes, including less than about 25 minutes, less than about 20 minutes, less than about 15 minutes, less than about 10 minutes, or less than about 5 minutes. In a further embodiment, the first aqueous composition and the second aqueous composition may be heated to a temperature sufficient to evaporate a majority of the first aqueous composition and the second aqueous composition, respectively, in about 2 minutes.

In some embodiments, the sequential application and delivery system 310 may optionally further comprise a means for irradiating at least one of the dispersed aqueous composition, the reaction layer, and/or the surface within the volumetric space 330 at a wavelength consisting essentially of ultraviolet light, such as an ultraviolet light emitting diode 352 responsive to the controller 322.

One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the sequential application and delivery system 310 may be packaged and moved in various ways to deliver the aqueous composition 318_1-yInto the volume 330. In some embodiments, the sequential application and delivery system 310 may be moved and transported into the volumetric space 330 as a human-carried device, such as a hand-held dispensing unit or backpack. In other non-limiting examples, the sequential application and delivery system 310 may also be configured or integrated as a cart, hand truck, or optically controlled and/or oriented cart driven by the biological subject or by a mechanical drive device.

In some embodiments, the sequential application and delivery system 310 may be packaged such that the aqueous solution container 312_1-nComprising a subassembly that is installed in-situ in the sequential application and delivery system 310 for the application of the aqueous composition 318_1-yInto the volume 330.

In another embodiment, the sequential application and delivery system 310 may also be carried by one or more robots or drones to direct the dispensing of one or more aqueous compositions into the volumetric space 330, particularly on a target surface within a very large or irregularly shaped volumetric space, or within a space that is not conducive to the ejection of electrostatically charged droplets of the aqueous composition. Each robot or drone may be configured to navigate autonomously along a floor or airspace within the volumetric space 330 and include a central processing unit, controller, or microcontroller that performs various roving or flight operations to facilitate autonomous performance of one or more services or tasks. Autonomous operations may include, but are not limited to: determining and executing an optimal path throughout the entire volumetric space 330 while meeting certain objectives and flight constraints, such as energy requirements; obstacle identification, enabling the drone to avoid obstacles, such as walls, people, buildings, trees, etc., autonomously along its path; trajectory generation (i.e., movement planning) to determine an optimal control strategy to follow the path required to complete the requested service or task; mission provisioning to determine the particular control strategy desired to limit the robot or drone to a certain tolerance or allowable ground or airspace; task allocation and scheduling to determine an optimal allocation of each of a plurality of service requests/tasks within time and device constraints; a cooperative strategy to tailor the optimal sequence and spatial distribution of activities among other robots or drones to maximize the effectiveness of the sequential application and delivery system 310. A broad discussion of the use of robots and drones, particularly with respect to the use of disinfection methods and systems, is described in patents US9447448 and US9481460, and international patent publication nos. WO2011/139300 and WO2016/165793, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

In other embodiments, as shown in fig. 5 and 6, the sequential application and delivery system 410 may include a single pump 314 and a plurality of controlled flow selector valves 360_1-zEach of which is separately associated with an aqueous composition container 312_1-nAnd (4) associating. As shown, the controlled flow selector valve 360_1-zIs electrically connected to the controller 322 by a control bus 326.

In some embodiments, the controller 322 of the sequential application and delivery system 410 is configured to programmatically control the flow selector valve 460_1-zTo disperse the aqueous composition 318 into the volume of space 330. As shown in fig. 5, the dispersed aqueous composition 318 originates from a single nozzle 316. In some embodiments, the controller 322 may be programmed to selectively open and close the flow selector valve 460_1-zTo ensure that there is no undesirable mixing of the aqueous composition comprising the peroxide compound and the aqueous composition comprising the organic acid compound within the sequential application and delivery system 410 and before either composition reaches the surface to be disinfected. In a further embodiment, the supplemental aqueous composition may be circulated within the sequential application and delivery system 410 to neutralize and/or clear any aqueous composition remaining within the system after the aqueous composition is dispersed into the volumetric space 330. In one non-limiting example, in a first step, the first aqueous composition passes through an open flow selector valve 460₂From the aqueous composition container 312₂Dispense, through closed flow selector valve 460_zAnd dispersed out of the single nozzle 316. In a second step, the controller closes the flow selector valve 460₂Opening the flow rate selection valve 460₁And is accommodated in an aqueous composition container 312₁Until dispensed from the nozzle 316, is contained in the aqueous composition container 312_nEffectively removing all of the first aqueous composition from the sequential application and delivery system 410 prior to dispensing the second aqueous composition into the volumetric space 330.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 7 and 8, the sequential application and delivery system 510 may include a single pump 314 and a container 312 for the aqueous composition_1-nAn associated controlled multiplex flow selector valve 562. As shown, controlled multiplex flow selector valve 562 is electrically coupled to controller 322 via control bus 326.

In operation, and in some embodiments, controller 322 is configured to programmatically control multi-way flow selector valve 562 to disperse the aqueous composition into volumetric space 330. Similar to the sequential application and delivery system 410 above, the controller 322 within the sequential application and delivery system 510 can be programmed to selectively control the flow through the multi-way flow selector valve 562 to ensure that there is no undesired mixing of the aqueous composition comprising the peroxide compound and the aqueous composition comprising the organic acid compound before any of the compositions reaches the surface to be disinfected.

In addition, the present invention provides a sequential application and delivery system configured to control the precise, automated performance of a routine in which two or more liquid compositions are sequentially dispensed onto a surface within a volumetric space, particularly a program in which a user is located outside the volumetric space and possesses a means of communicating with one or more sprayers within the volumetric space.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 9, the sequential application and delivery system 610 includes an internet of things (IoT)612 for controlling the dispersion of liquid compositions from one or more sprayers 614, 616, and 618 located within the volumetric space 620. The internet-based internet of things 612 is particularly useful in the following embodiments: wireless connections between various devices (e.g., outlets, sensors, etc.) in the system 610 and the internet may be readily available from within the volume 620 in situations or situations where a low degree of robustness of the system 610 may be tolerated, or when a person manually identifies that the spray apparatus and its controls are unsafe, compromised, or otherwise prevented due to the nature of the composition itself or the layout of the volume itself.

Similarly, in other embodiments, as shown in fig. 10, the sequential application and delivery system 700 includes an intranet-based internet of things 702 for controlling the dispersion of liquid compositions from two or more sprayers 614, 616, and 618 located within a volumetric space 620. The intranet-based internet of things 702 is particularly well suited for those embodiments where wireless connections between various devices within the sequential enforcement and delivery system 700 and/or access to the internet is limited or restricted. One such non-limiting case is when the volume 620 is a metal container. In other embodiments, the intranet based sequential application and delivery system 700 may be used in situations requiring more robust communication between devices than the functionality that the internet based sequential application and delivery system 600 may provide.

In some embodiments, the internet-based internet of things 612 or the intranet-based internet of things 702 may be used to control the sequential, time-dependent application of liquid compositions, including the spray devices included in any of the above-described sequential application and delivery systems 310, 410, or 510, or as illustrated by sprayers 614, 616, and 618 in fig. 9 and 10. In other embodiments, the sequential application and delivery systems 610 and 700 may be used with commercially available nebulizers, such as, by way of non-limiting example, Hurricane sold by CurtisDyna-Fog, Ltd^TMThe sprayer controls the sequential, time-dependent application of the liquid composition. Each of Hurricane^TMThe sprayers all have the ability to manually control the flow of each aqueous composition and can be selected for low, medium, and high flow. These settings correspond to 6.4 fluid ounces/minute, respectively, as a factory or stock formFlow rates of 8.0 fluid ounces/minute and 9.0 fluid ounces/minute (0.19 liters/minute, 0.24 liters/minute and 0.27 liters/minute). However, any other commercially available sprayer or spray device manufactured (including Hurricane)^TMNebulizer) may be modified or replaced to take advantage of the desired flow rate, which may be varied within sequential application and delivery systems 610 and 700 under the control of internet-based internet of things 612 or intranet-based internet of things 702, respectively.

In some embodiments, similar to the arrangement shown in fig. 5 or 7, the internet-based internet of things 612 or the intranet-based internet of things 702 may be used to control a single sprayer that sequentially dispenses each liquid composition in a time-dependent manner. In other embodiments, the internet-based internet of things 612 or the intranet-based internet of things 702 may be used to control two or more sprayers, as shown at 614, 616 and 618 in fig. 9 and 10, to dispense each liquid composition sequentially in a time-dependent manner. Two or more sprayers 614, 616, and 618 may be arranged within a single manifold or as separately housed units, as shown in fig. 9 and 10. Two or more sprayers 614, 616, and 618 may be switched to the energized position and plugged into corresponding remote control sockets 622, 624, and 626, which are also conveniently located within the volume 620. In turn, the remote control receptacles 622, 624, and 626 may be plugged into a power distribution system (not shown). In embodiments where the internet-based internet of things 702 is used in conjunction with the sequential application and delivery system 700, as shown in fig. 10, the remote jacks 622, 624 and 626 may be co-located with the hub 718, particularly where wireless access is restricted.

In some embodiments, the hub 718 may be one of many suitable machines and/or devices, including all that goes from the personal computer 718 to a NAS device as shown. Non-limiting examples also include a notebook computer, desktop or tower type computer, tablet computer or Apple TV^TM、Apple HomePod^TM、Amazon Alexa^TMOr Echo^TM、GoogleHome^TMAnd Single Board Computers (SBC), e.g. Raspberry Pi^TM. The hub 718 is generally located inside the volumetric space 620 and may be in radio communication with the internet through a WLAN 720 and in wired communication, as shown by the solid lines extending from the access points and/or routers 722 to the internet or cloud 628.

In some embodiments, the hub 718 generally operates using an operating system, such as Android^TM、Android Oreo^TM、OrLinux^TMOr a plurality ofAny one of the operating systems, e.g.Andcomprises a current activity series ofAnda sub-series of (1).

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that for clarity, fig. 9 and 10 show only three sprayers 614, 616, and 618, and three remote control receptacles 622, 624, and 626, and that the sequential application and delivery systems 610 and 700 may be configured to control any number of sprayers plugged into any number of remote control receptacles depending on variables such as, by way of non-limiting example, the configuration of the volume of space, the volume of liquid composition present, the desired coverage of the liquid composition on a surface within the volume of space, atmospheric conditions, and power limitations.

In some embodiments, two or more sprayers 614, 616, and 618 and remote sockets 622, 624, and 626 may be configured for use in any power distribution system worldwide. By way of non-limiting example, the power distribution system may provide between 110 and 130 or 220 and 250 Volts Alternating Current (VAC). In another non-limiting example, the remote control receptacles 622, 624 and 626 are configured to support appliances up to 1800 watts at 120VAC, 60 Hertz (Hz), 15 amperes (A), such as two or more sprayers 614, 616 and 618.

In other embodiments, power cords from two or more sprayers 614, 616, and 618 within the volume 620 can exit the volume 620 and be plugged into one or more remote control sockets 622, 624, or 626 located outside the volume 620. In one non-limiting example where the volume 620 is a metal container with no access to the power grid inside, the power cord from the sprayers 614, 616, and 618 may extend through an opening that separates the shipping container from the outside environment and plug into one or more remote receptacles 622, 624, or 626 located outside the shipping container.

In some embodiments, each of the remote control receptacles 622, 624, and 626 may generally include a relay and an associated wireless controller for energizing or driving the relay. In some embodiments, the relay may be mechanical or solid state. In further embodiments, the remote control sockets 622, 624, and 626 may additionally include a relay driver circuit or transistor that provides the necessary power for energizing or driving the relay. The wireless control allows remote actuation of relays to switch or pass power from the power distribution system through the remote control receptacles 622, 624, and 626 to provide power to two or more sprayers 614, 616, and 618 plugged into the remote control receptacles 622, 624, and 626, respectively.

In accordance with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)802.11 standard, i.e., the 2.4 gigahertz (GHz) and/or 5.8 gigahertz (GHz) ultra high frequency (SHF) industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) radio bandsGo toRemote control jacks 622, 624 and 626 are configured for global internet access using a wireless local area network. In the sequential application and delivery systems 610 and 700, as shown in fig. 9 and 10, remote control receptacles 622, 624, and 626, respectively, are wirelessly connected to the cloud 628, the wireless connection generally represented by the dashed lines.

Remote control sockets 622, 624 and 626 may be further configured to operate or be used with one or more of a number of readily available commercial home automation software packages that may be used with one or more of a variety of operating systems, including mobile operating systems. The commercial home automation software package includes Amazon Alexa^TM、Apple HomeKit^TM、GoogleAssistant^TM、Andto name a few. Operating systems include, but are not limited toOrLinux^TMAnd a plurality ofAny one of the operating systems, e.g. currently activeNT andthe Embedded series, includingEmbeddedCompact(CE) and/orSubseries of Server. Mobile operating systems typically include, but are not limited to, Android^TM、Android Oreo^TMAnd

remote control sockets 622, 624, and 626 may also be used with open source Home automation software, including Calaos, Domoticz, Home asset, OpenHAB (acronym for open Home automation bus), and/or OpenMotics. Calaos is designed as a complete home automation platform, including server applications, touch screen interfaces, Web applications, and applicationsAnd Android^TMAnd a preconfigured Linux running under it^TMAnd (4) operating the system. Domoticz is written in C/C + + and is designed using an HTML5 front-end, is accessible from desktop browsers and most modern smart phones, and is lightweight, and can be used on many low-power devices (e.g., Raspberry Pi)^TM) And (4) running. HomeAssistant is an open-source home automation platform and is designed to be easily configured to be operated in most casesFrom Raspberry Pi^TMTo a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device and includes a Docker container to facilitate deployment on other systems. Home Assistant is also integrated with many other open source and commercially available products.By usingWrite, can be ported (portable) across the primary operating system, and can also be configured to be at the Raspberry Pi^TMAnd (4) running.Further comprising Android for device control^TMAndan application program, and a design tool for creating a User Interface (UI). OpenMotics are home automation systems with hardware and software, but it focuses more on a combination of hardwiring.

In some embodiments, the sequential application and delivery systems 610 and 700 may also optionally include one or more sensors, such as sensor 344 above_xThis is illustrated in fig. 9 and 10 at 632 and 634. Sensors 632 and 634 may likewise be configured for IEEE802.11 based on 2.4GHz SHF ISM and/or 5.8GHz SHF ISM radio bandsOr a WLAN in wireless electronic communication with the internet or an intranet.

In some embodiments, an internet of things based sensor according to the principles of the present invention may be designed and constructed to connect to the internet, an intranet, or the cloud 628, including for use inLow Energy (BLE), Radio Frequency (RF) below GHz andand a dynamic Near Field Communication (NFC) integrated circuit, a printed antenna, and a microcontroller on a single circuit board. Such internet of things based sensors and/or components for making them may be derived fromAnd the like are commercially available.

In some embodiments, the sequential application and delivery systems 610 and 700 may further include an internet of things door lock mounted on the door that may selectively restrict access to the volumetric space 620. In further embodiments, the sequential application and delivery systems 610 and 700 may be configured to actuate an internet of things door lock to restrict or prevent human access to the volumetric space 620 when the liquid composition is applied for a user-defined period of time.

In some embodiments, as shown in figure 11, the sequential application and delivery system 800 may include a Single Board Computer (SBC) module 802 for controlling the dispersion of the aqueous composition from two or more sprayers 614, 616, and 618 located within the volumetric space 620. SBC component 802 includes SBC 812, an additional circuit board or additional expansion board (HAT)814, and an optional screen or display 816. In further embodiments, the sequential application and delivery system 800 and SBC assembly 802 may be utilized in a volumetric space 620 where wireless connectivity to the internet is excluded, limited or not required in the volumetric space 620. In other further embodiments, as a non-limiting example, the sequential application and delivery system 800 may be used in harsh or hazardous industrial environments where other sequential application delivery systems may be damaged. In even further embodiments, the SBC component 802 may be replaced with a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

In some embodiments, HAT 814 may serve as a "plug and play" add-on board for SBCs that conform to a particular user-defined or hardware-defined rule set and perform a variety of different functions, including but not limited to power control. In one non-limiting example, the HAT 814 conforms to a Raspberry Pi^TM340-pin general purpose input/output (GPIO) connector-related set of specific rules. The HAT 814 circuit board carries or contains a plurality of relays that can connect the power outlets (power cords) of two or more sprayers 614, 616, and 618 together to provide power to the two or more sprayers 614, 616, and 618 in a sequentially timed manner. Several suitable power relays HAT are currently in widespread use, any of which may be configured for use with any number of different SBCs. A non-limiting example of a suitable power relay HAT is a Raspberry Pi^TMFour-channel relay HAT.

In some embodiments, one or more sprayers may be turned on and plugged into corresponding digitally controlled receptacles on one or more controllable four-receptacle power relay modules located within the volumetric space 620, which in turn may be plugged into a power distribution system (not shown). The controllable four-socket power relay module may be controlled by SBC 812 using a two-wire interface, i.e., a Serial Parallel Interface (SPI) or an integrated circuit bus (I2C).

In various embodiments, the HAT 814 or one or more controllable four-outlet power relay modules and the two or more sprayers 614, 616, and 618 may be configured to provide an electrical distribution system between 110-. For example, in some embodiments, the HAT 814 and one or more controllable four-outlet power relay modules are configured to support appliances up to 1800 watts at 120VAC, 60Hz, 15A, such as two or more sprayers 614, 616, and 618.

In some embodiments, SBC 812 may include onboard as one of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciateFunctionality, and many other connection options and/or functions, such as High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), composite video, Universal Serial Bus (USB)2.0, general purpose input/output (GPIO), I2C, andraspberry Pi can also be used^TMOther non-limiting example models of (a) include: raspberry Pi^TM1 model B, Raspberry Pi^TM1 model B +, Raspberry Pi^TM2、Raspberry Pi^TMZero、Raspberry Pi^TM3 model B, Raspberry Pi^TM3 model B + and Raspberry Pi^TMAnd (4) ZeroW. In other embodiments, other types of SBCs 812 may also be used as desired without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Non-limiting examples of other SBCs include: asus^TMTinker; armStone; arndale; arndale Octa; banana Pi, including Pro, M2 and M3；Including xM;CubieBoard；Firefly^TM(ii) a NanoPi and NanoPi NEO; ODROID, including the C1, C1+, C2, U3, W, XU3, XU3 Lite, and XU4 models; orange Pi, including Pi, Pi2, Pi Plus 2, Pi Mini 2PC, One, Lite, PC Plus, Plus 2E, PC 2, Pi Win and Pi Zero Plus 2; andincluding Lite, v2, 3, and 3Nano models.

In some embodiments, SBC 812 may be configured to operate in an Access Point (AP) mode. The AP mode is advantageous, inter alia, in that it allows the wireless device to use the IEEE802.11 standard based on the 2.4GHz SHF ISM and/or 5.8GHz SHF ISM radio bandsDirectly to SBC 812 without having or using a wired or wireless network. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the AP mode allows SBC 812 to run "headless" or without a screen.

In some embodiments, operational control of the sequential application and delivery systems 610, 700, and 800 may be performed using a home automation application installed on the mobile device 630, the electrically connected remote computer 636, the hub 718, or the display 816.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 12, the home automation application 902 is installed on a mobile device 630 that includes a programmed or programmable controller. Non-limiting examples of suitable mobile devices include a laptop computer, a smart phone, a smart watch, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a,A notebook computer, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a portable media player, or a personal navigation device.

In some embodiments, the movement device 630 may be located outside of the volumetric space 620. When outside the volume space, the moving device 630 may pass(Wireless local area network (WLAN) based on the IEEE802.11 standard in the 2.4GHz SHF ISM and/or 5.8GHz SHF ISM radio bands), or by using a cellular telephone network of an analog or digital modulation scheme, such as the advanced Mobile Phone System ((AMPS) or Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) or Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), in wireless electronic communication with the Internet or cloud 628 in the ultra-high frequency band (i.e., 300MHz to 3GHz, allocated to cellular compatible mobile devices such as mobile phones or smart phones). the wireless capability of the mobile device 630 allows its user to easily remain outside of the volumetric space 620 and avoid contact with the liquid composition.

In some implementations, the mobile device 630 utilizes a mobile operating system 900, non-limiting examples of which include Android^TM、Android Oreo^TMAndthe home automation application 902 installed on the mobile device 630 may include a commercially available, open source, or user programmed software package. Non-limiting examples of commercially available home automation software packages include, but are not limited to, Amazon Alexa^TM、Apple HomeKit^TM、Google Assistant^TM、Andnon-limiting examples of open source home automation software packages include, but are not limited to, Calaos, Domoticz, HomeAssistant,And OpenMotics. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that, without departing from the spirit of the invention,other software that provides the basis for automation may also be used, including other operating systems and commercial and/or open source software.

In some embodiments, the routine 904 may be programmed within the home automation application 902 to identify, monitor, and control devices within the volumetric space 620. As applied to the sequential application and delivery system 610 shown in fig. 9, routine 904 may be used to energize remote control sockets 622, 624, and 626 connected to sprayers 614, 616, and 618, respectively, in a sequentially timed manner. For example, routine 904 may be programmed to drive a first remote control socket 622 for a first time period (t)₁) The first sprayer 614 is energized causing the first sprayer 614 to dispense the first liquid composition into the volumetric space 620. Delay in depositing and coalescing a layer on one or more surfaces distributed throughout volume 620 via a first liquid composition and within volume 620 (d)₁) Thereafter, routine 904 may actuate second remote control socket 624 to energize second sprayer 616 for a second period of time (t)₂) Such that the second sprayer 616 dispenses the second aqueous composition into the volumetric space 620. In some embodiments, from a Graphical User Interface (GUI) perspective, in one non-limiting example, the initiation of routine 904 can be accomplished simply by pressing a single button 908 labeled "Start".

Precise control of the amount of time the composition is dispensed, the flow rate at which the composition is dispensed, and the delay between dispensing the compositions has several advantages, including, but not limited to, dispensing a stoichiometric amount of the liquid composition, avoiding the application of an excess amount of the liquid composition, ensuring that the composition has contacted and formed into a layer on all intended surfaces, and determining that a desired interaction between two or more compositions has occurred for a sufficient time. In some embodiments, the delay d is precisely controlled₁And d₂It is ensured that the liquid compositions are dispersed onto the target surface sequentially rather than simultaneously. In other embodiments, the sequential application and control of the delay prevents undesirable reactions from occurring within the volume space before the components in the aqueous composition reach the surface.

In some embodiments, the time period of the spray and the associated delay between sprays may be calculated in a home automation application. In other embodiments, the time period of the spray and the associated delay between sprays may be determined empirically by the user. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the time period of the spray and the associated delay between sprays can be adjusted based on one or more variables, non-limiting examples of which include the characteristics of the volumetric space 620, one or more components within the aqueous composition, and the surface or substrate on which the aqueous composition is deposited.

In some embodiments, from a GUI perspective, a user may make an environment selection 910 in the home automation application 902 that inputs data related to a particular type of environment (i.e., volumetric space 620), which is in turn used by the routine 904. In some embodiments, the environment is an enclosed space, isolated from other areas and spaces by walls, ceilings, or other obstacles. Examples of such environments include, but are not limited to, "rooms," work areas, "and" compartments. In other embodiments, the airspace in the environment may be fixed from entering other environments. In one non-limiting example, vents present within the volumetric space 620 for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems may be accessed and blocked to prevent any dispersed aqueous composition from encroaching on adjacent volumetric spaces or the environment during routine 904.

In some embodiments, the sensors 632 and 634 used in conjunction with the internet of things 612 or 702 may be programmed to be identified, monitored, and/or controlled by the home automation application 902. In further embodiments, information regarding the volumetric space 620 (non-limiting examples of which include room dimensions) may be preloaded into the mobile device 630 through an interface (e.g., GUI 906 shown in fig. 12) or through a similar interface on the electrically connected remote computer 636, hub 718, or display 816.

In some embodiments, the routine 904 can additionally include means for determining, calculating, and/or selecting an effective uniform thickness of the coalescing layer of the liquid composition dispersed on the surface in the volumetric space 620, such as by a pulldown layer thickness selection pane 912 of the GUI 906.

In some embodiments, routine 904 can utilize information determined or estimated by one or more sensors prior to dispensing, including the size of the volumetric space 620, the relative humidity in the volumetric space 620, and/or the desired effective uniform thickness of the coalescing layer, to determine the appropriate amount of aqueous composition to dispense to contact all intended surfaces with the desired amount of each aqueous composition. In use, calculations performed or performed by routine 904 based on preset data or information detected by one or more sensors may specify a particular amount, flow rate, and/or time for dispensing a particular aqueous composition, and may achieve a calculated or preset time delay between dispensing a first liquid composition, a second liquid composition, and any other liquid composition. Additionally, routine 904 can be programmed to select from one or more optional preset routines, including a routine to dispense a composition consisting essentially of water or other inert, non-reactive material using, for example, sprayer 618 and corresponding remote socket 626, before dispensing the first liquid composition, after dispensing the first liquid composition, before dispensing the second liquid composition, or after dispensing the aqueous liquid composition.

In other embodiments, routine 904 may additionally calculate and determine a time sufficient to disperse, distribute, and coalesce a layer of the liquid composition throughout volume 620 onto a desired surface prior to dispersing a subsequent liquid composition. In some embodiments, the user may select or enter a desired time, for example, in the drop-down selection panel 914 shown in fig. 12, to cause the program 904 to wait before dispensing a subsequent aqueous composition. In other embodiments, routine 904 may use the determined size of the volumetric space or region and/or the volume of liquid composition required to calculate a time sufficient to coalesce into a layer on a desired surface before dispersing a subsequent liquid composition.

In another embodiment, the routine 904 may use the data from the sensors 632 and 634 in the volumetric space 620 to determine a time sufficient for the liquid composition to reach and accumulate as a layer on the surface within the region. By way of non-limiting example, one or more sensors can be placed in desired locations and/or surfaces within the volumetric space 620, which then communicate with the routine 904 when the liquid composition comes into contact with the sensors. In further embodiments, one or more sensors dispersed throughout the volumetric space 620 must be in contact with the dispersed liquid composition to communicate with the routine 904 to initiate a delay time before a subsequent liquid composition is dispersed.

In some embodiments, the routine 904 may be programmed such that the routine can only be initiated by a user-operated device outside of the volumetric space 620. In other embodiments, the program 904 can be programmed such that the one or more liquid compositions are only dispersed when the volumetric space 620 is completely free of any human or animal, as determined by one or more sensors 632 or 634 located within the volumetric space 620, or the GPS capability is inherently programmed into the device. In other embodiments, the initiation may occur when the person operating the routine 904 and/or a mobile device, computer, hub, or display is located within the volumetric space 620.

In some embodiments, after the home automation application 902 initiates the routine 904, the routine 904 may be programmed to terminate if a particular sensor detects movement within the volumetric space, or if movement within the volumetric space is detected by comparing the GPS location of the mobile device running the routine to the GPS location of the volumetric space. In further embodiments, upon detecting movement within the volumetric space 620, the routine 904 may be programmed to initiate the application of water or some other inert substance to "scrub" the air within the volumetric space 620 to dilute or remove potentially hazardous chemicals in the liquid composition from remaining in the airspace. In other further embodiments, movement within the volumetric space 620 during the routine 902 may trigger a notification or alarm on the sequential application and delivery system 610, 700, or 800, on the mobile device 630 running the routine 904, or on an auxiliary device outside the volumetric space 620 that is unrelated to the running routine. Non-limiting examples of notifications that may be sent to the auxiliary device include text messages or emails.

In some embodiments, the notification or alert is a message displayed on the GUI 906 indicating that the user should not enter the volumetric space 620, that the user should leave the volumetric space 620, and/or that the volumetric space can be safely entered. In other embodiments, the sequential application and delivery system 610, 700, or 800 may be programmed to illuminate light located outside the volumetric space 620 for review by all, indicating that the routine 904 is in progress, that someone has entered the volumetric space 620, and/or that it is safe to enter the volumetric space. In further embodiments, the visual notification and/or alarm may include a "red" light indicating that routine 904 is being performed and that personnel should not enter the volumetric space; or "green" light, indicating that routine 904 has now ended and that personnel can now enter the volumetric space.

In some embodiments, the notification or alarm is an audible alarm that is issued when a person or animal enters the volumetric space during the operation of routine 904. In a further embodiment, the audible alarm is a voice warning that tells a person to leave the volumetric space. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the system 610, 700 or 800 may be configured to give any combination of visual, audible or other notifications and/or alerts in any combination of colored lights, audible signals or voice messages as desired without departing from the principles of the present invention.

In some embodiments, the aqueous composition or the sequential application and delivery system for dispensing the aqueous composition may be packaged together as a kit. In some embodiments, a kit for disinfecting a surface in need of disinfection within a volume space may comprise: a) a first aqueous composition comprising a first peracid reactant compound, said first peracid reactant compound being a peroxide compound or an organic acid compound capable of reacting with a peroxide compound to form a peracid; b) a second aqueous composition comprising a second peracid reactant compound, said second peracid reactant compound being another one of the first peracid reactant compounds; and c) instructions for comprising any of the methods above, wherein the kit is arranged such that the first aqueous composition and the second aqueous composition are packaged separately until the first aqueous composition and the second aqueous composition are combined after sequential application to a surface to form a reaction layer comprising the first aqueous composition and the second aqueous composition, thereby forming peracid in situ within the reaction layer and disinfecting the surface.

In some embodiments, a kit including a sequential application and delivery system may additionally include one or more of the internet of things or SBC devices described above to control the sequential application and delivery system and implement any of the above-described chemical, disinfection, or sterilization methods.

While particular embodiments of the invention have been described, the present invention can be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specific processes, embodiments, claims, and examples described herein. Accordingly, such equivalents are considered to be within the scope of the present invention, and this application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its general principles. Furthermore, this invention is intended to cover known or conventional practices of deviation of this invention that fall within the art to which this invention pertains and that fall within the scope of the appended claims.

It is appreciated that certain features of the invention, which are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the invention which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable subcombination or as suitable in any other described embodiment of the invention. Certain features described in the context of various embodiments should not be considered essential features of those embodiments, unless the embodiment is not performable without those elements.

The contents of all references, patents and patent applications mentioned in this specification are incorporated herein by reference and should not be construed as an admission that such reference is available as prior art to the present invention. All publications and patent applications incorporated in this specification are indicative of the level of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains and are herein incorporated by reference as if each individual publication or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated herein.

The invention is further illustrated by the following examples, which are not to be construed as limiting the invention. Further, the use of section headings should not be construed as necessarily limiting.