Researchers from Bar-Ilan University have developed a technology to produce an antiseptic based on tap water

By designing an array of electrodes with a nanometer structure with unique surface properties. The meeting between the water and the electrode creates a cleaning agent in a unique aqueous environment. The combination of them gives rise to an effective antibacterial capacity for microorganisms (bacteria, viruses and spores) while at the same time being safe for macro-organisms (larger bodies like our skin cells)

Imagine you had a device that, at the push of a button, would produce an incredibly effective antibacterial agent that could be wiped or sprayed almost anywhere, when all you had to do was fill its tank with normal tap water. Moreover, the remains of the material have no environmental impact at all and can be disposed of without a problem in the waste water, which is not possible to say (even if they do) about the other disinfectants. Is it possible? Not only is it possible, it works.
Today, with the increase in the population, the need to create a clean environment is also increasing, certainly in vulnerable places such as hospitals, but also in the home environment. Hospitals in the US and Europe report that approximately 7 million patients contract hospital-acquired infectious diseases (HAIs) and approximately 150,000 deaths per year. The total cost of these infections is about 30 billion dollars a year.

Researchers from Bar-Ilan University have developed a new technology to produce a powerful disinfectant based on tap water. This is a disinfectant that does not harm the environment at all, the researchers promise, and has many advantages: the substance is effective and safe to use, does not harm humans by contact, smelling and even drinking (in the amount less than 10 liters), and does not pollute the groundwater and has the ability to completely destroy all The types of bacteria, spores and viruses include super bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. The technology will replace the need to use chemicals that are harmful to the environment such as bleach, septol, chlorhexidine and more and will eliminate the excessive and polluting use of disposable plastic containers.

The materials offered on the market today, which can be classified as having antibacterial effectiveness, require extra caution during use. For example, the bleach that exists in almost every household and in hospitals for washing floors, but no one would think of washing the cutting board with it, let alone vegetables. Moreover, the use of bleach will probably not be done around children. If we take it a step further, no one thinks of "spraying" drops of alcohol from the exit door of the air conditioner when one of the household members is sick with the flu in order to prevent infection of the rest of the family.

The researchers from the laboratory of Prof. Doron Auerbach, an international expert in electrochemistry from the chemistry department at Bar-Ilan University, are the ones bringing the news in the field of developing a next-generation disinfectant that is safe and effective and, in addition, cheap and available. The invention is protected by a patent. The patent registration in Israel and in several countries in the world was done by Birad Research and Development Company Ltd., the knowledge commercialization company of Bar-Ilan University.

It is important to emphasize that the water-based disinfectant exists in the world and is approved for use by the FDA, many companies in the world discovering the potential produce the material with outdated production technology that leads to the production of expensive, immobile products, with major maintenance problems such as repeated failures of limescale that damage the product and efficiency Less destruction.

Our production process, the researchers explain, additionally utilizes both the oxygen dissolved in the water and the existing salts, unlike others. "Moreover, unlike other technologies that include two large cells with a membrane that separates the cells, which makes these devices large, cumbersome and expensive, we were able to produce simple, small, cheap systems without a membrane, highly effective, that can be embedded even inside a pipe. All this was achieved with the help of the knowledge accumulated as part of a long-term study."

The platform on which the technology is based makes it possible to produce a variety of solutions for creating spaces/passages free of bacteria/microorganisms: for example: spraying - sprays (for disinfecting surfaces, devices, beds, cabinets, bathrooms, toilets, etc.), containers for dipping (immersing devices, hands, etc.) , disinfectant wipes, hand washing, shoe washing, floor washing and disinfecting buckets, air conditioning system, washing machines, Dry Fog air purification (for disinfecting devices, large bodies, room space).

So, how does it work? By designing an array of electrodes with a nanometer structure with unique surface properties. The meeting between the water and the electrode creates a cleaning agent in a unique aqueous environment. The combination between them gives rise to an effective antibacterial capacity for microorganisms (bacteria, viruses and spores) while at the same time being safe for macro-organisms (larger bodies such as our skin cells).

"The ability to produce electrodes in a variety of shapes and textures allows the implementation of the technology in almost any application." emphasizes Dr. Eran Avraham. "Starting with an antibacterial towel, a "cassette" inside the structure of an air conditioner, a container for washing vegetables and fruits and meat, a portable spray, a device for producing antibacterial disposable cloths and many other applications. Our technology also has the ability to remove pesticide residues from fruits and vegetables." "Imagine a situation where you are in a crowded mall and want to use the public toilets in the mall. All you have to do is take out the compact spray container, go to the nearest faucet, press the start button and wait about two minutes. Now you have a disinfectant that will allow you to disinfect the toilet and the toilet space with a spray wave"

Dr. Yitzhak Cohen adds: "Disinfectants that exist today are problematic, unlike our unique disinfection technology, although they are very common in use in hospitals/clinics/laboratories, such as: Spatol - the substance is very common in hospitals, but on the other hand it is expensive and dries out the the skin The septol substance today is problematic and its use is questionable because there are more and more reports of bacteria that have developed resistance to it. Chlorhexidine is often used to disinfect medical equipment and existing surfaces. The material is flammable, explosive and dangerous for electrical products and it has also been reported that there are bacteria that have developed resistance to it. Quaternary ammonia used to disinfect laboratory equipment is a toxic substance. The chemicals in their various types are substances that also harm the quality of the devices and their shelf life."

The entrepreneur Barak Dror Vanderman has rich experience in entrepreneurship, management and business development, he searched for breakthrough technologies, worked on commercialization and the establishment of the company: AqooA Solutions, Eco Sanitizing Technologies.
"We have developed the technology in several prototypes and we are in the final stage in terms of R&D. We are currently embarking on a round of fundraising and in the future we will focus on electrical and electronics engineering and product design." Vanderman notes.

An experiment was recently carried out in one of the hospitals in Israel to test the effectiveness of the material under real field conditions. in the experiment were taken
Pathogenic bacteria cause disease in the various departments. The bacteria were chosen because of three important categories: these are bacteria resistant to antibiotics, resistant to an aquatic environment and these are bacteria that "infest" hospitals. The results are unequivocal. After a few minutes of exposure to the disinfectant, all the bacteria were destroyed, in some cases even a few seconds was enough. Now, imagine that in the hospital room the room cavity, the marble curtains and even the infusion pole come into contact with the disinfectant on a high frequency.

During the research, several prototype models were developed (portable spray and container for treating vegetables and fruits). With the help of the "Birad" company, the researchers are currently embarking on a round of fundraising and locating investors, focusing on electrical and electronic engineering and product design.

Dr. Francis Shalit, Vice President of Business Development at Birad, explains the importance of the invention: "There are many disinfectants on the market called 'antibacterial', but this substance is based on water which is an order of magnitude cheaper than them, three times as deadly as them, seven times less Toxic to humans, preserves this ability for much longer (months and years) and covers a large number of types of bacteria." Dr. Shalit is convinced that many industries will want to add this material to their products and gain important features at a low cost.