China Chemical Tianchen Company makes rapid progress in developing efficient and environmentally friendly air disinfectants

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Tianchen Chemical in China accelerates development of efficient, environmentally friendly air disinfectants. Author/Source: Huahua Network – Coal Chemicals. Date: February 8, 2020. Clicks: 118. Faced with the sudden outbreak of COVID-19, and coinciding with China’s traditional Spring Festival holiday, most medical supplies manufacturers were unable to operate at normal capacity, leading to a shortage in the market supply. Especially for the novel coronavirus, for which respiratory droplet transmission is the main route of spread, air filtration represents an effective method for disinfection. However, due to their limited scope of use in normal circumstances and high cost, high-efficiency air disinfectants saw a surge in demand during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in a significant imbalance between supply and demand in the market. Life is of utmost importance; the epidemic represents an order, and preventing and controlling it is a responsibility. The R&D team at Tianchen Company, which is part of China National Chemical Engineering Corporation, made use of its expertise in the research and development of fine and specialty chemicals. In response to the sudden outbreak, they quickly formed a R&D team whose average age was less than 35 years old, and worked urgently to develop an efficient, broad-spectrum, environmentally friendly disinfectant – peracetic acid, which can be used for air disinfection. Peracetic acid (PAA) is an internationally recognized, highly effective, broad-spectrum, and environmentally friendly disinfectant that can eliminate most viruses and bacteria. Compared to traditional chlorine-based disinfectants and 75% alcohol, it can be used for air disinfection without the risks of chlorine poisoning or the flammability associated with high-concentration ethanol. It is widely used in sterile medical facilities, food processing industries, and can also be employed for disinfecting vegetables and fruits at home. According to the **‘Diagnosis and Treatment Guidelines for Pneumonia Caused by the Novel Coronavirus (Fourth Trial Version)’ issued by the National Health Commission, peracetic acid (PAA) can effectively inactivate coronaviruses such as SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, and it is also effective against the novel coronavirus that is currently spreading across the country. The R&D task force raced against time; within just 8 days, they managed to study the traditional production process and make significant breakthroughs. They reduced the reaction time from dozens of hours in traditional batch reactors to seconds, thereby producing PAA at high concentrations. This not only improved production efficiency significantly but also **reduced the risks associated with the traditional production process**, as well as lowering the level of acetic acid residue in the product. To date, the team has successfully produced PAA solutions that meet the requirements for air disinfection (with a product concentration of 0.5%), and these solutions are safer, more environmentally friendly, and more efficient than similar products available on the market. This product has been approved by the Tianjin Health Commission, which has issued a temporary \"Health License for Disinfection Product Manufacturers.\" All products manufactured within a 60-day validity period will be donated to ** and medical and health authorities for use in epidemic prevention efforts. The sample has been submitted to the Tianjin Center for Disease Control and Prevention for testing in order to complete the entire approval process. It is reported that the R&D center of Tianchen Company, which is part of China National Chemical Engineering Corporation, has a production capacity of nearly 6 tons per day (with a PAA concentration of 0.5%), sufficient to supply 6 hospitals of the Huoshenshan scale with air disinfection twice a day.