Ponisseril Somasundaran - July 29, 2020

Ponisseril Somasundaran, PhD, LVD Krumb Professor, Earth and Environmental Engineering, Columbia University "Green Disinfectant Foams to mitigate/kill Virus/Microbes Spreading"

To start the lecture, Dr. Somasundaran introduced that disinfectant products used for COVID-19 may increase the risk of chronic lung diseases. However, challenges exist in current decontamination practices, for instance, zip bags with chlorine dioxide for corpse decontamination, toxic wash seeps to ground, and it is hard to get crevices. In dry foam. The volume occupied by the liquid material is small. Also, the foam can penetrate into cracks with functionalized silicone super spreaders. Currently, the formulation is currently being prepared with synthetic and greener surfactants to control foam texture. Foam stability controlled by repulsion between Lamallaes and drainage. In the past, the uniform deposition of foam on a surface was assessed by using a chlorine indicator and future by conducting the spectroscopic evaluation of the surface treated with foam formulation. To replicate laboratory observation for form properties with cosmetically available form sprayers/generators, the current study aimed to assess foam texture on a surface from the time of deposition to its complex breakage. The guidelines included the use of chlorine indicator to assess uniformity in disinfectant deposition on the surface and spectroscopic assessment of uniformity in disinfectant deposition on the surface. The foam spray benefits including no mist, decontamination of difficult-to-reach, better adherence for the desired time, minimal splashback, and less water and less seepage. Therefore, consumers and regulators need surfactants to be made from natural sources with green technology. Green disinfection foams have shown the potential in multi faceting and kill viruses in existence.