ITMI20110948A1 - METHOD AND DEVICE FOR DISINFECTION OF PADDED TEXTILE MATERIAL - Google Patents

Description

METHOD AND DEVICE FOR THE DISINFECTION OF MATERIAL

PADDED TEXTILE

The present invention relates to a method for the disinfection of textile material for sanitary, hotel and domestic use, in particular padded textile material and to a device for carrying out this method.

The term "padded textile material" is intended to indicate in this description and in the claims that will follow the mattresses, pillows, blankets, duvets or similar.

As is known, these materials have an internal padding layer or, as in the case of blankets, have a considerable thickness and a fibrous or porous structure and tend to accumulate bacteria and viruses over time. Consider, for example, the case of hotels, hostels or the like, in which always different people sleep in the same bed: in this case it becomes essential to be able to have a deep cleaning of the bed, including both the mattress and, possibly, the pillows, blankets and duvets.

Particularly desirable is then, in all these cases, a real â € œisinfectionâ € of the material, where with this term we mean a treatment aimed at reducing or eliminating the microorganisms (mainly bacteria and viruses) present in such material, especially in the deep layers.

Currently these materials are treated in two different ways, depending on whether the treatment is carried out â € œin situâ €.

In the event that the treatment is carried out in the same room in which the materials are found (e.g. bedroom for the mattress) an ozone generator is placed in the room (on whose sanitizing properties we will return to later) which is left to act to some time.

This solution, although advantageous in terms of avoiding the transport of materials, nevertheless does not act on the padded textile materials except on the surface layers.

It can therefore be said that this treatment does not carry out a real sanitization of the padded textile material, because it does not affect it totally.

In the event that this deep sanitization is to be carried out, it is necessary to provide for the transport of the padded textile material to a specially equipped laundry, in which the material (e.g. the mattress) is placed in an autoclave in which saturated water vapor is injected, which impregnates the mattress even in the deep layers, carrying out its real sanitization.

Although functional, however, this second solution is nevertheless disadvantageous in several respects: in the first place it is necessary to provide for the removal and transport of the textile material from the room (which therefore becomes unusable as long as the material is not replaced or brought back on site. ); secondly, the sanitization with saturated water vapor impregnates the mattress with humidity, making it necessary to dry it perfectly, otherwise the generation of mold and the proliferation of new bacteria inside it.

Finally, it should also be noted that not all materials can be treated with steam, because they could be damaged, for example because they are made with synthetic fibers that cannot withstand high temperatures.

From the above it can be clearly seen that no effective disinfection method for upholstered textile materials is currently available that can overcome the drawbacks listed above.

The present invention aims to solve these and other drawbacks by providing a method for the disinfection of textile material, preferably padded, which is quick to perform, does not involve the use of complex machinery and which is both effective and short. duration.

This object is achieved with a method according to the first attached claim and with a device for carrying out this method which is the subject of claim 6.

Further advantageous features are listed in the sub-claims, which are an integral part of this text.

These structural and functional characteristics of the invention, and its advantages with respect to the known art, will be clearly understood from the following description, referring to the attached drawings, which show a possible practical embodiment of the device according to the present invention, in which:

Figure 1 shows a diagram of a device according to the present invention in a non-operating condition

- figures 2-5 show the device of figure 1 in four different operating phases

- fig. 6 shows a diagram of a variant of the device of fig. 1.

The method according to the present invention will be described first and then the device 10 which carries out this method.

The method according to the present invention comprises in general terms a preliminary step of subjecting the material to the disinfectant action of ozone and a subsequent step of removing the ozone.

Going into more detail and with reference to figure 1, the material to be treated MT (in the example, a mattress) is inserted into an airtight container 11 in which a quantity of air is extracted until the internal pressure of the container drops to a value below that of atmospheric pressure.

In a second moment a certain quantity of Ozone is injected inside the container, for example until the internal pressure of the container is rebalanced with the atmospheric pressure.

Ozone has excellent disinfectant capacities and effectively penetrates inside the material to be treated MT, so that the disinfection is very thorough.

To this end, the ozone is left to remain inside the container 11 for a certain period of time, in order to achieve complete disinfection of the MT material. Highly concentrated ozone, however, is harmful to health and must therefore be removed before finishing the process.

This removal takes place by extracting the Ozone from the container until its internal pressure drops to a value lower than that of the atmospheric pressure, preferably to a value equal to that reached in the air extraction step, in order to be sure that substantially all the injected ozone is extracted.

The extracted ozone is then disposed of, for example with specific filtration or by discharging it outdoors, where its natural mixing with ambient air reduces its concentration to non-toxic levels for humans: for this purpose note that Ozone is highly unstable, in the sense that in contact with the ambient air it tends to turn into oxygen after a few seconds.

Subsequently, air is inserted again inside the container 11, thus carrying out a real â € œrinsingâ € with air of the MT material.

Wanting to schematize the steps of the method according to the present invention at a more detailed level, they can be identified as follows:

a) insert a textile material to be disinfected inside an airtight container;

b) drawing air from said container by lowering its internal pressure down to a value lower than the atmospheric pressure;

c) injecting Ozone into said container until reaching an Ozone concentration between 0.02 ppm (parts per million) and 2 ppm (parts per million), preferably about 0.1 ppm (parts per million);

d) wait for a predetermined period of time; e) withdrawing an atmosphere containing Ozone from said container by lowering its internal pressure down to a value lower than the atmospheric pressure;

f) injecting air into said container.

The pressure value lower than the atmospheric pressure referred to in steps b) and e) is a value between 0.05 MegaPascal and 0.09 MegaPascal, preferably equal to 0.07 Megapascal.

Furthermore, to ensure that substantially all the ozone injected in step c) is extracted from the container 11, the pressure value reached in steps b) and e) is substantially coincident.

The waiting time referred to in step d) above can be generally evaluated in minutes or at most in a few tens of minutes, and obviously varies according to the dimensions, weight, shape and particular type of MT material.

In general it can be said, for example, that for a foam mattress with dimensions of 200x100x30 cm, the time referred to in step d) is approximately 5 minutes.

The person skilled in the art, in the light of the present teachings, can, without any inventive effort, determine the waiting time as a function of the dimensions of the MT material. Advantageously, the container 11 is a soft deformable sack, preferably elastic: in this way, especially if the MT material is a mattress, the effect is obtained of involving its deeper layers with the disinfection operation. .

In fact, when the air is extracted from the bag, the latter (and consequently the mattress) is crushed, so that when the Ozone is injected the mattress (or more generally the MT material) it has a â € œspongeâ € effect, absorbing the Ozone up to its deepest layers and thus ensuring complete disinfection.

Similarly, the air â € œrinsingâ € exploits the same principle, ensuring that no highly concentrated pockets of Ozone remain inside the material, potentially harmful to the health of the operators.

Obviously, to improve the disinfection or the degree of â € œrinsingâ €, it is possible to repeat one or more of the steps listed above.

Turning now to the device 10 for carrying out this method, it comprises, in the preferred form illustrated in the attached drawings:

- a deformable bag preferably made of plastic material 11 that can be hermetically resealable around the MV material to be treated and provided with at least one union 12;

- a loading / unloading duct 13 connected to the union 12 and to a manifold 14;

- an air loading line 15 connected to the manifold 14 and comprising a duct open to the external environment provided with a first interception valve 16;

- an Ozone supply line 17, comprising a conduit provided with a second interception valve 18 and connected to the manifold 14 and to an Ozone diffuser 19;

- an exhaust line 20 comprising a duct provided with a third interception valve 21, connected to the manifold 14 and to a suction pump 22.

Figures 2 to 5 show different operating moments of the device 10, corresponding to the steps of the method described above.

In figure 2 the material to be treated has been inserted into the bag 11 and the latter has been hermetically sealed around the MT material, which in this example is a foam mattress with dimensions of 200x100x30 cm.

The first and second valves 16 and 18 are operated to close the corresponding ducts while the third valve 21 is opened and the pump 22 is put into operation.

The pump thus takes a certain flow rate of the air contained in the bag 11, which, due to the effect of the greater external atmospheric pressure, is crushed on the material MT; the latter, for the same reason, is crushed, emptying itself at least in part of the air contained in it.

In figure 3 the pump 22 is stopped, the first valve 16 is kept in the closed condition of the air loading line 15, the third valve is brought to the closure of the discharge line 20, the second valve 18 is brought to the opening of the discharge line power supply Ozone 17 and the Ozone diffuser 19 is activated.

In this way the ozone is conveyed into the bag 11, which swells.

It should be noted that the ozone flow is generated (or in any case assisted) by the natural tendency of the bag 11 and of the MT material to return to their original form.

The injection of Ozone continues until a concentration of at least 2 parts per million is reached or, alternatively, a preset pressure value inside the bag 11 is reached, for example a pressure equal to or slightly higher than the atmospheric one or for a further set time period, for example a couple of minutes.

In this way the material to be treated MT is impregnated with ozone, the diffusion of which also affects the deeper layers of the MT material.

The valve 18 is then closed and the diffuser 19 is stopped; the ozone in the bag is then left to act for a predetermined period of time, for example 5 minutes.

At the end of this time interval, with reference to Figure 4, the first and second valves 16 and 18 are left in the same closed position of the respective lines 15 and 17, and the third valve 21 is moved to the opening of the line. discharge valve 20 by activating the pump 22.

In this way, similarly to before, a certain flow rate of the atmosphere inside the bag 11, containing ozone in high concentration, is extracted.

The extracted ozone is, in this example, discharged directly into the atmosphere, far from the operator's position (for example outside the building) where its concentration is reduced to non-toxic values for the ™ man.

Finally, with reference to Figure 5, the pump 22 is turned off and the third valve 21 closed, keeping the second valve 18 closed; at the same time the first valve 16 is opened with the result that (due to the difference in pressure) a certain flow of ambient air fills the bag 11 until the pressure inside the bag is balanced with the ambient one, carrying out the â € œrinsingâ phase € with the air described above.

At this point, some of the previous method steps can optionally be repeated, for example to improve the disinfection or rinsing characteristics, or simply open the bag 11 and extract the disinfected MT material.

As regards the construction details of the components of the device 10, they will be briefly described hereinafter.

The plastic bag 11 is preferably made of plastic material, for example polyethylene or similar materials impermeable to gases and can be hermetically sealed (with the exception of the opening of the union 12) around the material to be treated MT.

More generally, as an alternative to the plastic bag described up to now, any hermetically resealable deformable container around the material MT can be used for the purposes of the present invention.

For example, the bag 11 can be reclosable by means of reusable hermetic sealing means or by heat sealing or the like.

The union 12 is watertightly fixed on the bag 11; also in this case this result can be obtained in different ways, for example the union 12 can be in one piece with the bag 11 or be applied to it by means of mechanical or chemical fixings (adhesives or the like) or more.

The manifold 14 and the loading / unloading duct 13 are optional, in the sense that the air loading lines 15, the Ozone supply line 17 and the exhaust line 20 can be connected directly to the union 12, which for this purpose will be provided with a plurality of connection flanges, instead of just one, as in the example shown, in which it is connected only to the loading / unloading duct 13 which connects to the manifold 14.

The latter is created simply as a section of duct in which on one side the three lines 15,17,20 which join together to lead to a single outlet coupled with the loading / unloading duct 13.

In some alternative solutions the manifold 14 is itself provided with an interception valve and / or with dynamic septa to regulate the flow of fluid that passes through it.

The air inlet line 15 in the basic example shown simply opens onto the outside environment.

As far as the Ozone 19 diffuser is concerned, it can be of different types.

A first example provides that the diffuser 19 is an ozone generator, for example of the type with concentric tubes, in which the air to be ozonated passes through an annular space of a few millimeters thick made between the tubes; both in the inner tube and around the outer one, a conductor consisting of stainless steel plates or aluminum sheets or similar is placed between which a potential is generally imposed not less than 5000 Volts and not more than 50000 Volts, with frequency which varies from 50 to 10,000 cycles / s.

Other types of ozone generators can however be used, without thereby departing from the scope of the present invention.

Finally, the suction pump 22 can be piston, lobe or other, provided or not with a feed motor M.

Numerous variations are also possible to the basic device described up to now for illustrative and non-limiting purposes.

One of these variants is shown in figure 6, in which the same parts (with the same function) of the previous example are indicated with the same reference numbers.

The difference lies in the presence of a first 31, a second 32 and a third 33 filter.

All filters 31, 32, 33 are bactericidal filters, designed to eliminate or reduce the bacteria in the fluid that passes through them.

The first filter 31 is placed at the open mouth of the air loading line 15 and serves to purify the air introduced into the MT material, in order to avoid a new â € œpollutionâ € of the latter after it has been disinfected with ozone.

The second 32 and the third 33 filter are instead placed along the air discharge line 20, respectively upstream and downstream of the pump 22, so as to purify the air entering the pump and the air exiting to the outside. .

Other types of filters that can be added are those with mesh, activated carbon, or others.

The purposes mentioned in the preamble of the description are thus achieved.

The scope of the invention is defined by the following claims.

Claims (9)

CLAIMS 1) Method for the disinfection of padded textile (MT) material characterized by the fact that it includes the steps of: a) insert a textile material (MT) to be disinfected inside a deformable hermetic container (11); b) drawing air from said container (11) by lowering its internal pressure to a value lower than the atmospheric pressure; c) injecting Ozone into said container until reaching an Ozone concentration between 0.02 ppm (parts per million) and 2 ppm (parts per million), preferably equal to 0.1 ppm (parts per million); d) wait for a predetermined period of time; e) withdrawing an atmosphere containing Ozone from said container by lowering its internal pressure down to a value lower than the atmospheric pressure; f) injecting air into said container. 2) Method according to claim 1, wherein said pressure value lower than the atmospheric pressure of steps b) and e) is a value comprised between 0.05 MegaPascal and 0.09 MegaPascal, preferably equal to 0.07 Megapascal. 3) Method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said pressure value lower than the atmospheric pressure of steps b) and e) is coincident. 4) Device (10) for the disinfection of a textile material (MT) characterized in that it includes: - a deformable container (11) hermetically resealable around the material MT and provided with at least one union (12); - an air loading line (15) in fluid communication with said deformable container (11), said air loading line (15) comprising a duct open to the external environment provided with a first interception valve (16); - an ozone diffuser (19); - an Ozone supply line (17), said Ozone supply line (17) comprising a conduit provided with a second interception valve (18), in fluid communication with said deformable container (11) and with said Ozone diffuser ( 19); - a discharge line (20) in fluid communication with said deformable container (11), said air discharge line (20) comprising a duct provided with a third interception valve (21) and a suction pump (22). 5) Device (10) according to the preceding claim, in which said deformable container is a plastic bag. 6) Device (10) according to claim 4 or 5, comprising a manifold (14) connected to a union (12) associated with said deformable container (11) by means of a loading / unloading duct (13), said manifold (14) being further connected to said air loading (15), Ozone supply (17) and discharge (20) lines. 7) Device (10) according to claim 4, 5 or 6, wherein said ozone diffuser (19) is an ozone generator. 8) Device (10) according to one or more of claims 4 to 7, comprising at least one of: - a first bactericidal filter (31) placed at the open mouth of the air loading line (15); - a second (32) and a third (33) bactericidal filters placed respectively upstream and downstream of said pump (22). 9) Device (10) according to one or more of claims 4 to 8, characterized in that it carries out the method according to one or more of claims 1 to 3.