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Unlike harsh cleaning chemicals, our green cleaning solutions meet greenworks environmental standard for industrial and institutional cleaners based on their reduced health risks and smog production potential.

Greenworks initiative for Tri-Power Enzymatic Detergents

Vision

At United Biotech, we’ve always believed it was possible to manufacture eco-friendly instrument cleaning solutions without sacrificing clinically efficiency. United Biotech was conceived not as a full-line vendor but as a highly-specialized instrument cleaning solutions provider. As a pioneer in green cleaning, we strive to remain on the forefront of our industry and supply our customers with the most clinically-superior enzymatic cleaning solutions available on the market.

United Biotech have been committed to developing environmentally sustainable products since our inception, and we constantly re-examine and adopt eco-friendly alternatives where feasible, be it in product production, packaging or even front-office practices.

Recently, there is a lot of concern in the increasing toxic chemicals in the environment. The story started almost five decades ago with a report on the widespread use of DDT on bird populations. The effect of such chemicals on humans has gained momentum and soon became a controversial issue. United Biotech is a leader in offering safer chemistries with alternatives that are less harmful to humans and environment. This white paper is written to act as an informative guide for United Biotech’s Greenworks chemistries.

Governments and scientific communities throughout the world recognize that the practice of green chemistry and engineering leads to cleaner, more sustainable earth and is economically beneficial with a lot of positive social impact.

Cleaning is an essential part of today’s health care system and proper cleaning prior to decontamination and sterilization is essential to prevent infections. Alkaline and caustic detergents are hazardous and are unnecessary as they also damage the instrument.

United Biotech’s Tri-Power detergent line is pH neutral, biodegradable and enhance cleaning by breaking down organic soil. A good combination of enzymes with green surfactants and sequestrants and other cleaning agents will make a good green chemistry enzyme cleaner and will help the environment and staff members immensely. This report is to act as a guide for such companies to make better and safer cleaners.

What is green chemistry?

There is a strong impetus to develop chemical manufacturing processes which reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous substances in the design manufacture and application of chemical products.

Green chemistry is a pollution prevention approach in which one tries to reduce or eliminate hazardous substances as feed stocks, reagents, solvents, products and by products from chemical processes. More specifically, green chemistry is the design of chemical products and processes that are environmentally benign relative to pre-existing processes. By reducing the generation and use of hazardous substances chemists can reduce the risk to human health and environment. This green chemistry shift is the major paradigm shift at the \US environmental protection agency (EPA). This approach replaces the usual command and control approach to treatment and abatement of toxic waste.

Green chemistry strategies and technologies encompass the use of alternative, non- polluting synthetic pathways. Alternative reactive conditions can be explored and chemicals can be designed such that they are less toxic than current alternatives or inherently safer with regards to potential accidents. Green chemistries can also increase the energy efficiency in chemical processing. The common concepts implemented in green chemistry are life-cycle analysis, eco efficiency, atom economy and design for environment.

The twelve principles of green chemistry

  • Prevention

It is better to prevent waste than to treat or clean up waste after it is formed.

  • Atom economy

It is sustainable to incorporate synthetic methods to maximise the incorporation of all materials used in the process into the final product.

  • Less hazardous chemical synthesis

It is sustainable and green to design synthetic methods to use and generate substances that minimize toxicity to human health and the environment

  • Design for safer chemicals

Should design chemicals to achieve their desired function, but at the same time minimize their toxicity

  • Safer solvents and auxiliaries

Should minimize the use of auxiliary substances wherever possible and when used make them innocuous.

  • Design for Energy Efficiency

Minimize the energy requirements of chemical processes and conduct synthetic methods at ambient temperature and pressure if possible.

  • Use of renewable feedstocks

Use renewable raw material wherever possible

  • Reduce derivatives

Minimize of avoid unnecessary derivitization if possible, which requires additional reagents and general waste.

  • Catalysis

Catalytic reagents are superior to stoichiometric reagents

  • Design for degradation

Chemical products should be designed so that they break down into products that do not persist in the environment.

  • Real-time Analysis for pollution prevention

Companies and manufacturers should develop analytical methodologies that are required to allow for real-time in process monitoring and control prior to the formation of hazardous substances

  • Safer chemistry for accident prevention

Choose substances and the form of a substance used in a chemical process to minimize the potential for chemical accidents, including releases, explosions and fires.

Are green chemistries really green?

Many chemistries with fragrances, even those labelled as green can emit large number of hazardous chemicals that are not listed on their labels. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are released from detergents, hand sanitizers and air fresheners. Some of these compounds are carcinogens such as acetaldehyde, formaldehyde, 1-4-dioxane and dichloromethane.

How can we decide what chemicals are clean, green andsafer to use?

Greenworks certified chemistries have been evaluated and tested as safe and meets or exceeds the EPA Designed for the Environment (DFE) standard.  Since that time we have moved to a more stringent green initiative which is United Biotech’s Greenworks Certification.  There are a lot of chemicals that have been evaluated and are classed as safer chemical ingredients. These chemicals are safer than traditional chemical ingredients. Third party profilers such as NSF International and Tox services gather hazard information from a broad set of resources, including the identification and evaluation of all available toxicological and environmental data.

In general the criteria for chemicals to be safe are protective and address a broad range of toxicological effects such as

  • Carcinogens, mutagens, reproductive  or developmental defects
  • Persistent, bio accumulative and toxic
  • Systemic or internal organ toxicants
  • Asthmagens
  • Sensitizers
  • Chemicals on authoritative lists of chemicals of concern

It is also important to note that there would be impurities in chemicals that are listed as safe. These impurities can be hazardous and should not be more than 0.01 % in the final product.

Safer choice programme chemical categories

  • Antimicrobial actives
  • Colorants
  • Defoamers
  • Enzymes and enzyme stabilizers
  • Fragrances
  • Oxidants and oxidant stabilizers
  • Polymers
  • Preservatives and antioxidants
  • Processing aids and additives
  • Solvents
  • Specialized industrial chemicals
  • Surfactants

Guidelines for Greenworks Certification

Cleaning and disinfecting medical devices and surgical instruments is an essential part in the health care industry. The sheer volume of chemistries used is enough to raise significant concerns of damage to environment.  Enzymes enhance detergent cleaning as they have the ability to speed reactions. So when these are used with cleaning agents and surfactants, the cleaning process and efficacy is dramatically increased. So a good combination of the right environmentally friendly surfactant with enzymes will attack and break down organic soil that can be washed away.

 

  • Detergents and enzyme cleaners need not contain more chemicals than what is required. Greenworks Certified chemistries can be developed and chemicals from the safe chemicals list can be selected to achieve the cleaning efficacy of the detergent and enzyme formulation

 

  • One has to recognise that only some of the major chemicals in detergents actually contribute to cleaning and removal of soil. Non cleaning chemicals for fragrance, brightness, and impurities from synthetic manufacturing products of the ingredients should be avoided wherever possible.

 

  • Select a source of chemical supplies that can evaluate analytically the impurities in the ingredient and make sure that they are not more than 0.1 %

 

  • Surfactants are a major part of the cleaning chemistry and are a large group of compounds.

 

  • Use non petroleum derived surfactants wherever possible. These synthetic petro-chemical surfactants are not good for the environment.

 

  • A detergent is composed of a mixture of surfactants to balance cloudiness and cleaning efficacy. Selection of greener surfactants and avoiding nonylphenol ethoxylates. These surfactants break down into toxic substances and persist in the environment for a long time.

 

  • Water hardness and the machine mechanics should be considered while designing a green detergent.  The mineral content of the water plays a major role in how your detergents work.  Most companies try to add hardness sequestrants which bind with the water soluble ions and effectively remove them from the wash-water action. The surfactants are free to carry out their function. Most of these are synthetic sequestrants. For many years phosphates were added to detergents to perform as hardness sequestrants.

 

  • Phosphates are a potentially harmful class of chemicals that cause exponential growth of algae. These algae take oxygen and use the sunlight on top layers and effectively cause marine life to die.

 

  • Greenworks Certified detergents contain no phosphates and simple green chemistries are available that can be used as hardness sequestrants. You chemist should be able to guide you with identifying these.

 

  • Use natural derived ingredients where ever possible. Simple chemicals that are used in everyday household can be effective cleaners and are strangely avoided in industrial formulations.

 

  • Avoid solvents that cause environmental damage and VOCs.

 

  • Use green and safe choice enzyme stabilizers.

 

  • The use of dye in detergents should be minimal and safe natural dyes should be used.
  • Avoid fragrances wherever possible.

Is this achievable

Yes, at United Biotech our Tri-Power cleaning line meets or exceeds the EPA standard for the Designed for the Environment. In fact in 2011 the products were tested and comply with the EPA to meet their DFE standards.  Since that time we have moved to a more stringent green initiative which is United Biotech’s Greenworks Certification.

 

United Biotech has been committed to developing environmentally sustainable products since our inception, and we constantly re-examine and adopt eco-friendly alternatives where feasible, be it in product production, packaging or even front-office practices.