This paper presents an accelerated ferrate(VI) (FeO, Fe) oxidation of contaminants in 30 s by adding one-electron and two-electron transfer reductants (R and R). An addition of R (e.g., NHOH, As, Se, P, and NO, and SO) results in Fe initially, while Fe is generated with the addition of R (e.g., SO). R additives, except SO, show the enhanced oxidation of 20-40% of target contaminant, trimethoprim (TMP). Comparatively, enhanced oxidation of TMP was up to 100% with the addition of R to Fe. Interestingly, addition of SO (i.e., R) also achieves the enhanced oxidation to 100%. Removal efficiency of TMP depends on the molar ratio ([R]:[Fe] or [R]:[Fe]). Most of the reductants have the highest removal at molar ratio of ∼0.125. A Fe-SO system also oxidizes rapidly a wide range of organic contaminants (pharmaceuticals, pesticides, artificial sweetener, and X-ray contrast media) in water and real water matrices. Fe and Fe as the oxidative species in the Fe-SO-contaminant system are elucidated by determining removal of contaminants in oxygenated and deoxygenated water, applying probing agent, and identifying oxidized products of TMP and sulfadimethoxine (SDM) by Fe-SO systems. Significantly, elimination of SO from sulfonamide (i.e., SDM) is observed for the first time.

BackgroundHealthcare-acquired infections with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are a significant cause of increased mortality, morbidity and additional health care costs in United States. Surface decontamination technologies that utilize pulsed xenon ultraviolet light (PPX-UV) may be effective at reducing microbial burden. The purpose of this study was to compare standard manual room-cleaning to PPX-UV disinfection technology for MRSA and bacterial heterotrophic plate counts (HPC) on high-touch surfaces in patient rooms.MethodsRooms vacated by patients that had a MRSA-positive polymerase chain reaction or culture during the current hospitalization and at least a 2-day stay were studied. 20 rooms were then treated according to one of two protocols: standard manual cleaning or PPX-UV. This study evaluated the reduction of MRSA and HPC taken from five high-touch surfaces in rooms vacated by MRSA-positive patients, as a function of cleaning by standard manual methods vs a PPX-UV area disinfection device.ResultsColony counts in 20 rooms (10 per arm) prior to cleaning varied by cleaning protocol: for HPC, manual (mean = 255, median = 278, q1-q3 132–304) vs PPX-UV (mean = 449, median = 365, q1-q3 332–530), and for MRSA, manual (mean = 127; median = 28.5; q1-q3 8–143) vs PPX-UV (mean = 108; median = 123; q1-q3 14–183). PPX-UV was superior to manual cleaning for MRSA (adjusted incident rate ratio [IRR] = 7; 95% CI <1-41) and for HPC (IRR = 13; 95% CI 4–48).ConclusionPPX-UV technology appears to be superior to manual cleaning alone for MRSA and HPC. Incorporating 15 minutes of PPX-UV exposure time to current hospital room cleaning practice can improve the overall cleanliness of patient rooms with respect to selected micro-organisms.

Objective Prolonged survival of SARS-CoV-2 on environmental surfaces and personal protective equipment may lead to these surfaces transmitting disease to others. This article reports the effectiveness of a pulsed xenon ultraviolet disinfection system in reducing the load of SARS-CoV-2 on hard surfaces and N95 respirators. Methods Chamber slides and N95 respirator material were directly inoculated with SARS-CoV-2 and exposed to different durations of pulsed xenon ultraviolet disinfection. Results For hard surfaces, disinfection for 1, 2, and 5 minutes resulted in 3·53 Log10, >4·54 Log10, and >4·12 Log10 reductions in viral load, respectively. For N95 respirators, disinfection for 5 minutes resulted in >4·79 Log10 reduction in viral load. We found that pulsed xenon ultraviolet significantly reduces SARS-CoV-2 on hard surfaces and N95 respirators. Conclusion With the potential to rapidly disinfectant environmental surfaces and N95 respirators, pulsed xenon ultraviolet devices are a promising technology for the reduction of environmental and personal protective equipment bioburden and to enhance both healthcare worker and patient safety by reducing the risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2.