Hydrogen Peroxide Vapor (HPV) Bio-Decontamination Of A Food Production Facility

A leading food company involved in the processing of poultry products experienced a contamination issue in Q1 of 2012. Abnormally high levels of Salmonella and Listeria environmental burden were identifi ed in a process room. It was important for the customer to negate the spread of these potentially harmful bacteria quickly.

Following a review of the available bio-decontamination options, Bioquell RBDS (room bio-decontamination service) was commissioned in March 2012. It was deployed in this instance as a ‘scheduled program’. A complete site survey was initially carried out to discuss customer expectations and ascertain best management of Bioquell on-site operations.

The enclosure, with a total room volume of approximately 42,378 ft3, housed an automated process line for preparing poultry. After arrival of the Bioquell engineers and equipment, HPV generators were positioned at seven locations within this area to optimize effectiveness of the process. Bioquell instrumentation modules were located in two positions in order to record and feed back vital information including: relative humidity, temperature and HPV concentration during the gassing cycle.

Removal of decontaminant occurred through use of dedicated Bioquell aeration units. They were operated in conjunction with the facility’s HVAC system allowing HPV to be catalytically converted back to oxygen and water vapor.