Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films ISTSustainable solutions for cleaning and disinfection in hospital rooms
As a result of the corona pandemic, awareness of hygiene and cleaning has increased significantly, particularly for the vulnerable population. At the same time, the demands on surfaces and materials are increasing in terms of their value, functionality and sustainability. This is where the work carried out by the Fraunhofer IST on the development of automated cleaning solutions comes into its own. For sustainable and resource-saving cleaning, systems are implemented which generate the cleaning and disinfection agent “on demand” and which, in future, will select and apply the optimum cleaning agent adapted to the contamination and material.
Mobile systems with the potential for automation
In addition to conventional wet-chemical cleaning, the Fraunhofer IST is also investigating plasma processes and the use of electrochemically generated ozonated water. The focus is hereby on application-oriented tests with mobile systems to determine the cleaning efficiency and the material resistance to the cleaning processes. At the Fraunhofer IST, a holistic approach is thereby taken with the aim of identifying the optimum cleaning process with minimum consumption of resources. These findings are channeled into the development of automated processes - thereby providing a contribution towards infection control.
