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How one company is using science to make workplaces squeaky clean

Posted at 5:52 PM, May 13, 2020
and last updated 2020-05-14 10:48:37-04

HELENA — Disinfecting; keeping workplaces clean and sanitized has been a hot topic the past few months, due to the Coronavirus outbreak.

And, companies, like Pureline have thrived on rush orders from small companies to corporations ready to open their doors while keeping their employees safe.

PureLine, in Illionois, specializes in designing and implementing chlorine dioxide solutions utilizing a line of proven Chlorine Dioxide (ClO2) generators and precursor chemicals.

Bob Sullivan, who is the chief executive officer of Pureline, says his company uses chlorine dioxide to disinfect buildings because of the gas's ability to kill a virus in more spaces, and kill selectively.

"It goes over bacterias, it goes after viruses, molds, mildews, but that's all it goes after," Sullivan said.

Paul Sturman, of Montana State University, who is an Industrial Coordinator for the Center of Biofilm Engineering, says chlorine dioxide is an oxygenizing chemical. "It's a mixture of chlorine, with a couple of oxygen atoms associated with it."

Sturman added that the advantage of using chlorine dioxide is that it disinfects water, as well as disinfects airborne materials.

Sullivan is working on a product that would put chlorine dioxide in items like work badges.

"So, there are two pieces. This piece has the Chlorine Dioxide in it, on the bottom are holes and on the top are holes. When I put this little bottle cap, put some water in it, I set it in here, the water is drawn up inside of it, and then It slowly gases out over eleven to sixteen hours," he said.

Sullivan adds that the main objective is to get Americans back to their daily lives, and showing options like using chlorine dioxide as a way to do so.