Some of the world's deadliest microbes are proving no match for a new sustainable disinfectant made from sawdust and water, according to researchers who were looking for environmentally friendly alternatives to chlorine cleaning products.
What to know:
Researchers have found that cooking sawdust waste mixed with water under pressure can create a disinfectant that can kill 99% of some disease-causing microbes, including anthrax, E coli, several strains of the flu, and even some staph bacteria.
Scientists believe that pressure cooking the sawdust and water breaks molecular chains of wood and frees the antimicrobial phenolic molecules.
Phenol ― or carbolic acid ― is an aromatic organic compound found naturally in wood.
The new disinfectant has been shown to damage the cell makeup of the dangerous microbes, including bacteria as well as viruses.
The sawdust mixture is a sustainable alternative to many commonly used disinfectants such as bleach, which often contain chlorine and can be harmful to the environment.
Most of the current "greener disinfectants" contain phenol or chemical look-alikes and are expensive to make, while the new disinfectant utilizes what is considered a sawdust waste product.
This is a summary of the article, "A Disinfectant Made From Sawdust Mows Down Deadly Microbes," published by ScienceNews on January 19, 2022. The full article can be found on ScienceNews.org.
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Cite this: Simple Disinfectant Made From Sawdust Destroys Deadly Microbes - Medscape - Jan 20, 2022.
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