Taiko Pharmaceutical developed a compact unit to generate chlorine dioxide of low concentration taking advantage of LED and cartridge, and now plans to diffuse it extensively associating into electric appliances. The first shot will be a humidifier with the built-in unit of generator to be launched in early October in collaboration with Doshisha Corporation of wholesaler.

Chlorine dioxide is a gas having a feature of strong oxidizing power caused by free radicals. When it gets in touch with virus, bacteria, mold or odor contents, it changes their structure and reduces the function by means of oxidization. However, this gaseous substance at an ambient temperature is active and so free-radical that it was so difficult to market keeping at a certain concentration. Taiko developed with its own technology a solvent to retain this gas at a certain concentration for a long time and also a method to generate it with a low concentration. Making the most of the technology, Taiko has been selling the chlorine dioxide product for air sterilization under the trade name of “Cleverin” since 2005.

The product which generates chlorine dioxide of 0.01ppm by spray, gel or some device is utilized for sterilization, deodorizing or virus blocking. For your information, the figure of 0.01ppm meets a safety standard of chlorine dioxide which ensures the lifetime-long harmless inhalation of human being. The developed “Cleverin LED” generation unit consists of a special LED and a cartridge stuffed with sodium chlorite cake. To generate chlorine dioxide all you have to do is to irradiate a beam of specific wavelength by LED to the cartridge. It is characteristic that the generation amount can be controlled electrically.

According to Taiko Pharmaceutical, the market related to chlorine dioxide is now estimated to be JPN 10 billion approximately. Taiko which took a market share of 62.3% in 2014 intends to diffuse Cleverin LED to the fields of air-conditioning and refrigerating requirements, not limiting to humidifiers, so that the business may be brought up to a scale of JPN 2 million within five years. Taiko is also planning to expand the application of air sterilization by chlorine dioxide to the various means of transportation and building structures, ultimately including overseas requirements.

(Photo Two humidifier to be put on the market and Cleverin)