Copyright © Mauve Technology Limited 2013

malvaSAFE technology creates instant, on-demand, ultra-effective biocidal solutions with fast contact times at room temperatures without the need for expensive, generator-type, capital equipment.

Our technology permits us to simply mix two separate solutions - one chlorine-donating and one pH modifying. The resultant dilute biocide is produced instantaneously at a near neutral pH [6-7], resulting in a huge release of Hypochlorous Acid [HOCl] replicating the human body’s own defensive biocide.

It is our precise control of the final solution’s pH that is responsible for the efficacy of our disinfecting malvaSAFE technology.

Our component chemicals can be mixed together in either dilute form or can be added as twin concentrates to a larger volume of water to create the desired disinfectant concentration.

The concentration can be tailored to suit any application - low strengths for water purification, and higher strengths for example for medical equipment sterilisation, where higher levels of the active component, Hypochlorous Acid, are required.

Solution concentration strength is often measured as Free Available Chlorine [FAC] measured as parts per million [ppm].  The higher the strength in ppm, the more effective the biocidal effect of the solution.

Free Available Chlorine [FAC] is chlorine that is present in the form of HOCl, OCl- or dissolved elemental Chlorine Cl2. It is ‘free’ in the sense that it has not yet reacted with anything and is therefore ‘available’ in the sense that it can and will react if needed.

Secondary applications of our malvaSAFE technology can utilize either a water-soluble powder or water-soluble tablet to create a similar, on-demand, high efficacy disinfecting biocide of varying strengths for specific applications.

There are no other disinfecting systems that are able to produce such large amounts of HOCl, on demand & with no expensive capital equipment such as a brine-electrolysis generator.



The technical bit - So why is HOCl so proficient a disinfectant?

Chlorine in water splits into two distinct forms, or species. Hypochlorous Acid [HOCl] & Hypochlorite ion [OCl-].

According to most studies HOCl is around 100 times more effective as a biocide than OCl- ions. [OCl- is usually the disinfecting component of common ‘bleach’.]

For example, HOCl requires by far the shortest contact time to achieve a 99% kill of E. Coli.

How much of these two types are present is totally dependent upon the pH of the final solution, please see Fig. 1. for a visual explanation.














   Fig. 1. Effect of the solution pH on formation of different Chlorine species.


As pH rises [above 7.5] less HOCl & more OCL- ions will be present in the solution; effectively, as pH rises, less germ killing power is available.  Most commercially available ‘bleaches’ have a pH around 10 & produce no HOCl at all & consist solely of a solution of OCl- ions.

malvaSAFE solutions are always produced in a pH range [6 – 7] designed to optimise the production of HOCl and maximize their biocidal efficacy. For example at a pH of 6.5 about 90% of FAC is in the form of HOCl with about 10% as OCl-.  Additionally a pH value of 6 to 7 is the most effective, and safest, due to the absence of chlorine gas.

HOCl is electrically neutral whereas Hypochlorite ions are electrically negative; as such, both substances have very distinctive, and different, behaviours.

Cell walls of pathogenic microorganisms are also negatively charged; this means that they can only be penetrated by the neutral HOCl molecules. Besides its neutrality, HOCl is much more reactive and a much stronger disinfectant than OCl-, as HOCl is split into Hydrochloric Acid [HCl] and atom air oxygen [O]. Oxygen is a very powerful disinfectant.

The HOCl solution produced is at near neutral pH (between 5 and 7), optimizing its biocidal efficacy, yet remaining completely safe to humans and the environment.

An additional benefit of the efficacy of HOCl is the fact that in typical applications, such as endoscopy, the strength of the malvaSAFE solutions need only be 200 ppm, making them non-toxic, non-irritant, non-sensitising and safe for humans and equipment.  ‘Regular’ bleach, for example, needs to be produced at around 5000 ppm, because of the relatively poor biocidal effect of its OCl- ions.

An added benefit of malvaSAFE is that after use, no special disposal protocols are required.

malvaSAFE - the technology