Industrie De Nora S.p.a. (De Nora), is supporting the efforts of the Civil Protection Department by deploying four electrochlorination systems in northern Italy, near Milan. The electrochlorination systems produce sodium hypochlorite, a chlorine equivalent that is suitable for the disinfection of hard surfaces and, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), is effective against the proliferation of the COVID-19 virus.
“As a result of the coordination and promptness of the Italian Civil Protection, De Nora has provided four units for the on-site production of large quantities of sodium hypochlorite,” said Luca Buonerba, De Nora Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer. “We’re happy to send them to help community centers, public offices, nursing homes and hospitals to deal with this difficult situation. One of the advantages of the on-site electrochlorination systems is that they don’t require or generate hazardous chemicals and there’s no transportation of high-concentration bleach, so safety or availability are never compromised”. Hypochlorite is produced using a simple saline solution – water and salt – and electricity to produce chlorine-based solution.
De Nora has already provided similar systems in China, Japan and Singapore for the sanitization and disinfection of their own offices and production sites in response to COVID-19 outbreaks there. In China, the city of Nankang is using two systems supplied by De Nora, originally for water purification, to aid in the disinfection of buildings and other public areas.
“De Nora prides itself as a partner of choice for customers and end users to ensure the long-term sustainability and security of water supply for the public”, said Dr. Mirka Wilderer, Chief Executive Officer – De Nora Water Technologies. “Coronaviruses are proven not to transmit in water sources, thanks to the tried and tested disinfection processes that water utilities have in place. On-side sodium hypochlorite generators like those given to the Italian Civil Protection are used worldwide for a variety of applications from drinking water treatment, wastewater treatment and microbiological control in cooling towers. They are also now being used to create solutions on demand for sanitization purposes on hard surfaces and in buildings to limit the impact of this new emergency situation.”