Contamination Control Solutions Reduce the Carbon Footprint of Cleanrooms

Pressure to reduce energy usage and carbon footprints together with eliminating waste, are now targets for many organisations and Dycem is no exception. Dycem contamination control surfaces are designed to be fully reusable and have a life expectancy of between three and five years. They combine a unique polymeric compound and advanced processing technology to create a smooth, washable surface that can be cleaned with a damp mop and squeegeed dry, leaving the floor covering immediately ready for further use, without loss of performance in the capacity to trap contaminants. The alternative products to Dycem contamination control surfaces are peel-off mats. These mats are layered, adhesive coated, polyethylene sheets that are ripped up when dirty and then disposed of as consumer waste.

In a paper by Gerry Prout of Kennet Bioservices, comparison of the use over a two-year period of Dycem flooring and peeloff mats is reported. Dycem flooring uses 18 tonnes less of raw materials, saves over 3 million MJ of energy in manufacture and use, while reducing emission of greenhouse gases by over 120 tonnes. A single peel-off mat can produce a ball of waste 20cm (8”) in diameter that is disposed of directly to landfill sites. Deborah Hoffet, QA manager and microbiologist at the Rogosin Institute’s Xenia Division in Ohio, USA, swapped the traditional disposable peel-off mats for Dycem flooring as part of a larger green initiative and now finds that Dycem flooring has proven to be ‘substantially more effective at retaining the particulates, and it can be washed and lasts as long as five years’.

Both suppliers and end users now have a responsibility to consider green initiatives and environmentally friendly options. As Dycem Managing Director, Mark Dalziel, said: “It is vital for manufacturers of disposable products to pay attention to the environment and at Dycem, our design team has this in their briefs for new and improved solutions for our users.” At the end of their working life Dycem flooring and mats are 85% recyclable and do not contribute to landfill waste.