When the world needs it the most, companies should be ready to answer the call. Whether it is a matter of social inequality, economic hardship, or global pandemic, the business giants and manufacturing household names must be ready to give back to the public. It is the minimum expected of them.

In 2020, humanity came face to face with one of the biggest challenges in the history of our species: the global COVID-19 pandemic. Affecting more than 225 countries and at least 26 cruise ships (according to data provided by the John Hopkins University), the highly-contagious virus has spread its influence to all the continents across the world, attacking capital cities and tourist attractions with particular ferocity, killing over 6,500,000 people as of August 2022.

The first line of attack that humanity discovered in this new and unexpected battle was the potential of using antimicrobial chemical agents to combat the spread of the virus. It was, and is, the second-best way – after self-isolation, of course – to protect people from infection, and can ensure the safety not only of individuals but of entire public spaces.

Because of this, one of the most influential industries in this new post-isolation world, if not the most influential, is that of green chemical manufacturing. Companies like Environmental Fluids are at the vanguard of this battle. Let’s find out more about how we and other eco-friendly chemical manufacturers are using nature itself to protect humanity.

How chemistry turned the tide on COVID-19

When it comes to the spread of deadly viruses, potent bacteria, and other biological pathogens similar to COVID-19, the biggest challenge that the world faces is ensuring safety through prevention; that is, focusing mainly not on treating the sick or infected, but in protecting the healthy. For this, we need excellent sanitization and disinfection protocols, involving antimicrobial chemical agents.

Quaternary ammonium compounds, also informally known as quats’, are potent antimicrobials that can be extracted from natural sources – their virucidal power is catalytic, meaning that they are not consumed in the process of destroying microbes.

But what makes these molecules and formulations so efficient, and how do we make sure that they are harming only microorganisms and not the environment?

When it comes to these questions, quaternary ammonium compounds check all the boxes. The truth is that quats are among the safest and most eco-friendly antimicrobial agents in the market, causing very mild effects on both their users and the environment at lower concentrations; they are also of very rapid contact time and are built to degrade as quickly as possible.

At Environmental Fluids, we have been hard at work with massive laboratories and R&D departments across the industry, combining expertise with technology to produce quaternary ammonium chloride chemistries that have been helped formulate a significant number of hand sanitizer products, surface cleaning agents, disinfectants, and other important household and institutional solutions. We are proud to announce that many of these are helping turn the tide against COVID-19 in the United States and the world.

However, our contribution to this enormous task does not end at the creation of antimicrobial formulations and molecules. After all, this is only one of our businesses’ specialties.

Combining nature with human willpower to save both nature and humanity

In a world that has been punished so extensively by fossil fuels and their derivatives, it is important that any extensively-used chemical agent is created from bio-based and renewable sources, especially one that has been created to be used in mass quantities, and that it is made ready to biodegrade quickly without leaving toxic waste products behind to affect the environment.

For this reason, we have ramped up our production in the lines of bio-based surfactants – necessary for the immense amount of detergents that are being consumed to protect men, women, and children whose clothes need to be washed daily; our green solvents, which are added to important brand formulations for increased biodegradability and lower toxicities in the final product; and of course, our hydrotropes, which can boost the solubility of drugs and cleaning products, among other formulations that are helping ensure that industrial manufacturing can continue operating with eco-friendly materials, as it should.

Furthermore, we believe that no company looking to help in the battle against coronavirus should have to worry about getting their products where they need to be – and we’ve made sure that we can provide solutions for big and small names in the chemical industry, collaborating with clients to help them solve blending, manufacturing, packaging, fulfillment, and transportation problems that they may have encountered in these difficult times.

Looking towards the future with hope… and strategic planning

There will be more fronts on which to battle COVID-19 after the isolation period ends, of course: once we leave our homes and private offices, we will again have to face public transportation, schools, hospitals, parks, and other areas that will require decontamination, disinfection, and sanitization, especially if we wish to avoid second and third waves of the viral infection.

One of the industries that may suffer the most in the post-isolation world, however, is that of hospitality. Coming into contact with a bedsheet, faucet, or kitchen surface used by a previous occupant – an act that was so simple and harmless previously – has now become a health risk that could lead to COVID-19 infection.

Because of this, the dual action of sanitization (reducing microorganisms to secure levels) and disinfection (the destruction of microorganisms) have a special priority in the hospitality industry, and why chemical manufacturers like Environmental Fluids are delivering solutions to these clients.

More importantly, if domestic and intercontinental travel is to continue in a state of relative normality, the use of quats and similar, non-toxic antimicrobial agents must be prioritized in the cleaning of surfaces, utensils, and fabrics on airplanes, private transportation vehicles, hotel rooms, and rented apartments. It may be the only way to keep travelers safe in this new reality of post-isolation.

“Being honest, the chemical manufacturing industry has a mountain to climb if we plan to successfully overcome the COVID-19 crisis.

Nevertheless, we must be ready to answer the call and help as many people to protect themselves as we can - always without putting the environment at risk.”

— Ryan Esner, Environmental Fluids CEO

Are you a company looking to produce new antimicrobial formulations, or do you want more information on how our blending and packaging solutions can benefit your manufacturing processes?

Environmental Fluids is already working with companies to ensure that a post-isolation world is as safe as we remember it before the virus was ever a problem. Our fight against COVID-19 continues, and we are not going to back down until the world is protected from the worst of the virus.

Contact us here and allow us to provide you all the information you require!