Hard Surface Cleaning

Besides the already existing activities in building cleaning, new working scopes have been set up in cleanroom technology, carbon dioxide cleaning technology, reprocessing of medical devices as well as cleaning of metal and plastic surfaces. Regarding these new working scopes, some examples are described in more detail in the following.

Optimisation of Cleaning Processes for Medical Instruments

Instruments for minimally invasive operating techniques are getting more and more complex. In parallel, the requirements for the reprocessing of such instruments as well as the resulting costs are increasing. It must therefore be assumed that hospitals will have to use the services of external reprocessing companies, because the necessary high investments in cleaning appliances will not be possible for them. A comparable service already existing is the appropriate reprocessing of suitable operating theatre textiles by external textile rental companies.

Possibilities to develop cleaning and sterilisation techniques for instruments used in minimally invasive operating techniques are investigated by the wfk-Research Institute. These investigations are a basis for a higher patient safety as well as for novel reprocessing services and new jobs in small and medium sized enterprises.

Cleaning Under Cleanroom Conditions

In the electronics and semiconductor industry, the pharmaceutical industry as well as microbiology and genetic engineering, numerous processes must be carried out under exacting cleanroom conditions. In recent years, the requirements regarding particle concentration and particle size have increased continuously due to the growing sensitivity of the respective products. This development will continue in the future not only with regard to the cleanrooms themselves but also to materials used therein. The development of reprocessing procedures for cleanroom conditions will therefore get more and more important in the future.

In the new technical plant different cleanrooms (classes 10, 100, 1000 and 10000) have therefore been established.

CO₂-Cleaning Technology

In the field of cleaning technology, environmentally friendly processes had to be developed due to legal, ecological and economic reasons. Regarding these aspects carbon dioxide cleaning technology is very important, since its properties regarding environmental impact and human toxicity are very positive and superior to current technologies.

Many experts believe that liquid and supercritical carbon dioxide cleaning will be an important future method for cleaning various materials. In its new CO2-technical plant the wfk-Research Institute investigates the applicability of the carbon dioxide cleaning technology not only for cleanroom textiles, but also for medical instruments, metal surfaces and other materials.

Due to the physico-chemical properties of liquid or supercritical carbon dioxide, however, this new method requires considerably more complex machinery and process techniques as well as comprehensive knowledge concerning its application. The wfk-Research Institute develops therefore new training courses in order to transfer the required knowledge fast and effectively into the respective branches.

Centre "Hygiene for health"

Within the scope of the "INTERREG-IIIA"-Programme a European Centre "Hygiene for Health" shall be established by the wfk-Research Institute and the Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences in Krefeld as well as further partners from Germany and the Netherlands. The Centre shall offer services for hospitals, physicians, nursing homes, medical equipment manufacturers and patients. Furthermore it shall be a transfering organisation for future innovations. Within the center, the wfk-Research Institute will be responsible for hygiene and microbiology, cleanroom technology and medical textiles as well as cleaning of operating theatre and hospital textiles, medical instruments and hospital buildings.

The scope of this new orientation in research is directed to support the establishment of new small and medium service firms and to create new jobs.