Futurism,  Green Technology,  Materials Science

New Research Identifies The 21 Most Disruptive Cleaning Technologies

Cleaning Sponge

The spinning development of our world has affected many branches and is being infiltrated into all the fields of our world. It is more than apparent that technology rules the world and that we need to accept and actually embrace its impact on our economy and everything that it is being used in. The cleaning industry currently racks up to 83 billion euros annually, which has pushed the development of chemistry, engineering and technology as a whole.

Experts have devised a list of the most effective technologies that could be used in cleaning and can affect the outcomes and the results that may come out with the nay kind of cleaning that is being done. Additionally the list has been shortened to the 21 most effective and disruptive ways in which the technology has been advancing in and where innovations will certainly take their toll.

The list has been based on the quality of results that the technology can provide and the easiness of its use. Also a forecast has been made in order to calculate its effectiveness for the future as far as the year of 2020. The list:

  • Textile surface treatments that reduce the need for washing.
  • Phosphates in detergents will be eliminated in order to provide better detergent cleaning.
  • Biocide regulations will be introduced in order to prevent the use of new substances in cleaner formulations.
  • There is going to be an improvement in the surfactants against low-temperature performance.
  • Biotechnology will improve the cleaning performance by modifying the molecular structure and creating renewable bio-ingredients.
  • The improvement of the performance of low temperature enzymes.
  • The introduction of compatibility of enzymes within other detergents.
  • Concentrations of cleaning formulation is being increased, which further results in reducing the need for packaging.
  • Popularity and use of wipes will increase as the best surface cleaning solution.
  • The introduction of some advanced technologies like modeling high-throughput screening and even simulation technologies.
  • Introduction of sensors, microprocessors and automatic metering in order to reduce the detergent, the water and the energy required to clean.

The greatest problem with the introduction of a new cleaning technology, or any technology for that matter is legislation. One will need to make sure that all the pieces fit together and that the rules can be applied correctly with the introduction of a cleaning product which will have a great effect on the cleaning industry. Studies show that phosphate detergents should be banned and that it opens a way for the introduction of automatic dishwasher detergents, which may institutionalize the detergent cleaners for the next decade. Everybody on the other hand agrees that the legislation restricts the introduction of new technologies as it can increase the costs as well.

Biotechnology on the other hand plays a big part in the future of the cleaning industry. It is assumed that people are going to start decreasing the use of renewable sources inside their cleaning products, like coconut, olive oil or tallow, and substitute it with other newer sources. It may happen that some plant-based ones take the helm here but it may happen that synthetically sourced materials are a better solution, price wise in this case. There is no doubt that genetic engineering will also play a big part in this technological cleaning field and that it may come with some great results at the end. It can be used to modify the structure of the ingredients used and actually improve their cleaning capabilities. There is going to be some considerable work needed here and we shall have to give it some time to see the true results.

A part of biotechnology is also enzyme research. This will make certain advancements in the low temperature performance of detergents, making them better in all means and allowing them to provide better results. Also the compatibility between enzymes and other cleaning detergents needs to improve, which will bring to the enhancements of performance of cleaning products. But the use of enzymes according to some studies is uncertain, so further development is needed in this field.

As one of the major factors in cleaning are surfactants, there are certainly going to be great advancements in this field. Actually there need to be if we are to expect better cleaning products. Some of the advancements we can expect to see are within the low temperature performance, the ability to dissolve grease, and of course the rinsing ability.

Cleaning Spray

The development which is related to the formulation of detergents are related with the way they are delivered and also depend on the development of the associated technology. One of the assumptions in this field is the release of a single-dose multi functional control release laundry detergent. This is one of the more popular forms on this list and one which everyone is rooting for to happen. But the development of machinery which provides the use of such products is also necessary here so the combination of the two is necessary as well. Higher concentration products represent better value for money so it is a great possibility for a good outcome in this area.

Another way, perhaps a way which may be described as thinking outside of the box, is the way of treating surfaces or materials in order to make the cleaning easier and make the removal of dirt quite quicker. But the down side here is that it is not entirely clear what needs to be do done and how to actually do it. Some suggestions that are mentioned is to make materials in a way so as to exclude ironing as a very boring task.

Perhaps the replacement of water as the primary and ultimate cleaning tool is an idea which is a bit out there and it is the reason why it did not make the list. The thing is that no matter what new technology gets introduced, people will still be using water as a way to clean and will not in total replace it as their primary cleaning solution. The only thing that we can hope for is to reduce it and this is where some advanced technology which reduces the energy, water and the use of detergents comes into play. These types of machines are completely realistic and will very likely start to be used pretty soon.

These new cleaning technologies are in a sense divided from the traditional way of cleaning and have not much to do with it. But that is actually the point and if many of them manage to overcame legislative issues, we can expect a large number of them to materialize and appear as a standard use of cleaning for us.

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Andre Smith is a writer and marketing specialist who enjoys blogging in his free time.

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