Faster and safer safety cabinet fumigation

Published: 18-Feb-2011
Containment Manufacturing Ingredients Regulatory Cleaning

Hydrogen peroxide system offers alternative to toxic formaldehyde fumigation of safety cabinets

New from isolator producer Skan AG is the Skanair DECOSIS fumigation system, which eliminates biosafety risks prior to the maintenance of microbiological safety cabinets and other biocontainment units.

An easier and faster alternative to formaldehyde fumigation, the Skanair DECOSIS is a mobile unit used directly in the lab, and connected to the safety cabinet via two tubes. It functions autonomously thanks to a control system and catalytic converter.

Because it uses hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as a biocide, decomposition products are unproblematic, and maintenance work can subsequently be safely carried out on the decontaminated cabinet.

The unit can be used to decontaminate microbiological safety cabinets in advance of maintenance work, when changing job or location, in preparation for disposal, or in the event of breakdowns or accidents.

It can also be used to decontaminate incubators, air locks and small isolators.

The cabinet continues to run in reduced mode throughout the procedure. The trained maintenance technician enters the corresponding facility parameters at a control system display, together with the quantity of H2O2 defined on the basis of the Skanair DECOSIS validation.

The process starts at the touch of a button, and runs completely automatically: the internal ventilation unit maintains slight negative pressure and feeds H2O2 vapour through the front cover into the cabinet, continuously circulating it inside the cabinet to reach all contaminated areas. The exhaust air through the cabinet‘s HEPA filter is then fed back into the Skanair DECOSIS via the second tube to be recirculated.

The decontamination phase is followed by the flushing phase: any biocides in the exhaust air from the cabinet are removed inside the Skanair DECOSIS via a catalytic converter and a final HEPA filter. This air can then be released directly into the lab, without having to be extracted via the building exhaust air system.

See more

You may also like

Containment

Ajinomoto Bio-Pharma Services expands fill-finish with new suite

Read more
The biopharma CDMO has announced it will soon open a high-speed multi-purpose fill-finish line in its commercial manufacturing facility located in San Diego, CA

Trending Articles

  1. Valve diagnostics: providing new insights for medical and lab applications Across a range of medical and laboratory applications, confirmation of liquid flow status is critical, but integrating sensors or electronics to check the performance of functions like valve switching adds design complexity
  2. LYOVAC® ECO Mode: making pharmaceutical freeze-drying leaner and greener Following the recent announcement that GEA Lyophil has received third-party certification for the energy-saving credentials of its innovative algorithm for freeze-drying applications, Dr Kevin Robinson caught up with Senior Director of Lyophilization Technology Management, Thomas Beutler, to find out more
  3. Particology joins £8.2m consortium to drive greener, more efficient medicines manufacturing The company has been selected for Innovate UK’s £54m Sustainable Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Programme, leading crystallisation research to cut waste, reduce energy use and accelerate next-generation pharmaceutical production
  4. Cellevate achieves ISO 9001:2015 certification alongside GMP production processes in new cleanroom The certification caps off a strong 2025 for the company, which now has a scalable foundation for expanding manufacturing capacity and implementing GMP-ready processes for commercial volumes
  5. Grifols gets nod from European Medicines Agency for entire value chain of Grifols Egypt The institution's certification endorses the entire plasma value chain under the highest European standards and opens the door for Egypt to, once domestic needs are met, export to other markets including Europe

Upcoming event

From powder to granules: a deep dive into wet granulation methods

14 January 2026 | Virtual See all

You may also like

Containment

Ajinomoto Bio-Pharma Services expands fill-finish with new suite

The biopharma CDMO has announced it will soon open a high-speed multi-purpose fill-finish line in its commercial manufacturing facility located in San Diego, CA
Regulatory

Grifols receives US FDA approval for new fibrinogen concentrate: FESILTY (fibrinogen, human-chmt)

The fibrinogen concentrate complements Grifols’ bleeding management portfolio, expanding therapeutic options for patients
Regulatory

Hansa Biopharma submits BLA to FDA for Imlifidase in desensitisation for kidney transplantation

Imlifidase is an enzyme that rapidly and efficiently cleaves all types of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies both intra- and extra-vascularly to inhibit IgG-mediated immune response
Manufacturing

The story of an East-West German company | 150 years of Romaco Kilian

Kilian’s story tells of the rise, fall and resurgence of a Berlin company steeped in tradition, which is now based in Cologne. It is the story of the entrepreneur Fritz Kilian, who turned a small locksmith’s workshop in Berlin into a successful company that is still a leading manufacturer of tablet presses today. It is the story of a visionary whose legacy has endured the test of time and continues to this day
Manufacturing

Dual stage degasser vacuum pump from Biotech Fluidics

Biotech Fluidics has introduced a durable dual stage moulded vacuum pump designed to improve your fluidic degassing experience
Manufacturing

Thermo Fisher Scientific Expands Gibco Bacto portfolio

Its next-generation, chemically defined media will boost E. coli biomanufacturing productivity, helping innovators scale plasmid DNA and protein production with confidence
Manufacturing

ystral expands India footprint with new Bangalore facility to support Asian markets

German mixing and process technology specialist ystral has opened a new facility in Bangalore, strengthening its Indian operations and laying the groundwork for a regional service hub supporting fast-growing Asian markets
Subscribe now