UK/INTERNATIONAL. The Moodie Davitt Report gets the inside story from UK business The Open World Technology Group about the development of a ground-breaking cleaning and air quality solution targeted at spaces where the public gathers. Its co-founders, Saad Audeh and Mike Reeves, believe they have come up with a regime that offers a holistic solution to sanitisation, allowing airports and other sectors to accelerate our return to normality and protect their users.
The rapid spread of COVID-19 has brought health, safety and cleaning processes to the fore as a core issue across all organisations. High footfall locations, such as airports, have been following disparate paths to try and ensure that risks to public health are minimised via what they believe to be rigorous cleaning regimes.
As reported, a recently-formed UK business with global ambitions – The Open World Technology Group (TOWTG) – is focused on supporting businesses to achieve the Global 2030 agenda by introducing a new, all-encompassing solution named Velvet2030. This is set to transform the veracity of cleaning processes and crucially, air quality, in high touch/high footfall locations, such as those found in travel networks, hospitality, shopping malls, healthcare, real estate, education and many more.
The system – deemed best practice by the University of Arizona – brings together the power of a bespoke audit platform, state of the art monitoring technologies and new generation consumables that can build public confidence for indoor air quality and contribute to the wellbeing of both employees and visitors, in a way that no other system currently on the market does.
“As global economies resume social activities, we are ready to service the rising demand for public health solutions and we welcome the opportunity to lead a much-needed positive change” – The Open World Technology Group Co-founder Saad Audeh
TOWTG (part of SIA Holding) has been founded by two experienced consultants – Saad Audeh and Mike Reeves – with close links to the airline, travel and hospitality industries. These relationships have been in place for more than two decades and build on the 20 years-plus contact that SIA’s directors have had with major airports and, in particular, London Heathrow Airport.
TOWTG’s first major venture is Velvet2030, which the creators say delivers cost effective, technology-driven solutions addressing the challenges of pandemics and internal air pollution.
Through the system – several constituents of which are currently being trialled at Heathrow – the founders say they are confident they can create a substantial return on investment through improved customer wellbeing and satisfaction, accelerating our return to normality.
Audeh says: “As the COVID pandemic spread, we studied procedures, such as cleaning, that organisations were using – not least in airports – and all the protocols that people have tried to implement. It was clear that the problem was not being approached in a uniform way in every setting.
“So we set out to create an automated system in Velvet2030, which combines end-to-end air quality improvement, cleaning solutions, technology and monitoring, that not only builds confidence, but provides assurance.”
So how can such confidence be proved? The answer lies in the fact that the Velvet2030 cleaning regime is underpinned by the application of a technology known as Dotz. Dotz is a technology leader, specialising in the development and marketing of unique Advanced Carbon-based materials used for tracing, anti-counterfeiting and liability solutions.
In its Velvet2030 application, Dotz increases visitor safety and confidence by verifying the uniform coverage of the onsite cleaning regime, tracing blind spots and material dispersion during the disinfection operation. Audeh explains: “Dotz verifies the work of employees or external contractors through a proactive audit of the cleaning regime being undertaken on site. No paper based self-audit can even start to provide this level of assurance.”
For cleaning surfaces,Velvet2030 uses a product called CoronaX, a novel disinfectant proven effective against all viruses, including of course, COVID-19. CoronaX’s formula is unprecedented. By incorporating a slow, freshly-released virucide, the solution keeps surfaces sanitised for a span of three days, staying effective even after numerous possible contaminations.
Reeves says: “CoronaX eliminates the need for the continuous unnecessary cleaning which is needlessly escalating the cleaning costs of most organisations. After its application, you can check with a UV light to identify any areas which aren’t covered.”
He adds: “We have tested CoronaX in a controlled trial at Heathrow and the product performed as expected on site, with local tests and laboratory swab results showing that the product had responded as promoted, providing a clear and visible proof of sustained sterilisation over a 72-hour period.”
Physical surface testing can be undertaken by representatives of TOWTG using ATP (Adenosine TriPhosphate) and VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) readers in accordance with the standards laid out in government guidelines for indoor air quality standards.
In the face of COVID-19, the world is currently facing unprecedented challenges from air quality. Approximately 800,000 people a year die globally due to poor air quality in the workplace – the spreading of disease is closely linked to the quality of the air around people – whilst it currently poses the fourth largest risk to health in the UK.
A major tool in tackling air quality and significantly lowering the risks of spreading disease through the air is the application of a new generation titanium dioxide catalyst (Ti02) to surfaces, an integral part of the Velvet2030 offer.
Anti-viral product Ti02 – originally discovered in Japan in the 1960s as a purifying chemical – removes up to 80% of air pollutants. Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is typically five to ten times worse than exterior air, with everything from computers to paint, carpeting and furniture emitting VOCs.
“The current situation highlighted by coronavirus is our 9/11 in relation to the way we live. We simply can’t go back to where we were before, ignoring the problem of air quality” – The Open World Technology Group Co-founder Mike Reeves
The Ti02 product, ‘Titano’, used by the Velvet2030 system utilises world-leading nanotechnology, being sprayed on to clean and sanitised surfaces to significantly reduce the impact of VOCs. The Ti02 coating will eradicate the coronavirus – and other viruses – on contact and is activated by the UVA light found in visual light, such as sunlight or LEDs. In the process, it transforms surfaces into self-cleaning air purifiers that last one to three years.
“One of the few countries to flatten the coronavirus curve, South Korea, has used this Ti02 nanotechnology in over 370,000 installations across the country including 80% of all medical facilities,” observes Mike Reeves.
“Clean air is where efforts should be concentrated to tackle viruses and Ti02 can be a big step towards achieving that. It creates a crystal matrix, adheres itself to surfaces, attracting volatile compounds and in doing so, neutralises them, effectively eating them and turning them into humidity.”
He adds: “Our Tio2 product Titano is already being used by the likes of Lufthansa, BMW, Allianz, Bloomberg, and school, hotel and hospital clients.”
The long-term economic benefits of Ti02 appear convincing. It is also used by the likes of Apple, Disney, Google, Oracle, Tesla, Facebook, JLL and CBRE to improve air quality and cleanliness in their facilities, further cementing its credentials.
The Ti02 system is currently being tested on the forecourt of Heathrow Terminal 3, designed to show how an external surface can be self-cleaning, whilst at the same time working to improve the surrounding air quality. “The trial is into its eighth week and results are fantastic in what is a very challenging environment,” Reeves comments.
Emphasising his beliefs in the critical importance of air quality, he adds: “The current situation highlighted by coronavirus is our 9/11 in relation to the way we live. We simply can’t go back to where we were before, ignoring the problem of air quality.”
The full Velvet2030 system is pulled together with a comprehensive cloud-based suite of monitoring technology. Proactive and mobile solutions constantly review the location and the air quality within it. Any variation to the performance, that is significant or contravenes the applicable standard, is immediately alerted to the client via a bespoke dashboard and to their smartphone, allowing steps to be taken to remedy the situation.
Audeh concludes: “With Velvet2030, we are able to provide our clients with a long-lasting, cost effective solution for the sanitation of spaces. As global economies resume social activities, we are ready to service the rising demand for public health solutions and we welcome the opportunity to lead a much-needed positive change.
“Velvet2030 is the A to Z solution for cleaning and air quality. In other words, from the cleaning to the monitoring needs of high footfall businesses, all the way to informing the general public to give them the confidence and reassurance that places are as safe as they can be.”
The Open World Technology Group (www.towtg.com) can be contacted via Mike Reeves at mreeves@towtg.com
