Hygiene concept for vehicle tires: ToBRFV decontamination in seconds

"Whether external trucks or internal forklift and trolleys - vehicle tires can carry pathogens such as ToBRFV and thus contribute to the spread of pathogens. Holistic hygiene concepts are necessary to prevent the introduction and spread of these pathogens", says Jens Ehlers with Menno Chemie. Until now, tire decontamination has been a weak point in many hygiene concepts. However, this vulnerability has now been closed. A research from the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (Division Phytomedicine) showed that 90-99% ToBRFV removal was achieved with a contact time of just a few seconds using the innovative ProfilGate system in combination with MENNO Florades on contaminated tires.

The ProfilGate system is a mechanical clean driving zone developed to stop up dirt, whereas MENNO Florades is a disinfectant approved as a plant protection product.

Among other things, this study investigated whether different tire materials and different levels of virus concentrations have an influence on the success of decontamination. For this purpose, tires made of polyurethane, polyamide and rubber were contaminated with different defined virus concentrations. After drying, single segments of the tires were sampled with swab tests for positiv control. The test trolleys were then driven over the ProfilGate filled with MENNO Florades for 5 metres and afterwards other tire segments sampled again to evaluate the effect of the measure.

"When using this system for industrial cleaning, the tire tread is cleaned by the pre-tensioned brush strips as they are driven over", Jens explains. "The adhering dirt and pathogens accumulate in the integrated dirt collection trays underneath the gratings, which are filled with a 4% working solution of Menno Florades for reliable disinfection. Accordingly, the major improvement over conventional disinfection mats is that the tires are actively cleaned mechanically and disinfected at the same time."

This combined cleaning and disinfection zone resulted in a ToBRFV depletion of 90-99 % regardless of whether a high, medium or low virus concentration was prevalent on the tires. For the other tire materials tested, polyamide and rubber, depletion through ProfilGate ranged from 97-99%.

Depletion of infectious ToBRFV from polyurethane tires by rolling over the ProfilGate cleaning zone

Brushes, grid and solution
Further, the brushes, the metal grid and the disinfectant solution in the tray were analysed for ToBRFV. "These tests revealed that ToBRFV was safely inactivated in the entire clean-off zone by MENNO Florades and therefore there is no risk of pathogens accumulating in the system", Jens concludes.

"This research shows vehicle tires become contaminated due to infected tomato or plant residues lying on the ground. Tires, as well as shoes, contribute to the spread of ToBRFV, therefore cleaning and disinfection measures are necessary", Jens summarizes. "ProfilGate combines mechanical cleaning with disinfection when running over it. The combination of ProfilGate + MENNO Florades is a highly effective measure for the decontamination of ToBRFV etc. on tires."

Find the complete research here

Bandte, M.; Ehlers, J.; Nourinejhad Zarghani, S.; Büttner, C. A Combined Cleaning and Disinfection Measure to Decontaminate Tire Treads from Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus. Hygiene 2024, 4, 269-281.