Guru sat down with Matt Hodgson, Co-Founder at Outbreaker Solutions, to talk about their antimicrobial surface products using compressed sodium chloride (CSC) products, the science behind using compressed sodium chloride (CSC), efficacy comparisons to traditional copper and much more.

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Developing an antimicrobial surface using compressed sodium chloride (CSC)

Matt tells us that his company takes regular salt and compresses it into a hard, durable, almost ceramic-type surface. This is integrated into commonly touched items like door handles, railings, etc., and can kill all sorts of microorganisms in under 2 minutes.

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Story behind using compressed sodium chloride (CSC)

Matt tells us that all of this started when Doug Olson, a former butcher, got the idea from observing animal salt licks and the antibacterial properties of salt, which have been utilized for thousands of years to preserve meat. He took a piece of this compressed salt and got it tested by third-party labs against bacteria. The results were promising, showing that the bacteria are swiftly killed when placed on the surface. This led to building prototypes before eventually starting a company.

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A glimpse behind Outbreaker Solutions' technology

Matt gives us an insight into how their products work. When pathogens encased in water droplets land on their product, a bit of salt dissolves when it comes into contact with the water droplet, instantly dries, and re-crystalizes. This physically destroys the pathogen and has been verified using technical microscopy.

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Outbreaker Solutions' products vs traditional copper

Matt believes one of their most significant pride points is their efficacy data against other antimicrobial surfaces, including copper. While conducting their research, they found that their compressed sodium chloride (CSC) products achieved 99.9% reduction in two minutes while copper took two hours.

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Shelf life of Oubreaker Solutions' products

One of the biggest shortcomings of current antimicrobials sprays on the market is that you have to reapply it once a month as it wears down quickly. Outbreaker Solutions chose to go with the physical products rather than a spray because they found that the products they’re developing can last a long time depending on their thickness.