preferred components of the present composition included : quaternary ammonium halide biocides such as alkyl ( c 10 - c 18 ) benzyl dimethyl ammonium chloride ; an ethoxylated alkyl phenol surfactant , such as nonyl phenols ; and , suitable aliphatic dialdehydes include 2 - 6 aliphatic dialdehydes such as glutaraldehyde , which is one of the preferred constituents . typical quaternary ammonium halide biocides are listed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 338 , 748 and they are incorporated herein by reference . however , while that patent employs alkanols and / or glycols to improve the solubility of the various components , alcohols such as alkanols , isopropyl alcohol and / or glycols are omitted from the composition of the present invention since they reduce or nullify the foaming capability of surfactants . typical ethoxylated alkyl phenol surfactants are described in mccutcheon &# 39 ; s , emulsifiers & amp ; detergents , volume 1 , north american edition , 1994 , and incorporated herein by reference . while these types of surfactants tend to be nonionic , other foaming ( and hence adhesive or sticky ) types of surfactants could be useful . preferred surfactants are c 8 - c 18 alkyl phenols having an hlb range of about 13 - 15 , and include the igepal series co - 630 to co - 730 ; a suitable specific surfactant is igepal co - 720 which is described as a nonionic , ethoxylated ( 12 ), c 12 nonyl phenol . when aerosol formulations are employed , foaming requirements can be reduced , and the hlb range can be lowered to about 12 - 15 . the use of ethoxylated alkyl phenol surfactants is surprising since , although a wide variety of applications for ethoxylated alkyl phenol surfactants are set forth in mccutcheon &# 39 ; s , supra , none are known as having the adhesive properties suitable for animal husbandry purposes and in the presence of high ppm hard water , and with long term storage properties , and this includes the igepal surfactant series . disinfectant compositions with similar components tend to have a highly unpleasant odor , and hence various ingredients may be incorporated into the composition of this invention for odor obscuring purposes . a mixture of pine oil and terpineol may used as the odor obscuring material , and they also possesses biocide properties . additionally , the mixture of pine oil and terpineol provides an oil vehicle for the performance and enhancement of thermalfogging , and functions to impart residual activity . other odor obscuring compounds may be employed such as citric acid , which has the added benefit of providing for ph adjustment . a chelating agent may be used in the present composition to aid in the solubility of components , to counteract the effect of hard water , and to breakdown the coatings of spores . when used , the preferred chelating agent is e . d . t . a ., and partial esters or salts of edta may also be used ; an example of a salt of edta is tetrasodium ethylenediamine tetraacetate . additionally , these and other useful chelating agents are noted in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 338 , 748 and 5 , 344 , 838 and , these chelating agents are incorporated herewith . these chelating agents may be found in the following acids , full salts or partial salts of : oxalic acid , malonic acid , oxaldihydrixamic acid , diaminoglyoxime , dithiomalonic acid , glyoxime , maleic acid , fumaric acid , oxalacetic acid , diglycolic acid , oxalenediuramidoxime , tartaric acid , thiodiglycolic acid , iminodiacetic acid , nitrilotriacetic acid , dimethylglyoxime , hydrazine n , n - diacetic acid , citraconic acid , 2 , 4 - pentanedione , n - methyliminodiacetic acid , glutaric acid , glutamic acid , aconitric acid ( trans ), gluconic acid , 1 , 2 - cyclohexanediamine - n , n , n &# 39 ;, n &# 39 ;- tetraacetic acid , itaconic acid , n &# 39 ;- benzylethylenediamine - n , n , n &# 39 ;- triacetic acid , diethylenetriamine - n , n , n &# 39 ; n &# 39 ; n &# 34 ; n &# 34 ;- pentaacetic acid , 2 , 2 &# 34 ;- ethylenedioxybis ( ethyliminodiacetic acid ), 2 , 2 &# 39 ;- oxybis ( propyliminodiacetic acid ), hexamethyldiamine - n , n , n &# 39 ; n &# 39 ;- tetraacetic acid , triethylenetetraminehexaactic acid , ethyl acetoacetate ; and , 1 , 3 , 5 - triaminocyclohexanehexaacetic acid . the present composition has a ph range of about 0 - 9 , and ph adjustment is obtained by adding a suitable acid , such as citric , phosphoric and / or sulfuric . acetic acid is noted in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 284 , 875 as tending to eliminate stickiness , and hence does not appear recommended for use with foam surfactants to provide ph adjustment . typical component concentration ranges of the present composition are , as follows : quaternary ammonium halide : about 20 %- 80 %; dialdehyde : about 1 %- 15 %; foam surfactant : about 2 %- 15 %; chelating agent : up to about 9 %; odor obscuring compound : up to about 7 . 5 %; phosphoric acid , and the like : sufficient to lower the ph and stabilize the dialdehyde ; and , water : balance . a suitable concentrate of this invention is , as follows : alkyl ( c 12 - c 18 ) benzyl dimethyl ammonium chloride ( 50 %): about 26 . 00 %; glutaraldehyde ( 50 %): about 7 . 00 %; ethoxylated ( 12 ) nonyl phenol ( surfactant ): about 7 . 50 %; e . d . t . a . ( chelating agent ): about 3 . 12 %; pine oil : about 1 . 5 %; terpineol : about 3 . 00 %; and phosphoric acid ( 75 %): about 1 . 155 %; and , water : 50 . 725 %, all parts by weight . the ph of this solution is sufficiently low to stabilize the glutaraldehyde and maintain its long term stability at ambient temperatures . when applied to walls , ceilings and floors of animal husbandry surfaces as poultry hatcheries , poultry growing facilities , egg processing facilities , etc ., the foam nature of the composition of this invention provides a contact time for about 5 minutes to about one ( 1 ) hour . these results can be attained at dilution levels of about 1 : 250 parts of water . tests of the composition , supra , were carried out at a dilution of 1 : 256 , in the presence of 1 , 000 ppm water hardness at 5 % serum as organic load , conforming with a . o . a . c . 15th edition , u . s . environmental pesticide assessment guidelines on environmental surfaces . it was found that this composition is effective as a bactericide , virucide , fungicide , mildewicide , and as a deodorant . hatchery facilities which may be cleaned and disinfected by the composition of this invention , include : hatchers and setters , poultry go - round , tray washing machines , central and portable fogging systems , evaporative coolers , humidifying systems , live haul equipment , including poultry busses and transfer trucks , vehicle wheels , boots and shoes , trays , coops , poultry boxes such as polyethylene , foot baths , feed bins , poultry breeder such as for chicken and turkey breeder , layer and grow - out houses . a wide variety of surfaces may be cleaned and disinfected by the composition of this invention , and include : ceramic and glazed tile surfaces , stainless steel , aluminum , chrome , tin , zinc , galvanized metal , brass , glass , treated and untreated wood , polyethylene , polypropylene , pvc , vinyl , fiberglass , and polymers of nitrile , acrylic and urethane . for thermalfogging purposes , one quart of solution diluted to about 1 : 250 and dispersed in 10 micron particle sizes will saturate about 1 , 000 cubic feet of space . all person , poultry , livestock and pets must be vacated from a building or enclosure prior to thermalfogging , and all vents , doors , louvers , etc ., should be closed . the building should remain closed for a minimum of twenty - four ( 24 ) hours for treatment to occur , after which it can be aired and a minimum of twenty - four ( 24 ) to forty - eight ( 48 ) hours should elapse prior to repopulating with poultry or livestock . persons should not enter a treated room for a minimum of twenty - four ( 24 ) to forty - eight ( 48 ) hours following treatment , and if less time is required for reentry , niosh / msha guidelines for respirator use should be followed , and proper clothes , etc . should be worn . also , if items such as feeders and watering troughs were not removed or covered prior to thermalfogging , these items should be thoroughly washed and cleaned with detergent prior to reuse by poultry or livestock . when spray treating the interior of poultry houses including items such as walls , ceilings , floors , stalls , fixtures , troughs , and areas traversed by poultry or animals , these should be washed down prior to application by the spraying treatment , and a contact time of about ten ( 10 ) minutes to about one ( 1 ) hour should elapse for treatment to take place . prior to reuse , the walls , floors , ceilings and interior items should then be rinsed with potable water . typical bacteria which can be disinfected with the composition of this invention include : staphylococcus aureus , staphylococcus pyogenes , streptococcus hemolyticus , streptococcus dysgalactiae , mycobacterium tuberculosis , salmonella typhosa , salmonella typhimurium , salmonella pulorum , hemophilus parasuis , clostridium perfringens , mycoplasma synoviae , mycoplasma hyopneumoniae , pasteurella multocida , klebsiella pneumoniae , staphylococcus epidermis , streptococcus agalactiae , streptococcus fecalis , listeria monocytogenis , mycobacterium tuberculosis , salmonella choleraesuis , salmonella enteritidis , pseudomonas aeruginosa , clostridium tetani , diplococcus pneumoniae , mycoplasma gallisepticum , escherichia coli , pasteurella hemolytica , alcaligenes faecalis , salmonella gallinarum , salmonella arizonae , salmonella schotimuelleri , staphylococcus hyicus , streptococcus pyogenes , haemophilus parasuis ; and , bordetella bronchiseptica . fungus types which may be disinfected by the composition of this invention include : aspergillus fumigatus , aspergillus glacus , aspergillus nidulans , aspergillus flavus , aspergillus niger , fusarium solani ; and , penicillium variable . viruses which are disinfected by this composition include : myxoma virus , newcastle disease virus , infectious bursal disease virus ( gumboro ), avian infectious bronchitis virus , avian infectious laryngotracheitis virus , avian reovirus , avian rotavirus , avian influenza virus , avian adenovirus , marek &# 39 ; s disease virus , herpes simplex , hiv ( aids virus ), pseudorabies virus , transmissible gastroenteritis virus , porcine rotavirus , parvo virus , avian leukosis virus ; and , avipox virus . the composition and method of this invention provide an effective biocide foam having a long term effect on treated animal husbandry surfaces , with a long shelf life , besides being biodegradable and safe for animals and humans when properly used .
a phase - stable , biocide concentrate and / or solution composition is provided for disinfecting surfaces such as in animal husbandry applications , food processing , medical purposes , and the like . in the concentrate form , the composition comprises a quaternary ammonium biocide , an aliphatic dialdehyde and a foam surfactant . typically , the solution composition may employ glutaraldehyde , a foam producing surfactant , a chelating agent , an odor obscuring compound , and an acid to lower the ph and stabilize the glutaraldehyde . the concentrate has a stability at ambient temperature of up to about two years . when applied to surfaces employed in animal husbandry , the adhesive properties of the composition enable it to remain in contact with these surfaces a sufficiently long time and thereby provide effective cleaning and disinfecting capability .