Orbio kills bacteria without the use of chemicals

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn., May 19, 2010—Orbio Technologies, Tennant Company’s chemical-free technology arm, announced today that working together with their license partner Activeion, they have discovered the ability to kill bacterial cells and inactivate pathogenic viruses without using chemicals. The technology, which is based on irreversible electroporation, is known as Orbio-E.

According to Karla Leis, General Manager of Orbio Technologies Group, “We continue to build on our technology partnership with Activeion, the exclusive licensee of Orbio’s ec-H2OTM technology for handheld spray applications, and have expanded the license agreement to enable the Orbio-E technology to be added to Activeion’s handheld spray devices marketed under the names ionatorEXP™ and

ionatorHOM™.” When used as directed, the ionatorEXP and ionatoHOM kill the 2009 Pandemic H1N1 Influenza A virus and more than 99.9% of most harmful bacteria (E. coli, VRE, Salmonella, MRSA, Pseudomonas, Staph, Listeria and E. coli 0157:H7) on nonporous hard surfaces with a 6-second spray.

Electroporation has long been an effective and important tool in molecular and cellular biology for medical and pharmaceutical research. Electroporation uses a low-level, externally applied electrical field to temporarily disrupt cell membranes, allowing small molecules to pass directly into the cells. If the applied electric field is below a certain threshold, the disrupted areas–or pores formed in the cellular wall–simply heal after the electric field is turned off, allowing the modified cells to survive.

Orbio-E technology causes irreversible electroporation, going beyond the effects of typical, temporary cell poration. Orbio-E is a novel, non-chemical mechanism. On hard surfaces, Orbio-E disrupts and kills bacterial cells which may cause harmful infections. Quantitative laboratory tests also show that Orbio-E inactivates important pathogenic viruses like influenza.

Orbio-E uses only water and very small amounts of electrical energy to deliver impressive antimicrobial performance. Additional important benefits of this breakthrough technology include improved sustainability, reduced environmental footprint, and reduced hazards from the potential misuse of chemical (cleaning) products.

Orbio Technologies Group is conducting detailed studies to optimize this promising technology. One recent study investigated Orbio-E effects using a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Bacteria cell walls are clearly compromised when treated with Orbio-E.

Despite its harm to bacteria, Activeion has tested the impact of the technology in an independent lab to determine that it has no measurable detriment on skin, eyes, when ingested or inhaled. Therefore, the Activeion products do not carry any chemical-related warning label.

Orbio Technologies Group is currently forming a Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), comprised of external technical experts. According to Pete Swenson, Director of Advanced Technology at Orbio, the SAB will formalize Tennant’s tradition of working with world-class researchers from many technical disciplines. The SAB will advise Orbio on broad scientific matters and review the quality of scientific and technical research.

The discovery of Orbio-E comes on the heels of Tennant Company’s successful introduction of its breakthrough chemical-free cleaning technology known as Orbio ec-H2O™. The Orbio ec-H2O technology was named by R&D Magazine as one of the most technologically significant developments in 2008, and helps to meet the ever-growing need for sustainable cleaning. Orbio ec-H2O delivers proven cleaning results without the economic costs and environmental concerns associated with producing, packaging, transporting, using and disposing of traditional cleaning chemicals. The technology begins as water and ends as water, so it can be handled and disposed of easily and safely.

The Orbio ec-H2O and Orbio-E technology platform entails over 30 US and many more global patent applications.

Orbio Technologies Group is the chemical-free cleaning technology arm of Tennant Company. Established in 2009 to execute on Tennant Company’s vision of becoming a global leader in chemicalfree cleaning, Orbio Technologies Group is dedicated to developing and marketing environmentally friendly technologies under the brand name of Orbio that will set the standard for sustainable cleaning around the world. Leveraging Tennant’s proprietary and award-winning Orbio ec-H2O technology, Orbio Technologies Group will continue to create and deliver sustainable cleaning solutions to Tennant’s existing markets and new markets. For more information, visit www.orbiotech.com.

Minneapolis-based Tennant Company (NYSE: TNC) is a world leader in designing, manufacturing and marketing solutions that help create a cleaner, healthier world. Its products include equipment for maintaining surfaces in industrial, commercial and outdoor environments; chemical-free cleaning technologies; and specialty surface coatings for protecting, repairing and upgrading floors. Tennant's global field service network is the most extensive in the industry. Tennant has manufacturing operations in Minneapolis, Minn.; Holland, Mich.; Louisville, Ky.; Uden, The Netherlands; the United Kingdom; São Paulo, Brazil; and Shanghai, China; and sells products directly in 15 countries and through distributors in more than 80 countries. For more information, visit www.tennantco.com.

Activeion Cleaning Solutions, LLC, is a privately held cleaning technology company in Rogers, Minnesota, created to revolutionize the cleaning industry through the manufacturing, marketing and distribution of advanced cleaning technologies and products. Activeion is the exclusive licensee of Tennant Company's Orbio ec-H2O technology (for cleaning) and Orbio-E technology (for sanitizing) for handheld spray applications. Addressing the ever-growing need for sustainable cleaning, Activeion’s handheld ionized water technology cleans a variety of surfaces from glass to carpet spots and, when used as directed, sanitizes non-porous hard surfaces. These award-winning cleaning devices are ideal for offices, hotels, hospitals, schools and private residences. For more information, visit www.activeion.com.