2nd International Conference on Carbon
Chemistry & Materials (CCM-2022)
10-12 October 2022 Rome, Italy

Applications of activated carbon impregnatedwith elementary iodine-- Potential applications in the medical field -Tatenuma Katsuyoshi 1, Spaziani Fabio 2, Kinase Yoshiaki 3
1 Kaken Inc. (Japan), 2 ENEA Casaccia (Italy), 3 Iode-Labo Inc. (Japan)

1/18

Introduction

IodAC ®
An activated carbon impregnated with elementary iodine

An iodine-doped activated carbon (IodAC) was developed by adsorbing molecular iodine (I2) on commerciallyavailable activated carbon (AC). It can be produced using different amounts of iodine. The experiments hereafter
presented were performed using IodAC(30) type, a IodAC carrying 30 g of I2 per 100 g of product.
Iodine is strongly adsorbed on the AC’ surface: both volatilization and elution are negligible

2/18

Introduction

Comparison of IodAC with commonly used disinfecting agents

Disinfecting agent

Active ingredient

EffectEffective life

Inorganic

Ag, Cu, Zn, TiO2

WeakLong

Organic

Alcohol, Thiazoline, Imidazol

Medium ~ Strong

Short

Chlorine

Hypochlorite, Trichloroisocyanuric acid

Medium ~ Strong

ShortPeroxide

H2O2, ClO2, CH3COOOH

Medium ~ Strong

Short

IodAC

Elementary Iodine (I2)StrongLong

3/18

Introduction

Wide range of potential applications
No.

FieldField & Usage

Effect1Environment

Water bloom, Bird flu.

Water purification, Removing bacteria

2

Drinking water

Oxidation of As(III)

Aseptic water
As(III) oxidation→As(V)3

Medical feed

Disinfectant, Feed, Egg washing

Inactivation of Bird flu., Campylobcteriosis, Salmonella

4

MedicalSanitary

Gut sterilization treatment, Blood sterilization
treatment, Medical article, antibacterial bandage,
gauze and cotton

Sapraemia treatment, Hypersensitive gut syndrome andulcerative colitis, Skin sterilization

5Defense

Antibacterial mask,
Antibacterial mask for biological weapons

Antibacterial, Antivirus

6Deodorization

Air conditioning filter, Aseptic room
(Biotechnology laboratory, Hospital)

Antibacterial, Deodorization

7Food

Fresh food pack & seat

Keeping of freshness, Anti-corruption bacteria, Anti-foodpoisoning bacteria

8Electricalappliances

Electrical (water) appliances, Pool water, Bathwater

Antibacterial, Antivirus

9Clothes
Daily necessities

Clothes, Household goods

Antibacterial, Sterilization, Deodorization

10Construction

Surface treatment, Floor, Wall

Antibacterial prevention mold in a building wall

11

Fish keeper

Water treatment for fish culture

Measure for sickness of fish (skin disease)

12

Import & Export

Post-harvest for imported citrus, etc.

Mold prevention during transportation after harvest

13

Agriculture

Agricultural productReplant failure prevention

4/18

Antiviral and antibacterial properties

Confirmed antibacterial activity
Example of antibacterial tests
Three test tubes containing “Brilliant Green Bile Lactose Broth” (BGBLB) medium, spiked with Escherichia coli solution, wereprepared.
Tube 1: 1 g of IodAC was added.
Tube 2: 1 g of raw Activated carbon (AC without iodine treatment) was added.
Tube 3: Reference.
The samples were stored at 35 °C for 24 h.
Similar test was conducted employing standard agar culture medium in Petri dishes, spiked with the Escherichia coli solution.
IodAC and untreated AC were placed on Petri dishes, covering a diameter of about 1 cm on the surface of the agar medium.
The dishes were stored at about 35 °C for 22 h.

5/18

Antiviral and antibacterial properties

Confirmed antiviral activityExample of antiviral tests (based on avian influenza virus (A/whistling swan/Shimane/499/83/(H5N3) strain).
Virus was inoculated in the allantoic cavity of 10-day-old embryonated chicken eggs, cultured at 35 °C for 2 days, then theallantoic fluid was collected and used to prepare the virus solution for the experiments. The 50% Egg Infectious Dose (EID50)
was calculated and adjusted to about 107.5EID50/0.2 mL with sterile Phosphate-Buffered Saline (PBS).
The virus solution and IodAC were added to a test tube and mixed for 10 min, testing several IodAC-to-virus solution ratios(such as 1:40, that is, 1cc of IodAC in 40cc of virus solution, or 1:100, etc.) in order to study the variation of the antiviralefficiency. The residual virus titer was calculated as EID50 using the Reed and Muench method.

6/18

Bioinvasive test

Bioinvasive test on human skinafter one-minute direct contact

7/18

Bioinvasive test

Bioinvasive test on chicken meat
after direct contact for 8 hours

Iodine (I2)

IodAC

after wipe

Bioinvasive

after wipe

No bioinvasive

8/18

Practical applications (Environment disinfection)

Indoor/outdoor disinfection (comparison with Slaked-lime)

Slaked lime powder is traditionallyused as a disinfectant to prevent
infectious diseases in livestock
Used extensively during avian influenza
and swine cholera outbreaks.

9/18

Practical applications (Environment disinfection)

Indoor/outdoor disinfection (comparison with Slaked-lime)

The native alkaline pH of slaked lime (pH = 12.8)
decreased after 10 days and stabilized to about pH = 9
after two weeks. On the contrary, IodAC showed a stable
pH (about 4.3–4.8) during the entire test span (4 weeks).

IodAC:
long-lasting antibacterial and antiviral effect

The pH value is particularly important, since it is strictly
correlated to the disinfectant power of slaked lime.
Indeed, when exposed to air, slaked lime starts to absorb
CO2, which induces a reaction that gradually lowers boththe pH and the disinfectant power of slaked lime.

10/18

Practical applications (zoonoses prevention and control)

Supplement for poultry feed (avian influenza countermeasure)
IodAC can be used in breeding farms to inhibit thespread of infectious zoonoses. For example, it
could be employed as a feed additive to prevent
avian influenza, because animals’ feces are a
primary route of spread. Therefore, if mixed inproper quantity to poultry feed, IodAC has thepotential to inactivate the virus directly inside theintestinal tract of the animal and, since it will not
be digested, will be lastly expelled with theuninfected feces

11/18

IodAC for medical use

Potential applicability in the medical field

12/18

IodAC for medical use[Proposal-1] Surgical Site Infections

Surgical Site Infection: SSI
SSI is an infection that occurs after surgery in the part of thebody where the surgery took place. Surgical site infections cansometimes be superficial infections involving the skin only.
Other surgical site infections are more serious and can involve
tissues under the skin, organs, or implanted material.
SSI can be caused by bacteria transmitted from the operating
room environment, from healthcare workers, or the patient's
own intestinal or skin flora. The latter factor is consideredmore important, and pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus,
Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococci, and Coliforms areisolated relatively frequently.

IodAC@

packaged insterile mesh

Applicationon thesurgical site

Skinsubcutaneous tissue
soft tissue

superficialincision SSI
deep incision SSI

fascia and muscle

organ/body cavity

organ/cavity SSI

Types of surgical site infection (SSI)

13/18

IodAC for medical use[Proposal-2] IodAC applicability as an oral colon antiseptic
Intestinal flora transplantation
Intestinal flora transplantation (fecal microbial transplantation = fecal transplantation) is an attempt to restore the balance ofthe bacterial flora by injecting intestinal bacteria extracted from the feces of a healthy person into the patient's large
intestine. In addition to intestinal diseases, it has begun to attract attention as a treatment method for diseases such as
diabetes, cancer, arteriosclerosis, and hay fever, which have been pointed out to be related to bacterial flora. Alreadyproposed by government agencies as an effective treatment for intractable intestinal infections in the United States. In Japan,
it is already in clinical trials for use in the treatment of ulcerative colitis.

Intestinal disinfection with IodAC
Sufficient eradication of the intestinal bacteria prior tointestinal flora transplant surgery is likely to produce
therapeutic effects and improve the success of the treatment.
IodAC could be used for this purpose.

If the intestinal flora is not in good condition
inflammatory
bowel diseaseobesity
constipation
diarrhea
diabetes

canceratopichigh bloodpressure

depression

14/18

IodAC for medical use[Proposal-3] IodAC applicability as ulcerative colitis treatment
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a term for two conditions (Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis) that are characterized bychronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Prolonged inflammation results in damage to the GI tract.
The possible role of some pathogens in the development andexacerbation of the inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal
tract has been described. Pathogens that could be associated with
the IBD disease are: bacteria such as Mycobacterium avium
subspecies paratuberculosis, Clostridium difficile, Escherichia coli,
Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter concisus; viruses, such as,
cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr Virus, and measles virus.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

normal colon

moderate IBD15/18

IodAC for medical use[Proposal-4] IodAC applicability as hemoadsorption therapy
Hemoadsorption therapy is a treatment method in which blood is drawn directly through acolumn and returned to the body. In the case of drug intoxication, the drug can be removed byadsorption by passing the blood through an activated carbon column.
IodAC could be used for blood disinfection protocols

Hemoadsorption
cartridge
Hemoadsorption
cartridge

IodAC

16/18

IodAC proposal for medical use

Conclusions
IodAC has unique and attractive properties and potential applicability in the medical
fields. Investigations are in progress.

Joint research and collaborations are welcome.
For further information and collaborations, please contact Dr. Tatenuma Katsuyoshi(Kaken Inc., Japan): tatenuma@kakenlabo.co.jp

17/18

IodAC proposal for medical use

Thank you

http://www.kakenlabo.co.jp/
tatenuma@kakenlabo.co.jp

References:
Natori Y. et al. (2021)
Activated Carbon Impregnated with Elementary Iodine: Applications against Virus- andBacteria-Related Issues. C (Journal of Carbon research) 7, 86.
18/18