Patent ID: 6890481

Claim:
A method for sterilizing an area comprising: impregnating a paper sheet or pellet with a first chemical material, wherein the first chemical material is either an antimicrobial or biocidal chemical material, or is capable of reacting with a second chemical material to produce an antimicrobial or biocidal chemical material, wherein, when the first chemical material is an antimicrobial or biocidal chemical material, said method further comprises placing the impregnated paper sheet or pellet in the area to be sterilized, wherein, when the first chemical material is capable of reacting with a second chemical material to produce an antimicrobial or biocidal chemical material, said method further comprises: (a) further impregnating the paper sheet or pellet with the second chemical material, thereby physically contacting and reacting the first and the second chemical materials, and (b) placing the further impregnated paper sheet or pellet in the area to be sterilized, wherein, when the first chemical material is an antimicrobial or biocidal chemical material, the first chemical material is selected from an alkali metal sorbate, a combination of an alkali metal sorbate and an acid, ascorbic acid, benzoic acid, hydrogen peroxide, lactic acid, d-limonene, phosphoric acid, a quaternary ammonium compound, sodium bisulfite, and sodium sulfite, and wherein, the paper sheet or pellet is formed from at least one of softwood pulp, kenaf, flax and hemp.