2024 Volume 75 Issue 1 Pages 17-23
Water areas such as kitchens, hand-washing sinks, and bathrooms are breeding grounds for bacteria that like wet environments and multiply daily. Although washing them off is important for sanitation and eliminating discomfort for people, their removal is difficult. This study examined the effectiveness of ultrafine bubbles less than 1 μm in diameter in removing Rhodotorula sp., a red yeast responsible for pink slime, which is a common cause of water-slime, in running water. Tap water as a reference and ultrafine bubble water were introduced into a shower, and test pieces coated with Rhodotorula sp. were washed with the water to compare the results. As a result, compared to tap water, ultrafine bubble water showed an extremely high removal effect at the position where the shower water directly hit (impact force is the main factor). The improvement of the removal effect was also confirmed at the indirect position where the water flowed down (shearing force is the main factor).
