| Biological Catalyst: |
A substance or material that increases the rate of chemical and biological reaction without itself undergoing any permanent chemical or biological change. Education Note: In flooded buildings, bacteria, yeasts and fungi can be described as having biochemical reactions (biological markers) having homogeneous catalyst reactions, if the building's effected environment is left alone after a biological occurrence. Detergents and disinfectants (oxides) acting as neutralizing reactions, can be stated as having heterogeneous catalyst reactions. With heterogeneous reactions, the catalyst of detergents and some disinfectants provide the pathway by which the catalyst reaction can proceed, where the biological activation of the pollutant energy becomes lower. Proper use of detergents and disinfectants increase the rate at which the biological reaction of harmful bacteria, yeasts and fungi come to equilibrium, although it does not alter the position of the equilibrium of the building's resident microflora, except may be for a short period of time after cleaning and disinfection. In certain circumstances, very small quantities of a detergent cleaning and disinfectant agent can speed up biochemical reactions to a pollutant. Most catalysts are also highly specific in the type of reaction they catalyze, particularly chemical disinfectants such as aldehydes, iodophors, oxidizers, phenols, and enzymes in biochemical reactions. Generally, the term is used for a substance that increases reaction of the biological marker rate producing ( a positive catalyst). Some cleaning and disinfectant reactions can be slowed down by (negative catalyst) acting as a sanitizer or inhibitor of growth. |