chemicals 
The path leading us to Bensos’ creation started from the study of urban and industrial sewage treatment plants techniques, made for the graduate thesis.
Examining in depth such issues allowed us to understand two main concepts:
- disposal techniques via chemical, physical or biological treatment are effective and always improving; however a lot of substances cannot yet be degraded, some of them cannot even be stopped by filtration (one example among many: cloramines), while other play a role as biodegradation inhibitors;
- wastewater treatment plants are very useful… where they are present: not all the wastewater are treated, as many sewage pipes lead directly to the river, the lake or the sea.
From this come reasonings on which our Criteria are based, leading us to create from the ground a Research & Development laboratory and, then, a manufacturing site to fulfill a dream: turning down really the cleaning and washing impact on the environment.
It is important to Bensos, first of all, to use only easily biodegradable chemicals, such that “good” bacteria raised in treatment plants may convert them, or better mineralize them – that is to break into little pieces as water, carbon dioxide, nitrogen molecules – without leaving not biodegradable remains. In order to allow bacteria do this, chemicals must be breakable very quickly, because bacteria stay into wastewater only few hours, before moving to the settling vessel and being separated; in activated sludge, bacteria are very concentrated and very lively, as large amounts of nutrients and of oxygen are added to the mixed liquor, together with compressed air, nonetheless the chemical must be readily biodegradable, to be eaten by bacteria. Some chemicals are degraded only by acclimatised bacteria; such condition is possible in treatment plants receiving only industrial sewage with a constant composition. Even in this case, however, some problems may occur (as for biodegradation of polyvynilic alcohol, the constituent of hydrosoluble detergent pods).
Bensos thinks biodegradation is very important outside treatment plants too: many wastwater pipes do not lead to treatment plants, but rather directly into lakes, rivers and seas where “good” bacteria live naturally, dispersed in the environment. To make biodegradation happen anyway, two requirements must be achieved:
- chemicals must be biodegradable by not-preadapted bacteria;
- biodegradation must be quick: outside treatment plants bacteria are less concentrated and chemicals, before being eaten, may hide into sediments or into drinkable aquifers, without degrading for many years.
These are the main reasons why Bensos chose to use only readily biodegradable ingredients for its products, either detergents, body cleansers or creams.
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