TECHNOLOGY | ANTIMICROBIALS


Above: BioCote is part of the Amicable project to develop lightweight composite grab poles with antimicrobial properties for mass transit application


the EPA as such. Products containing antimicrobials can also be registered, or they can be categorised as a ‘treated article’ that is exempt from registration as long as it meets certain requirements, including strict rules limiting marketing claims. “A treated article is a product that contains a pesticide for the purpose of protecting the product itself. Treated articles must not make any claims that could be interpreted as having a benefit to user or environment as a result of containing an antimicro- bial technology,” says BioCote’s Managing Director, David Hall. “We invest a lot of time working with our customers to formulate messages that help communicate the benefits of antimicrobial prod- ucts and why their customers should care, but everything is based on fact, based on data, and very much rooted in the reality of how that product will actually perform.”


Hall says the company is working with a range of


Right: Consumers today are increasingly sensitive to hygiene issues, says antimicro- bial additive maker Sanitized


new partners on novel applications for antimicro- bial plastics, with public transportation one growing area. In 2020, BioCote launched a partner- ship with US brand Aereos Interior Solutions (AIS) to integrate antimicrobial technology into interior aircraft parts such as tray tables, toilet shrouds, toilet seats and window shades to protect their products from odour, stain and material degrada- tion-causing microbes. BioCote is also involved in the UK’s Amicable


project. Funded by an Innovate UK research grant, the project includes manufacturers and researchers from the Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) at the University of Warwick and aims to produce innovative lightweight composite grab poles with embedded antimicrobial properties. “The grab poles will be used in a wide range of


public transport applications, such as bus, rail, underground and tram, including in the new prototype vehicles of the Coventry Light Rail


30 COMPOUNDING WORLD | July 2021 www.compoundingworld.com


system. The poles themselves will be suitable for retrofit, which means they can be installed into new vehicles, and they can also replace existing steel poles in buses and the Underground [London’s public mass transit system]. Whilst the project initially focuses on public transport applications for improved cleanliness and additional product protection, there is the potential for the materials to be used on cruise ships, medical furniture or wherever there is a chance of odour, staining or material degrading microbes causing issues for products,” explains Hall. BioCote is also working with a number of automotive OEMs and their supply chain partners to develop antimicrobial-containing interior trim and HVAC components. Antimicrobial protection of plastic parts helps


products stay cleaner for longer and reduces microbial-induced material degradation, making products more durable. “BioCote has data to show the continued antimicrobial efficacy over an average product lifespan of 25 years,” says Hall. He notes an upturn in enquiries from the re-useable product market over the past few years, as companies seek to reduce the demand for single-use plastics, for example, with reusable drink bottles and coffee cups protected with antimicrobial technology. “Consumers are increasingly sensitised to


hygiene,” says Cédric Münger, Head of Application Laboratories at Switzerland-based Sanitized. Previously, he says people were most concerned about hygiene in areas such as kitchens and bathrooms, but today “a door handle is no longer what it was before the pandemic.” Growing application areas include moulded


products for high-touch surfaces such as light switches and shopping cart handles, and self-adhe-


IMAGE: BIOCOTE


IMAGE: SANITIZED


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