ANTIMICROBIALS | ADDITIVES
Jennifer Markarian investigates advances in antimicrobial and biocidal additives that prevent growth of microbes to increase the lifetime of durable plastic products
Antimicrobials deal with safety and regulation
Antimicrobial and biocidal additives incorporated into thermoplastic compounds can protect plastic products from problems such as degradation, discoloration or staining caused by the growth of microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi or algae. The resulting increased service longevity of the parts helps towards sustainability efforts. The additives must be registered for use under the appropriate guidelines for each country where it will be used, such as the EU Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR), the UK’s GB BPR, the US Environ- mental Protection Agency (EPA), and others. Consumers recognise the benefits of antimicro- bials in consumer plastics applications, but are wary of potential toxicity, says Souvik Nandi, Vice President, Technology and Innovations at Microban International. “There is a growing consumer demand for safer, more sustainable alternatives to traditional chemical antimicrobials. Products made
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with natural antimicrobial agents or designed to be biodegradable are gaining popularity,” he says. The company’s new Ascera product line uses a
patent-pending antimicrobial that the company says is “nature-inspired chemistry, similar to acids found in nature” that has a history of being used in consumer products and is not based on heavy metals unlike some alternatives. “Ascera interferes with the cell membrane permeability of microor- ganisms and hinders the cell’s nutrition absorption and conversion processes, inhibiting its growth and survival,” Microban reports. Ascera is EPA-regis- tered and going through the registration process for EU BPR and Health Canada PMRA; it is currently for sale in the US and Asia. The antimicrobial is offered as masterbatches for adding to moulding or extrusion of plastics such as PE, PP, and TPEs. “Microban engineers have carefully optimised masterbatch to host polymer
July 2024 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 31
IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK
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