Saniconcentrate to help stop virus' spreading

With Saniconcentrate, Parx Materials has created a way to make plastic intrinsically resistant to bacteria and viruses. The additive is homogenously incorporated into plastics to create an ’immune system’ inherent to the material.

Antimicrobial technologies have historically used biocides, such as silver or copper, to destroy microorganisms. While this method may effectively destroy bacteria and viruses, it can lead to toxic substances leaching out of the material, contaminating the products or surfaces it is trying to protect, as well as contaminating the environment and making recycling a more challenging task. In addition to relying on finite resources to work, bacteria and viruses tend to become resistant to biocides over time, reducing the biocides’ efficacy. Making bacteria viruses stronger so they become more difficult to battle and cause a bigger threat in the future.

Typically, bacteria and viruses attach to surfaces in order to sustain themselves over a long period of time. Inspired by the defence mechanisms of the human body, the technology of Parx Materials works by mimicking the physical characteristics of the human skin.

Saniconcentrate uses a trace element abundantly found in the body to prevent bacteria and viruses from adhering to surfaces, causing them to run through their usual lifecycle and die within hours. This ecological approach of dealing with germs can be seen as a natural way to keep bacteria and viruses at bay, instead of just killing them and inducing resistance.

As Saniconcentrate uses materials already found in the human body, it is biocompatible, safe and its applications are limitless. The technology is currently in use in major supermarkets and has shown outstanding results in medical trials.

A new study, carried out by an authorised laboratory, identifies the development of the amount of COVID-19 virus on plastic surfaces made with the Saniconcentrate additive. The test was carried out in accordance with ISO 21702:2019 ‘measurement of antiviral activity on plastics and other non-porous surfaces’. After 24 hours, the treated sample saw a 99% reduction in the virus.

A second test on a different material made with Saniconcentrate, found a 53.23% reduction in Covid-19 virus after just six hours and a 93.24% reduction after 24 hours. This proves definitively that Saniconcentrate protects surfaces against coronavirus and therefore its spread. Here, Covid-19 and coronavirus refer to the SARS-CoV-2 virus; the tests were carried out using the COV2019 Italy/INMI1 strain.

“Today’s struggles against the Covid-19 pandemic and antibiotic-resistant superbugs show that innovation is needed when it comes to antimicrobial materials,” commented Michaël van der Jagt, CEO of Parx Materials. “The test results showing a 99% reduction in coronavirus on Saniconcentrate treated surfaces confirms its ability to help us return to normal life using a safe and ecological approach.”