Anti-microbial additives for enhanced protection

Polymers blended with additives have taken on some special functions that have enabled the production of safer, cleaner, tougher and more attractive consumer products. The Middle East region, being a huge market for plastic products, has offered vast opportunities to manufacturers of additives with anti-microbial features.

Eco-Polymers is a distributor in the Middle East of Symphony’s range of environment-friendly d2w oxo-biodegradable and d2p anti-microbial additives. d2w turns ordinary plastic at the end of its useful life into a material with a different molecular structure.At that stage it is no longer plastic but is instead a material that can be bio-assimilated in the open environment by a process similar to that of a leaf.

d2w when added to the plastic product controls and shortens the degradation and biodegradation process, thereby making it unnecessary to stop using plastic. One percent of d2w added at the time of manufacture enables nature to take care of the rest. d2w has been independently tested by some of the world’s leading laboratories for degradation, biodegradation, eco-toxicity and direct food contact. It enables plastic to degrade on land or in the sea, in heat or cold, in light or in the dark.

Plastic containing d2w is made with the same machinery as normal plastic with little extra cost. During its useful life it has the same appearance and performance as ordinary plastic and can be recycled with other oil based plastics.

“d2p is an additive system that gives plastic products anti-microbial, anti-virus and fungicidal performance. It contains unique active ingredients which effectively inhibit bacterial, viral and fungal growth. The controlled release of the active ingredients ensures long-term protection. d2p anti-fungal additive has the potential to increase the shelflife of fresh food, reduce requirement for food preservatives and inhibit mold growth on food and non-food applications. d2p anti-bacterial is our silver-based additive which has been tested against over 50 common organisms including dangerous bacteria such as MRSA, E.Coli, Salmonella, Listeria, Pseudomonas and Aspergillus Niger,” said Winston Pryce, General Manager at Eco-Polymers. Other applications include air conditioning systems, waste bins, water storage tanks, school chairs and toilet seats.

Pryce added that the UAE government introduced a law and UAE Standard 5009/2009 for oxo-biodegradable plastics which have spurred the overall demand for oxo-biodegradable products in the region. An increasing number of countries are developing standards and enacting laws favouring oxobiodegradable plastics which are the most effective means of combatting the problem of litter that escapes collection.

Bringing the safety issue a step forward

Various other companies are like Ecopolymers because they also understand the importance and demand of additives in the region. Excel International FZ-LLC supplies two additives, Reverte ? oxobiodegradable additive and Bactiglas? antimicrobial additive, both produced by its British principals, Wells Plastics Ltd, in their own plant in Staffordshire, UK.

Reverte additives are used for producing oxo-biodegradable grade of packaging films, grocery bags, garbage bags, shopping bags, and other types of bags, as well as plastic films. Reverte has been tested as per ASTM 6954 and UAE S. 5009:2009 and has received 'Emirates Quality Mark' certification from ESMA, the federal UAE body for standards.

Bactiglas additives are used for plastics (fiAir Jordan