Did you know about the existence of a polymeric additives that, added to plastic, grants antibacterial properties?
After decades of studies and research at HPE International, we have developed antibacterial and antimicrobial plastics thanks to the use of zinc or silver based additives, which ensure even greater cleanliness and hygiene to plastic products.
Let’s see now a focus on the properties of zinc, a 100% organic agent, completely non-toxic and harmless to the human body.
Zincs’ antibacterial properties
HPE International uses antibacterial additives for applications in which hygiene and cleanliness are determinant. The constant research of performant materials made it possible to find a 100% safe product that doesn’t change any characteristic of the polymers: zinc.
Zinc inhibits the growth and the bacterial transmission granting it’s effectiveness even if submitted to mechanical stress, temperature variations and light exposure. Tests conducted on different bacteria performed a fantastic result: up to 99% granted efficacy.
Fields of application
According to the European regulation for materials in contact with food (EU 10/2011), zinc can’t be contained in quantities above 5 mg /kg and from the tests on the migration, the results show there is no migration compared to the original materials on which the tests have been done. Therefore there are various fields of application in which this additive can be used: alimentary field (eg. Food containers), hygiene field (eg. cleaning carts), or for parts that require specific characteristics.
There are many thermoplastic and thermosetting polymers on which antibacterial agents can be added, such as:
- ABS
- PP
- PS
- PE/LDPE
- PVC
- PC
These agents grant the permanent protection of the materials from mildew, bacteria and fungi, opposing the growth of new colonies.
