Manufacturing Antimicrobial Additives

Antimicrobial Agents for Lasting Freshness

Moisture and warmth, alongside nutrients and a textile substrate, form an ideal biosphere for the establishment and proliferation of bacteria and mold. But preventing bacteria from establishing in the first place can help avoid its undesirable effects.

By inhibiting the growth of microorganisms, Goulston’s state-of-the-art antimicrobial technology helps control odor, fight stains, and resist mold and mildew in textiles. Some of the textile applications using our antimicrobial technologies include:

• Home fashions (bedding, pillows and linens)
• Outdoor furnishings (cushions, awnings and fabrics)
• Apparel (athletic uniforms, sportswear, footwear and outerwear)

Lurol Antimicrobial Agents for Textiles

Control mold, mildew and bacteria with EPA registered ready-to-use antimicrobials (Lurol^® Ag-1500 – a silver ion-based polymer system or Lurol AM-7 – based on quaternary ammonium silane chemistry).

Quaternary ammonium silane provides commercially proven technology for >20 years. Lurol AM-7 controls bacterial and fungal growth by killing by contact. Lurol AM-7 provides the target performance properties without the presence of solvents for improved environmental properties.

Lurol Ag-1500 is based on Dow Chemical’s SILVADUR™ employing a Smart Release technology that releases silver ions from the polymer when bacteria come in contact with the fabric. Silver ions are contained in a polymer that is held to the fabric surface by adsorption and electrostatic forces.

The delivery of silver ions via polymer technology makes Lurol Ag-1500 durable and safe. And because it does not chemically react with the fabric, it does not change the nature, color, hand or other properties of the treated textile. Lurol Ag-1500 can provide effective and long-lasting antimicrobial activity for more than 50 launderings at adequate add-on levels and application treatments.

Silver Antimicrobial Properties

For thousands of years silver has proved to be an effective agent against a broad spectrum of microorganisms. While metallic silver is relatively inert, silver ions attack bacteria by blocking enzymes, inactivating proteins and locking the cell membrane – rendering bacteria incapable of performing vital functions like breathing, feeding, excreting and reproducing.

There are no bacteria capable of developing resistance to these three mechanisms, so you can rest assured bacteria is effectively treated.

A World of Textile Applications for Antimicrobial Additives

There are endless opportunities to use antimicrobial additives in our lives today – everywhere we go and in everything we do and everything around us. Lurol AM-7 and Lurol Ag-1500 can be used in so many textile applications that we are only just scraping the surface. Whatever your antimicrobial application is, Goulston can help.

A Sampling of Antimicrobial End Uses:

• Automotive applications (carpets, head liners, cabin filters)
• Outdoor applications (awnings, tents, upholstery, furniture, carpets, synthetic turf)
• Domestic textiles (bedding, towels, upholstery, carpets, curtains, pillows)
• Apparel (intimates, footwear, sportswear, jeans, caps, jackets, etc.)
• Household (air filters, carpets, bath mats, cleaning cloths/wipes)