Proactive Alchemy launches anti-viral textile solution to fight Covid

Proactive Alchemy has launched a certified, anti-viral textile solution, which de-activates Covid-19 and other viral pathogens on contact, providing unparalleled protection and setting a new industry benchmark for medical-grade PPE for multi-industry use.

This is according to Kenny Tennant, CEO of Proactive Alchemy, which specialises in anti-viral solutions, who says that the firm’s new anti-viral, lint-free, textile range has been sixteen years in the making.

“We realised that existing anti-bacterial and anti-microbial products were no longer sufficient to protect staff, patients and customers from modern virus threats and that it was time to develop a new anti-viral textile solution using European chemistry and proudly South African fabric technology,” he explains.

South Africa and Germany working togther 

He says that his firm collaborated with German-based chemistry company Rudolf Chemicals, which has 90 years of experience as a manufacturer of products for textile finishing and construction chemistry.

“We took their Silverplus antiviral chemical product and correlated this with other chemical ingredients from other chemistry industry specialists and tweaked the chemistry formula together with partnering with yarn experts to formulate our own final anti-viral stand-alone product.”

With regard to the fabric, from their years of research, Tennant says they realised that a need for a sustainable, 100% polyester anti-viral fabric was required.

“It was evident that using any cotton, viscose based or cotton/viscose polyester mixture based fabrics posed a huge disease transmission factor and this was LINT, which is loose fibres that are shed by cotton and viscose and most natural fibres,” he explains. “Pathogens adhere to these microscopic fibres and are one of the major causes of disease transfer and cross-contamination.”

“Therefore we had to have a fabric that was lint-free, breathable and have the correct porosity to allow chemical adherence efficiency that worked on a long term cycle with regular daily washing and this fabric was 100% polyester,” he adds.

The rapid anti-viral effect immediately kills virus particles

“We then engaged with a local fabric supplier who tweaked his weaving process to achieve this and ensure that the chemical mixes, dyes and fabric all worked together.”

He says that the textile product’s rapid anti-viral effect immediately kills virus particles with its anti-viral capabilities using silver chloride and their secret chemistry components. “It stops the rapid growth and replication of the pathogens so that it is stunted and destroyed. By rendering the virus inactive the transmission and replication thereof is stopped.”

To correlate the findings on their antiviral claims Proactive Alchemy engaged with various institutions both in the textile field as well as the virology field to firstly correlate the findings of the chemical composition and then further ensure that their solution was in fact still effective to all the other attributes that we required it to be.

According to Tennant full lengthy laboratory tests were then done in controlled environments by laboratory technicians applying bacteria, microbes and viruses to both treated and untreated (Control) fabrics.

It was proved to prevent further growth of the pathogens on the treated fabric and stopped it from replicating and died off, whereas on the untreated fabrics the pathogens kept multiplying unabated.

Anti-viral masks and aprons can stop the Covid-19 virus from replicating 

“This was ground-breaking for us and that’s when we realised we had a product that could stop the virus from replicating and stop the spread and cross-contamination of the pathogens in the workplace,” he says.

Furthermore, he adds that tests were done on TB and pneumonia strains both viral as well as bacterial and they found the same successful results.

“Because we can confidently say that pathogens are unable to be transmitted using our specially treated fabric, we consider this product not only important in the medical field but also in the food and meat processing industries, where many Pathogens such as Listeriosis, Avon flu, Swine flu etc. are rife.”

He continues: “As the dangers of pathogens reaching pandemic proportions increase we feel that our ground-breaking products offer a barrier and method of containment in important sectors to help contain any future pandemic that may be lurking out there.”

Industry application examples he cites include medical, FMCG, pharmaceutical, laboratories, hospitality, and industrial.

“We are also advising that these products are used in the veterinary sectors as well to avoid the cross-contamination from animal to humans which is currently still a very grey area of the actual source of the current Covid-19 virus,” he adds.

Can the fabric be re-used? 

All Silverplus products can be washed multiple times and are RUCO @Bac AGP certified. Products include personal masks, scrubs, aprons, medical gowns, hair bouffant and shoe covers, medical curtains, uniforms etc.

“In addition to our fabrics being treated with anti-bacterial and anti-microbial technology they also come with fluid repellent and FLAME retardant finishes,” he concludes.

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