The production of antimicrobial textiles has increased due to COVID-19. Most impregnations that protect against bacteria, viruses, and fungi use chemical binding agents that only deliver limited wash resistance, so the protective effect is little.
Also, the chemicals and substances used can be harmful to the environment and result in pollutant residues on finished products. Bruckner and Sonovia have launched new ultrasound-based finishing technology.
Liat Goldhammer, chief technical officer at Sonovia, said, “To ensure antimicrobial textiles like those used in clothing for medical workers, hospital linen/laundry and respiratory face masks significantly reduce the risk of infection, the impregnation must be able to withstand frequent laundering at the high temperatures required in the medical sector. They cannot lose efficacy throughout their useful life.”
With the new sono-finishing technique, impregnation meets industrial requirements for wash resistance, ensuring the antimicrobial finish remains compelling for an extended period – even against coronaviruses. It also minimizes the environmental impacts associated with conventional textile finishing. To transfer the technology from the large to large-scale industrial production, Sonovia partnered with Bruckner, the well-known manufacturer of textile finishing systems headquartered in Leonberg, Germany, and ultrasound technology components maker Weber Ultrasonics, of Karlsbad, Germany.
To prove the lasting and reliable antimicrobial efficacy of sonochemical textile finishing, Sonovia conducted testing with textile research and certification institutes which confirmed that the finished fabrics retain their full antimicrobial properties after multiple wash cycles at high temperatures. Sonovia now manufactures and sells antimicrobial respiratory masks that use the technology.
Tests carried out in summer 2020 revealed more than 99 percent efficacy against SARS-CoV-2.
Additionally, the mask filters 95 percent of 3-micron particles – the particle size which the WHO has identified as relevant to the spread of Covid-19.
The new technology’s proven, lasting protective effects, in addition to the user-friendly and sustainable process, make it an optimal solution for finishing clothing for medical and care workers and laundry/linen in hospitals, senior homes, and hotels, as well as many other areas where hygiene and infection control are critical.
