Inco presents B.Cliin to the market: a silver-based antibacterial solution for tile manufacturing with the integrated and permanent property to stop and destroy the spread of bacterial colonies.
A solution that remains active throughout the tile’s entire life cycle, without it being altered through time or from external elements; effective both with and without UV exposure and invisible to the human eye — the solution does not alter the color of the tile—.
Classic ceramic tiles — unlike other types of material — thanks to their physical properties, are already considered bacteriostatic — which means they limit the reproduction of bacteria and microorganisms —.
Ceramics tiles are known for their easily cleanable surface and where bacterial colonies can hardly nest when having to deal with regular cleaning. They have always been used to clad environments such as kitchens, bathrooms, dressing rooms, floors, in general, to allow — thanks to their easy washability — clean and sanitized environments.
However, the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has focused on how important it is to live in cleaned and sanitized environments and how normal cleaning procedures, in case of pathogen presences, are sometimes not sufficient to counteract the contagion. Here is where each of us has equipped ourselves with special detergents, — with alcohol-based products rather than chlorine ones—, to constantly and repeatedly sanitize the environments in which we live in.
Thus was born the need to have ceramic surfaces that, in addition to being bacteriostatic, are also bactericidal — which have the integrated property of stopping bacterial colonies from possible spreading by eliminating them— A feature that boosts up the intrinsic properties of tile, by guaranteeing a safer environment, as well as allowing significant savings — in terms of sanitizing solvents — for greater eco-friendliness.
For the development of a product that could implement the properties of tile — until obtaining active bactericidal surfaces throughout the tile’s whole life cycle — Inco’s attention went immediately towards the extraordinary properties of silver, known since ancient times and of which there are many scientific publications.
Curiosity:
We can go through many children’s storybooks and find out that silver was commonly used— since the times of the Egyptians or the Ancient Romans — for its antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and disinfectant properties.
It has been known, since ancient times, that the use of silver utensils and crockery could keep diseases away; how Egyptians and Phoenicians for example, used silver containers to store, preserve & purify water and how the Romans put silver coins inside waterskins, containing liquid foods, to improve their conservation.
There are countless ancient writings from the time of Hippocrates, which describe silver as a therapeutic and curative medicine and it is precisely from the assimilation of this metal – silver – which traces remained in the blood. That explains what was said according to a legend, where nobles were known to have “blue blood”. That is why, throughout history, the expression “blue blood” has been used to refer to those who came from nobility and Royalty families.
The properties of silver still remain well known, appreciated, and used: numerous hydraulic systems filters, including water tank recycling filters on space stations that are just silver.Even in our medicine, an external use is currently approved.
In fact, there are numerous devices used to treat but also to reactivate for example torn tissues, such as pressure sores, based on silver, rather than creams or sprays for various uses.
The silver ion binds with the cell wall of microorganisms and penetrates it going to inhibit the vitality functions of the microorganism itself. Hinders the metabolic processes of certain enzymes of bacteria, viruses, and fungi and it thus allows its elimination. In this way, the microorganisms not only will fail to replicate or grow, but they do not survive.
Silver ions to be effective must therefore be in contact with microorganisms, for this reason, it is essential that they remain on the surface of the tile/on the tile’s surface and do not penetrate the enamel during the production phase — to never get out of it anymore —.
For the best performance and effectiveness, the B.Cliin solution developed by Inco provides the application of the silver-based product, as the last step applied before the end of the ceramic cycle production — before the industrial firing —, regardless of the type of tile or its cycle of cooking.
For maximum performance, this type of application requires customized application optimizations, different from customer to customer, related to the type of tile produced, to the raw materials used — in particular means to the type of enamel used — to the cooking cycle, and to final surface treatments such as lapping the piece.
It is possible to adjust and optimize the quantity applied or the penetration in the enamel according to the antibacterial power developed and that you want to develop for each product.
Inco is able to support the customer throughout the initial evaluation and in testing the internally antibacterial properties of the first prototypes — based on the international certification protocol ISO 22196/11 — in order to optimize the production process and performance.
At the end of the industrial optimizations, and the positive feedback on the anti-bacterial prototypes created, Inco brings its customers to the official certified antibacterial power of its tiles in accredited institutes.
Boost Your Ceramic Manufacturing Process With Inco’s B.Cliin Antibacterial Solution: ASK some info to get some free application tests!
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