Silver catalysts are used to eliminate unwanted chemical reactions and their byproducts in industrial processes, such as plastic-making. However, after long periods of use, these catalysts become ineffective and must be regenerated. Refiners remove the tainted silver from its carrier, a compound known as alumina, then refine it and place it on to a new carrier.
It is too expensive to remove all the silver from the old carrier, and now, these silver-containing carriers are being used to kill germs.
New studies show that old silver catalyst material retains enough silver to make an excellent fighter against bacteria and fungi. Ames Goldsmith, based in Glen Falls, N.Y., holds a patent on using silver and alumina from catalysts as a bactericide and fungicide.
Their studies show that when the spent catalyst is immersed in water, it immediately releases silver, killing a wide range of bacteria, including E.coli. The remaining silver, more strongly bound within the pore structure of the alumina, dissolves more slowly and supplies a concentration of about five parts per billion (which will also kill bacteria) over long periods of time, providing the product with a long-term sanitation effect.
When compounded in a clay product, for instance, the silver-alumina material can be used as a sanitizer in various toiletries, such as ointments and creams. It also ensures that the product has a long shelf-life, since no bacteria can grow in the jar itself. What’s more, the material can be added to laundry powders, paper towels and moistened towelettes.
The material would be ideal for mixing with concrete to maintain sanitary conditions in dairy farm buildings (mixed grouts of this type are effective in stopping mold growth). — The preceding is an excerpt from Silver News, published by the Washington, D.C.-based Silver Institute.
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