AUTOMATIC WATER PRESERVATION WITHOUT DOSING AND MAINTENANCE EFFORT

The Silvertex® material effectively reduces the growth of germs in stored water through its antibacterial properties. It thus inhibits the formation of biofilm and the resulting microbial contamination, which is often associated with high cleaning/maintenance costs.

The large effective surface area of the Silvertex® material can be optimally flown through due to the open design of its structure, thus enabling the self-regulating release of silver ions into the surrounding fluid. Due to its flexible shape, the Silvertex® material can be inserted into almost any cleaning/maintenance opening.

Silver as a preservative

Silver-based products have been used to keep drinking water fresh since Charlemagne. Back then, in the form of silver vessels in which drinking water was kept, nobody knew anything about the specific effects of silver. Today we know that it is the positively charged silver ions that dock onto the microorganisms (e.g. pathogens such as Legionella, E.Coli, etc.) and disrupt the metabolism of the bacteria or lead to cell death in over 30 different mechanisms of action. The microbially acting silver ions have a unique long-term effect like no other active ingredient. Products based on chlorine or hydrogen peroxide cannot be “bound” in water, they evaporate and are therefore not suitable for preservation.

The Mechanism of Action

When the metallic (elemental) silver comes into contact with the oxygenated water/fluid, a concentration-dependent amount of Ag+ ions is formed. These formed Ag+ ions are solvated by water/fluids, pass into the fluid phase and are carried away. The positively charged Ag ions associate to the negatively polarized membranes of microorganisms. A large number of chemical reactions develop from this initially electrostatic interaction. These chemical reactions, with over 30 proven mechanisms of action of the silver ions, lead to reactions such as metabolic disorders and structural deformations in the microorganisms, which in turn lead to the inability to reproduce and even cell death:

• complex formation with DNA/RNA
• reactions with cytochromes
• change in membrane permeability
• blocking of the thiol groups of enzymes (-SH → SAg, e.g. inhibition of lactose dehydrogenase, glutathione peroxidase)
• reaction with carboxyl (-COOH) and amino (NH2) groups and much more.

How is the active concentration set?

Only the concentration of free solvated Ag+ ions acts as an antimicrobial effective concentration. The concentration of free silver ions in water and aqueous media depends to a large extent on which other substances (ions, complexing agents, etc.) are contained in which concentrations in the respective fluid. This fact is illustrated using the example of the chloride (Cl– ) ions contained in practically every natural drinking water , in accordance with the law of mass action:

c(Ag+) = 1,17x10-10/1,3c(Cl-)

If corresponding chloride concentrations (Cl– in [mg/L] or [mmol/L]) are inserted into this relationship, the silver ion concentrations resulting under these concentration conditions are as follows:

That means that e.g. For example, in water with a chloride content of 20 mg/L, the maximum concentration is only 25 µg silver ions/L. It has been proven that one
Effective concentration >10µg Ag+/L with an exposure time of approx. 3 h causes a kill rate of (4 … 6) log levels and thus an effective long-term protection is guaranteed.

Areas of application

• drinking water (according to European Standard EN 15030)
• ventilation technology
• humidifiers
• process water, cooling water pipes, lines, tanks
• fire extinguishing systems
• emergency showers
• apparatus and plant construction
• mobile gastronomy & food trucks
• camping, boating/yachting
• cooling towers
• evaporative cooling systems and much more.

Available sizes

• prefabricated according to desired size
• private label on request

Durability

Silvertex® nets are protected from sunlight, stored closed, shelf life 10 years. In contact with water/fluids, the shelf life or duration of use depends on the respective application and is usually 12-24 months.

Labelling

H410: Very toxic for water organisms with long-term effect.

Signal word: Attention

Use biocides safely. Always read the label and product information before use.

More information

Manufacturer:
WM aquatec GmbH & Co.KG
Uracher Str.22
73268 Erkenbrechtsweiler (Germany)

Marketing Authorization Holder & Distributor Switzerland:
Silvertex AG
Giessenstr.15
8953 Dietikon (Switzerland)

BAuA-Reg.: N-108212 (PT2); N-108213 (PT5); N-108214 (PT11)
CHZN: 4086
UFI: FSW0-R00D-N003-E8XU
Active substance: Silver (Ag+) CAS No.: 7440-22-4