Leading chemicals producer Rudolf Group has launched a new product with antiviral features to help combat COVID-19.

“Rudolf Group is thrilled to unveil the perfected antiviral features embedded in RUCO BAC AGP, the Company’s flagship antimicrobial product for textile applications,” the German company said today.

As a consequence of COVID-19 global pandemic the demand for chemical auxiliaries with antimicrobial effect has boomed. Accordingly, Rudolf Group invested important resources in the meticulous assessment of a new antiviral feature which has now been added to one of its leading technologies.

“Such an effort returned the surprisingly fast and most comprehensive antibacterial and antiviral textile finishing on the market – RUCO BAC AGP,” the company said.

“The powerful antimicrobial effectiveness of RUCO BAC AGP is rooted in the extraordinary properties of silver, whose antimicrobial magic is lost in the mists of time. Already known by the ancient Romans, Greeks and Egyptians, water and milk were preserved by using silver coins through the early modern age,” Rudolf explains.

“R&D at Rudolf Group has mounted silver on highly sophisticated, functional and registered microstructures that strengthen and amplify the qualities of this noble metal.”

Rudolf says its proprietary microstructures are the responsible hidden secret and key technical breakthrough behind both efficacy and durability of RUCO BAC AGP. The company says its innovation is now the preferred solution to help reducing proliferation and cross-contamination of bacteria and enveloped-virus on textiles.

The company explains: “One gram of microstructures has the astonishing superficial area of about 60 m². The advantage of a much higher surface is that the consumption of resources and dosages can be minimized by the factor 100 and that makes RUCO BAC AGP a highly conscious choice.”

“Due to the microstructures, a virtually infinite protective shield is created in the textile from which highly effective positive silver ions are set free in small, exactly dosed quantities,” says Dr. Dirk Sielemann, R&D Director at Rudolf Group.

Taking performance to the next level

According to Rudolf, RUCO-BAC AGP effectively protects any textile against bacteria (harmful and odour-causing) and its superior antiviral performance on textiles has been independently demonstrated by applying the most modern testing methods. Assessments were carried out on enveloped Coronaviridae families known to cause a broad spectrum of animal and human diseases, the company adds.

The microstructures in RUCO BAC AGP trigger their powerful antibacterial and antiviral effects based on 3 distinctive inhibiting mechanisms:

• Blocking of oxygen-transporting enzymes therefore leading to impaired growth
• Crushing of disulfide bonds and therefore structure of sulphur-containing proteins
• Possible interference with Bacteria and virus surface protein in the membrane

RUCO BAC AGP is said to be suitable for next-to-skin applications and cytotoxicity tests show that RUCO BAC AGP has no influence on the natural microflora of the skin. Additionally, because of the adhesion mechanism of its microstructures, RUCO BAC AGP is only active in/ on the textile and is non-migrating. 

“This year 2020 has been highly emotional and it’s leading to the widespread introduction of antimicrobials on textile and to a myriad of vague, misleading or unsubstantiated marketing claims,” states Dr. Gunther Duschek, Managing Director at Rudolf Group. “As a highly responsible company, we move cautiously and stand for technologies and practices that are effective, truthful and limit the exposure of apparel manufacturers, retailers and buyers to any risk,” he concludes.

Rudolf GmbH, based in Geretsried, Bavaria, was founded by Reinhold Rudolf in Northern Bohemia in 1922. It is specialized in innovative and high-quality chemical products, predominantly textile auxiliaries, products for textile care as well as construction chemicals.

One thousand three hundred (1300) employees in 45 countries around the world guarantee logistical as well as technical service.

The combination of backwards integration, development know-how, exact knowledge of market requirements and thorough technical application expertise make Rudolf GmbH an experienced and competent partner for customers in the textile finishing industry, co-producers and many other industries. Quality Management and certification according to DIN ISO 9001:14001 go without saying, the company says. Rudolf offers products that comply with the OEKO-TEX Standard and GOTS, is committed to ZDHC and is a bluesign system partner. In addition, as a member of the chemical industry, it lives the philosophy of the voluntary Responsible Care initiative, which stands for responsible action in the fields of environment, safety and health.

www.rudolf.de