The global pandemic has focused attention on the need to make the spaces we live in safer and more healthful. At this very trying time for all of us, SapienStone has never stopped researching and innovating in its products, introducing an important new development in its collections: ACTIVE SURFACES countertops, which are special kitchen countertops with antibacterial, antiviral, anti-pollution, anti-odour and self-cleaning properties.
These features protect human health and offer a valuable aid in the kitchen, a room in the home where hygiene is particularly important. After all, this is not only the room where meals are prepared and consumed, but a place where children play and teenagers study, and it must provide a clean, reassuring environment.
The new countertops are not just a product of design, they are ISO and NSF certified and their properties remain effective with the passage of time. This is why they are also popular in restaurants, bars, coffee shops, hotels, and all public places where food is prepared and consumed, and where there are kitchen countertops, tables, bars and other surfaces for preparing food and beverages.
Let us take a closer look at these revolutionary countertops and their properties.
They are the result of scientific research begun a decade ago by the Iris Ceramica Group, of which SapienStone is a member, in partnership with the Chemistry Department of Milan University. The Group’s primary goal has always been making products that promote the wellbeing of people in spaces while preserving the planet’s resources.
ACTIVE SURFACES make use of the properties of photocatalytic titanium dioxide, modified with silver to transform ordinary ceramic slabs into an eco-active material with a constant antibacterial, antiviral, anti-pollution, anti-odour and self-cleaning action.
ISO and NSF certified kitchen countertops
During the research, ACTIVE surfaces have been subjected to a multitude of laboratory tests scientifically validating their properties.
They are certified under standards ISO 10678: 2010, ISO 27447: 2009, ISO 27448-1: 2008, ISO 22196: 2011, ISO 22197-1:2016, ISO 21702, ISO 18061, UNI 11484: 2013, UNI EN 15457:2014, UNI 11021:2002, UNI 9805/91 and protected by an international patent.
They have also obtained important NSF/ANSI Standard 51 certification, guaranteeing that the materials they are made from are suitable for contact with food.
Antibacterial and antiviral properties to destroy bacteria and viruses
The most important features of these kitchen countertops are their antibacterial and antiviral properties. They eliminate more than 99% of existing bacteria and viruses, including the most dangerous ones, by preventing the formation of biofilms on the surface of the slabs; all in only a few hours, with no need for sanitising products or utensils.
The surfaces achieve 99.99% destruction of all bacteria in the most common strains, such as Escherichia Coli, and even antibiotic-resistant strains such as Staphylococcus Aureus MRSA and particularly insidious and contagious viruses such as the H1N1 flu virus and Enterovirus 71.
Their antibacterial and anti-viral action is permanent, 24 hours a day, in both natural and LED light, under low light conditions and even in the dark.
As well all know, odours form in the kitchen, so that it needs frequent airing.
SapienStone’s ACTIVE SURFACES countertops help solve this everyday problem with their effective anti-odour action. As they are photocatalytic surfaces, they degrade the principal molecules responsible for foul odours, that is, organic components, helping to create a more pleasant environment.
Anti-pollutant, breaking down polluting molecules
In the presence of light, whether natural or artificial, an oxidative process is generated on their surface which constantly and permanently decomposes volatile molecules in airborne pollutants. This breaks down the nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOC) emitted by cleaning products and furnishings, transforming them into innocuous substances.
Self-cleaning, with a super-hydrophilic surface
SapienStone’s ACTIVE SURFACES have a super-hydrophilic surface, meaning dirt does not adhere easily to them. Dirt can be removed with just water and soap or a neutral cleaning product, with no need to use aggressive cleaning products which are hazardous to human health or the environment.
They are also certified as anti-mould and anti-fungus, and, like all other SapienStone kitchen countertops, they offer all the benefits of porcelain, such as non-absorbency, resistance to stress and the sun’s rays, and easy cleaning.
All these properties of Active countertops are preserved intact in both indoor and outdoor use, as in the case of outdoor kitchens, protecting human health under all circumstances.
These materials are designed with a major focus on human health, but also on the environment. They’re sustainably produced in production plants that release no pollutants or odours into the air.
The manufacturing process recycles processing scrap and uses titanium dioxide particles bigger than those normally employed (micrometric rather than nanometric) to protect not only the health of users, but that of the people who work with them too.
The range of ACTIVE SURFACES contertops
At present, the ACTIVE SURFACES collection includes four surfaces: Uni Ice Active, a pure white appropriate for kitchens of all styles; Calacatta Active and Calacatta Statuario Active, two marble-effect surfaces for luxurious kitchens in contemporary style; and Pietra Grey Active, a dark-coloured countertop inspired by stone, perfect for the refined metropolitan kitchen. The range will be expanded in the future to suit different styles and tastes.
In 2021 SapienStone’s new Active countertops will be on offer in more than 10,000 kitchen shops all over Europe.
For more information: https://www.sapienstone.it/active-surfaces
