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Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Antimicrobial Characterization of Advanced Materials for Bioengineering Applications
Published on: August 4, 2018
Antimicrobial mortar surfaces for the improvement of hygienic conditions
W De Muynck1, N De Belie, W Verstraete
1Magnel Laboratory for Concrete Research, Department of Structural Engineering, Ghent University, Technologiepark Zwijnaarde 904, Gent, Belgium.
Aims:
To evaluate the effectiveness of various antimicrobial mortar formulations in inhibiting the growth of a selection of pathogens of environmental and hygienic concern.
Methods And Results:
Mortar prisms containing triclosan-incorporated fibres or different concentrations of silver copper zeolites were incubated with Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella enterica or Staphylococcus aureus at 4 or 20 degrees C for 24 h. From plate counting, a substantial bactericidal effect (>4 log units) could only be observed for the mortar specimens containing more than 3% zeolites on cement weight base, the effect being more pronounced at 20 degrees C compared to 4 degrees C. No inhibitory effect could be observed for mortar specimens containing antimicrobial fibres. Adenosinetriphosphate (ATP) measurements allowed for a rapid indication of the occurrence of antimicrobial activity.
Conclusions:
In order to obtain a bactericidal effect on mortar surfaces, concentrations of silver copper zeolites of more then 3% are required.
Significance And Impact Of The Study:
To our knowledge, this is the first study in which the effectiveness of various antimicrobial mortar mixtures towards the inhibition of pathogens has been evaluated in a quantitative way. Antimicrobial concrete mixtures can be used for the improvement of the hygienic conditions in a variety of environments.
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