Effective chemical for protecting hide glue from microbial attack

Question

One problem with hide glue is that it can be attacked and degraded by bacteria and fungi.

To protect hide glue from this kind of deterioration I am interested in identifying an effective anti-microbial. Toxicity against beetle larvae would be a plus. Note that hide glue is typically prepared at 140F and so the chemical must be stable at that temperature. Also, any kind of volatility is out of the question because it needs to last for a long time (100 years).

The main chemical I am considering right now is triclosan, but would be interested in any other ideas.

Answer 1

Silver salts are used to kill bacteria, algae and fungi. Different types of clothing are 'laced' with silver to kill the bacteria that cause body odor. Silver spoons were suspected historically to have self-sanitizing properties. I ran a small analytical chemistry lab that was exempt from most emission oversight, but we could not dispose of silver waste into the sewer as it would destroy the 'good' bacteria at the water-treatment plant. Different silver compounds, often phosphates, are used to strike a balance between required toxicity and durability/longevity. If I were starting your project, I would at least start with a good literature search along these lines and some small scale proof-of-concept experiments if it seemed at all feasible.

I do want to be clear however, that I know of no reason to expect silver to be toxic to beetle larvae, at least not at the concentrations that would provide anti-microbial protection. Maybe you would need a second additive for that purpose

Answer 2

Benzalkonium chloride is commonly used wide range antimicrobal and antifungal agent. Whereas it's allways better to combine different reagents. In GxP rules, rotation of antimicrobals (regular changing) is required to prevent resistant bacterias or fungi.