Süd-Chemie offers expanded line of environmentally preferable bentonite desiccants

Belen, NM USA – Süd-Chemie Performance Packaging, a business unit of Süd-Chemie Group (Munich), has expanded its line of bentonite desiccants to help customers to support sustainable packaging programs.

Süd-Chemie offers packagers of sensitive pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, electronic and semiconductor products a wider range of its Desi Pak® packets and bags and Desi Can® canisters. A natural chemically-inert montmorillonite clay, Bentonite’s layered structure adsorbs moisture by attracting and binding water molecules to its vast inner and outer surface area. Bentonite desiccants offer a higher adsorption capacity than silica gel in the most relevant package environments, and are less costly than comparable silica gel based desiccant products.

Many companies are aggressively pursuing sustainable packaging programs and looking for ways to reduce the overall environmental impact of products in their supply chains. The production of bentonite has a much lower environmental impact than silica gel. Unlike silica gel production that requires large amounts of energy, water and harsh chemicals, such as sulfuric acid, bentonite desiccants utilize less energy and no chemicals during processing. Most silica gel desiccants are shipped from China, adding to an already significant carbon footprint. Bentonite used in US production is shipped from the company’s own deposits in Arizona to its nearby production site in New Mexico where it is activated via a simple drying process and used to produce desiccant products.

“We can offer our customers an environmentally preferable packaging component, while simultaneous saving them money,” said Bob Crossno, Süd-Chemie healthcare packaging sales manager. “It is our goal to provide our customers with high performance products that not only support their sustainable packaging programs, but also combat today’s inflationary pricing for packaging materials.”

Bentonite desiccants have long been used in demanding packaging applications with rigorous requirements for performance and quality such as pharmaceutical and semiconductor packaging. Most package environments, that is the conditions inside the sealed package, have humidity levels well below 30 percent relative humidity, where bentonite desiccants offer equal or higher adsorption capacities than silica gel desiccants. Bentonite desiccants comply with all relevant FDA and US Pharmacopeia requirements for use in food and drug applications. Süd- Chemie works closely with customers via its Desiccant Efficiency System Integration (DESI) program to calculate the amount of desiccant needed in particular applications as well as provides guidance to customers to facilitate the transition from silica gel to bentonite.

Süd-Chemie Performance Packaging provides active and protective packaging solutions to pharmaceutical, diagnostic, nutraceutical, electronic, logistics, chemical, automotive and many other industries. Süd-Chemie Group, founded in 1857, is a global organization with more than 70 manufacturing and marketing companies worldwide.

Suggested photo caption: Süd-Chemie Performance Packaging offers customers Desi Pak®  and Desi Can® bentonite desiccants, cost competitive and environmentally friendly desiccant products.