Static and Dynamic Assessments of a Sulfur-Triglyceride Composite for Antimicrobial Surface Applications

Over 80 MT of elemental sulfur, a byproduct of fossil fuel desulfurization, are generated annually. This has spurred the development of high sulfur content materials (HSMs) via inverse vulcanization as a productive pathway towards sulfur utilization. In this study, we evaluate the antimicrobial performance of SunBG₉₀, an HSM made from brown grease and sulfur, as tiles or infused into fabric squares. The static antimicrobial activity of SunBG₉₀ tiles was assessed, revealing excellent efficacy against Gram-positive bacteria, with reductions of 96.84% for <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> and 91.52% for <i>Listeria monocytogenes</i>. The tiles also exhibited strong antifungal activity, reducing <i>Candida auris</i> by 96.20% and mold (<i>fumigatus</i>) by 83.77%. In contrast, efficacy against Gram-negative bacteria was more variable, with moderate reductions for <i>Escherichia coli</i> (61.10%) and <i>Salmonella enteritidis</i> (62.15%), lower activity against <i>Campylobacter jejuni</i> and <i>Salmonella typhi</i>, and no effect on <i>Clostridium perfringens</i>. Under dynamic conditions, SunBG₉₀-infused fabrics achieved a near-complete inhibition of <i>L. monocytogenes</i> (99.91%) and high reduction of <i>E. coli</i> (98.49%), along with a 96.24% inhibition of <i>Candida auris</i>. These results highlight the potential and limitations of SunBG₉₀ for antimicrobial applications, emphasizing the need for further optimization to achieve consistent broad-spectrum activity.