Ageless and RP System Oxygen Absorbers

How They Work

Most oxygen absorbers were originally developed for food, pharmaceutical, or electronics/metal storage applications. All work by chemically reacting with oxygen and permanently binding it, often releasing a small amount of heat and moisture in the process.

Ageless® Oxygen Absorber by Mitsubishi is based on the oxidation of a metal (iron) as are most scavengers. It has earned a reputation as a consistently made product, and does not produce excessively high temperatures as it works. It is the least expensive oxygen absorber that we offer.

RP System Oxygen Absorbers come in combination with a desiccant (Type A), or in a moisture neutral form (Type K). They are very stable and designed for long-term storage of sensitive materials. They also absorb a wide variety of corrosive gases. Click here for more information on RP System

Deciphering Oxygen Absorbing Capacities

Ageless

The oxygen absorbing capacity of each Ageless® sachet is represented by its number. The numbers in the Ageless nomenclature represent the volume of oxygen to be absorbed as expressed in hundreds of milliliters (ml) (1000 ml = 1 liter).

A simple calculation will be needed to determine how much oxygen in your enclosure must be absorbed with Ageless: As roughly 20% of the air is oxygen, you will need to multiply the volume of your container in liters (1 liter= 1000ml) by 1/5 (0.2 or 20%). The result will be the volume of the oxygen that must be absorbed.

Remember that the number on each sachet indicates how much oxygen will be absorbed by that sachet. For example, a single sachet of Z100 will absorb 100 ml of oxygen. If you have to absorb 300 ml of oxygen, you will need three Z100 sachets. More accurate calculations will involve the permeability of the envelope, and the duration of anoxic storage desired.

RP System

Unlike Ageless scavengers, which indicate the volume of oxygen absorbed by the sachet, the RP System is rated for the total capacity of air to be treated, expressed in hundreds of milliliters. You will need to calculate only the total volume of air in the container to be treated, no further calculations are needed.

For example, one sachet of RP-3K will absorb the oxygen in 300 ml (3 X 100ml) of air, with no change to the humidity. A sachet RP-3A will absorb both the oxygen and the moisture in 300ml of air. One sachet of RP-20 will absorb the oxygen in 2 litres of air (20 X 100 ml = 2000 ml = 2 liters), etc.

Applications

Oxygen absorbers are used in the food industry to retain product freshness and prolong shelf life for a wide range of foods. They are used in the electronics, pharmaceutical, and many other industries to prevent oxidation of sensitive components.

In museums, oxygen absorbers are used to protect artefacts from oxidation and biological threat. Oxygen absorbers are also used as part of the anoxic treatments used to eradicate insect pests in artefacts.