WHAT’S NEW
Why more research on corrosion protection leads to lower greenhouse gas emissions EUROCORR 2025, the leading international conference for
This is illustrated by figures published in a 2022 study2: It is
corrosion science and technology, took place from September
estimated that 15 to 33 percent of annual steel production
7-11 in Stavanger, Norway. Experts from around the world
is allocated to replacing corroded steel, accounting for 1.6 to
worked together to discover how to better protect components
3.4 percent of global CO₂ emissions. “Researching innovative
from corrosion. Effective protection extends the durability of
corrosion technologies and improving corrosion management is
components and significantly reduces the need for raw materials
thus a key lever to increase sustainability,” said Keil.
as well as emissions of greenhouse gases. “Protecting metals is an important topic in all areas of the industrial value chain. To
Research with digital tools
minimise damage, for example from rust, we need interdisciplinary
At the headquarters of BASF Coatings in Münster, Germany, Keil
collaboration to research and develop new technologies and
and his team conduct research on corrosion protection using
processes,” said Dr. Patrick Keil, corrosion protection expert at
coatings and corrosion inhibitors. “These are chemical substances
BASF Coatings. He is a senior executive of the organization that
that increase the corrosion resistance of metals and alloys,” the
runs the EUROCORR conference series.
researcher explained. One way they work is by forming a protective
Corrosion has a significant negative economic impact worldwide.
passivation layer which minimizes the contact with corrosive
According to the IMPACT study1, published by the Association for
elements such as chloride ions, water and oxygen.
Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP), the annual global
Keil also deploys digital tools in his research projects. Using
costs of corrosion exceed 3 percent of global gross domestic
machine learning and artificial intelligence, he analyses historical
product. Corrosion affects nearly all industrial sectors, such
research data and chemical properties of molecules. These
energy, chemicals and pharmaceuticals and their production
technologies aid in pattern recognition and predicting the most
facilities, as well as infrastructure such as bridges and pipelines,
promising chemical compounds for corrosion inhibition. The
and transportation, including aviation, automotive, rail and
effects of these compounds can also be simulated.
shipping. “The costs associated with corrosion are only one part of the
www.basf.com
problem. Corrosion is also a significant contributor to climate change,” Keil said. 1
http://impact.nace.org/documents/Nace-International-Report.pdf
2
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41529-022-00318-1
Onyax joins APCE: a technological contribution to the new challenges of cathodic protection
12
This year, Onyax, a telecommunications company designing
APCE is a cultural and scientific organization founded in 1981,
and manufacturing low-power IoT dataloggers and AI platforms
dedicated to studying, promoting and disseminating best
for industrial remote control and data monitoring, became a
practices in cathodic protection.
Local Member of APCE (Association for the Protection Against
This method is essential to preventing the corrosion of buried and
Electrolytic Corrosion).
submerged metal structures, such as oil pipelines, gas pipelines,
This membership reaffirms Onyax’s sustainable commitment
tanks and maritime infrastructures, which are susceptible to
to anti-corrosion solutions and allows the company to actively
deterioration caused by environmental and atmospheric agents.
contribute to the technological innovation of traditional cathodic
In this context, Onyax has been committed for years to
protection processes.
researching and developing advanced IoT and AI technologies
CORROSION PROTECTION | OCTOBER 2025