ANALYSIS
A Sustainable Solution to Corrosion Protection Ella Newington Hexigone Inhibitors Ltd – Port Talbot, Wales
marketing@hexigone.com
The analysis of huge implications which the corrosion has for the environment has driven the eco-friendly and ethical strategies by Hexigone for developing new anticorrosion technologies.
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ACE International, the Worldwide Corrosion Authority, estimates that the global cost of corrosion is $2.5 trillion a year or 3.4% of Gross Domestic
Product (NACE International, 2016). In amongst these financial headlines is a huge cost to the environment. These range from structural failures resulting in environmental contamination, to harmful pollutants being released from iron corrosion, to the over utilisation of natural resources when repairing and replacing damaged metals (Hanson, 2011). Sustainability is a critical consideration for all businesses involved in the manufacture and maintenance of goods, and the longevity of the metal assets in question across key industries such as O&G, aerospace and architecture is
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one of the largest drivers for innovation in the coatings industry. Maintenance is extremely costly for OEMs and the avoidable drain on natural resources for premature replacement and repair of metal assets is now a global concern.
A safe, effective alternative to hexavalent chromium It is evident that effective corrosion management is vital in order to protect our planet – but what happens when the world’s most effective corrosion inhibitor turns out to be toxic itself? Hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] can protect metal assets from premature failure but is also known to cause cancer in humans and animals (United States Department of Labour, 2020) – posing another environmental dilemma. The toxic chemical compound was brought to the public’s attention most notably in the 2000 movie “Erin Brockovich” where it was detected in groundwater samples in California and other states. The EU’s REACH legislation has now banned the use of chromium VI across almost all industries and other regions are planning to do the same, or have already followed suit. Driven by his interest in sustainability, Hexigone’s Founder and CEO embarked on a mission to develop a safe corrosion inhibitor of comparable performance to hexavalent chromate. During his EngD at Swansea University, Dr Patrick Dodds trialed hundreds of combinations of active ingredients in order to eventually develop a highly effective, safer alternative to chromium VI. The technology - known as Intelli-ion – utilises novel active ingredients which are attached onto a smart, micro-reservoir system and react ‘on demand’ to corrosive activity. Unlike zinc phosphate which causes harmful algal blooms through leaching, the Intelli-ion product range does not leach out into the environment. The technology has since been independently proven to protect metal assets for longer when compared to the current market-leading alternatives, prolonging
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N.36 - 2020 DECEMBER - ipcm® Protective Coatings
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