EDITOR’S LETTER
S
ustainability is a term that is now far too abused, perhaps because it has numerous meanings, some of which are ignored by most. In fact, it does not only refer to the
ability to produce less pollution/waste/impact on the environment in the everyday life and in industrial production processes, but also, for example, to the choice of lengthening the service life of a product, thus promoting a circular economy model. We live in a world geared towards the bulimic consumption of products, resources, and raw materials, where replacing is better than repairing, and where the life cycle of many consumer and non-consumer goods has shortened dramatically. Yet, not guaranteeing the durability, long service life, and operational reliability of a product means not being sustainable. And what concerns the durability of a good more than its protection, particularly against corrosion? For eight years, ipcm®_Protective Coatings has been committed to inform the global
infrastructure, energy, chemical, shipbuilding, and maritime industries about the most recent and advanced corrosion protection and prevention technologies, as this is a natural phenomenon that cannot be stopped or eliminated but only contained and delayed over time. This autumn issue includes numerous articles, many of which are collected in a special section devoted to the energy production sector, including its offshore applications. These have a common thread: the purpose of preserving assets to extend their service life through installation, protection, or repair technologies that are less expensive (in terms of overall process or maintenance operations) and more efficient. In a word, sustainable. The covered topics, therefore, include innovative polyurethane raw materials for the construction of wind turbines, repair systems with cold-applied 100% solid epoxy resins avoiding long downtimes and disassembly costs, direct-to-metal (DTM) water-based systems integrated with graphene to increase their barrier effect, zinc flake coatings that avoid the hydrogen embrittlement of structures subjected to fatigue, and the use of polymeric materials to anchor wind turbines in deep waters with lower process costs. The latter technology prompts a further observation: nowadays, the plastic industry is often demonised by sustainability initiatives. However, these run the risk of affecting a sector and a material that can actually be of great help to sustainability. Let us think, for example, of the possibility to reduce weights in the transport sector thanks to the use of engineered plastic materials, resulting in fuel savings. Critical sensibility is therefore extremely important also in this journey towards sustainability.
Alessia Venturi Editor-in-chief
ipcm® Protective Coatings - 2019 OCTOBER - N.31
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