Solution Spot | Carboline

Shore D hardness doesn’t matter for intumescent coating performance

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 15:22:44 -0400

A common inclusion in many intumescent coating specifications causes more problems than it solves for construction projects.

Qualifying materials that meet certain Shore D hardness levels-and disqualifying those that do not-doesn't actually solve anything. It's a remnant of a best practice that first emerged in a different industry to evaluate a specific coating technology.

It doesn't influence the performance or fitness for service of intumescent materials. But unfortunately, most construction stakeholders don't know this.

To listen to this discussion instead of reading it, hear fireproofing industry expert Michael Hollman on The Red Bucket podcast.

A very brief history of Shore hardnes

The hardness of a material can contribute to its end-use performance, so a wide range of industrial and material science disciplines need a scientifically valid way to measure it.

The American metallurgist Albert Ferdinand Shore's contribution to the science was essential. His invention in 1915 of the Shore durometer gave us a fundamental tool still widely used today to record the hardness of polymers. It consists of an indenter that is pressed into a material and a spring connected to a gauge. The hardness of a material is based on the depth the indenter travels into the material when a standard load is applied.

Of course, different materials have different properties, so a range of measurement equipment and methods are available. Consider, for example, the hardness of an anvil versus a marshmallow. Shore durometer testing is conducted on 12 scales, with each scale featuring its own combination of indenter dimensions and spring force.

Many other hardness tests and associated equipment exist, and some are quite popular in coatings. Pencil hardness testing (ASTM D3363/ISO 15184) is very common. Knoop, Vickers, and Buchholz tests also have their uses.

The origin of Shore D hardness evaluations for coatings

Why does the hardness of a cured coating matter?

The coatings industry uses hardness testing as an easy way to judge whether a coating has cured completely and can be put into service. It goes like this: A series of tests of a newly applied coating would show progressively higher hardnesses as the coating cured. When the hardness begins to plateau, curing is judged complete.

The offshore oil & gas industry seized upon this evaluation method in the middle and latter parts of the last century as offshore exploration and resource extraction accelerated. As with every other aspect of building, installing, and operating offshore infrastructure, protective coatings are selected and applied in a highly regulated, standardized environment.

But why Shore D specifically?

It's because the Shore D durometer configuration (a 30" cone-shaped indenter under 44.45 newtons of force) is a good fit for evaluating hard epoxies, and hard epoxies have historically been the most common protective coatings for offshore oil & gas. They offered the right balance of initial damage resistance in transit from the shop to final installation followed by corrosion protection in service.

It was at this point in history that a reading of 70 on the Shore D hardness scale became meaningful, even if the reason why is elusive. A good guess might be that "good" hard epoxies of the latter 20th century typically topped out at Shore D 70 when fully cured. The repeated observation became the benchmark. And because the benchmark seemed to work, there was no reason to stop using it.

Shore D migrates into commercial intumescent specifications

It might at first seem logical why Shore D 70 was increasingly copy-pasted into intumescent coating specs starting in the 1990s. Whether you're shop-applying a coating for steel for a deep-sea oil rig or for a warehouse on land, you need to be confident it will hold up to the rigors of handling and transportation.

This much is true about construction specifications: If it's in there, it's in there for a reason. Doesn't really matter why. Just go with it.

Does that mean an intumescent material with a value less than Shore D 70 is unfit for service?

Carboline's Thermo-Lag E100 series coatings, long-established in the industry, measure at around Shore D 40 (a golf ball, at Shore D 50, is only slightly harder). That hasn't disqualified them, as its decades of proven performance clearly demonstrate. But Shore D 70 requirements have made specifying them or their peer competitors much harder. Specifications are not easy to change.

What's worse, innovations in intumescent technology have resulted in new materials that would appear even less qualified for service than older ones. Ductile elastomeric-type materials, such as Thermo-Sorb HB, score a 68 on the Shore A scale. That's about the same as the soles of some shoes.

Why Shore A? Because the Shore A configuration (a 35° cone but with a blunt end instead of a pointed one, and under 8.05 newtons of force) is more appropriate for ductile materials, including elastomeric intumescent coatings.

Rigid specs requiring Shore D 70 would instantly reject Thermo-Sorb HB as unsuitable.

Clearly, we have some problems.

One concerns the validity of assessing ductile elastomeric products with the same scale and equipment that our grandparents used on hard epoxies. These are completely different technologies.

Another is that the variety of fabrication shop best practices related to the handling of coated workpieces are well documented and suitably mitigate damage risk. The hardness of a material is not its only defense against damage.

Next, though high hardness might be nice in some circumstances, it's almost always accompanied by brittleness, especially at low temperatures. Brittle materials crack more easily, and the rigidity of a hard material means cracks can expand well beyond the immediate impact area. Conversely, a more ductile material like single-component Thermo-Sorb HB cures via solvent evaporation and tolerates severe conditions better. In the event a ductile product is damaged, the damage is much more localized for simpler, cheaper repairs.

Finally, and most critically, hardness has no influence on an intumescent coating's fire-resistive performance. If it had, it would be among the strict criteria any intumescent material must meet, as verified through third-party approval bodies, before manufacturers are allowed to sell it.

The bottom line is, if intumescent materials continue to be qualified or disqualified based on this magical figure of Shore D 70, construction teams close themselves off from considering other high-performing products and instead open themselves up to avoidable and costly risks.

What's the way forward?

An intumescent coating's hardness is useful information, so we don't think it should be eliminated from builders' consideration. But we do think the subject needs to be better understood and contextualized.

In our view, that means three things:

One, the construction industry should understand the original reason why Shore D 70 hardness was important. It was a marker of the curing progress of hard epoxies in the offshore oil & gas sector. It is unrelated to a coating's end-use performance.

Two, the hardnesses of competing coatings, regardless of the scale used to assess them, should never be the primary basis on which one is selected over another. Hardness is no more influential than the other metrics manufacturers publish as decision-making aids. The hardness of a coating could be used as a quality control measurement to determine when the coated structure is ready to be overcoated, moved or transported. But this should be done using the testing configuration that is appropriate for the specific product selected.

And third, knowledge of the other hardness scales and testing configurations-most importantly Shore A-will result in specifications qualifying a wider range of materials. This gives construction teams more flexibility in selecting products certified to perform while also offering constructability perks that save time and money.

After all, savings is the animating energy in construction today. Builders have never been under more pressure to put as much money back into their customers' pockets as they can.

Understanding the truth about intumescent coating hardness gives them another way to do it.

The Red Bucket – Episode 26. The problem with using Shore D hardness for intumescent coatings (Feat. Michael Hollman)

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 13:30:15 -0500

Summary

An intumescent coating can be qualified or disqualified for use simply because it falls above or below a certain magical hardness level, usually as measured on the Shore D scale. But hardness has no influence on performance, and the Shore D scale just doesn’t make sense when assessing softer intumescent technology types. Fireproofing industry veteran Michael Hollman explains the consequences of misusing Shore D hardness in intumescent coating specifications.

Also, Michael worries that his brother-in-law might soon beat him at snooker.

Timestamps

Click to follow along with the transcript:

00:00 - Introduction
03:01 - How the industry's understanding of hardness has evolved
05:55 - Durometers' importance in measuring coating hardness
07:31 - Matching different Shore scales to different coating technologies
09:39 - When standards are "cut-and-pasted" without context
13:34 - Harder is not universally better
18:15 - Elasticity, damage resistance, and impact recovery
21:12 - Viewing Shore values as a reference point, not a product differentiator
22:40 - The four questions

Transcript

Introduction

Toby Wall: The cured hardness of an intumescent coating is important for a variety of reasons depending on where you sit in the contract chain. Rigid specifications often force construction teams into choosing among only a few materials based on their hardness, usually as determined using the Shore D scale. As we'll discuss in this episode that's a problem. My colleague Michael Hollman joins me to talk through how to solve it.

Well Michael, thanks for joining us on The Red Bucket today. If you wouldn't mind, before we get started, maybe give us the brief biography. How did you get to where you are today?

Michael Hollman: Good question. So, straight out of school, I joined the local paint company as a junior technician in R&D, and I was selected to work in the fire protection lab.

And actually, that's all I've ever done since then. So, I've had thirty-two years in the industry working in R&D developing intumescent fireproof coatings of all different types of different companies, as well most of the market-leading companies, testing and supporting those products into many different countries around the world through the local fire testing standards that are needed for each of those countries.

So yeah, it's been quite an interesting career. It's taken me to many different countries and continents and meet some interesting people. So that has brought me to RPM and Carboline, where my current position is global product manager, looking after the intumescent fireproofing range, responsible for developing a pipeline of products that meets our current and future needs for the different markets that we want to operate in.

Toby: Speaking of all these different countries and continents that you've been to, the country that you are in, if guests didn't already notice your accent, you are where sir?

Michael: I am English, and I am currently in the miserable north of England, very close to Manchester. It's a great place. It's just the weather is a bit miserable today.

Toby: We are recording in the middle of February, where the difference between the weather Michael's having today and the weather that I am supposed to have here in Saint Louis is, I don't know if you could, you couldn't draw it up any different than what we'll have.

How the industry's understanding of hardness has evolved

Toby: So, there's one big idea with this whole episode, Michael, regarding hardness of intumescent materials. What's the big idea?

Michael: So, the idea is the Shore D hardness of an intumescent material or coating has zero influence on its performance.

Toby: I guess we can stop right there. Thanks for joining The Red Bucket, and we'll be back next time with another great guest.

So, what do we mean by hardness, for those who might not be familiar with you know what it is or why, in this context, that it matters?

Michael: So, what we mean by this, the hardness, is typically the extent of cure or drying of a coating. So, it's a physical measure that we can look against and have an absolute number that will actually tell us when the coating is either chemically reacted or physically dried to the level that is not going to progress any further beyond that.

Toby: Has measuring its hardness always been the way that we understood how well cured or how finished a coating is?

Michael: No, it hasn't. So, this is where it is always been common practice in the hydrocarbon industry, where you've got thick epoxy coatings and its part A and part B are mixed, and you can measure the hardness as an indication of when it's fully reacted and then it's ready to be put into service.

But what we are seeing now is that it's actually going beyond that market and that technology, and it's just becoming a blanket term now for use with all intumescent coatings, regardless of the technology or the market, really.

Toby: So, you've seen that gradual adoption over your 32 years then, or does that pre-date your entry to the business?

Michael: Over the time that I've been in the industry, in the early years it was limited to one particular area, but then we have seen more and more where it has gotten adopted in other markets where it's not really relevant. So, as I said earlier that it has typically been used where these epoxies in part A and part B are mixed, and it indicates when the reaction is complete, or as complete as it's going to get.

But now what we are seeing is it's used in more architectural coatings, whereas a single-part coating that just lacquer dry. And because it is different technology, to use the same scale and the same expectations just aren't appropriate.

Durometers' importance in measuring coating hardness

Toby: Those numbers, those measures, need to come from somewhere, so there's of course specialty equipment that we use to find that out. Can you tell us what a durometer is? How would you describe that?

Michael: So, I would describe a durometer as a simple handheld tool that has got a needle of different types loaded onto a spring, and then the spring is connected to a dial.

So, that would be an analog one. Obviously we can get digital ones now in today's technology, but an analog is the simplest and most common one. And then you simply press the needle into the coating until the foot is flat. And then the resistance on the spring will force the dial around and give you a number.

This is because needles are very different dependent upon which type of durometer gauge that you're using, the needle will indent to different degrees. So, what we see with very hard coatings, then you use a needle that is extremely sharp. But then with softer coatings, and this is going to be all the materials as well but it is typically used with coatings, then the needle has got more of a rounded end to it, a bit more of a pinned finish rather than a sharp needle point.

Matching different Shore scales to different coating technologies

Toby: There are more than one hardness scales. You mentioned Shore D at the beginning. There are, at least from my reading, there are 12 different scales, and for this discussion we care about two of them, Shore A and Shore D. You mentioned the shape of the foot. Which hardness scale gets which shape of the foot? Which one is pointed and which one is blunted?

Michael: Okay so Shore D is the fine needle and Shore D is used for typically hard materials, very tough materials. And Shore A is a rounded needle, it's not really fair to say it's a needle, really, but it would be like the end of a knitting needle or something like that, so it's got quite a soft rounder tip, and this is used for softer coatings.

Well as you said, there are a lot of others as well, and if you look at the standard, which is ASTM D2240, it will describe the typical coatings that are used or typical materials that can be used and can be tested with each of the different durometers.

Toby: Does that standard, among the different coating examples that it states, does it state intumescents as one of the ones? And if it does, which scale does it tend to put it in?

Michael: No, it doesn't state intumescents. It will just give typical types of products. So, coatings would be in that, of which intumescent would be a subgroup of them. But then there are others where it will typically say foams for measuring the hardness of things, like foams for comparing one against another. Then that is a different particular grade of durometer.

When standards are "cut-and-pasted" without context

Toby: How well do you think this topic, the hardness scales, Shore D, Shore A, how well recognized are these in the minds of the folks interested in intumescents, realizing that you know depending on someone's job they're going to have a different level of awareness?

Michael: I don't think that they are very well understood - that there are differences in the scales. So, I think that we have seen some initial specifications that typically were for offshore for determining when a coating is ready to go into service that have been cut and pasted, essentially, into other markets, other projects, other construction types without the recognition or understanding that maybe that particular part of the specification just isn't relevant to the project or the coatings that are going to be used for the fire protection solution.

Toby: Which brings us back to the reason why the Shore D scale is the one that I guess is found the most often in this world and the world of intumescents because it was borrowed from somewhere else.

Michael: I think that's a perfect way of boiling that down, Toby. I think that it was done for an industry that is highly specified with the offshore Oil & Gas petrochemical industry, and then as the specifications have advanced for different markets, then it's been borrowed without actually checking if it's appropriate and modifying accordingly.

Harder is not universally better

Toby: Owners, architects, engineers understand Shore D and understand hardness a little bit differently than a contractor would in the shop or in the field.

Michael: The owners, architects, it's seen as a way of determining that that product is fit-for-purpose and would be okay in service. So, it is hard, it's tough, it's going to be okay for the lifetime of the building.

I think for the contractors and things like that, I think we could argue whether it's actually just a tick box exercise, that it's on the specification so it doesn't actually mean that much to them and you know they just got to comply with it.

It might be it's seen as a way to differentiate between different products, how good they will be in transporting so that they're not prone to damage. But ultimately, even if coatings are softer, then we can employ best practices for transporting as well.

Because I think that we have two sides to the coin. Generally, hard coatings can be quite brittle, and if there is any damage, then that damage is exacerbated around the area where if there's things like an impact. Whereas if there are softer more bland coatings, then actually these can absorb any damages more easily and readily and will be more suitable for transporting.

And it's trying to get this across to the contractors that actually: just because its higher number doesn't mean that it's actually better for any damage resistance or impact resistance.

Elasticity, damage resistance, and impact recovery

Toby: I want to talk about recovery. Does that refer to a material can bounce back and take its original shape after it's been compressed somehow, or like say it's been hoisted up by straps or on a forklift or something?

Michael: Yeah, that's exactly it. So, it's the elasticity in a coating rather than just simply being displaced in the example that you give about hoisted with straps on a forklift truck. With some coatings it might be that it simply squashed out from underneath those straps by the weight of whatever is being lifted. Recovery would be the elasticity to be able to jump back into the original shape or form.

Toby: Does that matter in terms of reaction to fire? Let's say if something is smushed down and doesn't recover, is that somehow limit its ability to do what it is supposed to do?

Michael: I think it can do if it's smushed down to an extent to where there is insufficient cover on that particular part, because the intumescent fire protection is tested and certified in a way that for that particular piece of steel, a certain thickness of coating is needed for a specific time of fire protection.

If the coating is deformed in any way, shape, or form, if you've got under coverage in that area, then you might not necessarily have the required and necessary amount of protection in place.

Toby: And so, we have the, you know material technology has advanced to the point where we have these, these products out there that do recover better than others. It makes me wonder if there's a level of forgiveness there. Not saying that you shouldn't take care when you're transporting your materials or transporting your steel but it's an extra level of assurance maybe?

Michael: Yeah I think so, and this is where we would highlight this as damage resistance, because what we do see with coatings that are very hard or that have a high number on the Shore D scale could be quite brittle.

So, if there is an impact, then it can spread wider than just the impact zone, so it might delaminate, for example. Whereas if we have coatings that are a bit more elastomeric and do give a little to the weight and the pressure, then any damages is minimized or even eliminated.

Viewing Shore values as a reference point, not a product differentiator

Toby: Let's say we have an opportunity to just wave a magic wand and change what specs say or maybe go beyond that and also change what people know or what people understand. But what is the, what do you think is the proper, at least as far as documentation goes? Are we saying Shore A and Shore D should exist side by side? Are we saying that these shouldn't be there at all? How do we, how do we reconcile?

Michael: I think they should exist side by side. I don't think that they should be used on specifications to differentiate between one product or another. I think that they should be used for quality purposes so that we know exactly when the coatings have reached ultimate hardness or cure level or drying, whatever we want to term that.

But then those numbers are specific to the product that has been selected. And I think the products should be selected on other things, as you mentioned earlier, like the ease of application, the fire certification that it has, all those other properties, but not necessarily hardness.

The four questions

Toby: We have 4 very important questions now that we get to ask Michael because it's The Red Bucket, and The Red Bucket always has 4 questions at the end. So, what is the most interesting job site you've ever visited? And in 32 years I'm sure you've seen quite a number of them.

Michael: Good question, I think the most interesting one, I think, was where we had a complaint actually that our coating was blistering on application. And we put several different possibilities to the customer, one being that they had applied to much thinner to the coating and it was skinning over the surface and the thinner was being trapped inside and blistering.

And they denied everything and insisted on a site visit. So, this involved a four-hour flight and then a three-hour drive to get there, and within the first five minutes we identified that they had just thrown in a huge amount of thinners into the coating and completely destroyed the product. So that was a really long day and trip to really fix something that could have been identified over a Zoom call or something.

Toby: That's like those meetings you have at work, and then you leave it thinking, "that could have been an email, this would have been fine if it was an email."

Michael: Yep, exactly.

Toby: Where's the best vacation destination that you've ever been to?

Michael: That's a very good question, Toby. I like the Greek island of Rhodes and also Istanbul in Turkey because there is just a lot of history to go and see there. But I also like Asia as well, and it's just excellent food, really friendly people, and lots to do and see.

Toby: So where do you recommend?

Michael: Istanbul. I would recommend there's just so much history to go and see.

Toby: How about in Asia?

Michael: In Asia there's no bad places, I think. I like Hong Kong, Singapore, if you've got plenty of money, Vietnam if you don't have plenty of money, but also Thailand is really nice and Malaysia as well.

Toby: You got a favorite hobby?

Michael: Snooker, I play snooker. So, me and my brother-in-law play quite regularly, and he's getting a bit better, so I'm running the risk of he might actually beat me at some point, so I need to up my game.

Toby: Go hit his hand with a hammer or something.

Michael: Exactly.

Toby: Tell us Americans what snooker is.

Michael: So, snooker is, I guess, a little bit like pool or billiards, but the table is a lot bigger. So, it's 12ft by 6ft and the balls are smaller and then you have 15 red balls and 6 colors, and you have to pot them in order.

So, it's a red color, red color, red color and then the colors keep coming back out until there's only the colors left on the table at the end. And you have to pot those in sequence.

So, the maximum that you can get is 147, and the most I've ever had is 57, so I'm nowhere near the maximum.

But the world championships is in May, and there's one guy that's been best in the world for a helluva long time, and he holds the record for clearing all those balls in under 6 minutes, and no one has ever come close to that again.

Toby: I was thinking, as you were describing how it goes, a game must take a long time.

Michael: It can be. It depends on who you're playing and also just how you playing as well. So, you know, I've played for a few teams, and I think I'm not a bad player, but when I've had a game, a match game against one guy in particular, I remember I was in good form, he was in excellent form, and we finished the whole game in less than 8 minutes.

Toby: Oh wow.

Michael: But then I have been involved in some real long ones where you're talking an hour and a half.

Toby: I was going to say, I've never played it, and I feel like if I did, I'd have to bring a sandwich with me because we'd be playing that long.

Final question, Michael. As an Englishman who has been to the States, it was nice to see you when you were here the last time, by the way, what is the best American food you've had and what's the worst American food you've had?

Michael: I think the best, I like gumbo and jambalaya, so those would be a couple of my favorites. And I think the worse one is deep fried pickles. I just don't understand that.

Toby: Oh, I had some for the, when the Superbowl was on just last week. We had some fried pickles. I don't know if I, I'm not going to go so far as to disagree with you and say that actually they're great, because I don't think they're great, but I think maybe that's just the yank in me. Like we'll throw it in some hot oil, and just no matter what it is, I guess in our minds we think that's okay because we'll do that to like ice cream and cookies too, which I don't get that.

Michael: Yeah, we have that in UK particularly, in Scotland as well, where they will deep fry anything. So, pizza, they will dip it in batter then deep fry it. Pizza, a Snickers bar, things like that, so it's quite famous, but then again the mortality rate is a lot lower in Scotland than it is anywhere else.

Toby: Hey, I guess they've got something figured out.

Michael: Yeah, I appreciate it, I enjoyed it.

Tank car protective lining strategies for emerging biofuel transportation

Thu, 29 Jan 2026 11:58:52 -0500

Emerging fuels are reshaping how energy commodities move from source to market. Renewable diesel, biodiesel, bioethanol, and other low-carbon fuels and feedstocks are no longer niche options; they will only become more essential to the future energy mix.

As these alternative fuels gain traction, traditional transport networks face increasing strain. Pipelines, designed for high-volume, single-commodity service, were never built to handle the variable chemistries and widely distributed sourcing of today’s renewable feedstocks.

Rail transport offers a proven and flexible solution. Already deeply embedded in energy logistics, rail moves emerging fuels safely and at scale when paired with the right protective linings.

Evolving existing networks for the new future of fuel

Feedstocks used to create renewable fuels – including animal fats, used cooking oils, and other plant-based materials – come from a vast network of small, scattered producers. This geographic dispersion makes pipeline transport impractical, and building new pipelines to reach so many rural sources is cost-prohibitive.

Even where pipelines exist, their design cannot handle the various chemistry of these products. Exposure to incompatible materials can cause delamination, corrosion, and substrate degradation, increasing maintenance costs and failure risk.

Rail transport offers a flexible and immediately deployable solution. Its established, intricate network already links small producers with key processing and distribution hubs, enabling timely movement of commodities that pipelines could not move efficiently. Fleets can adjust to changing volumes and chemistries by assigning specific commodities to cars with the appropriate linings. This approach allows shippers to safely move diverse feedstocks while maintaining fleet efficiency.

Geographic flexibility alone is not enough – it must be paired with strategies to address the variable chemical properties of recycled or bio-based fuels and feedstocks, ensuring consistent, reliable transport under all conditions.

How chemical variability influences protective lining compatibility

The chemical makeup of emerging fuel feedstocks can vary widely based on source materials, handling methods, and seasonal changes. These differences occur not only from shipment to shipment, but also from producer to producer and processing facility to processing facility.

Factors such as elevated water content, free fatty acids, or other corrosive components influence how aggressive these commodities are toward protective linings.

Fortunately, today’s tank car fleet is already positioned to meet a broad range of specific chemical resistance requirements.

Linings engineered for the broadest chemical resistance add an additional layer of assurance. They adequately protect steel, extend service life, and foster resilience even when commodities’ chemical properties shift unexpectedly.

By selecting the proper lining for each commodity — or choosing a lining built to handle all variabilities — rail shippers can be the dependable partners the market needs and achieve long-term performance of rolling stock at the same time.

Lining solutions for complex fuel requirements

Carboline's Plasite linings deliver reliable corrosion protection and optimized application properties across dynamic chemical exposures.

Epoxy linings – Designed for less aggressive biofuels such as biodiesel, providing reliable barrier protection and consistent performance.

• Products: Plasite 4550, Plasite 4550 FP, Plasite 4550 S *Plasite 4550 HT is rated for exposure to ethanol, a fuel generally more aggressive than most biofuels*
• Cure: Ambient cure, with turnaround ranging from several days (4550) to approximately 20 hours (4550 HT)
• Ideal application: High-throughput services requiring dependable performance with efficient maintenance cycles

Vinyl esters – Handles a wider range of chemical variability, including higher-risk feedstocks with smooth, easy-to-clean surfaces that reduce downtime.

• Products: Plasite 4300, Plasite 4310, Plasite 4301 HT
• Cure: Ambient or elevated temperature cure
• Ideal application: Versatile protection for fleets managing multiple alternative fuels of feedstocks at inconsistent temperatures

Phenolics – Engineered for highly aggressive or unpredictable chemical environments, delivering maximum chemical and thermal resistance.

• Products: Plasite 3070, Plasite 3070 L, Plasite 3073
• Cure: Air-dry followed by high-bake
• Ideal application: Select applications requiring exceptional corrosion performance under uncertain fuel chemistries.

Additional thin-film linings, including Phenoline 353 LT and Phenoline 1205, deliver robust protection against methanol, methane, and other aggressive commodities under elevated temperatures or extended immersion.

Together, this portfolio enables fleet owners to balance chemical resistance, application efficiency, turnaround time, and long-term durability, providing tailored solutions for the specific demands of each cargo.

Continued testing and trusted support

As renewable and recycled fuels evolve, so do the corrosion challenges protective linings must withstand.

A clear understanding of each fuel composition, combined with access to well-matched lining options, helps fleets control costs, reduce shipment gaps, prevent failures, and keep the economy moving.

Carboline’s expansive chemical resistance testing library has supported lining selection for bio-based, recycled, and other alternative fuels and fuel feedstocks for over 40 years. Proper technical guidance helps ensure reliable performance as commodity demands continue to evolve.

Rail transport of emerging fuels is not a temporary stopgap. It is a proven, safe, and scalable way to meet the future of fuel—and it’s ready today.

"Alpha" sculpture restoration preserves a bold artistic vision

Tue, 20 Jan 2026 11:59:08 -0500

At Laumeier Sculpture Park in Southwest St. Louis County, art meets endurance. The park's world-class outdoor collection includes iconic works that brave the elements year after year — and "Alpha," a celebrated piece by Beverly Pepper, is no exception.

Laumeier sculptures are no strangers to Carboline solutions. In 2022, a tailored Carboline system capped off total restoration of "The Way." That success inspired restoration efforts for "Alpha" after more than 45 years on display.

When presented with the opportunity to return to the park, we were more than eager to support another Laumeier icon with a specialized coating system.

A fresh chapter for a storied sculpture

Pepper was a pioneer sculptor famous for using weathering steel plates as the medium for many of her outdoor sculptures, as its high strength makes it ideal for her massive, gravity-defying pieces. Alpha is distinguished by its triangular geometric shape and its bright, construction orange color.

Completed in 1974 and placed on display in 1978, the sculpture became part of the park's permanent collection through a formal donation from Beverly Pepper Studio in 2023. Visible deterioration underscored the need for a new coating system, prompting restoration efforts in fall 2025.

Coating failure, surface rust, and weathering were visible across the structure after decades of exposure to hot, sunny Midwest summers; cold, wet winters; and storms in all seasons. Additionally, soil erosion beneath the sculpture's concrete pad led "Alpha" to gradually sink. Work halted until the subsidence was addressed and a new foundation was poured.

Laumeier's established presence within St. Louis County inspired collaboration among local partners including St. Louis County Parks and Recreation, Barnhart Crane and Rigging, St. Louis-based applicator Coatings Unlimited, and Carboline.

Balancing performance and aesthetics

Sound coating selection influences the length of time before next maintenance, and all parties were interested in keeping "Alpha" looking great decades into the future.

Because Pepper's complex design posed challenges for adequate surface preparation, a surface-tolerant primer was essential to the restoration. Carbomastic^® 15's proven adhesion over marginally prepped steel – and its successful performance on "The Way" – reinforced its selection for "Alpha."

This mainstay epoxy mastic delivers outstanding barrier protection through its lamellar aluminum flake pigmentation, and its excellent wetting properties allow for good penetration of corrosion pits that dramatically slows further degradation.

Carboline recommended an ultra-durable fluoropolymer for the sculpture's topcoat. Carboxane 960 features excellent gloss and color properties that will last many, many years owing to the strong carbon-fluorine bonds that withstand punishing exterior environments.

Altogether, the coating restoration required 50 gallons of the primer and 45 gallons of the topcoat. By October 2025, "Alpha" had regained its striking safety orange gleam.

Continued support for cultural preservation

Now protected by a durable, long-lasting coating system, "Alpha" once again stands as a centerpiece of Laumeier Sculpture Park—engineered to remain in place without major maintenance for decades.

Carboline is honored to support Laumeier Sculpture Park in appreciation for the beauty that this incredible public space provides to our community.

A legacy of protection in harsh mining conditions

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 14:49:15 -0500

Mining and metal processing operations expose assets and infrastructure to abrasive slurries, chemical immersion, thermal cycling, physical impacts, and other harsh conditions.

Aggressive exposures require durable coatings that withstand changing temperatures, UV and weathering exposures, and site pollutants.

Global firms processing multiple commodity types across the world's variable climates depend on high-performance protective systems with proven field performance.

Carboline coatings and linings have enhanced the durability and lifecycle performance of a range of mining collection and processing assets worldwide since the 1940s.

One company – multiple exposures

Projects in this section provide a glimpse into the range of exposure types a global aluminum producer experienced, which required heavy-duty protective solutions.

Fort Meade, Florida (1974):

During its operation, the producer's Fort Meade plant received hydrofluorosilicic acid and other process waste products from across its facilities in the region. This part of Florida is rich in phosphate, a vital feedstock for some aluminum products; hydrofluorosilicic acid is also necessary in aluminum refining.

The complex processes at the site exposed surrounding steel assets to persistent acid vapors that settled onto their surfaces, accelerating corrosion if those surfaces were unprotected.

Three storage tank exteriors at the plant were coated with Carbomastic^® 15, an epoxy mastic renowned for its excellent wetting properties, surface tolerance, and barrier protection. Though usually specified as part of a multi-coat system, Carbomastic 15 is an effective single-coat solution proven to perform against atmospheric and polluting exposures due to the properties imparted by its unique lamellar aluminum pigmentation. The long, flat geometry of the aluminum flakes impedes penetration of moisture better than pigments featuring a more rounded shape. That shape also contributes to improved resistance to degradation via UV light.

In short, it was a phenomenal no-fuss solution that saved the producers time and money when compared to a multi-coat alternative.

Badin, North Carolina (2004):

The function of penstocks creates a complex environment where their exteriors face frequent or constant moisture from condensation, weathering, and UV exposure, as well as occasional abrasion or impact depending on their surroundings. At Badin Lake, the penstock required a new, durable coating system to extend its service life under these difficult conditions.

Once again, Carbomastic 15 was specified, this time as the primer in a two-coat system. Its surface tolerance and wetting properties make it ideal for encasing the tightly adhered existing coatings; blasting back to bare steel was not necessary, so this created some savings. Carboxane 2000, a polysiloxane finish, provided long-term weathering resistance, low permeability, and superior UV durability.

Deschambault-Grondines, Québec (2022):

Molten aluminum casting pits experience extreme heat, thermal cycling, and mechanical impact. Protective linings in this service must resist adhesion of process metals, abrasion, and rapid and extreme temperature fluctuations.

Multi-Gard^® 955 CP was specified for this purpose, showcasing its verified performance in aluminum casting and quench pit environments. Third-party testing by the Aluminum Association confirms its ability to resist molten metal wetting while maintaining film integrity under repeated thermal stress.

Proven performance around the world

While the three above projects reflect a range of aluminum-industry exposures, other heavy industrial operators depend on Carboline systems for equally demanding conditions across the globe.

Saskatchewan, Canada (2012):

One of the world's most extensive potash operations in central Canada required coating systems that could withstand a severe industrial environment, featuring continuous exposure to brines and other chemicals, as well as a challenging climate with hot, sunny summers and punishing cold and snow in winter.

A high-performance system consisting of Carbozinc 859 and Carboguard^® 635 protected structural steel and exterior tanks against atmospheric conditions.

Carbozinc 859 provides galvanic protection through its zinc-rich epoxy formula, minimizing undercutting corrosion in harsh environments. Its unlimited recoat window allows for priming in the shop with topcoat application following in the field, even after extended periods, giving crews greater scheduling flexibility while maintaining long-term performance. Carboguard 635, an immersion-grade epoxy, enhanced corrosion protection in an atmosphere featuring chemical fallout and splash zones.

The high-performance epoxy novolac Phenoline 353 was applied to ferrous metal brine and process tanks under continuous immersion. Its highly crosslinked formula provides strong protection against aggressive cargos, including acidic and high-temperature caustic solutions.

Auckland, New Zealand (2012):

On the other side of the globe, one of New Zealand's largest rock quarries faced a tight holiday shutdown window to fully rebuild and restore an aggregate screen under constant impact and abrasion.

The specified coating system needed to be applied quickly, cured fast, and return to service in just seven days.

Following the rebuild and surface preparation, two coats of Carboguard 635 HAR were applied as a corrosion-resistant primer. Its rapid cure-to-handle times and abrasion-resistant epoxy film created a durable foundation ideal for high-wear areas.

By the next morning, crews applied Carboguard 690, a fast-curing, surface-tolerant phenalkamine epoxy. The system's quick return-to-service allowed the screen to be coated, cured, and ready for operation with time to spare before startup.

Monclova, Mexico (2021):

In northeast Mexico, a major steel producer required a two-coat protective system for a newly constructed coke conveyor, constantly subjected to exterior weathering, moderate industrial emissions, and chemical atmospheres. The coatings needed to comply with the facility's "AHMPC-001 Revisión A" specification while also avoiding unnecessary cost escalation.

A self-priming epoxy–polyurethane system met both needs.

Carboguard 890, applied at 6 mils, provided a durable, chemical-resistant epoxy base that eliminated the requirement for a separate primer. Carbothane 134 HG, applied at 4 mils, added long-term weathering, abrasion, and chemical resistance.

The high-performance two-coat system simplified application, provided robust protection, and supported longer maintenance intervals that reduce overall lifecycle costs.

Partners in mining asset performance

Chemical immersion, abrasion, weathering, and thermal shock comprise a potent recipe for premature and very costly asset failure.

Versatile, field-proven products, paired with informed technical support, strengthen an owner's ability to extend asset performance in any environment.

After all, in an industry built on strength, a reliable protective coating partner is among the most important assets an owner can have.

Selecting the ideal intumescent fire-resistive material

Thu, 06 Nov 2025 10:53:41 -0500

The reason it's "ideal" and not "best" is because "best" is subjective.

Relationships among each project's circumstances mean that no material type or application method is universally superior. And unfortunately, these circumstances do not march one after another neatly in time. They are simultaneous and often at odds.

So what material or combination of materials makes the most sense? The lazy answer is, it depends.

The real answer reframes the question: What information do I need so that I know my spec will result in a satisfactory and timely delivery?

This guide doesn't tell you what to choose, but it will help you think through how.

Required fire ratings

Matching intumescent materials to applicable required fire ratings has a way of being straightforward and prescriptive without being easy or fun.

Building codes state the fire rating or ratings a structure must meet, and then the normal push and pull of architecture and engineering results in a design for load-bearing members that both satisfies the aesthetic vision and is feasible to build.

Intumescent fireproofing selection falls within that push and pull, where a crucial detail risks being overlooked: testing.

Laboratory testing verifies the thermal performance of structural members in a huge range of shapes and sizes. Yet it does sometimes happen that a design includes a shape or size never used before. Architects don't go out of their way to include novel components in enclosed spaces where simpler, cheaper options will suffice. But it's a different story if the component is prominent and essential in an exposed location, or somehow vital to structural integrity regardless of its visibility. What then?

Adjacent circumstances like cost and schedule will dictate what happens next. Maybe making that architectural statement is not so crucial after all, and the design is changed. Or, maybe it is, or maybe the part plays a vital structural role. If either is the case, that's the beginning of the long, expensive process to validate intumescent material performance over the novel design for the very first time.

Architectural design

The reason intumescent products exist in the first place is to achieve fire ratings with lower-profile and nicer-looking materials vs. cementitious products.

But differences in intumescent chemistries and applied protection thicknesses lead to different finish characteristics. Whether these characteristics are regarded as appealing is a matter of shifting opinion.

The general rule is that solvent-based and two-component epoxy intumescents cure to form an orange peel texture. Some water-borne intumescents can achieve qualities almost indistinguishable from conventional high-gloss urethanes.

Sometimes that orange peel texture is desirable. Other times it's not, and so you either choose something else or adjust the budget, schedule, and specification accordingly to abrade away unwanted texture before applying a compatible decorative topcoat. If the latter path is chosen, it is essential that enough intumescent is initially applied so that the ensuring reduction in thickness does not bring it below the minimum required thickness. Project teams must weigh the aesthetic benefit of having their chosen color or other finish qualities against the cost and schedule impact of applying a topcoat that has no functional purpose.

A popular way architects get the best of both worlds is to specify water-based intumescents in inoffensive neutral colors. If you're good with the color, then no additional surface prep, material, or labor is required to achieve the great looking finish water-based materials provide.

Case in point: In Mountain View, California, Google's Bayview 1, Bayview 2, and Charleston East headquarters buildings include some structural steel protected by Firefilm III. It was applied to exposed, highly visible beams in the ceiling of work and common spaces. Firefilm III is bright white and contrasts pleasantly with the clean, warm tone of the blonde-colored wooden ceiling the beams support. Project architects needed a material with exceptional finish qualities because these components would be within just a few feet of people.

Note, however, that visual appeal never exists in a vacuum. The factors and material characteristics described below conflict with, and sometimes overrule, a choice made purely based on aesthetics.

Construction timeline

Project teams take great care to develop and stick to schedules. The dominance of the design-build or integrated project delivery construction method is proof that builders today see speed as the definitive pathway to the greatest profit.

The coatings industry has responded to builders' pervasive search for time savings by developing materials and application methods designed to accelerate construction schedules.

The problem is, which material or which method ends up saving time depends on far more than just what the stuff is made of or how you put it on. The debate over applying intumescents in the shop vs. in the field is the perfect example.

Some celebrate shop application of two-component epoxy intumescents (for example, Thermo-Lag E100) prior to steel erection as the ideal time saver. The premise is that the shop is always a safer, more controlled, and less crowded environment. The more systematic nature of shop production is faster per square foot of steel coated, and therefore cheaper. Epoxy materials are also generally hard but ductile upon curing, an important combination that is resistant to strain on steel members or damage that can occur during transit.

But what about all those blockouts at connection points? Those can't be fireproofed until after erection. Shop application always results in needing to do some field application anyway. And what about other components that need to be attached to the steel after it's installed? This often results in intentional destruction of some fireproofing that needs to be fixed later, adding to the time spent on-site.

On the other hand, proponents of field application note that the real savings comes when solvent-based intumescents (such as Thermo-Sorb VOC) are applied after steel is erected and before curtain walls go up. When the material goes on after erection, there's no blocking out. And solvent-based products require far simpler equipment vs. the complicated and very expensive equipment required for two-component application. Some are also weather-resistant and can cure just fine even during open-frame construction in cold weather.

But that's still a lot of equipment and material hauled to the site. What about the difficulty in coating irregular shapes or in areas difficult to access? What about bumping into all the other trades at work? And you can't argue that applying material from the height of a man lift will ever be safer than doing it on solid ground.

Truth is, materials and methods themselves don't save anyone anything. Savings comes from understanding them both well enough to know when each one shines, and matching that knowledge with the owner's or general contractor's schedule demands.

All the better when that knowledge is shared early. On one hand, it can help bring an unrealistic schedule back down to earth. On another, it could accelerate a schedule and put more profit in everyone's pocket.

Cases in point: In Cupertino, California, the team leading construction of Apple's new headquarters utilized a temporary "shop on the job site" setup to apply Thermo-Lag E100 to structural steel supporting a clerestory that rings the top of the famed circular building. Field application would have been extremely hard, slow work owing to the difficulty in reaching the clerestory's structural steel after erection. Applying the material on the ground to pre-assembled clerestory modules reduced the number of blockouts requiring touchups.

Down the road in Santa Clara, the project team building new Nvidia headquarters settled on field application of Thermo-Sorb VOC for primary columns and other structural supports because of the material's ability to withstand general construction conditions—including rather cold temperatures—when applied prior to curtain wall application. This feature empowers construction teams to establish work sequences untroubled by weather.

Environmental/sustainability concerns

The manufacture of construction materials and the construction process itself are both significant sources of harmful pollution.

Efforts by industry and government to curtail the ecological and human health impacts of construction projects have resulted in myriad "green" or sustainability criteria and a growing list of materials certified to meet them.

A sticky problem is that "sustainable" or "green" have many meanings. Some criteria approach these from the lens of composition of raw materials. Others from the lens of emissions during and after installation. Some overlap, and some do not. Some are mandatory, and some are not, and even that depends on the location of the project.

It gets confusing very quickly.

Generally, you have more flexibility in terms of material availability and cost when sustainability is not prioritized. You have less flexibility—and should expect to pay a bit more—if sustainability is an overriding priority.

Leaving cost aside, it's also critical to compare performance, application, and aesthetic attributes of candidate materials when making a sustainability-driven specification. Not every intumescent material can score an A+ on sustainability, achieve a four-hour fire rating, and look as good as a decorative urethane all in one package.

It's a world of tradeoffs. We've tried to simplify it with a product transparency page that lists products, including intumescent fireproofing, meeting various sustainability criteria.

Sometimes the answer is "all of the above"

Some projects are large or complex enough that the most ideal intumescent spec features a combination of material types each suited for different locations or stages in the timeline.

Case in point: Epoxy, solvent-based, and water-based intumescents all were specified for different elements of the Google Bayview 1, Bayview 2, and Charleston East headquarters mentioned above.

Thermo-Lag E100 two-component epoxy was chosen for exterior columns holding up the roof around the perimeter of the buildings. Shop application of the material made sense because the large columns have only two connection points each. Touchup of blockouts was rather quick and easy.

Thermo-Sorb VOC was specified for all interior columns and supports holding up the towering canopy roof. Its application properties allowed for field application when the building was only partially enclosed. And while the components are in an exposed interior environment, they are distant enough that no one can perceive a difference in the finish compared to Firefilm III.

As first described in the earlier section, Firefilm III was used for all interior exposed steel floor beams. These beams are in plain view of workers and visitors so a requirement for superior visual appeal led to its specification.

Importantly for Google, each of these materials was tested and verified to meet strict VOCs and emissions requirements under LEED v4.0—the latest version of that program at the time. This came at a significant effort and investment, but it was worthwhile to Google who has pledged to build the most sustainable buildings possible.

A clear path forward

Construction project circumstances inform intumescent material specifications. Intumescent specifications can inform project circumstances.

It's difficult to navigate an environment where both a statement and its inverse are true.

But a clear path is opened when stakeholders work to get on the same page early on. It's never too soon to consult with a Carboline technical expert to discuss an upcoming fireproofing project.

Navigating NSF ratings: Essential insight for welded steel potable water tank linings

Fri, 03 Oct 2025 12:56:28 -0400

Choosing a lining system for a welded steel tank in the drinking water industry is a team effort among owners, engineers, contractors, and manufacturers. Following the correct AWWA standard is crucial in protecting assets when specifying a lining system.

Understanding the various NSF 600/61-approved interior barrier coating types can mean the difference between a system that is compliant and performs versus one that fails to meet the established guidelines or owners’ life cycle expectations.

NSF/ANSI/CAN 61 [NSF 61] sets the standards for drinking water system components, while NSF 600 focuses closely on the extractable solvent levels in barrier coatings. Updates to NSF ratings have increased misconceptions about which systems are truly compliant, making the specification process more complex.

In January 2023, allowable extractable solvent levels changed, and solvents like toluene, xylene, and ethylbenzene were functionally removed from specified lining systems. Allowed parts per billion were drastically reduced from the previous specified criteria. This reduction in extractables forced some coatings manufacturers to alter the formulations of solvent-based barrier epoxies for interior potable water service. A shift was made to higher-volume solids epoxies that incorporated exempt solvents that fell under the revised extractable levels.

Solvent		Total allowable concentration (TAC)	Single product allowable concentration (SPAC)
Xylene	Previous	10,000 ppb	1,000 ppb
Xylene	Current	90 ppb	9 ppb
Toluene	Previous	1,000 ppb	100 ppb
Toluene	Current	60 ppb	6 ppb
Ethylbenzene	Previous	10,000 ppb	1,000 ppb
Ethylbenzene	Current	90 ppb	9 ppb

Understanding new AWWA D102-24 standards

Currently, six systems are listed in the AWWA D102-24 standards. These interior coating systems (ICS) dictate critical minimum performance criteria, including surface preparation, coatings type (epoxies, polyurethanes, zinc-rich primers), total number of coats, minimum film thickness, and associated standards they must comply with, for example, AWWA C210/C222 or SSPC Paint 20.

Final system selection is based on factors such as tank size, curing capabilities, applicator preference, and weather conditions to meet return to service requirements, life cycle expectations, budgets, or support applications in cold weather environments.

The six AWWA D102 Interior Coatings Systems are as follows:

• ICS #1 – 2-coat epoxy - 8 mils DFT
• ICS #2 – 3-coat epoxy - 12 mils DFT
• ICS #3 – 1-coat ultra-high solids epoxy - 20 mils DFT (Optional zinc-rich or epoxy primer)
• ICS #4 – 1-coat ultra-high solids elastomeric polyurethane - 25 mils DFT (Optional zinc-rich or epoxy primer)
• ICS #5 – 3-coat zinc-rich primer/epoxy/epoxy - 10.5 mils DFT
• ICS #6 – 2-coat zinc/epoxy - 12.5 mils DFT

The ICS designations are intended to simplify industry communication and decrease confusion over product application compliance. While terminology barriers have been reduced, many owners still face the challenge of selecting the optimal system given their specific project circumstances, service life requirements, and budget pressures. A more detailed explanation of each system is below.

AWWA ICS #1 is a thin-film interior lining system for potable water tanks, requiring a solvent-based epoxy liner suitable for immersion and contact in potable water environments. ICS #1 calls for minimum dry film thicknesses of between 3 and 5 mils. Thin-film epoxies like Carboguard 635 VOC, Hydroplate 1080, and Hydroplate 1086 are ideal choices for ICS#1. These solvent-based epoxies wet out the steel surface effectively, have long pot lives, and can be sprayed using conventional airless spray equipment.

AWWA ICS #2 is a three-coat solvent-based epoxy system with additional film build for improved barrier protection and longevity. The same products mentioned above remain the ideal choices for ICS #2, with the decision reliant on life cycle expectations, timeline restrictions, and ultimately project budget. While #2 offers greater durability as a 3-coat system, the added protection may not justify labor and material costs for every project, emphasizing the need for consultation between owners and contractors.

AWWA ICS #3 specifies a single-coat, high-film build lining system consisting of an ultra-high solids epoxy. The system achieves a minimum film build of 20 mils DFT and can be applied directly to abrasive blasted steel as a single coat or over an optional epoxy, organic, or inorganic zinc-rich primer. UHS epoxies in this specification provide high-performance qualities, like edge retention, no taste and odor issues, rapid cure times (often less than 24 hours), high abrasion resistance, and ultra-low VOC content.

Ultra-high solids epoxies historically have featured very little usable pot life; therefore, application with heated, plural-component spray equipment was necessary. This is where both components are conditioned and proportioned separately and sent to a remote mixing manifold, where they are rapidly mixed together and sent through a short whip hose to the spray gun to be applied.

Recent advancements in coatings technology allow for a more functional 30-45 minute pot life at 77°F (25°C), allowing applicators to hand-mix the material similarly to traditional solvent-based epoxies and spray through conventional airless spray equipment. This significantly reduces the complexity and expense of applying UHS epoxy systems. Specifying products exhibiting high film build and enhanced cure times, like Hydroplate 1100 or Hydroplate 6500, allows applicators to take advantage of long pot lives, high film build, zero taste and odor issues, and fast cure to service times (24-36 hours).

AWWA ICS #4 specifies an optional zinc or epoxy primer with 25+ mils of an elastomeric polyurethane that incorporates high-build, flexible films with chemical- and abrasion-resistant qualities. These properties are ideal for tanks subject to abrasive ice flows, potential movement, or in situations where the tank may be of bolted or riveted construction with problematic leaks. All these challenges are perfectly suited for a product like Reactamine 760.

The appeal of systems #3 and #4 lies in their use of ultra-high solids products that return assets to service quickly and perform for the long term. Both systems can provide over 18 years of service life.

AWWA ICS #5 specifies a zinc/epoxy/epoxy system with organic or inorganic zinc sprayed at 2.5 mils DFT minimum, followed by two coats of solvent-based epoxy at 4 mils DFT minimum. ICS #5 suits projects with complex roof structures where film build is challenging to achieve in a single spray pass. This allows applicators the flexibility to ensure proper coverage and thickness without film defects such as runs, sags, drips, or solvent entrapment.

AWWA ICS #6 specifies either an inorganic or organic zinc-rich primer at 2.5 mils DFT minimum, followed by one coat of epoxy at a minimum of 10 mils DFT. This system takes advantage of higher-volume solids epoxies to reach its total film build in one coat while still delivering the cathodic protection of a zinc primer in demanding environments, saving on labor costs and application times.

ICS #5 and ICS #6 both specify a zinc primer, such as Hydroplate MCZ, to hold the blast and also provide additional corrosion resistance through galvanic protection. Pairing this with a high-solids epoxy barrier coat, such as Hydroplate 1080 or Hydroplate 1086, delivers a high-performance, long-lasting corrosion protection system. The former consists of a phenalkamine formulation that exhibits low-temperature cure capabilities, making it ideal for cold-weather applications. The main difference between AWWA ICS #5 and AWWA ICS #6 is the additional labor required to apply two coats of epoxy versus one heavy coat, as both provide similar life cycle expectations to the owner.

Use budget and life cycle requirements to optimize system specification

Choosing between the six systems depends on performance qualities such as budgetary constraints, application methods, and life cycle expectations from the owner.

Municipal owners and engineers use modeling tools and research papers similar to AMPP Paper #17616 Expected Service Life and Cost Considerations for Maintenance and New Construction Protective Coatings work (Helsel & Lanterman) to extrapolate estimated variations in system cost and overall life cycle performance. Research such as this shows real-world data to compare the life cycle of a thin-film epoxy system, such as ICS #1 (approximately 10 years in potable water immersion), against a thick-film system such as ICS #3 or ICS #4 (both exceeding 18-20 years of service life before the first required practical maintenance). When owners compare the overall cost of installing a lining system (mobilization, containment, surface preparation, and application) with the life expectancy of the lining system, they can get a truer gauge of the exact value of a lining technology.

ICS systems #1, #2, #5, and #6 all rely on solvent-borne epoxies that require a minimum of seven days to fully cure in 77°F (25°C) with constant air movement. ICS systems #3 and #4 offer significant advantages in cure-to-service times, taste and odor, and lower life cycle costs. Though they require a higher film build (and thus more material), their ultra-high solids formulations contain no solvent to evaporate or be vented from the vessel, functionally eliminating taste and odor issues and increasing cure to service times. This is especially advantageous in VOC-restricted jurisdictions. Plus, their single-coat specification lowers the overall applied cost per square foot.

Balancing protection, performance, and budgets

NSF ratings continue to evolve, and selecting a compliant system greatly depends on each project's unique requirements. Manufacturers who keep pace with evolving industry standards are crucial partners in ensuring that the chosen system will adequately protect the asset while adhering to time constraints typical in maintenance and repair applications.

With qualities such as fast-cure, single-coat applications, and self-priming capabilities, each of Carboline’s UL-certified NSF 61/600-compliant products offers the potable water industry reliable protection. These can be successfully integrated into the appropriate AWWA D102-24 system to provide long-term asset protection to municipal water storage owners.

Explore all NSF 61/600-compliant linings here.

When manufacturers provide clear, accurate information on AWWA-compliant systems, owners can make more informed decisions about system specification. Access to a broad product portfolio gives them the flexibility they need when selecting system products.

Together, these factors strengthen collaboration among stakeholders committed to finding the right balance between performance, cost, and schedule.

Upgrades at Philadelphia-area water treatment plants deliver clean water to residents

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 11:41:26 -0400

In the northeast Philadelphia neighborhood of Torresdale, the Samuel L. Baxter Water Treatment Plant draws from the Delaware River to provide potable water for over half the city.

The intake water travels through a 52-inch diameter pipe located in a damp underground gallery. The pipe feeds dozens of water filters critical to the treatment process.

And after over 60 years in service, the pipe looked its age. Widespread peeling and cracking of the existing protective coating system exposed its surface to a highly corrosive environment. A recoat of the pipe was necessary to avoid advanced corrosion that would threaten the pipe's integrity.

Seems straightforward enough. But facts and circumstances surrounding the project made it anything but.

Uniquely challenging conditions and no paper trail

Moisture is inevitable in Baxter's underground pipe gallery. It hangs in the air, clings to surfaces, and pools on the floor. This, on its own, is a difficult environment for applying protective coatings, but there was far more than just that to contend with.

The water filtration equipment near the pipe contains sensitive components that would not work if infiltrated by blast media, so surface preparation via abrasive blasting was forbidden.

Additionally, it wasn't clear what prior coatings were used because there were no records. Worse, some sections of pipe contained traces of lead primer residue, adding a lead containment requirement to a project that already was complicated enough.

The combination of the observed conditions at Baxter provided PWD, Carboline, and the contractor—G.C. Zarnas—the following project premise:

Though there was no textbook answer for a job with such challenging conditions, Carboline's previous experience in another PWD treatment plant led to the specification of a high-performance system that all project partners were confident would perform.

Carbomastic – Carboguard system delivers in unruly environments

Conditions in Baxter's piping gallery were challenging, but they were even more adverse at the Queen Lane Water Treatment Plant across town. The system now in place at Baxter has its origins at Queen Lane:

Carbomastic 615 would be applied in two coats at a minimum of 4 mils (100 microns) each. Carbomastic 615 features outstanding moisture and surface tolerance during application, characteristics which were crucial in a damp service environment where the existing coating is unidentified. Its fast cure time aided in the timely application of the finish coat.

That finish coat was Carboguard 690, also featuring outstanding moisture tolerance during application, fast-cure capabilities, and low-temperature curing.

The surface preparation specified at Queen Lane—a pressure wash followed by SSPC SP-2/3 hand and power tool cleaning—was mimicked at Baxter.

All that remained before work began in earnest was to verify via testing that what worked at Queen Lane would also work at Baxter.

ASTM D3359 X-cut adhesion tests were performed on three test patches of Carbomastic 615 at different sections of the pipe, with the results confirming the system's performance.

By the end of August 2024, G.C. Zarnas crews had begun. They marched down the gallery section by section and remained at work as of July 2025.

The system flows on

The success of the Carbomastic-Carboguard system, first defined at Queen Lane and repeated at Baxter, could become the textbook answer to the question of how to recoat piping in similar environments.

These maintenance projects are a small part of PWD's greater water restoration efforts being implemented throughout the city. That effort continues with work scheduled at Philadelphia's third water treatment plant–Belmont–where Carboline and G.C. Zarnas have already completed initial surveys.

Though very few customers will ever see this critical underground infrastructure, they can take comfort in knowing its restoration represents the city's commitment to guaranteeing the quality of this most essential natural resource.

Hydroplate 6500: Application

Mon, 18 Aug 2025 10:24:27 -0400

Designed as a premium-grade, ultra-durable epoxy lining, Hydroplate 6500 is ideally suited for use on both concrete and steel surfaces in aggressive, hydrogen sulfide rich municipal and industrial wastewater environments.

This reinforced, high-build epoxy offers swift return-to-service times and the convenience of single leg application. Hydroplate 6500 ensures exceptional longevity with its remarkably low permeability and outstanding chemical resistance, guaranteeing long-term durability and performance.

The Red Bucket BONUS - Regulatory affairs in Europe

Mon, 18 Aug 2025 09:39:18 -0400

Resumen

Nel nuovo episodio del nostro podcast, parliamo di un tema spesso percepito come tecnico e complesso, ma in realtà sempre più strategico: il mondo del Regulatory nei rivestimenti industriali. Ne discutiamo con Alice Paiotta, Regulatory & Quality Assurance Manager Europe in Carboline, che ci guida in un viaggio tra REACH, sostenibilità, rischi normativi, competitività e innovazione.

00:53 – Introduzione
01:16 – Presentazione dell’ospite: Alice Paiotta
02:03 – Che cos’è il regulatory in un’azienda che produce rivestimenti e prodotti antincendio
02:40 – I principali regolamenti applicabili in Europa
03:34 – Focus sul Regolamento REACH
04:21 – Le autorità competenti in Europa per il settore dei rivestimenti
05:44 – Come è evoluta la regolamentazione negli ultimi decenni
08:22 – Codice UFI: di cosa si tratta e a cosa serve
08:53 – Il futuro del regulatory secondo Alice
10:46 – L’aggiornamento delle liste di sostanze: un processo continuo
11:14 – Regolamenti europei e sostenibilità: sempre più interconnessi
13:33 – Le conseguenze della non conformità normativa (legali, economiche, reputazionali)
16:20 – Come assicurarci di non commercializzare prodotti non conformi
19:25 – Regulatory come vantaggio competitivo: quando la conformità diventa strategia
22:50 – Le principali sfide da affrontare per restare conformi
24:48 – Il percorso di Alice: dalla chimica al regulatory
28:02 – Domande extra per chiudere in leggerezza

Floor and Wall Solutions Brochure

Fri, 15 Aug 2025 14:58:46 -0400

Shock-Crete Brochure

Fri, 15 Aug 2025 14:44:47 -0400

The Red Bucket – Episode 25. Renovating the iconic Santiago Bernabeu Stadium (Feat. Juan Pablo Ortega [again])

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 13:45:17 -0400

Summary

Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid, Spain, is the iconic home of legendary soccer club Real Madrid. A recent five-year renovation has transformed the stadium into a modern engineering marvel. Fireproofing and corrosion protection coating systems each played a role in the mega project, and in this episode, Carboline's Europe Director of Project Development, Juan Pablo Ortega, leads a tour of his favorite team's new digs.

Also, is it possible for another country to have larger portion sizes than America?

Timestamps

Click to follow along with the transcript:

00:00 – Introduction
02:32 – Summarizing the renovation of Santiago Bernabeu Stadium
05:10 – Differing fire ratings for different uses of a structure
06:15 – Why both cementitious and intumescent fireproofing types were used
08:20 – Specifying heavy-duty Pyrocrete 40
10:52 – Nullifire SC902 intumescent fireproofing was uniquely qualified for this project
13:34 – Primer, fireproofing, and topcoat specification for the retractable trays
16:17 – Navigating an aggressive schedule during the COVID-19 pandemic
17:20 – Juan Pablo returns to the site
18:28 – The four questions

Transcript

Introduction

Toby Wall: Most of us who have favorite sports clubs end up loving the home stadium of that club almost as much as we do the club itself. And with a soccer team-- sorry, a football team-- as beloved as Real Madrid, there's much love for their home pitch, the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. It's just had a significant renovation that's turned it into an engineering marvel, a marvel that depends on passive fireproofing materials and corrosion protection coatings. Today on The Red Bucket, we see this iconic venue from a unique perspective. We first told this story in a Spanish language bonus episode back in February, so if you haven't already heard that and are more comfortable listening in Spanish, then that's the episode for you.

If you're not a Spanish speaker and you suffered a fear of missing out, then you are in the right place. Juan Pablo, welcome back to The Red Bucket. Perhaps you can introduce yourself once again?

Juan Pablo Ortega: Okay. My name is Juan Pablo Ortega. I am based in our office in Madrid, Spain, and I have been working for Carboline since, 2012, and currently hold the position of Director of Project Development for Europe and, I have a team of fantastic specifier across Europe with whom we work to provide to the, to the industry solution for passive fire protection, uh, coating and, and linings and, uh, working closely with, uh, with our clients, including properties owners, uh, infrastructure and industrial plants, as well as construction companies and engineer firms that, uh, provide service for, for this type of projects.

Toby: Well, thank you, Juan Pablo, for joining us, and especially since this is the second time that you've had to have this conversation. So we are very happy to have you again. The Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid is well known to any football fan in Europe. Certainly, others around the world, too. But I think, only really diehard fans in the US or in North America would know what that is. If we said those words to them, Santiago Bernabeu, most of us, I don't think would be very familiar, but it is the topic of our conversation today because this very famous stadium in Madrid was the recent site of a renovation project, which involved some passive fire protection and some corrosion protection coatings. And so before we get into those details, maybe you can explain very generally what was the scope of this renovation project.

Summarizing the renovation of Santiago Bernabeu Stadium

Juan Pablo: Well, this, as you mentioned, is a well-known mega project that has involved the complete, uh, refurbishment of the stadium, including the roof, the stands, the logistic ring that, uh, has been built around the stadium. The car park and also the pit in which the retractable trays that support the soccer pitch have been installed. The work began in the summer of 2019 and was completed in 2024 with an initial investment of 575 million euros, which finally increased the expense to over 1 billion euros. Huge project that, uh, up to 800 workers are working simultaneously on the various tasks that need to be carried out inside the stadium. At Carboline, as experts in passive fire protection and corrosion protection, we have contributed our grain of sand to the project, and we are proud to have been able to provide our solution for the project.

Toby: I like that grain of sand reference, that's very appropriate. I think it would help if listeners understood my comment about an engineering marvel. It's the fact that the pitch, the actual playing surface, is removable. And the way that that removal is accomplished is completely innovative. And if you understand how that works, then you'll understand why providing combined fire protection and corrosion protection for that part of this project was a really unique undertaking. Instead of trying to tell you how it works, I think you should just pause this and go over to YouTube and watch a time-lapse video published by Real Madrid. The title of the video is "The amazing pitch retraction at the new Santiago Bernabeu Stadium." Plug that into the search bar. Take two minutes and watch that. Where I wanted to start, though, Juan Pablo, was with the fireproofing, and what is the normal fire rating for a stadium in Spain?

Differing fire ratings for different uses of a structure

Juan Pablo: In a large project like this, there are different fire rating scenarios, yeah? There is no single scenario. Fireproofing or passive fire protection that must be applied to the roof is not the same as that applied to the emergency exit or the main institute of the building, yeah? These different scenarios are governed by the technical building code in accordance with European standards, yeah? The engineering firm that has worked on and collaborated on the project has defined the fire rating based on the area of the building. And most of the structure has been protected for 180 and 120 minutes, but there are also areas with 90 and 60 minutes of protection, and some roofs with 30 minutes of protection.

Yeah. It's a combination.

Why both cementitious and intumescent fireproofing types were used

Toby: And it is pretty common for large structures like this that they would have both types, a cementitious type and an intumescent type fireproofing. The reason why there's both types is that there's highly visible areas where you want it to look nice, and there's areas that are not very highly visible and it doesn't need to look so appealing. At this stadium, there were both types, but as I understand it, the aesthetics of cement versus paint, how those look, was not really the reason why different types were specified. So, can you explain why we have both cementitious and intumescent in the stadium?

Juan Pablo: Yeah, at the, at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, both the engineer team and, and the, the owner requested, that the, main institute to be fireproofed with a cement-based mortar, which come, uh, with a standard exposure to the, to the elements including water and, and humidity. And also, cement-based mortar provides greater mechanical strength and resistance to possible impacts. In other areas such as, roof and, emergency stairways, intumescent pain, were chosen. Yeah. And also in the retractable trays, where the weight of the protection system was key. Intumescent paint, were were chosen.

Toby: Okay, so the, the, the weight of the material mattered and you don't want to overload those trays or overload that steel with something very, very heavy. Which, of course, the mortar, the cementitious product is a yes, is heavier compared to the paint.

Juan Pablo: This is one of the reasons to use the intumescent paint in these trays, yeah? Less weight than the cement base.

Toby: And we'll talk about this later, but that, that's one of those examples where the intumescent product, it does look nicer, but in this case, when it's applied to the tray, it's covered up by another layer of coating anyway, so no one would see it. The fireproofing products that we used here were Pyrocrete 40, which is a heavy-duty cement-based material, and the Nullifire SC902, a fast-curing, solvent-based intumescent paint. With regard to the Pyrocrete 40, this is not typically what you might use in a structure like this, but it ended up being specified. So why was Pyrocrete 40 specified?

Specifying heavy-duty Pyrocrete 40

Juan Pablo: Yeah. With Pyrocrete 40, we have tested for both cellulosic and hydrocarbon fire scenarios. It is mainly used to protect refineries and chemical plants. For cellulosic fire, gypsum-based mortar, such as our Perlifoc HP, is more widely used. However, as I mentioned earlier, the owner of the stadium was only considered a cement-based solution due to the weather and the impact on performance.

Toby: And we were familiar with the applicator for this project, and they were familiar with Pyrocrete 40, right? They had previously used it successfully.

Juan Pablo: Yeah, the main contractor that carried out the part of the project using Pyrocrete 40 had already used it previously to protect various refineries and industrial plants in Spain. Pyrocrete 40 is a benchmark mortar in the sector for protecting against hydrocarbon fires. And they have plenty of experience to use it.

Toby: And there's a feature of the design of the stadium following this renovation that can help explain why Pyrocrete 40 was appropriate, because it's only partially enclosed. You mentioned a moment ago that there is some exposure to the exterior environment. Maybe you can just say more about what that exterior exposure means or how that influences the specification.

Juan Pablo: This was one of the main reasons why we chose cementitious mortar instead of the usual gypsum-based mortar. Our Pyrocrete 40 mortar has been extensively tested for outdoor use in an environment with aggressive chemical components. This is one of the main reasons because the fireproofing mortar is affected by humidity and could be a problem in the long-term service, yeah?

Nullifire SC902 intumescent fireproofing was uniquely qualified for this project

Toby: And onto the intumescent product, the Nullifire SC902, where was this applied and why was that the choice for those locations?

Juan Pablo: Nullifire SC902 has been used to protect the retractable trays against fire. The challenge that we faced when we were asked to fireproof the trays was significant, yeah? We had to provide a durable intumescent solution that could withstand the elements and also weekly movements. This was something that had never been done before. We proposed our Nullifire SC902 solution, which we have used to fireproof many projects where the structure has been protected in the workshop before being moved to its final location. It had been used in other stadiums such as the Copenhagen Arena in Denmark and in large industrial plant infrastructure, car park, and other building without any incident during transport and assembly process, performing fantastically without suffering any major damage. This product is a hybrid solvent-based intumescent paint with high solid content, which provides a certain flexibility and is hard enough to be transported. Thanks to this combination of properties, we saw that it was the ideal solution for the project, and it was accepted by the engineer, the project manager, and the management team.

Toby: And you told me, when we first talked about this, that it was important for the SC902 to be applied to its full specified thickness in a single coat. Why was that important?

Juan Pablo: You know, this type of, uh, mega project have a, a very strict, schedule in in the production, yeah, of the steel, and with all the protection and in this case, the applicator and the, and the manufacturer of the steel structure need to do a, a big effort to, follow the, the schedule for the project and thanks to our solution that you can apply all the thickness that, uh, was required in a single coat, and then, uh, one day later you can apply the topcoat and, and then one day later you can move the, the, the steel, uh, was one of the critical point to, to select our material.

Toby: And so on the subject of the other coatings, the SC902 is just part of a system for what is protecting the steel on these retractable trays. So what else is in the system? What was the primer, and what was the topcoat?

Primer, fireproofing, and topcoat specification for the retractable trays

Juan Pablo: Regarding intumescent paint, we need to test the primer compatibility product and also the topcoat compatibility with intumescent paint. And in this case, with the Nullifire SC902, we have tested a complete coating system that provide not only the fire protection also, uh, have the protection against, the weather and the conditions, okay, and can cover external atmosphere for the steel protection. And in this case, we follow our system tested that is apply 150 microns of Carbomastic 18 FC. It's an epoxy primer, also high solid and fast curing, and also then we apply in the same day we can apply the Nullifire SC902, and then on the top of the intumescent paint, we apply our Carbothane 134.

Toby: And how many microns of the 134?

Juan Pablo: Yeah. We apply 75 micron.

Toby: So like three mils, if you're in imperial units, and three, what, five mils, maybe of the Carbomastic 18 FC.

Juan Pablo: Yes. Five, six. Yes.

Toby: Those retractable trays, that's not a normal exposure, right? They're, they're covered in earth. There's turf, there's grass over top of the earth, and then that's being watered and it's being fertilized.

So, what does all of that activity do? Like, how does it impact the fire protection or the corrosion protection?

Juan Pablo: Yeah, that is the point that the system that we recommend is cover the, the external atmosphere of the external exposure of the steel in combination with the, with intumescent paint. And, obviously, this is something that has its own, you know, ambient. Okay. Because this is like a cove that you introduce this tray and have all the weather conditions controlled, okay, for the growth of the pitch. And this is something that they give all the treatment that they need for the pitch, also.

And with the different chemical components and also the lights, for the growth of the pitch. Also, all these conditions are unique conditions, but we use the best coating system that we can justify with external exposure.

Navigating an aggressive schedule during the COVID-19 pandemic

Toby: Earlier, you said that the project ultimately went from 2019 up until last year. Obviously, we had a pandemic in the middle of that, which really slowed things down. But it was an aggressive schedule. So, in terms of applying the coatings, our little part of it, our grain of sand, how much time did we have, and how did the applicators navigate such a strict timeline?

Juan Pablo: In the case of the trays, we need to do all the, all the trays in approximately four months. It was a really, really aggressive application schedule because was a big area to apply and was a big effort for the applicator company also for our side to provide all the material that they need in a very short period. And also give all the technical assistance during the project and all the meetings that we need to attend for inspection and to check that everything goes in the correct way, yeah? With a very, very aggressive schedule.

Juan Pablo returns to the site

Toby: Have you been back to the stadium?

Juan Pablo: Yes, uh, I was with my son. I am a big fan of Real Madrid and is the team that plays in the stadium and was a couple of time with my son. For me, it was amazing, yeah? To be in this new stadium. And I'm really proud to be part of the construction of this amazing project, yeah?

Toby: Just a really great experience to have, and if you're a big fan of the team now, you like, you have seen more of their home maybe than anybody else-- most other people have ever seen. It just feels significant to me.

Juan Pablo: Yeah, yeah, yeah. It was a fantastic experience during the work process, yeah? You can see, you know, all the stadium for the different, uh, areas without any limit, okay, because we are moving into the project like in our house after some months working on the project. Yeah. And it was a really wonderful experience. Yeah.

The four questions

Toby: Okay. We will move on then to the four questions. These are four fun questions that don't have anything to do with the project or the work that we were just discussing. So I hope you're ready, Juan Pablo, this will be a little silly. I have a question about siestas. This is not something we do. Yeah. We do not do this in the United States. But if you are traveling and you go someplace where siesta is not a part of that culture, do you still try to take a siesta for yourself, or do you not do it?

Juan Pablo: I never do a siesta. Yeah. I know, I think this is typical that everybody thinks that in Spain, everybody takes a nap, something like that, in the middle of the day. But this is not true. Yeah.

Toby: So, so that's not actually very common.

Juan Pablo: No. This is not actually very common. And, I have some people who are lucky and can do it, but in my case, I never do. Okay. And during the weekend also we have some, some problem with the children and with the family is also really challenged. It's complicated for my side, but I have some friends who are really fond of the siesta and they never tried jumping, the siesta time. Yeah.

Toby: I feel like I would enjoy it, and I have two small children, so I would need it. It would be nice if I could do it, but you and I have that in common. We have to work for a living, so we can't really just stop and take a nap.

Juan Pablo: Yes.

Toby: All right. Question number two. If I came to visit you in Spain, would you introduce me to Spanish cuisine? What would you start with first?

Juan Pablo: Yeah, my recommendation regarding Spanish cuisines is more focused on the local cuisine because it's not the same cuisine that we have in the north of Spain or in the Mediterranean Sea sites, or in the south of Spain, yeah? In each area, we have a special plate. Yeah, yeah. For example, the handmade paella. That is fantastic. Yeah. That you can, you are on the Mediterranean side. This is like the famous plate in this region. Yeah. But, if you go to the north of Spain, areas like Asturias, you have a fabada or you have different special plates in the local area.

And then this is my recommendation that you taste the local cuisine. Yeah.

Toby: Which local cuisine is your favorite?

Juan Pablo: You know, I am really lucky, thanks to the job, I visit more or less all the areas in Spain, and it's really complicated to find a place that has bad cuisine, yeah? In all the places, north, south, Madrid, and Barcelona, all the places have very good cuisines, and are okay. If you tell me something, maybe in the north of Spain, because the food is really good, has very good quality of food, and also the quantities are really big. Yeah.

Toby: I see.

Juan Pablo: Yeah.

Toby: Like in the United States, where the portions are too big.

Juan Pablo: Crazy, crazy big. Yeah. For me, it is impossible. I never finish all the food and put it on the plate. Yeah.

Toby: Number three. What sounds better to you? A vacation where you are hiking through the mountains, or a vacation where you just lie around on the beach.

Juan Pablo: You know, I normally spend my holidays on vacation in the north of Spain. Okay. And we are really lucky because we can combine both. Yeah. Wow. Because we have a mountain very close to the beach, depending on the day.

You go to the mountain or you go to the beach. Yeah. And that is the best, in my case, I am really lucky. Yeah. Because we have very good weather and uh, and if it's really hot day, I go to the beach, but then if some days it's a little bit cloudy or it's raining a little bit, something like that, I, I go to the hike in the mountain and enjoy also in the mountain. Yeah.

Toby: Maybe I should delete that because you make it sound so great, everybody's gonna want to come do that. Yeah. And then it'll be crowded.

Juan Pablo: This is close to paradise.

Toby: Alright, final question. This reminds me of paradise, too. What would you do if you had a surprise day off?

Juan Pablo: Hmm. I am a really simple man. Just for me, spend time with the family and maybe do a special plan. Okay. A special thing with the children and with my wife. That is enough for me, yeah?

Toby: Well, Juan Pablo, thank you very, very much for joining us for this episode and for sharing your work at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. It's a fantastic project, and it's fantastic to have you join The Red Bucket not once but twice to repeat yourself, basically. So, thank you very much for being here.

Juan Pablo: You are welcome.

Biofuel producer achieves multi-modal protection for ethanol storage tanks

Thu, 05 Jun 2025 14:41:13 -0400

On the eastern edge of the Nebraska Sandhills and nestled in the scenic Loup Valley, agribusiness meets energy.

Here, near the small town of Ord, Green America Biofuels takes in truckload after truckload of corn, processing it into ethanol. The facility produces 65 million gallons (246 million liters) of ethanol each year.

Integral to that production are five storage and process tanks.

The tanks are coated to protect against corrosion. But plant management has more to worry about than just this electrochemical phenomenon. A biological process thrives at the site, too. You know it when you see it—dark black streaks on the sides of tanks or buildings—and it must be stopped.

Ethanol plants create a unique environment

Pilot Travel Centers owns Green America Biofuels and is its sole customer. The ethanol produced here leaves the facility in trains destined for fuel blending facilities before delivery to fuel stations across North America.

If you've ever bought gas at a Pilot, Flying J, ONE9, or Mr. Fuel station, you can brag about your connection to Green America Biofuels.

The facility's geographical context usually bodes well for the performance of protective coatings.

For one thing, it is generally less humid here than in other parts of the United States. For another, air pollution in this sparse area is minuscule compared to dense urban or highly industrialized areas.

A high-performance coating, properly applied, should last a long time here.

But ethanol plants are a paradise for a particular variety of fungi that consume ethanol vapors as food. This fungal growth is visible in the form of unpleasant-looking black stains. These can be removed with a pressure washer, but that's only temporary at best. Where ethanol vapors are present, the fungi return.

As a result, facilities must choose between equally unappetizing options. They could frequently clean the surfaces impacted by the growth, or simply do nothing.

Annual or biannual cleanings would at least provide a short period of time where a tank or building exterior would appear neat and clean. But that cost adds up fast: It takes almost as long to pressure wash a tank as it does to coat one. What’s more, pressure washing is abusive, and too much of it can wear down a coating system.

This is why doing nothing is an attractive choice for those who can tolerate it. The stuff looks nasty, but there is no evidence that ethanol-eating fungi are harmful to people or products.

Even so, in spring 2025, it was time for something new at Green America Biofuels.

Ideal circumstances for Rustbond^® and Carboxane^® 2100 BR

Five storage tanks comprise Green America Biofuels’ tank farm: The two larger tanks are each 54 feet in diameter by 48 feet tall (16.5 meters by 14.6 meters). The three smaller tanks are each 25 feet in diameter by 30 feet tall (7.6 meters by 9.1 meters).

According to plant personnel, the tanks were built from 2007 to 2008, and were most recently painted around 2015 to 2017. The tanks had not been cleaned at any point after that, and fungal growth on their surfaces was extensive.

Carboline representatives first suggested a finish coat that inhibits fungal growth in 2022. A tank painting project was not in the plant’s budget at the time, but personnel agreed that when the time came, Carboline’s Carboxane 2100 BR would be a part of any new coating system.

Carboxane 2100 BR is an ultra-durable, fast-curing siloxane finish coat that includes a proprietary biocide proven to dramatically inhibit the growth of a range of fungi, including the variety that often plagues ethanol facilities. When applied direct-to-metal (DTM), it meets ISO 12944-6 C3 High and C4 Medium corrosion protection criteria. Its performance improves when applied over approved primer coats, as was the case here.

All parties moved swiftly when funds to recoat the tanks were released in 2025. XL Industrial Services, based in La Porte, Indiana, was selected to complete the work.

First, all tanks were pressure washed to remove fungal growth as well as any other dirt and debris. Then, they were hand-tool cleaned to SSPC SP-2.

With the surfaces properly prepared, XL crews then applied Carboguard 635 as a spot primer on areas of rust. Carboguard 635 is a versatile epoxy primer or intermediate coat suitable for atmospheric or immersion service. In this case, it was chosen because of its excellent surface wetting properties and fast cure speed that would accelerate the project schedule.

Next, the tanks received a full coat of Rusbond. Rustbond is renowned in the industry for its phenomenal wetting properties. It is typically specified for application over tightly bound rust or, as in this case, over tightly adherent existing coatings. Its ability to penetrate and negate the impacts of surface discontinuities provides an ideal surface for the adhesion of intermediate or finish coats.

The Carboxane 2100 BR finish coat followed.

Additionally, ladder cages, spiral stair handrails, and top handrails were coated in Carboxane 2000 (red), which is also an ultra-durable topcoat that exhibits excellent UV resistance and very strong weathering properties.

A bright future for five bright white tanks

In selecting a coating system including Rustbond and Carboxane 2100 BR, Green America Biofuels got the best of both worlds.

On one hand, they secured many years of phenomenal corrosion protection and weathering resistance in a high-performance system without the need for extensive surface preparation via abrasive blasting.

And on the other, the bright white shine on those tanks won’t be darkened any time soon by unsightly black fungi searching for a meal.

That’s only fitting for a part of the world this pretty.

Inorganic zinc-rich coatings: How they work, and how they can work better

Wed, 04 Jun 2025 20:11:10 -0400

Stakeholders interested in corrosion prevention are broadly aware that zinc is an excellent material for protecting assets in harsh environments.

Many also know why it works—anodes, cathodes, and the galvanic series—so we won't summarize that here.

But in the world of liquid-applied protective coatings, the interactions among zinc, other constituents in a coating formula, and the environment are rarely described in any detail. And it's a crucial description because it sends us two important messages:

One is that, for the most part, the coatings industry hasn't gotten all that it can out of zinc-rich coatings. That's been to the detriment of customers, their assets, and the environment.

And two, the recipe to do better is no mystery. The industry has what it needs—and has had it for decades.

The behavior of zinc in inorganic and organic systems

In zinc-rich coatings, the reaction between zinc and the atmosphere is key to the extended corrosion protection we're all familiar with.

Immediately on its exposure to the environment, zinc reacts with oxygen, moisture, and carbon dioxide in the air to form numerous reaction products. These reaction products fill in microscopic pockets in the coating film over time, a process which continually reinforces the structure of the coating and is essential to its overall protective properties.

But the coating's resin type is also instrumental to its performance. Inorganic zinc-rich coatings are typically based on silicate resins, which are made of the same chemical tool kit as rocks or sand. Silicate-resin-based coating films are relatively permeable compared to epoxy resins. That allows moisture to move through the film for continued curing of the silicate resins, as well as reacting with zinc to continually reinforce the coating.

The zinc compounds fill the pores in the silicate resin matrix, creating a physical barrier between the substrate and its environment. The zinc also reacts with the silicate resin and the iron in steel to form a chemically bound complex. When moisture is present, the circuit is completed and cathodic protection is activated. This corrosion-resisting barrier lasts a long time because inorganic resins do not degrade under UV exposure.

So unlike their organic counterparts, which weaken over time, inorganic zinc-rich coatings strengthen as they age.

However, a problem emerges. A widely used corrosion protection system involves an inorganic zinc-rich primer under one or two organic epoxy or urethane coats. But organic-resin-based coatings are less permeable, and applying them over an inorganic zinc-rich primer insulates a portion of the zinc. That impedes its interaction with the atmosphere, and fewer zinc compounds are formed as a result.

Compounding the problem is that all organic resins eventually break down under exposure to UV radiation. The corrosion-protective performance of an inorganic zinc-rich primer is handicapped by the introduction of an organic resin on top of it.

The image below, captured by Carboline at NASA's beachside corrosion test site at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, illustrates the point. The panels marked 312 and 320 are coated in an inorganic zinc-rich primer. The two panels to their right are coated in organic-resin-based materials. Both sets of panels were set out for testing at the same time.

Inorganic zinc-rich coatings vs. galvanizing vs. metalizing

No discussion of galvanic corrosion protection should exclude the other common ways to achieve it.

Galvanizing, in one form or another, has been around for centuries. It's well understood and well regarded as arguably the premier method for achieving long-lived corrosion protection.

Metalizing, a more recent invention, has gained traction for its apparent very strong performance, too.

How do liquid-applied coatings compare? It's hard to offer a definitive and scientifically valid performance comparison for two reasons:

Neither galvanizing nor metalizing are subject to the same rigorous performance testing as paint; paint is held to a different and higher standard
Variability in assets, surface preparation, application techniques, formulas, environmental exposures, and other influences mean control conditions are difficult to achieve

With that said, our stance is that a premium inorganic zinc-rich primer, when applied in one coat to a properly prepared surface, is equal or superior in performance to galvanizing. Galvanizing is usually marketed as a 50-year corrosion protection solution.

It's worth noting that the structural steel in NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building in coastal Florida was coated in a single layer of Carbozinc 11 in 1966. It was observed in excellent condition as recently as February 2025, 59 years later.

Metalizing is a new enough process that we'd need to see a 50-year performance history before agreeing that it was on par with inorganic zinc-rich coatings or galvanizing. Time will tell.

Cost, application properties, and health and safety matters are easier to compare:

Galvanizing is slower, and metalizing much slower, than applying paint; paint application equipment is far more portable
Galvanizing and metalizing involve exposure to high heat and dangerous chemicals; the health exposures associated with using zinc-rich coatings and application equipment are quite mild by comparison
Galvanizing is markedly more costly than painting—sometimes twice the cost per square foot for large steel members—while metalizing is monstrously expensive at three to four times the cost to paint

Listen to this episode of The Red Bucket podcast for a more detailed discussion on performance comparisons of galvanizing, metalizing, and inorganic zinc-rich coatings.

Could two-coat inorganic systems maximize corrosion protection potential?

If inorganic zinc-rich coatings are such phenomenal performers when left alone, then why would we introduce the question of a two-coat system?

From a performance perspective, testing has shown that the additional inorganic coating layer may increase the system's durability and resistance to impact damage while still offering excellent galvanic protection. Test panels coated in Carboline's Armorlast two-coat inorganic system have shown virtually no degradation following exposure in back-to-back-to-back ISO 12944-9 cyclic aging tests. A single test cycle simulates 25 years in the harshest, most corrosive conditions.

Indeed, compelling test data along with extensive past experience with inorganic systems led NASA to choose the Armorlast system for the structural steel of its new ML-2 launcher.

The Armorlast two-coat inorganic coating system protects the structural steel of NASA's ML-2 launcher. Designed to support NASA's Artemis program, the launcher is currently under construction at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Image courtesy of Bechtel.

Beyond performance, another benefit that emerges is color options.

That's because with single-coat inorganic zinc-rich coatings, all you get is zinc dust gray. But an added inorganic finish coat means more colors are available, and the days of giving up on performance for visual appeal, or vice versa, are finally over.

Owners of highly visible assets in harsh environments—offshore energy platforms or wind turbines, bridges, commodity storage terminals, and more—are already taking notice.

The performance benefits and cost savings speak for themselves, and they're too loud to ignore.

Red Bull's transformation in Madrid

Wed, 21 May 2025 16:02:03 -0400

Photo courtesy of yyplusplus + IDC STUDIO.

Red Bull Spain's chosen location for a new headquarters makes perfect sense.

The vibrant Malasaña neighborhood of Madrid blends cafes, restaurants, and nightlife. Its narrow streets and old-city architecture are a haven for students and young professionals. A globally recognized energy drink brand would fit right in.

But before they could do so, there was work to do: the complete renovation of an existing five-story building.

yyplusplus reshapes an empty shell

Photo courtesy of yyplusplus + BELVIL ESTUDIO.

At street level, 13 Calle Hernan Cortes deceives passersby. The building is as narrow as its neighbors, but it stretches the depth of its block and contains 2,600 square meters (28,000 square feet) of occupied space.

Formerly housing the Madrid College of Industrial Engineers, the structure was vacant and essentially hollow when architecture firm yyplusplus got to work.

The firm's objective was to utilize the building's abundance of open spaces while also providing furnishings and partitions that would make the building suitable for the work of 150 employees.

But yyplusplus could not stop at a renovated floor plan and new furnishings. The space would look like an office, but it wouldn't feel or sound like one.

That's because the structure's prior use as an engineering college did not emphasize acoustic insulation. If that wasn't included in this renovation, the offices would be noisy. yyplusplus knew an insulative material was essential, and they insisted that it looked as good as it performed.

Farbocustic^® provides insulation and ambience

yyplusplus had initially favored a vermiculite-based insulation for the Red Bull Spain offices, but none featured the right combination of acoustic performance, visual appeal, and cost.

When a contractor suggested they consider Farbocustic from Carboline, the architects recognized a name they had heard before.

On a prior project, yyplusplus had studied Farbocustic gypsum-based mortar. They decided against it at the time because the project was in a small space, and manufactured acoustic panels would provide the needed acoustic dampening more economically.

But Farbocustic was right for Red Bull Spain for a variety of reasons.

From a cost perspective, spray-applied insulation is more economical in large, open spaces. Farbocustic's sound absorption properties match that of conventional materials, and architects across Europe recognize its finished texture and wide range of colors.

And importantly, the material is made with natural fibers and contains no silica. This eliminates an application hazard and helps architects and builders achieve sustainability objectives for construction or renovation projects.

Photo courtesy of yyplusplus + IDC STUDIO.

"Everyone is happy"

The renovation concluded in September 2024. And as of early 2025, Red Bull Spain's Madrid staff had fully occupied their new headquarters.

There's a lot to love about going to work every day in the heart of Malasaña. And because of yyplusplus, the environment inside 13 Calle Hernan Cortes matches the streets around it.

"This is what we wanted," said Cesar Cañadas, co-lead architect of yyplusplus. "It was an empty box, and there was nothing. Now, everyone is happy with the design and implementation."

The Red Bucket – Episode 24. Fluoropolymers: The unbeatable resin technology for water tank topcoats (Feat. Jeremy Sukola and Kristen Blankenship)

Thu, 01 May 2025 14:36:21 -0400

Summary

Fluoropolymer-based finish coats are the premier performers for elevated water storage tanks in exterior exposures. The specialty FEVE resin on which they are based withstands intense UV radiation, high winds, and intense precipitation while holding gloss and color for decades. And while all that comes at a cost, water industry expert Jeremy Sukola and chemistry nerd Kristen Blankenship explain how that cost represents a long-term investment that boasts a handsome return. In this episode of The Red Bucket, learn the chemistry, use cases, and regulatory considerations of fluoropolymer topcoats.

Also, Kristen ponders the Atlantic Ocean from the top of a cliff, and Jeremy shares a strong opinion about spaghetti sauce.

Timestamps

Click to follow along with the transcript:

00:00 – Introduction
02:00 – A brief history of fluoropolymers
04:41 – Composition and properties of fluoropolymer coatings
08:51 – The role of fluoropolymer topcoats in water tank coating systems
13:05 – Fluoropolymer finish coat performance vs. other common technologies
15:08 – Fluoropolymer finish coats are not always the best fit
17:17 – Promoting long-term visual appeal
19:36 – Application properties
21:04 – The cost of novel chemistry
24:05 – Lifecycle cost benefits of fluoropolymer products
25:52 – Human health, PFAS, and forever chemical concerns
32:02 – The regulatory landscape today
33:53 – Key takeaways
35:14 – The four questions

Transcript

Introduction

Toby Wall: Owners of elevated water storage tanks have lots of topcoat options available to them. Whether their primary concern is aesthetics and branding, or long-lived performance, or budget, they can find what they need. But in terms of visual appeal and corrosion protection performance, one resin technology, fluoroethylene vinyl ether, does stand head and shoulders above the rest. Accordingly, so does its price tag. So today, fluoropolymer topcoats take center stage. What are they? Why do they work so well? Why are they expensive? And just how good is that ROI? That's next on The Red Bucket.

It is very satisfying when a topic of discussion consists of the overlapping expertise of not one, but two voices that you've heard here recently. So I am thrilled to welcome back Jeremy Sukola and Kristen Blankenship. Jeremy is the Vice President of Prime Resins and Carboline's Market Manager for Water and Wastewater.

Longest job title ever. And Kristen is Carboline's Product Line Manager for Atmospheric Coatings. Thank you both for being here today.

Kristen Blankenship: Thank you.

Jeremy Sukola: Thank you, Toby.

Toby: And the subject here is fluoropolymer topcoats. There's quite a bit of an evolution which has taken place. With that in mind, thinking about fluoropolymer topcoats for water tanks, this isn't really new, but it is an evolution from someplace in the past to the present. And I wonder if you can walk us through, briefly, where did we start with fluoropolymers? How have we moved, and how did we get where we are today?

A brief history of fluoropolymers

Jeremy: Absolutely. And I'll go over my very brief understanding of the history of fluoropolymers, but will always cede the conversation over to our expert on the topic, Kristen, when we start talking about molecules and chemistry. So basically we're, we're looking at fluoropolymer technology being around, prior to World War II, with the accidental discovery by DuPont of PTFE, better known as Teflon, polytetrafluoroethylene.

Really, the idea behind this product was its non-stick capabilities. It's chemical resistance, but PTFE in and of itself, not really for coatings, especially 75 years ago. So, fast forward 30 years or so, and now we're talking about an evolution in that technology. PVDF or polyvinylidene fluoride.

Really, what you have here is you've got a, like I said, an evolution in this technology for coatings that were primarily used for coil coating, architectural-type applications. These types of materials require baking in the oven. They're known by some pretty common trade names, Kynar and Hylar. But again, we're talking about mid to late sixties here.

You start moving into the 1990s and 2000s, though, and we've got, you know, another evolution of the fluoropolymer technology and the FEVE resin, the fluoroethylene vinyl ether resin, where we're really looking at field-applied fluoropolymer topcoats. And you know, the one thing that stayed the same throughout all these evolutions of the fluoropolymer topcoat really is its UV stability and its ability to protect against degradation caused by ultraviolet light, in addition to its chemical resistance and some things outside of the coatings industry that it provides in the electrical world. So that's, that's a real brief history of how the coatings industry really started to adopt fluoropolymer technology, really beginning in the 1960s but through field application in the mid to late 1990s and onward.

Toby: Kristen, as I ask this question about what makes a fluoropolymer, a fluoropolymer, or what makes a fluoro coating, a fluoro coating, let's talk about what, what is the experience that you have that is the source of that knowledge on your end?

Composition and properties of fluoropolymer coatings

Kristen: The world of fluoro chemistry is very vast and broad, even though it relies solely on the fact that there's one element included in all of it, and that's why it's fluoropolymer, and that's fluorine.

I did work previously for a company that manufactures fluoroethylene vinyl ether resins. And as Jeremy noted, these types of fluoropolymers really were relegated to a factory or shop environment because, as I mentioned earlier, fluorine doesn't like to play nice in the sandbox with other elements, maybe put it that way. And so it's very hard to get it to do much. It's hard to get it to react with other things. And then when it does react with something, it's hard to break it apart. And, so usually most materials that use fluorine requires some type of high heat.

And so we talked about Teflon, PTFE, those types of materials usually require 700, 800 degrees Fahrenheit to actually form a film. PVDF, polyvinylidene fluoride, as Jeremy noted, was a breakthrough because it only needed 450 degrees Fahrenheit. But you can imagine you're still in a factory environment.

So what happened in the eighties over in Japan actually was the development of a material called fluoroethylene vinyl ether. This was unique in that it actually allowed for film formation at room temperature. It also, the molecule allows for the addition of what we call a functional group. So it's basically something that likes to react with something else.

And in our world of water tanks and coatings for water tanks, we like something called a hydroxyl group. And so that group is put on the backbone of this FEVE resin, and guess what? It can react with the reactant that forms a urethane. So you went from having urethanes, aliphatic urethanes that weather really well, to a fluorinated urethane that weathers frankly better than probably any other type of material that's out there. These materials rely on a carbon-fluorine bond. That bond energy is stronger than what comes from the sun, and so it just simply doesn't break down. The other, there's other components in it because it is a fluorourethane, that do break down over time, but because most, a large portion of is that carbon-fluorine bond, it really has a very, very, very slow rate of degradation.

The breakthrough with this technology was that you could apply it in the field, outside, and it dried. So guess what? That's great for an elevated water tank. The other thing that really helps, which is really great for elevated water tanks, is maintaining bright, shiny finishes with high gloss. That was another breakthrough with this resin chemistry is that it actually gave you high gloss. PVDF really is more of a kind of satin matte finish. So, as Jeremy noted, for coil coating and for facades and the architectural space, high gloss is usually not necessarily the best thing.

We don't wanna blind pilots in the sky and melt asphalt on the ground. So, it just kind of worked out well that these materials were developed, and they really work well on elevated water tanks and have been used in that space for decades now.

Jeremy: And while Kristen has decades of experience with formulating FEVE, I spent the last two hours before this podcast learning how to say fluoroethylene vinyl ether, just to not embarrass myself.

Toby: That one rolled off the tongue really, really well.

Jeremy: I've been practicing hard.

Toby: Well, you brought up, Kristen, the use of this resin technology within coatings that are applied on water tanks whatever is the coating that is applied to a tank isn't the only one. It exists in a coating system.

And so, whichever of you wants to take this can take this, but let's talk about the role of a fluoropolymer finish coat within the context of the system of which it is a part.

The role of fluoropolymer topcoats in water tank coating systems

Jeremy: Yeah. No doubt fluoropolymers excel as topcoats, right? As far as UV protection, color, and gloss retention, there are none better.

However, fluoropolymers only work when we look at something, let's say, like a water tank; they only work because they are part of a full system, right? So coating systems made up of primers, one or more intermediate coats, topcoats. Okay? So we use the primer, obviously, it promotes, it provides adhesion to whatever substrate that you're working on.

In this case, we're obviously talking about steel. So depending on the type of primer that you use, you can have some other forms of, of protection. With zinc primers, you get galvanic protection. With epoxy primers, you get barrier protection. Or if you combine, you know, moisture-cured urethane or epoxy resins with zincs, you get the benefit of both—intermediate layers. Typically, on tanks like this, intermediate layers are usually more of the aliphatic polyurethane type. So, we can add some build to the system. We can add some additional chemical resistance. But it's not to say that an intermediate coat cannot be an epoxy.

Again, another barrier coat to add some, some mills to the system to provide that enhanced barrier protection with a normal aliphatic polyurethane. And then obviously a topcoat. So the fluoropolymer topcoat, providing the UV resistance the excellent color and gloss retention.

You know, in addition to the chemical resistance that this resin in this system provides. So it's really, it's like building a house. Use your primers as your foundation. You're using your intermediate coat or coats as the framing of the house. The fluoropolymer would be like the weather-resistant siding on the roof of the structure, protecting it and giving it that ultimate protection.

Kristen: If I could jump in here for just a second, because this is a really good point that you're, you're making, Jeremy, the, the ability of that topcoat, or as you mentioned, you know, weather-resistant siding, you know, it's the shell of the building, right? It, it really is important to have something that's withstands the effects of UV light, moisture and rain, for a really long time because what'll end up happening is typically it's a process called photochemical degradation. And what'll happen with, you know, non-fluorinated topcoats is you'll start to see some breakdown at the molecular level. You can't, I say, see, you won't see it. That's the whole idea, right? The only thing that you will see is usually a loss in gloss over time.

And, so many times in the industry and the conversations I've had, there's this idea of separating, "Oh, well, I don't care about color and gloss, right? I care about corrosion." And the reality is, they're not separate. If gloss is starting to drop, you're actually starting to see that coating film break down at the molecular level. Again, you can't really see the bonds breaking, but the effect of that is that you're getting microcracks and voids within that coating film.

And what does that do? Well, it allows moisture and salt, and then over time, UV light to get down to that midcoat, which in a lot of cases is an epoxy. So the more UV light that hits that epoxy, that starts breaking down. And then eventually you'll get that moisture into your primer, and you'll start going through the zinc if you're using a zinc-rich primer.

So the shell or the topcoat is really more than just aesthetics. It really is a protective layer that protects all the layers underneath and allows them to do that job. Just like we, you know, you mentioned with the weather-resistant siding on the house.

Toby: If one was to compare performance of a fluoropolymer topcoat in a system versus other weatherable urethanes in a system, my question was going to be, is there a pecking order in terms of performance? It sounds like that's not really a question, though.

Fluoropolymer finish coat performance vs. other common technologies

Jeremy: No, no. At the very, very, very top of that order are fluoropolymers for sure.

Typically, when we're looking at color and gloss retention, UV protection on something like an elevated water storage tank, it really runs the gamut. Basically, you're starting with real, super old-school alkyds. Then you can move into some acrylic-based formulas.

You know, could be water-based, could be urethanes. Then we move into the aliphatic urethanes, which really also runs the gamut of, of color and gloss retention and UV protection. We have some real bargain basement, aliphatic urethanes up to, you know, super advanced, pretty, pretty good-performing aliphatic urethanes. You've also got polysiloxane technologies, which do a really good job of color, gloss retention, chemical resistance, UV protection, and some higher film build. But yeah, absolutely at the top of the order, would be fluoropolymer topcoats. Would you agree with that, Kristen?

Kristen: Yes. The one thing to keep in mind always is formulation, right? And I think in this, the industry that we're in, there's been a lot of effort to be sure that these fluoropolymers are formulated properly. But yes, a properly formulated fluoropolymer paint is going to last longer than really any other system that's organic in nature that I can think of.

Toby: So with these pretty impressive performance characteristics that you've both noted and the discussion of what's happening at the molecular level with such strong carbon-fluorine bonds, on the one hand, it sounds like pretty much any argument for fluoropolymer topcoats is a good argument.

But not every problem is solved by fluoropolymer topcoats. So I wonder when you don't need this, what are the situations, Jeremy, where, if you have the buffet in front of you, the thing you reach for is not the fluoropolymer.

Fluoropolymer finish coats are not always the best fit

Jeremy: I would say first and foremost, upfront cost of the technology is something that has to be weighed on a, on a per project basis. And I say it that way, "upfront cost," because obviously, fluoropolymers last quite a bit longer than competing technologies. So, over the life cycle of the structure and the coating system, it does pay back, but that upfront cost sometimes is outside of the budget of a city or a municipality.

If they're repainting an elevated water tank or painting a new-build tank. We've got areas of the country that perhaps we don't have UV degradation as bad as we do in other parts of the country. I today am recording this in my office in Atlanta, so in the southeast and the Gulf area, we get a little bit more sunshine down here than certain parts of the country do. I'm originally from Seattle. I could see where we would use quite a bit more fluoropolymer here for UV degradation in Atlanta than we would in Seattle. So UV exposure is a consideration. But other technologies exist in that space, too—the standard aliphatic polyurethanes. If we're in an area where perhaps extreme color and gloss retention isn't needed, that aesthetic portion isn't our primary goal. Chemical resistance film build, things like that, a really good polysiloxane will fit in there.

So we always have to match the solution to the environment and to the project. So there, those are just a few instances where a fluoropolymer may not be needed.

Toby: And I'm sure listeners, just as I, have been building a picture in their head of, you know, we're talking a lot about these elevated water storage tanks. A water tower in your hometown, if it's gonna have fluoropolymer topcoat as part of its system, it's not necessarily the case that it'll always be the entire surface area of that structure.

Promoting long-term visual appeal

Jeremy: Yeah. Some, you know, some tanks are monotone colors. It's just one color, top to bottom. Sometimes they use standard urethane, sometimes they'll paint the entire tank with a fluoropolymer, just that single color. A lot of times, cities will use these elevated water storage tanks as logos for their city, right?

There's a lot of civic pride in perhaps the high school or local business that's really big in the community. So, a lot of times, the municipal owners will decide to paint very, very elaborate logos on these elevated water tanks. And it's not to say that standard urethanes could not do the job, but because we look at these logos, you know, for bright, vibrant colors, and we really want 'em to stand out, a lot of times we're using fluoropolymers for these logos.

And these logos can get extremely intricate. There's some fantastic tanks that exist out in the world that have these wonderful logos and themes painted on them. Eric Henn is a painter that paints these wonderful logos on water tanks and primarily uses fluoropolymer technology just because of how bright and vibrant it is.

So, it can be an entire tank, or it can be just the logos themselves. So we're talking again about going from. Maybe eight to 12 years with a standard urethane, to 15 to 20 years on the use of a fluoropolymer topcoat. So, upfront cost a little bit more, but because we're extending that service life, we have less maintenance.

It really does pay for itself in the long run.

Toby: Kristen, can you talk about application properties of fluoropolymers, because when Jeremy brings up logos, lettering, in some cases, very intricate designs, we start to walk away from this image of somebody on a scaffold or hanging from a rope with a spray gun and just doing the entire area very quickly.

It, you know, there's some craftsmanship involved here, and I guess, what should we be saying about application properties for fluoropolymer topcoats?

Application properties

Kristen: This question came up quite a lot in my previous life working with these materials and trying to educate the market and our customers about how they were used.

And of course, the biggest misconception was that because they were specialty, because they did special things and because they were this really long chemical name that nobody could pronounce, except Jeremy but that they must have some special way of being applied.

They must look different in the bucket. They must feel different when you apply it. And the reality is, they're very similar to a standard two-component urethane system. And with that being said, of course, you can formulate urethanes to be spray applied, airless spray, conventional spray. You can also formulate them to be roller-applied and brush-applied. So the resins themselves can be formulated with different additives and different thinners that allow for really nice brush and roll application. So that's where you really have to work with your supplier and the manufacturer and understand the limits of the paint itself.

So it all comes down to the formulating.

Toby: We talked about a cost component to all of this and the calculations that an owner or that specifier is gonna do, you know, the upfront cost versus the, you know, how long does it take that cost to pay off? But Kristen, the sticker shock does come from somewhere.

Where does it come from?

The cost of novel chemistry

Kristen: It really is the unique material. It's novel chemistry. That's why there really is only one supplier globally with a true fluoroethylene vinyl ether system or resin system. And those unique raw materials, you know, they oftentimes come with the price. And you know, we just haven't really seen anybody come in and crack the code on how to make it.

There have been some attempts in the market, but nobody's really been successful. You can imagine if you have a raw material that is going to withstand degradation for decades, you have to be sure that you manufacture it consistently with quality in mind and use raw materials that are going to give you that end product every single time to deliver. So, there is a price tag that comes with that.

Toby: It feels to me like especially with there, with there being so few, suppliers in the world that can supply the world capably, it's sort of the opposite of a situation where you've cornered the market on like toasters and then it doesn't matter if the toaster's good or not, it's just you, you sell all of them to, you know, there's no competition.

But in this case, I think the stakes are a little bit higher. So it would seem to me that the, that emphasis on quality, you know, they can't, they can't have their guard down. The, if the resin, you know, they invented something really great. It has to stay great. It has to be great the entire time. Because it's not like there is an easily accessible substitute.

Kristen: Absolutely.

Jeremy: And Toby, it really comes down to, like Kristen stated, the performance because what the performance ultimately equals is a lower total lifecycle cost, right? If we're paying to paint, for instance, an elevated water storage tank today with a product that costs X amount of money, and we know that we're gonna get 20 years out of that before we need to do some maintenance painting on it, versus perhaps a standard urethane system that still provides very good protection for eight to 12 years before it needs some maintenance or even a total redo.

The cost of the labor and the scaffolding, the mobilization, the coatings, eight to 10 years from now, it more than makes up for that upfront cost for this technology. We have to look at these coating systems as assets that, you know, provide that protection, and the upfront cost of this technology more than pays for itself in the long run.

Toby: What else does the owner need to think about? Right? There's the, you know, every owner is different and their level of knowledge is gonna be different, but if you were to compare what the average owner knows today about this technology against what you wish they knew. What would that comparison be?

Lifecycle cost benefits of fluoropolymer products

Jeremy: Well, I think the owners have a pretty good understanding of what the value of the technology is, right? And that's really what we always strive to do. That goes outside of fluoropolymers, right? If we're, if we're trying to help an owner choose a secondary containment or a primary lining system, we always wanna make sure that they have an understanding of what that upfront cost will eventually get them.

And it's all, again, it's always about total lifecycle costs for the structure. When we talk about, especially municipalities that have to stretch every single dollar they get. This is what we want owners and specifiers to know about this technology. I'm pretty confident that there's a pretty good understanding that with the application of this topcoat to the rest of your system versus, you know, I'll, you can't see my air quotes, but a "standard" topcoat, aliphatic urethane, here is what you can expect out of that system, right? Superior color and gloss. Very, very good UV protection for the tank. Again, the coating system itself is an asset, and I think that the fluoropolymer topcoat helps protect that entire asset.

So that's the main thing that we want the owners to understand, is, you know, that little additional upfront cost really does lower the total lifecycle cost of this system and that structure.

Toby: How about human and environmental health impacts? Kristen, is there, is there cause for concern over the use of fluoropolymer materials for water tank topcoats?

Human health, PFAS, and forever chemical concerns

Kristen: So it's an interesting question, because as a human on the planet Earth and someone who consumes media, I know that I have read about something called forever chemicals.

I've read a phrase called PFAS, and generally, what that refers to is something that, by definition, may include the very specific FEVE resin chemistry. But again, that's only by definition. I actually have written, well, there was a chapter in a book that was referenced in some papers at some industry shows that have been cited in some of the industry's response to this idea that fluoropolymer paints should be included in a class called PFAS.

If you wanna get into the weeds, and I can do that all day long, but I'll just let you know that it's really important to have conversations about these topics with knowledgeable people in this space. As we talked about previously, FEVE resins are a very niche resin chemistry that does something phenomenal, and that's why a company still makes them, because there's still demand, because they make these elevated water tanks beautiful for decades, right? So there's a reason that they're around. But as I said, these are very specialized materials and so with the specialized material, there's usually a handful of people that may know the most intricate details of the chemistry, and those people aren't always seated at the table when these discussions about forever chemicals are going on.

So what's been going on in the industry simply is that originally the idea of PFAS was really something where you had a fluorinated material that also was able to be soluble in water. Basically, it was a fluorinated soap to make it easy. And so you can imagine if those fluorinated soaps get in water, they get in groundwater. Eventually, they get in your body, and now you have carbon-fluorine bonds going around in your body.

And guess what? As we talked about earlier, fluorine is the most electronegative chemical on the periodic table, which basically means it doesn't like to play with other people, and it likes to be left alone. And so there's been a concern theoretically that these materials will accumulate in your body because you can't break them down.

And then the question is, well, then what? Well, that's the problem. We don't know the "then what?" So there's a lot of studies going on to understand the impacts to human health, and some studies have suggested that these materials do have a negative effect. And so it is very important to err on the side of caution, but it's also really important to think about throwing the baby out with the bath water, so to speak.

So the reality is that the FEVE resins that are used in these high-performing elevated water tanks, if it is FEVE resin, they are not formulated with actively PFAS material. So there is a concern that, "Well, could they break down into those materials?" Well, we don't know. And guess what? They don't really break down that much.

Right. That's the whole reason we use them. So I do know of one study that's been going on at the University of Toronto. I actually haven't seen any papers written. I actually spoke with the professor who was doing this study, and their idea was they were gonna actually look at facades that were coated, I think Jeremy alluded to it earlier, coil-coated and or extrusion, so those are spray-coated, but those used either PVDF or FEVE. So they were gonna look at the effect of, you know, rain cycles over time on those coatings and see if, if any breakdown material could accumulate in the water, and if that breakdown material actually was, you know, a PFAS-type material. Well, I don't think those results are out, but that doesn't mean that these materials haven't been classified as PFAS, haven't been classified as these, you know, the 9,000 chemicals that are forever chemicals.

The reality is we haven't studied 9,000 chemicals to see if each one of those unique materials actually harms our health. So again, on the one hand, you wanna be very cautious when it comes to human health, right? I think we've, we've learned over the past decade or so, that being cavalier with additives in our food, for example, can be a real problem, right?

We maybe need to be scrutinize them a little bit more before we just throw in, you know, Red 40 into our kids' candy, right? But at the same time, while yes, your kid might be upset that the, I don't know, the Red Hots aren't very bright red, right? Or the Froot Loops. What we're talking about here is that elevated water tank having to re be repainted multiple times over the course of 60 years if you don't use the fluoropolymer, well, what's the impact to the environment and frankly to human health of using those materials, manufacturing those materials, getting the feedstocks to manufacture 'em, the energy cost, the carbon footprint of, of making those materials and then applying them. And then, of course, the impact to the workers that are spraying those materials. So in this instance, it's really important that we do the science, we do the studies and we get it right.

So, I would say that at this point, the jury is still out on whether FEVE itself, which again is a fluoropolymer, is inert and not soluble in water. You may see some water-based materials with FEVE or with PVDF. That doesn't mean that those materials are soluble in water; it just means they're suspended in water.

So I'll catch that little note there if there's an eyebrow raised. But needless to say, this is an area of great concern, and the research is ongoing, but we actually, as far as I know to date, haven't actually cracked the code and know the answer to whether or not FEVE resins contribute to the forever chemicals in our environment.

Toby: Jeremy, from a market regulatory perspective, how has the regulatory landscape kept pace, outpaced, or lagged behind the pace of the science that Kristen just walked us through?

The regulatory landscape today

Jeremy: Well, I think it's keeping pace, in that it's glacial. We are seeing regulations around the world that are changing.

We here in the United States perhaps we don't have quite the knee-jerk reaction to these technologies that we see in some parts of Europe. And I think that's okay. We do have customers this is a concern for them. We do have customers that ask questions and bring this up, and we're as upfront and as honest as we can possibly be in that, to Kristen's point, what she just said, that the science is, is ongoing and the science will continue to be ongoing for years and years and decades. So, from a regulatory standpoint, if there's concern on an owner's part about what the future might look like. There are options outside of fluoropolymers if that fits their needs, or like I said, if those concerns are persistent.

You know, we're gonna continue at Carboline to follow the science as it comes out. We are stewards of the environment, both Kristen and I, and you, Toby, and our parents. So, you know, we think about all of these things. We keep them in mind, but again, we don't wanna have a knee-jerk reaction to something that the sciences does, just does not prove out.

So from a regulatory standpoint, I think here in the United States, at least, a slow and steady pace. So I don't believe we'll see a knee-jerk reaction here on the coatings. That's not to say other parts of other industries that have fluoropolymer technologies, we won't see stricter regulations.

But as far as the coatings world goes, for now, I think we're in good shape.

Toby: This seems like a pretty good place where we could put a stop to it. How would you wrap a bow around this, Jeremy?

Key takeaways

Jeremy: I would say probably two or three things to take away from this. First, I think fluoropolymers are about looking ahead, right? We're investing now to reduce our cost in maintenance years down the road. I think for municipalities who are really focusing in on protecting our real super critical infrastructure, fluoropolymers do provide, that peace of mind that their investment will last, right?

We're paying a little bit more upfront for that longer overall life cycle. And really, this just, it really isn't about paint, right? It is really about preserving these essential public assets. I live in a city, in a town that's got water tanks all over the place, as I'm sure both of you do as well.

So it is about preserving essential public assets because we are stewards of these assets, and we have to give them to our kids when we're done. So it really is about preservation.

Toby: Well, with that in mind, we can move on to the four questions. Jeremy, having admitted he was scared to death of what I was about to confront you all with, so I've got four questions, and you each can answer each question.

Are you ready?

The four questions

Kristen: Ready.

Jeremy: Ready.

Toby: It wouldn't be the four questions without a food question, so that's where I'm gonna start. Some people include sugar in their recipe for spaghetti sauce. And my question is, is that sensible to you, or does that make them a monster?

Jeremy: Absolute anarchy. Absolute anarchy. Sugar in spaghetti sauce. I've never heard of such nonsense. Do you put spaghetti? Do you put sugar in your sauce, Kristen?

Kristen: I would never put direct, just plain old sugar. But you can get sugar other ways, like caramelizing those onions.

Toby: I've heard too, people will grind up their, or, shred their carrots like in a cheese grater and do it that way. In a spaghetti sauce.

Jeremy: In spaghetti sauce. We might have to end this podcast right here, Toby.

Toby: Well, I'm not saying that I endorse sugar of any kind in spaghetti sauce. I think that's either--

Jeremy: Agreed.

Toby: This one might be a little less controversial. Do you have a favorite body of water?

Jeremy: I actually do. So I grew up in the Seattle area, so the Puget Sound, for me, that's a little inlet between the main part of Washington State and the, and the big peninsulas that sticks up there, the Puget Sound. I grew up in, on that freezing cold body of water. And so I would say that, yeah, that's probably, that's probably my, my go-to for a body of water.

Kristen: I'm gonna talk about the Atlantic Ocean. I got to experience the Atlantic from Brazil, which is a very different experience than the U.S. East Coast.

And it was breathtaking to be up on these almost cliffs in South America and see the Atlantic that way.

But when you're up high up on a cliff down in South America and going up these little roads in the mountains, it's a whole other experience. So we'll go with the Atlantic.

Toby: Question number three. So this is the season for road trips. Summer is here. Do you have one from the past that sticks out in your memory, or do you have one, a dream road trip, that you want to tick off the list?

Jeremy: I have a road trip that sticks out. About 15 years ago, I had to actually drive a car from my house outside of Atlanta back to where I used to live, just outside of Seattle.

And I drove straight through without stop from Atlanta to Seattle. This was before GPS cell phones and all of that. So I had a big Rand McNally road atlas, lots of coffee, and 52 hours of straight driving.

Kristen: And how old were you again, Jeremy?

Jeremy: Fifteen years ago, so I would've been 12 years old.

Kristen: Wow. That's impressive. I don't.

Jeremy: A young, I was a younger man for sure.

Kristen: I don't think I have one that rivals that, but I do. I cannot wait for the day I can take my four little kiddos on a road trip across the country and see all the great things this country has to offer. It terrifies me to think of it now because my youngest is three.

But I hope within the next, you know, five or six years that we'll be able to pile in and really enjoy ourselves learning about this magnificent country that we live in.

Toby: Question number four. So it's tornado season. Kristen, Jeremy, when the siren starts blaring, are you heading for the basement or are you going right out to the, to the front yard to watch?

Kristen: I'm yelling at my husband to get the kids to the basement, and then I'm looking out the window or vice versa, right?

Jeremy: Unfortunately, we do not have a basement. We are on a slab, but we have a very, Harry Potter-esque, under-stairs storage area where we do have a mattress that my 4-year-old son was sleeping on when our sirens went off at midnight last week.

So, we're typically huddled somewhere in or near that under-stairs closet.

Toby: In the Dursley residence.

Jeremy: That's right. That's right. Well, see, unfortunately for us, I can't remember the last time a tornado went through during the day, so we can't see anything anyway.

Toby: So that'll do it. Jeremy Sukola, Kristin Blankenship, thank you very much for such entertaining answers to the four questions and for your knowledge on fluoropolymer topcoats.

Jeremy: Thank you, Toby.

Kristen: Yes, as always, Toby. Thank you.

The Red Bucket – Episode 23. Acrylamide leak sealing grouts (Feat. Michael Vargo)

Fri, 25 Apr 2025 09:59:58 -0400

Summary

Acrylamide grout technology dominates the underground wastewater collection leak sealing landscape. Legacy dry-granule and modern liquid variants give operators tremendous flexibility to address challenges of almost any scope or scale. But how do acrylamides work? Why do they work so well? And what do municipalities or private network owners need to know about how they fit into the broader maintenance and repair ecosystem? Michael Vargo of Prime Resins is the man with the answers.

Also, Michael considers what it would be like to be 6’10”.

Timestamps

Click to follow along with the transcript:

00:00 – Introduction
02:24 – Defining acrylamide grouts
04:09 – Water/wastewater use cases and how the technology works
10:04 – Comparing granular vs. liquid acrylamide grouts
12:57 – How weather impacts application
14:30 – Acrylamides vs. alternative technologies
16:44 – Use cases for acrylamide grouts outside of water/wastewater
19:34 – Why Prime Resins earned NSF 61 certification for its liquid acrylamide
22:12 – Ideal water sources for granule format
23:03 – Necessity of training for preparation and use of acrylamide grouts
25:37 – Acrylamide grouts are one piece of a bigger maintenance/repair puzzle
33:00 – The four questions

Transcript

Introduction

Toby Wall: Leak sealing grouts are essential weapons in the hidden fight against leaks in underground piping or other infrastructure. And within water and wastewater collection networks, acrylamide grout technology is far and away the material of choice. So what is it? How does it work? And how does it fit into the bigger picture of water collection network maintenance and repair? We answer those questions on this episode of The Red Bucket.

Today, The Red Bucket is very, very happy to have Michael Vargo of Prime Resins joining us. Michael, welcome, and please give us an introduction to yourself and to your role at Prime Resins.

Michael Vargo: Yeah, thank you, and I'm glad to be here. My name is Michael Vargo with Prime Resins.

I started here in 1991. Helping in the tech support or problem solving department, sales and tech support. So that's predominantly where I'm at today is helping solve problems for our customers, our owners, in municipalities.

Toby: Some listeners may know this, some others may not, that there is a relationship between Carboline and Prime Resins. Michael, maybe you can share more about how that has evolved over the last half a decade or so.

Michael: Yeah, in 2017, Prime Resins was purchased by RPM and through some structural changes in the last year and a half or so, in June of 2023, we came to report under the Carboline umbrella as opposed to the USL umbrella.

Toby: It's possible this episode will publish right around that time period of June, so I will hedge my bet and say, if that's the case, happy anniversary. We're glad to have you these last couple years.

Michael: It's a good fit for us.

Toby: We think so too. So the subject of our talk today is acrylamide grouts. And as I seem to do in almost every episode that we have, I admit my ignorance, which is to say, I don't know very much about this.

So how would you paint the picture? Give us that introduction to this technology and, and this technology in the context of the other common ones that you might see in leak sealing and in soil stabilization.

Defining acrylamide grouts

Michael: Sure. The acrylamide is a, what we call a true solution grout, meaning it's a liquid grout unlike cement and there's microfine cements and there's polyurethanes and there's other things that we compete with in this arena.

But in the case of a cement grout or a microfine cement, you've got cement particles, you've got sand, that can influence how that material migrates, especially in the geotech application, how it permeates through the soils. The acrylamide has some advantages there because we don't have those particles to deal with.

The other product selection typically we run into in this arena is polyurethane grouts. Polyurethane grouts have their place and we also do those, but polyurethanes tend to have a higher viscosity, so again, certain applications require certain properties, and in each of those, the cement grouts, the urethane grouts, the acrylamides and acrylates all have their niches when it comes to application in the field.

Toby: And while we don't really intend that this is a sales pitch podcast, there is a product, an acrylamide grout product, which Prime offers. And if you could talk about that product, Michael, I think that might be a good way to sort of add some color to the picture we're trying to paint here.

Michael: Sure. So with the acrylamide, it's called our PR10 and we have two versions. We have a PR10 L which stands for liquid, and then we have just the standard PR10, which is actually a granular material that comes in a bag. The PR 10L we also have NSF 61 potable water certification on for applications where that may be required.

Toby: And where do we see this material most often used in the municipal water and wastewater collection leak sealing context?

Water/wastewater use cases and how the technology works

Michael: If we're using this in a sewer application and again, the main line and lateral, so the main line is basically the part of the sewer collection system that runs along the street from your house or your business to the treatment plant. That's basically encompasses the collection systems. That's pipes, the laterals are basically the pipes that come out of the business or out of the house that tie into the sewer at the street. So that lateral connection is between the building and the main pipe at the street level. And then the main line is what travels along the streets or through the right of ways to convey it ultimately to the treatment plant.

And obviously everywhere in there you've got manholes. Also that provide access points, checkpoints, if there's blockages, things like that. You know, there's a variety of reasons for a manhole. In that, you've got small diameter pipes. You've got to use specialty type equipment to be able to go in and seal the leaks in that lateral and in the main line. A lot of times you're dealing with four, six, eight, ten, twelve inch pipes. So obviously, it's, you know, you can't get inside there to do it manually, so you've got to be able to grout from internally. Logiball happens to be a sister company to Prime Resins, and they actually manufacture these highly sophisticated specialty packers to do this type of grouting, where we can grout the connection, and we can also grout the joints in the Collection system and obviously you've got clay pipes.

You've got a joint every 30-36 inches. If it's concrete pipe, then your spacing is, you know, five or six feet depending on the diameter. And all those joints tend to be a leak area. In the back of this truck, you've got an operator's got a camera and there's a camera that's being pulled through the pipeline.

So they can visually see the joint, see if they're leaking or not, if the lateral connection is leaking, etc. So they've got this camera that the operator can visually see and control with a joystick. And he can pull that down the pipe. Looking backwards is this packer, that's made by Logiball or whoever, that actually does the work.

So the drive, the operator can, by flipping a series of switches, he can introduce the A chemical, the B chemical. He can inject water, air, he can vacuum test or, or water, air test the joint to see if it's leaking. So, in the back of this truck, you've got, makes the equipment, you've got a tank A and a tank B.

So, whether you're using the liquid format or the granular format, you still have two tanks. And in the A tank, you're adding water. And if you're using the granulars, you're dumping the bag, the 50 lb bag of the granules into that to be dissolved. If you're using the PR 10L, you're taking three 5 gallon pails of the acrylamide liquid and dumping them into the tank.

So in the A tank, you've got water, you've granules or the liquid, and then you're going to add another product called triethylamine, or what's commonly referred to as "tea", T E A. And the T E A, uh, helps alter the reaction time that we're looking for once the two materials come together. In tank B, also 60 gallons, you're going to have water.

And to that, you're going to add a salt, typically ammonium per sulfate or sodium per sulfate in small percentages. And typically the amount of T in the A tank and the percentage of salt in the B tank are gonna be relatively close to the same. So if you're adding 1.5% T, you're gonna add roughly 1.5% of the salt in the B tank, and then you're gonna fill those up to 30 gallons.

So from one 50 pound bag, you're granted, you're generating 60 gallons of what we call pumpable grout. With the liquid, you're taking a 15 gallon, three 5 gallon pails, dumping it into the tank, and also same method, you're making a 60 gallon batch. And then that material goes out through a long hose reel to the packer that's in the pipe, and is injected at a 1:1 ratio.

So, equal volumes of A to equal volumes of B. Depending on the amount of T and PP or SP we add, we can manipulate that reaction time. We can have that grout react as quick as five seconds or using some retarders in the in the tank. We can also delay that reaction for hours if we need to. But typically, in the sewer industry, you're working with about a 40-50 seconds set time.

So when when the operator injects the grout and pushes it out into the joint in that mainline sewer, they're gonna wait about a minute. He's gonna air test or water test that joint to make sure it's sealed. If it doesn't, he does another shot of grout. If it's sealed, then he deflates that packer, moves it down to the next joint that needs addressed.

Toby: That's kind of a stunning range of set times there from a few seconds to hours.

Michael: It is. And in the sewer industry, again, we work with a much tighter range. When we get into the geotech applications, we're injecting it into the soil, or if we're curtain grouting, say a below grade tank that we got access that we can get into, or we can drive probes on the outside to inject it.

Then there, that's where we typically see the longer reaction times needed to give that grout more time to migrate or penetrate through the soil or migrate out from the point of injection. Then we can use a retarder. Typically potassium ferrocyanide gets added to the A tank to, to retard or slow down that set time.

Toby: So again, being able to manipulate the properties of this grout to suit the conditions we're in is one of the nice things about this material and, and kind of separates it from some of the other competing technologies.

If you were to describe, like, features or benefits either in terms of performance or application between the solid form and the liquid form, how would you draw that comparison?

Comparing granular vs. liquid acrylamide grouts

Michael: The bagged or granular grout has been around for a couple of decades. That's the original way that the acrylamide grout was offered in the marketplace was in a granular format.

However, during the handling and mixing of that material, basically, we're dissolving that water. So if you visualize in the back of a specialty truck, we call a TV grout truck that's used for mainline and lateral grouting. You've got 60 gallon tanks and so a worker has to take that bag. He's filling the tanks partway full of water.

They're dumping these granular material into the tank and that creates airborne dust. And that's a health and safety issue. And that dust gets on everything in the truck, then the worker's touching things, he's doing tools, he's touching the tank, and then he takes a break, and maybe he doesn't wash his hands as he's supposed to.

So it became an issue with OSHA, and there's, there's actually training that has to be done to use the acrylamide type materials, it's both for the liquid and the granular, but it started off in the granular because that was the original format of how the grout was supplied. So there is some health and safety issues.

The advantage of the liquid is we eliminate that potential for dust to get introduced into the back of the truck, on the worker, in the air that he's breathing, things like that. So, from an EH&S standpoint, the liquid is a much better option when it comes to that. The other interesting feature on this is the material is endothermic.

So, when we dump the granular material into the water, and it starts to dissolve, it actually cools down, it pulls heat out, it actually cools the liquid material as it dissolves. Back in the early days, the TV trucks used to have heaters in the tanks, and they could just turn the heaters up to reheat that material back to, you know, basically ambient, or ideally, you know, 65-75 degree temperatures, so they can get predictable reaction times.

When the manufacturers quit putting the tank's heaters in, that created a problem. Because now, if you're doing the bags, you've got to dump the bags in the water, and then you've got to wait for that material to warm back up before you use it. Otherwise, your set times are going to be affected by introducing the liquid, you're just pouring the liquid into the tanks, and you're ready to go.

You don't have that reaction, that reaction's already occurred here at the factory when it's made. So you don't have that dwell time that you're having to wait on versus the granular.

Toby: On the subject of, I guess, environmental conditions or let's say ambient external conditions, you mentioned this TV truck, is it the case that the weather outside really doesn't matter so much when you are going to be applying or injecting this product, whether it's the liquid version or the granule version?

How weather impacts application

Michael: I think to a degree, there's always going to be an influence of weather. Whether we're doing the sewer work or even the geotech work, probably the weather more impactful on the geotech work, but even in the sewer industry in the back of this truck, you've got typically a hose reel that's got 400 or 500 lineal feet of hose that's wrapped up on this huge reel that sits on the back end of this truck, and that's what actually goes down the manhole and is fed up the line.

So we're grouting typically between two different manholes, and those manholes may be 300-350 feet apart. So you've got that hose, you get material in the tank that's somewhat sheltered, okay, so that's a little bit less of an issue there. But then you've got all this material in the hose, and that hose could be sitting in the back of that truck where it's exposed to the sun.

It could be a cold day, and you've got a cold breeze or wind blowing on that hose reel, plus whatever is down in the sewer. So from a temperature standpoint, there is some sensitivity to that. And we want to be able to manipulate that reaction time based on the conditions, and that's why the ability to add the "tea" and AP or SP salt gives us the ability to do what we call a cup test.

So they'll just, they'll squirt some material in the cup. They'll test it to see if the gel time or the reaction time is what they want. And like I said, in certain conditions they may speed it up or slow it down to suit the environmental aspect.

Toby: What is the decision making for when acrylamide, whether that's granule or it's liquid, or something else, is the best for whatever your given problem is?

Acrylamides vs. alternative technologies

Michael: I think in the sewer market where we're dealing with mainlines and laterals, that market is probably 95% dominated by acrylamide. We do have a couple of municipalities who will specify a polyurethane gel, like our Hydrogel, Hydrogel SX, in lieu of acrylamide. The acrylamide, when it cures, it's a flexible, rubbery, kind of a jello type material to give you an idea once it reacts and cures.

It's elastic, so it allows for a little bit of movement in the joints. If the sewer is running underneath the road, obviously you get a pumping action from the vehicle traffic overhead, especially in some of your shallower manholes. So you want to have some flexibility in that material. But it's not super strong.

And the urethanes are a stronger, higher tensile, more, you know, if you were to pull it, try to tear it apart. The urethanes have a higher tensile or higher resistance to tearing versus the acrylamide. But in the sewer market it's, it's pretty dominant. When we start getting into the geotech world, we're injecting it into the soils on a dam, or a canal, or around a tank, a below grade tank, or elevator pit, or tunnel.

Then, obviously we compete more with sodium silicates, we're competing with microfine cements, you know, there are, and even more urethane type products. So there are different products there, and it really depends on the conditions of the soil. We get into a real fine, silty sand or silty soil, you can't use a urethane typically because they're too thick, they're too viscous.

You can't use microfines because, again, you get separation of the particles in the water and caking occurs and then the grout doesn't migrate. Where the acrylamide, because it is that true solution grout, even in a real fine, silty soil, I don't want to get too far into the weeds on the geotechnical side, but we can grout soils up to about 30% fines passing a number 200 sieve.

And you cannot do that with the micro fines. And you certainly can't do it with a, with a urethane grout typically.

Toby: We've done a lot of talking about water and wastewater collections, but what are some common applications or use cases for these materials outside of that?

Use cases for acrylamide grouts outside of water/wastewater

Michael: Yeah, I think if we look at, you know, the mining industry in the last five, 10 years of is migrated somewhat to the acrylamide and the acrylate type grouting 'cause of the ease of getting it to the, to the location where they wanna pump it. I mean, we can supply this, not only, we talked earlier about the bags and the 15 gallon units of liquids, but for some of the geotechnical work and the mining and the tunneling type applications, we supply this product in 275 gallon tote containers. So when you're dealing with large volumes that you would typically deal with in the tunneling and mining and stuff like that, they're going through a lot of material.

You're not going to want to sit there and mix up bag after bag after bag of small batches. You want to be able to hook up and pump. So the totes offer that ability to for large applications. For example, project we're doing is subway tunnels in the subway market every typically about every 400 feet.

They have to build what they call a cross passage and basically across passage is a connecting point between the two tunnels. The tunnels themselves are done with a large boring machine that create these long tubes underground. But from a utility standpoint, if there's ever an accident. And they've got to get people vacated out.

You know, God forbid there's an accident and a fire in the subway tunnels. You've got to be able to get people from one tube to another to get them safely out and evacuated from the tube. So when they go to cut the actual tunnel liner, you've got to worry about loose soils, high groundwater that could flood the pit that makes it not safe for the workers doing the actual construction, but also long term support.

So with that, like I said you're, a lot of times you're pumping hundreds if not thousands of gallons and you just can't do that mixing a bag at a time. So by being able to do the totes and the liquid, it gives that market a much easier way to pump those higher volumes. Same thing with some of the below grade tanks.

You need something that can create a barrier on the backside of the concrete to block the water. Then we've seen applications where the acrylamide worked very well to create that blanket. Because again, it's very thin. We drill a grid pattern through the wall. We inject this in, it migrates and basically creates a blanket on the backside. So the acrylamides kind of compete with the urethanes in that market, but it can go either way just depending on what the owner is looking for or what the contractor's preference may be.

Toby: You mentioned the granules were the original conception of this technology. And then later on, we have the liquid version. If you were, advising an owner on which is the right one to do, how do you have that discussion with them? What are you telling them so that they are making the, what you think is the right decision on granule versus liquid?

Why Prime Resins earned NSF 61 certification for its liquid acrylamide

Michael: On the, on the liquid PR 10 L, we do have NSF 61 potable water certification and to our knowledge, we were the first company to offer a NSF 61 potable water compliant or certified acrylamide grout. And where this kind of stemmed from is we see owners and engineers looking more at the full cycle of water and wastewater. You basically get water, you're then using it and you're creating sewage, but then that treated sewage, once it goes through the treatment process, gets reintroduced back into a creek, a stream, a river, some body of water and that body of water ultimately down stream or down line is also another town or another jurisdiction's drinking water source. So as the industry and the engineering and the municipalities themselves started looking at that full circle life of water, they got to thinking, "Yeah, we don't need NSF because it's not potable water. We're dealing with sewage." But then that mindset came of, well, today it's sewage, but as we improve the treatment process and we're putting it back into the environment, we've got to be concerned about everything we do in that entire cycle. So we started seeing the sewer guys asking, "Hey, is there anything in this material that can leach out into the water that's going through the pipes, or more importantly, into the environment? If we're injecting this in mainline and sewer grouting, or if we're using it for soil stabilization, we're injecting it into the ground, and that's coming in contact with groundwater.

Is there a concern of anything that could leach out of this grout that could be harmful for that surrounding groundwater? And that's why we kind of took it upon ourselves to say, "Okay, we will get this tested and work with the labs to come up with a test method to, to be able to measure is there anything coming off of this that would, would have any concerns or raise any eyebrows."

And when we did that and we went to the municipalities and the engineering community and said, "Hey, we've got this." They thought it was a wonderful thing. It gave them a comfort level that, hey, we can use this without any worry that we're doing harm anywhere in the ground or in the water. The granular is a little bit tougher to do because the granular is you're mixing on site.

You know, the PR 10L we're making in a factory, it's consistent from batch to batch and we can test that. But when we take granules and you dissolve it into a tank, it's a little bit harder because that recipe can be altered a little bit by the guy in the field. So it's harder to do a granular. So one of the advantages to the liquid is, is having that assurance that it's been tested and certified that there's nothing that's going to leach out of that into the groundwater.

Ideal water sources for granule format

Toby: I assume that the nature or the quality of the water that they are using to mix that in the with the bagged version in the A tank, you don't want to just pull that water from anywhere.

Michael: Typically, they're pulling potable water or pulling water either from a hydrant or a potable water source typically. You're not going to use creek water or lake water or pond water, you know, something like that to mix it. You're typically using a, you know, either, it could be a well supplied or it could be a municipal supplied.

But in reality, they're typically pulling from a quote unquote "potable" source of water.

Toby: Well, Michael, as I visualize the job of a technician preparing this material for use, the mixing, the measuring, and recalling what you said, that there are some health and safety factors involved in its use too. I'm guessing that acrylamides are not just plug and play, so to speak.

Necessity of training for preparation and use of acrylamide grouts

Michael: In order to use the acrylamides, there is some specialty training that has to be done. Typically, in the past, each manufacturer did the training and then up to probably about a year, year and a half ago, there's a trade association called NASSCO, National Association of Sanitary Sewer Contractors, and as a national organization, they decided that maybe they should be the ones that offer this training. And it's a handling and safety training. Again, you're dealing with multiple different chemicals. If you're doing the bags, you've got the inhalation hazards and things like that. So OSHA mandated years ago that there be training involved. Not just anybody can go buy a bag of this stuff and use it. There is a required training course, and that can be done through NASSCO online, or it can be done by us as a manufacturer.

We can offer the class as well, but there is some safety aspects of this and they need to be properly trained in the handling and storage and mixing of these materials.

Toby: I will just throw the plug out there for Prime Resins generally as a source of training and education. In the case of this type of technology, the acrylamides, it's mandatory so you have to be trained on it, but I see from just sort of being adjacent to what you all are doing, that you are providing a lot of training on a lot of topics to folks. So anybody who's thinking about this maybe it's news to them that acrylamides that to use these you're going to need to be trained one of the reasons you might consider Prime over somebody else is, these guys are really good at providing this, this education.

Michael: We pride ourselves on our technical support and our technical ability and helping walk the contractor through this. You know, if it's somebody who's experiencing it, we're still here to help you. If you're somebody kind of new to this, then we're here to provide as much knowledge and resources on not only the chemical, but the equipment and how-to, and, you know, if you need packers, we can reach out to Logiball and get that.

Toby: So we try to be as much as we can of one-stop source and a resource for not only our contractor customers, but also the municipalities and to the engineering community as well.

Just from conversations that I've had with folks in the industry or colleagues here within Carboline or with Prime, it seems to me like it's never just one thing. There's a couple things going on with, you know, at any given location or with any given municipality.

So before I go on, is that the case? Does that track with your experience?

Acrylamide grouts are one piece of a bigger maintenance/repair puzzle

Michael: Yeah, it is. One of the, the biggest issue these municipalities face is when they've got leaky joints in the sewer collection system. It's bringing water in that they now have to convey and treat. So if you get a nice sunny day.

That pipe may be carrying, let's just hypothetically say, that section of pipe from point A to point B is maybe transmitting 50,000 gallons of sewage a day. Then all of a sudden you get a rain event. It rains for a couple of hours. Well, it may spike that flow 200,000 gallons or maybe even more depending on the amount of leaks and how long a section that we're talking about.

So it tends to surcharge the plant. And then the plant gets to where it's got more sewage and water flowing through that pipe to the plant than the plant can handle. And then they wind up having to do a bypass or discharge or figure out somehow to store it until the plant can catch up. But in addition to having the added cost of treating that water, it's also generally carrying fines, soil particles, out of the soil, and that adds two compounding problems to the scenario. One is that sand and grit that's being carried in with that water scours the pipes. If they're using pump stations or lift stations at intermediate points, now you've got this building up, the sediment and silt building up in the, in those elevations that need to be, you know, cleaned out.

And two, it removes soil from around the pipe. So now the pipe has the ability, because there's now a void where that lost soil is, there's a potential for that connection to shift, the pipe to become misaligned. It can drop or it can shift to the left or right, typically it drops. So you lose support of the pipe, and with the grouting, with the acrylamide PR 10, it doesn't matter if it's the liquid or the granular, what we're doing is when we inject that, it's going out through the joint and it's creating a collar around the outside of that connection.

So A, it reinforces the connection. It will fill minor voids into the soil so that now that is properly supported and can't become misaligned. And even if they're doing a, we'll call a relining project where actually run a liner through the inside of the pipe to rehabilitate the inside.

Typically, grouting has gotta be done to stop the infiltration before you can even run a liner, a segmental liner, or cure, you know, CIPP, cure-in-place type liner through the inside of that pipe to rehabilitate it. Generally, grouting is the first step to all that.

Toby: Try and answer this without being biased, which probably is impossible, but you did mention sister company Logiball a few minutes ago. Of course, this is a Carboline podcast. I'm with Carboline. But, but there's a benefit to customers there, and the same would be true if we were talking about, you know, three other companies that had nothing to do with the people who sign our paychecks, right?

But from your point of view, when, when you're able to provide them what Prime has to offer, but also connect them with Logiball and also connect them with Carboline because the leak sealing or soil stabilization part of a project is just part of it it's in an ecosystem of other things that might be happening and we have these solutions under one roof.

This, this is good for customers, but how would you describe the way that that's good?

Michael: So as we seal the leaks in the main lines and the laterals. Again, I mentioned earlier that groundwater is still down there trying to find somewhere to go.

And if it can't relieve itself through the joints and through the laterals because we've now sealed them, the tendency is now directs it to the manholes. And like I said, in a sewer system, you've got manholes every 300-400 feet. So you may have a jurisdiction, you know, a medium-sized town might have fifty, 60,000 manholes.

You know, larger municipalities, you're talking hundreds of thousands of manholes. So obviously we see a lot of our applicators that are doing the grouting work also working with the manhole rehab people and they're, they're having to rehabilitate those manholes as well. So they use the, the acrylamide or even some of our urethane grouts to seal the leaks in the manholes.

And all that's prior to them being able to put on a Carboline product such as the 6500 Hydroplate. Obviously, part of the rehabilitation of these manholes is relining them and, you know, the Hydroplate is a great material. We've got several applicators that just love spraying the Hydroplate inside these manholes, but you've got to stop the leaks.

Then you can rehabilitate the rest of the structure. Same thing as if you've got a below grade treatment plant tank somewhere that needs coating or lined, and obviously that's, that's definitely Carboline's arena. If it's got cracks that are leaking, if it's leaking at the wall-to-floor joint, we've got to go in there with the Prime products, seal those leaks, whichever way we deem best, whether we go through wall or, or probe grouting, and get that tank dry so that they can come in with the Carboline. And, and for us, and for the owner's benefit, is sole source. You know, a lot of engineers, if there's a problem on a project, they don't want a bunch of finger pointing.

They don't want the coatings guy pointing to the leak seal guy who's pointing to this, and the engineer and the contractor says, "Well, I used what was specified." So, the fact that, that together with, with Prime Resins, Logiball in the sewer arena, or just Prime and, and Carboline, is we can give the owner and the engineer sole source accountability.

If there's a problem in any step along the way, they're dealing with us as kind of a whole, rather than two or three people pointing fingers at each other, trying to, trying to escape liability or culpability. So I think for an engineer and an owner, that comfort of having a sole source expert who knows the project from start to finish.

They know what's being used for the coating. They know what's used for the leak seal. They can make recommendations because we've got more intimate knowledge of that project than probably anybody else, especially if you're dealing with two or three different vendors. For the applicator, for the contractor that's actually doing the work, it's easier for him.

He's used to dealing with Carboline, or he's used to dealing with the Prime Resins's technical or sales staff. Order entry is easy. Things come in, it all can come in together, be coordinated and scheduled. So even from the applicator, if there's a warranty issue, it's much easier when you've got less people in the mix. It's a win for everybody.

Toby: I think there's a level of comfort for us, you know, knowing that it's a team effort. In a lot of cases, a job might come up and it starts with the connection that the owner or, or whoever might have with one Carboline guy, right? And Carboline guy doesn't necessarily need to be the, you know, final answer because they can come back and say, "Hey, Michael, look, I've got a problem."

It's just easier for us to be helpful, I think.

Michael: I'll never fully understand the coatings market. That coatings market was never a forte of Prime Resins, but we do know the leak seal. So, yeah, you can lean on a team of experts, that know their segment of that job. And yeah, there's times that we'll call a Carboline guy and say, "Hey, you know, we're doing some leak seal on this thing, but they've got a tank that they're looking at rehabbing in two or three months, and, you know, we need your expertise," and we'll, we'll tag team, you know, we'll and vice versa.

We've had the Carboline guys call us and say, "Hey, we're trying to coat this tank. They've got some leaks. We've got to figure out how to seal these leaks so we can get the lining in place." So it is a mutual, joint benefit.

The four questions

Toby: And with that, I think it's a good time to draw this conversation to a close because we'll all jointly benefit from Michael's answers to the four questions. And the first one is, would you rather be one inch shorter or one foot taller?

Michael: Ooh, so you're going to make me nervous with these questions. I don't know. So let's see the one inch shorter or a foot taller. I'm 5'10" a foot taller. Six foot 10. Nah, I think I'd take an inch shorter than a foot taller. I don't wanna be as tall as Jeremy Sukola.

Toby: Yeah. And I know he's gonna hear this, so.

Michael: I'd rather be short like David Dingler than Jeremy.

Toby: Shots fired. Question number two. If you were forced to spend a day in a museum, but they let you choose what kind of museum it was, what would you choose?

Michael: Ooh, that's tough. The Smithsonian Institute, for sure, but they've got so many different museums within the smithsonian Institute.

I think something having to do with technology, you know, all my life I've been kind of a problem solver. So I think some of the modern equipment or machinery and technology side of things. Chicago, you've got the science and industry museum in Chicago. So maybe I'll change it. Maybe it's not the Smithsonian.

Maybe it's the Chicago museum of industry and science.

Toby: I've been there, but it, I was too young to like, I think fully-appreciate it because it was a junior high school field trip, which it probably was fun at that time too. And I don't remember it too well, but I almost think stuff like that, you need to be an adult to really get the most out of it.

Michael: To grasp, yeah.

Toby: Question number three, name a city or a state that surprised you for how fun or interesting it was.

Michael: I've been to a lot of places. Does it have to be in the U.S.?

Toby: No.

Michael: I think probably the city that surprised me the most was Moscow, when I went to Russia.

Just the size of the buildings, I mean, the buildings take up, a building takes up the entire block, in a lot of cases, or multiple blocks. And the streets are super wide. You'd have these streets in the middle of towns that were four, five, six, seven, eight lanes wide.

Toby: Did you get a chance to ride in their subway?

Michael: I did.

Toby: It's a really good one, isn't it?

Michael: Yes, it is a good one and a lot of it's really deep underground. I mean, you get some long escalators to get in and out and they're very decorative.

Toby: Alright, question number four. Because we've had the nice weather finally get to us here in the Midwest, and maybe it's been around for a little longer for you where you are, but it's grilling season. What is your favorite thing to grill?

Michael: I love a good New York strip steak. A New York strip, I could eat that every day of the week.

Toby: How are you cooking it?

Michael: I usually like it medium. Just a little bit of pink, you know, I don't want it too bloody, but just probably a medium to just a smidge over medium is the best way to cook that.

Toby: It wouldn't be The Red Bucket if we didn't end the show feeling hungry after talking about food, so Michael, I'm so glad you could join us. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

Michael: My pleasure, anytime.

Two-coat inorganic coating system for steel bridges

Wed, 19 Mar 2025 12:51:06 -0400

Original publication: Blankenship, K., & Manuel, J. (2025). Two-Coat Inorganic Coating System for Steel Bridges. Transportation Research Record, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/03611981241292586.

Abstract

Design considerations for steel bridge coatings include exposure environment, aesthetics, application, and cost. Steel bridge coatings must offer protection against corrosion. Current techniques include traditional three-coat zinc, epoxy, urethane systems, galvanizing, and thermal spray metallization. Another pathway for steel protection includes the use of decades-old inorganic zinc spray-applied coatings. This approach offers the performance of a metallized coating while using conventional spray application. What's new is the use of an inorganic topcoat that maintains performance and shop throughput while adding color and aesthetics. This study will compare a two-coat inorganic coating system alongside galvanized, thermal spray metallizing, and sealed thermal spray metallizing systems in corrosion resistance lab testing. A discussion of applied cost and throughput will be presented, along with a review of the chemistry of this approach and the sustainability benefits it offers.

Introduction
Methods
Description of Systems Tested
Results
Discussion
Conclusions

Introduction

Steel is a critical material for the world's infrastructure. It offers many design benefits to the engineer when compared to concrete. The major challenge for steel as a construction material is corrosion. Corrosion protection for steel bridges remains an area of interest and continued study. Painting, metallizing, and galvanizing remain the core options for corrosion protection. Weathering steel has successfully been used for decades. Understanding the corrosivity of the environment is key when specifying this type of corrosion protection. Stainless steel and duplex stainless steel are also seeing acceptance but at a slower pace due primarily to upfront cost.

TABLE 1 Various Testing Standards for Bridge Paints

Standard	Description	Category
ASTM B117	Salt Fog	Performance
ASTM D5894	Cyclic Corrosion	Performance
AASHTO R-31-09 Test 7	Coating Identification	Quality Control
ASTM D4541, D3359	Adhesion	Performance, Quality of Application
RCSC Appendix A	Slip Coefficient	Performance
NEPCOAT QPL	Field History	Performance
SSPC Paint 20	Zinc-Rich Coating
ASTM D4417	Test Method for Field Measurement of Surface Profile of Blast-Cleaned Steel	Quality of Application
ASTM D4940	Test Method for Conductimetric Analysis of Water-Soluble Ionic Contamination of Blast-Cleaning Abrasives	Quality of Application
ASTM D7393	Practicing for Indicating Oil in Abrasives	Quality of Application
SSPC-SP 6 and 10	Practice for Indicating Oil in Abrasives	Quality of Application

Paint manufacturers develop paints and coatings in laboratories using several standard test methods beyond what is listed above. Testing is done against known controls, and often, lab-accelerated testing is run in parallel with real-world ageing tests. Development also includes application testing to mimic what happens at a fab shop and in the field. Once a paint is developed and offered to the market, it will typically be further qualified by DOTs or other outside organizations.

Today, the most common bridge paint system is a three-coat, liquid-applied system consisting of a zinc-rich primer, epoxy intermediate, and a urethane topcoat. As lead was regulated out of paint in the 1970s and 80s, zinc-rich paints gained a foothold. It should be noted that zinc paints have a much longer history starting in 1840 when a British gentleman named Robert Mallet presented a paper to the British Association for the Advancement of Science. He was granted a patent on the use of zinc in paint on iron in 1841 (1). In 1937 the first zinc paint was patented. The first commercial application of record occurred in 1938 (2). The earliest type of self-curing zinc-rich paint was patented in 1962 (3). Applications of single-coat inorganic zinc have been used for decades on structural steel, including the NASA Vertical Assembly Building constructed in 1964, shown in Figure 1 (4).

Figure 1 NASA Vertical Assembly Building (photo courtesy of NASA)

Single-coat inorganic zinc coatings have been used on several bridges dating back to 1993 and 1994 (Missouri and Virginia DOTs, respectively) (2).

The first zinc-rich paints were based on inorganic binder chemistry, namely silicates. Unlike most common paints (urethanes, epoxies, etc.) that are based primarily on carbon atoms, inorganic zinc paints are composed of silica, oxygen, and zinc (5). The film formation occurs as solvent evaporates, silicates hydrolyze through increasing exposure to atmospheric moisture. (5) The silicates may react with zinc and the iron substrate itself, creating excellent adhesion. High loading of zinc, the potential of some complexing of zinc and iron with the silicates, and the relatively permeable final film (allowing electrolyte passage) all contribute to the excellent cathodic protection offered by inorganic zinc paints. In fact, often, the addition of organic paints on top of inorganic zinc reduces performance against corrosion, as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2 Single-Coat Inorganic Zinc (left) and Inorganic Zinc- Epoxy- Urethane (right) after 8 Years at the Kennedy Space Center Beachside Corrosion Test Site (6)

Single coat inorganic zinc primer has exceptional performance against corrosion, but only recently achieved wide recognition as a worthwhile option for steel bridge protection. In 2023, the National Steel Bridge Alliance authored a synthesis paper on Single Coat Inorganic Zinc Protection for Steel Bridges (7). One reason for this lack of enthusiasm could be the perception that organic zinc-rich primers are easier to use, especially compared to inorganic zinc. Organic zinc primers tend to have more surface tolerance and are not as sensitive to atmospheric humidity for cure. They allow for quick application of the midcoat and topcoat. Inorganic zinc primers do require humidity for cure and need a longer topcoat window for full cure. Also, urethanes that are used as topcoats come in a range of gloss and color. Inorganic zinc primers are matte and limited to variations of gray.

In an effort to offer extended corrosion protection without the slower throughput and lack of color, a system based on an all-inorganic, two-coat system has been developed. This system starts with an inorganic zinc primer and is top-coated with an inorganic finish, as shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3 Illustration of Two-Coat Inorganic Corrosion Protection System on Steel

The finish can be applied within hours of primer application because it is composed of similar resin chemistry. Also, the finish does not contain zinc dust and consequently can be pigmented to various matte colors. While the typical three-coat system offers a 20-30 year service life (8), single-coat and two-coat inorganic systems offer well beyond that. This extended service life places them alongside other long-life corrosion protection systems such as galvanizing and thermal spray metalizing.

As noted earlier, assessing performance of long-life corrosion protection systems for steel continues to be a debated challenge. When reviewing standards for galvanizing and thermal spray metallizing, it is difficult to find any true performance assessments other than predictive life-cycle calculations. Most of the related standards and techniques revolve around preparation and application (Table 2).

TABLE 2 Standards for Galvanizing and Thermal Spray Metalizing

Standard	Description	Category
ASTM A123	Spec for HDG Coating of Iron and Steel	Quality of Application
ASTM A143	Practice for Safeguarding Against Embrittlement (HDG)	Quality of Application
ASTM A384	Practice for Safeguarding Against Warpage and Distortion (HDG)	Quality of Application
ASTM A385	Practice for Providing High-Quality Zinc Coatings	Quality of Application
SSPC-CS 23.00	Spec for the Application of Thermal Spray Coatings (Metallizing) of Aluminum, Zinc, and Their Alloys and Composites for the Corrosion Protection of Steel	Quality of Application
SSPC-QP 6	Procedure for Evaluating the Qualification of Contractors Who Apply Thermal Spray	Quality of Application
ASTM A780	Practice for Repair of Damaged and Uncoated Areas of HDG Coatings	Quality of Application
ASTM E376	Practice for Measuring Coating Thickness	Quality of Application

ASTM B 117 Salt Fog testing has been used for decades to test paints and coatings for their resilience against corrosion. The salt fog test is a constant fog of neutral salt (5% NaCl) at 35 degrees Celsius. The test panels typically are scribed, exposing bare steel, and are tested over the course of hundreds or thousands of hours. While this test has not been sufficiently correlated to real-world ageing (9), it does offer the formulator a powerful screening tool for identifying prototypes that will likely offer corrosion protection properties. Figure 4 shows results of a two-coat inorganic system after 14,954 hrs salt fog testing.

Figure 4 Two-Coat Inorganic System after 14,954 hrs Salt Fog (Courtesy MoDOT)

As galvanizing and thermal spray metalizing have entered the market as viable, long-life corrosion protection systems, continuous salt fog tests have been scrutinized. The critique primarily resides around the applicability to what is observed in the real world. Aside from coastal environments, salt exposure is typically intermittent. Various cycle tests have since been introduced to address this, including ASTM D5894, SAE J2334, NORSOK Standard M-501, and ISO 12944-9 Annex B Cyclic Ageing.

For this study, the "ISO 12944-9 (2018) Paint and varnishes- Corrosion protection of steel structures by protective paint system- Part 9: Protective paint systems and laboratory performance test method for offshore and related structures" was used. This test is recognized around the world as a suitable standard to identify coating systems that perform in harsh offshore environments where high corrosivity is present (10). Currently, several three-coat systems meet the requirement of ISO 12944-9 CX classification. The standard requires no blistering, rusting, cracking, flaking, and a maximum of 3.0mm scribe creep after 4200 hours of cyclic ageing. A passing example of panels coated with a three-coat system based on an inorganic zinc silicate primer, epoxy midcoat, and polyurethane topcoat is shown in Figure 5.

Figure 5 Three-Coat IOZ/Ep/PU System Passing ISO 12944-9 CX

Figure 6 shows a passing example of panels coated with an organic zinc primer, epoxy midcoat, and polyurethane topcoat.

Figure 6 Three-Coat IOZ/Ep/PU System Passing ISO 12944-9 CX

As referenced earlier, a three-coat system is typically regarded to offer 20-30 years service life. The ISO 12944-9 CX test may approximate the conditions needed for degradation after 25 years. Global environments are highly variable, but this test approximates a highly corrosive environment.

METHODS

The Annex B Cyclic Ageing test found in ISO 12944-9 includes the exposure cycle shown in Figure 7.

Figure 7 ISO 12944-9 Cyclic Ageing Cycle Description

This study was run for 25 cycles, taking 4,200 hours per the ISO 12944-9 standard. The passing result indicates the coating system will provide at least 25 years of service before its first maintenance. Additional cycles are not officially recognized by the standard but are only planned for information and comparison purposes.

Description of Systems Tested

Five corrosion protection systems were tested by an outside, independent laboratory: a two-coat inorganic system, a low-VOC two-coat inorganic system, galvanizing, thermal spray metallizing, and thermal spray metallizing with a urethane clear sealer. Table 3 describes the samples.

TABLE 3 Corrosion Protection Systems

System ID	Panel ID	Description	DFT Coat 1	DFT Coat 2	Cure
A	40A	Low-VOC Inorganic Zn Primer/Low-VOC	2.8	3.6	Minimum 7 days ambient
A	44B	Low-VOC Inorganic Zn Primer/Low-VOC	3.4	2.8	Minimum 7 days ambient
A	48B	Low-VOC Inorganic Zn Primer/Low-VOC	3.3	3.1	Minimum 7 days ambient
A	61B	Low-VOC Inorganic Zn Primer/Low-VOC	3.3	4.2	Minimum 7 days ambient
A	62B	Low-VOC Inorganic Zn Primer/Low-VOC	3.0	5.1	Minimum 7 days ambient
B	4B	Inorganic Zn Primer/Inorganic Finish	2.6	3.6	Minimum 7 days ambient
B	5B	Inorganic Zn Primer/Inorganic Finish	2.7	3.6	Minimum 7 days ambient
B	6B	Inorganic Zn Primer/Inorganic Finish	2.9	4.4	Minimum 7 days ambient
B	7A	Inorganic Zn Primer/Inorganic Finish	2.5	3.8	Minimum 7 days ambient
B	9B	Inorganic Zn Primer/Inorganic Finish	2.8	4.7	Minimum 7 days ambient
C	1	Hot-Dipped Galvanizing	3.3	----	----
C	6	Hot-Dipped Galvanizing	3.4	----	----
C	7	Hot-Dipped Galvanizing	3.6	----	----
C	10	Hot-Dipped Galvanizing	3.4	----	----
C	13	Hot-Dipped Galvanizing	3.5	----	----
D	1	Thermal Spray Metallizing	13.8	----	----
D	3	Thermal Spray Metallizing	14.0	----	----
D	7	Thermal Spray Metallizing	12.4	----	----
D	9	Thermal Spray Metallizing	13.3	----	----
D	10	Thermal Spray Metallizing	13.0	----	----
E	1	TSM/Urethane Sealer	19.0	19.0	Minimum 7 days ambient
E	6	TSM/Urethane Sealer	22.0	22.0	Minimum 7 days ambient
E	9	TSM/Urethane Sealer	18.0	18.0	Minimum 7 days ambient
E	10	TSM/Urethane Sealer	19.8	19.8	Minimum 7 days ambient
E	11	TSM/Urethane Sealer	20.1	20.1	Minimum 7 days ambient

Preparation of Galvanized and Thermal Spray Metallizing Panels

Hot-dipped galvanized panels were prepared according to ISO 1461. Application of galvanizing was on carbon steel panels with an MEK wash prior to application. Thermal spray metallizing panels were prepared according to ISO 2063 with 100% zinc. Application of thermal spray metal was on ASTM A36 carbon steel panels with a surface prep of G50 grit blast to SSPC-SP5 with a 1-3 mil anchor profile.

Application of Painted Samples

Painted samples were spray-applied to ASTM A36 carbon steel with a surface prep of G50 grit blast to SSPC-SP5 with a 1-3 mil anchor profile. Spray application utilized airless spray (60:1) with a 517 tip. Pressures varied between the various coatings ranging from 2,000 to 2,500 psi.

Additional Conditions

Table 4 highlights additional details surrounding the conditions around sample panel preparation. Environmental conditions and time to test are of particular note. Inorganic silicates cure with moisture in the atmosphere. Relative humidity is an important variable to factor when using this coating chemistry. Also, age of the panel when tested is of consideration as all of the systems tested use reactive zinc metal. As the coating ages zinc will react with atmosphere and form corrosion products. The degree of this reaction may have an impact on final performance. As all systems were applied and tested by an outside lab, conditions were not necessarily kept controlled.

TABLE 4 Additional Application Conditions

System	Temp. (Degrees Celsius)	% RH	Days Prime to Topcoat	Days Application to Test
System A	Primer, 22.5; Topcoat, 24	Primer, 24; Topcoat, 27	3	33
System B	Primer, 24.5; Topcoat, 29.5	Primer, 42; Topcoat, 42	1	27
System C	21 days elapsed from receipt of galvanized panels to test start
System D	2 days elapsed from receipt of metallized panels to test start
System E	11 days elapsed from receipt of sealed metallized panels to start of test

RESULTS

ISO 12944-9 Annex B Cyclic Ageing rates panels on blistering, rusting, cracking, and flaking. It also requires a measurement of scribe creep. Scribe creep was assessed and measured based on the visible rust observed at the scribe. Since the ISO 12944-9 standard requires an assessment for measurement under the scribe, the scribe creep should be considered an estimate. The passing requirement for ISO 12944 CX is shown in Table 5.

TABLE 5 ISO 12944-9 CX Passing Criteria

Blistering (ISO 4628-2)	Rusting (ISO 4628-3)	Cracking (ISO 4628-4)	Flaking (ISO 4628-5)	Scribe Creep*
0(S0)	Ri0	0(S0)	0(S0)	< or = 3mm

Corrosion under the scribe was not assessed after 4,200 hours as it is destructive. The panels were placed back into testing after the aforementioned assessments. Corrosion under the scribe will be analyzed at the conclusion of the 50 cycles or 8,400 hours testing. Results are listed in Table 6.

TABLE 6 Results of ISO 12944-9 Annex B Cyclic Ageing

*Estimated scribe creep, coating not removed as test is ongoing, **Stained from edge rust or grit contamination

System	Panel ID	Blistering (ISO 4628-2)	Rusting (ISO 4628-3)	Cracking (ISO 4628-4)	Flaking (ISO 4628-5)	Scribe Creep*
A	40A	0(S0)	Ri0**	0(S0)	0(S0)	0.36
A	44B	0(S0)	Ri0	0(S0)	0(S0)	0.00
A	48B	0(S0)	Ri0**	0(S0)	0(S0)	0.00
A	61B	0(S0)	Ri0**	0(S0)	0(S0)	0.29
A	62B	0(S0)	Ri0	0(S0)	0(S0)	0.00
B	4B	0(S0)	Ri0	0(S0)	0(S0)	0.00
B	5B	0(S0)	Ri0	0(S0)	0(S0)	0.00
B	6B	0(S0)	Ri0	0(S0)	0(S0)	0.00
B	7A	0(S0)	Ri0	0(S0)	0(S0)	0.00
B	9B	0(S0)	Ri0	0(S0)	0(S0)	0.00
C	1	0(S0)	Ri4	0(S0)	0(S0)	8.19
C	6	0(S0)	Ri4	0(S0)	0(S0)	7.40
C	7	0(S0)	Ri4	0(S0)	0(S0)	4.25
C	10	0(S0)	Ri4	0(S0)	0(S0)	16.75
C	13	0(S0)	Ri4	0(S0)	0(S0)	9.64
D	1	0(S0)	Ri0	0(S0)	0(S0)	6.33
D	3	0(S0)	Ri0	0(S0)	0(S0)	1.85
D	7	0(S0)	Ri0	0(S0)	0(S0)	1.42
D	9	0(S0)	Ri0	0(S0)	0(S0)	1.74
D	10	0(S0)	Ri0	0(S0)	0(S0)	0.38
E	1	2(S3)	Ri0	0(S0)	0(S0)	0.48
E	6	2(S3)	Ri0	0(S0)	0(S0)	0.31
E	9	2(S3)	Ri0	0(S0)	0(S0)	0.30
E	10	2(S4)	Ri0	0(S0)	0(S0)	0.19
E	11	2(S4)	Ri0	0(S0)	0(S0)	0.21

ISO standards use "0" to signify high-performance. For blistering, ISO uses the designation Density (Size) where, for density, 0 is none, 2 is few, and 5 is dense. For size, S0 is none, S1 is small, and S5 is large. Cracking is rated for quantity, 0 being none and 5 being many, and size from S0 where no cracks are visible under magnification of 10X, S1 is only visible under 10X, S2 is just visible with normal vision, S3 is clearly visible with normal vision, S4 is large cracks up to 1 mm wide, and S5 is very large cracks greater than 1mm wide. For flaking, ISO uses % flaking (size) where 0 is no flaking, 1 is 0.1%, 3 is 1%, and 5 is 15%. The flaking size scale starts at S0 under 10X magnification, S1 up to 1mm, S2 up to 3mm, S3 up to 10mm, S4 up to 30mm, and S5 larger than 30mm. Rusting is measured for % area and is rated as Ri0 being 0 rusted area, Ri1 being 0.05%, Ri3 being 1%, Ri4 being 8%, and Ri5 being 40%.

Photographs after the panels were removed from the 25 cycles of testing are shown in Figures 8 through 12.

Figure 8 Low-VOC Two-Coat Inorganic System, A after 25 cycles

Figure 9 Two-Coat Inorganic System, B after 25 cycles

Figure 10 Hot-Dip Galvanizing, System C after 25 cycles

Figure 11 Thermal Spray Metallizing, System D after 25 cycles

Figure 12 Thermal Spray Metallizing with Urethane Sealer, System E after 25 cycles

DISCUSSION

The low estimated scribe creep indicates that the two-coat inorganic systems and the thermal spray metallizing systems offer continued cathodic protection overexposure, with the System B two-coat inorganic system showing no scribe creep on any of the five panels tested. None of the systems showed any cracking or flaking, and only the thermal spray metallizing system with the urethane sealer showed blistering. Field or plane rusting was not seen on the two-coat inorganic systems or the thermal spray metallizing systems. The low-VOC inorganic system did appear to have notable rusting at the scribe in two of the panels tested. Previous internal lab testing does not show this. It is not certain whether this variance is within the expected noise of the test or if it is indicative of a true performance difference between the low-VOC and the traditional inorganic system. Further testing will be performed to make a better assessment. The scribe creep measured is far below the allowable scribe creep for passing the test and significantly better than traditional three-coat, as shown in Figures 5 and 6.

It is theorized that the silicate binder allows complexing between the silicate binder, zinc, and iron substrate, allowing for excellent adhesion and contact of the zinc with the steel substrate. The very low to virtually no corrosion at the scribe seems to emphasize the cathodic protection afforded by this technology. This type of performance has been seen with single-coat inorganic zinc, but now it appears that an inorganic finish coat enables the same level of protection. Unlike organic epoxies and urethanes, the silicate-based inorganic finish maintains a level of vapor permeability that permits oxygen, water, and carbon dioxide to reach the outer layer of zinc particles within the zinc-rich primer layer. Zinc corrosion products will form over time and are thought to fill in any pores creating an impermeable layer or patina. The inorganic chemistry of the binder prevents it from degrading in UV exposure. The results of the ISO 12944-9 cyclic ageing test also suggest that the inorganic finish may help to maintain aesthetics by masking the corrosion products that are visible in the thermal spray metallizing panels.

Both the inorganic zinc-rich primer alone and the two-coat inorganic system of inorganic zinc-rich primer with the inorganic finish are rated class B for slip, meaning no roughening and no masking is required when installing with bolted connections. (Tested according to the Research Council on Structural Connections Specification for Structural Joints Using High-Strength Bolts, Appendix A. Class B Certificates are system and manufacturer-specific. Certificates are available upon request from Carboline.) Because inorganic finishes are based on the same inorganic resin as the inorganic zinc-rich primer, topcoating is possible within hours rather than days. Both of these factors improve schedule time compared to the traditional inorganic zinc-rich primer, epoxy, urethane system.

Inorganic coatings use different raw materials than organic coating systems that primarily rely on petroleum feedstocks. The cured silicate-based film is more glass or rock-like and is not thought to contribute to microplastics in the environment.

The galvanized panels exhibited notable rusting in the plane and the scribe. It is unclear if this can be attributed to the galvanizing process for these samples or whether the salt cycling is too aggressive to allow the proper mix of protective corrosion products to form on the outermost zinc layer.

While performance is paramount, cost and schedule are critical to a successful bridge project. Current three-coat system may utilize an inorganic or organic zinc-rich primer. Often, if the DOT or guiding specification allows, an organic zinc primer will be used. Overcoating an organic zinc primer with an epoxy midcoat can be done within the same day or shift even. Applying an organic epoxy midcoat over an inorganic zinc primer requires a minimum of 18-24 hour wait time in order to allow moisture curing of the inorganic zinc primer. In contrast, topcoating of the inorganic zinc primer with an inorganic finish can be done within two hours. The moisture permeability of the finish allows for continued cure of the primer after topcoating. This puts two-coat inorganic coating systems at an advantage over three-coat organic zinc-based systems.

When comparing painting to schedule for galvanizing and thermal spray metallizing, different factors should be considered. Typically, galvanizing is done outside of the fab shop, which can extend schedule depending on the availability and capacity of local galvanizers. Thermal spray metalizing can be done in the fab shop, so that is often not a consideration. What is of consideration is the longer cleaning cycle times used by fabricators to ensure a proper surface for thermal spray coating application.

When reviewing cost, many factors are to be considered. The NSBA published results of a cost survey at the 2020 World Steel Bridge Symposium (11). Using uncoated weathering steel as the baseline, the NSBA study calculated the following relative cost comparison. See Table 7.

TABLE 7 Cost Comparison of Corrosion Protection Systems

System	% Increase Over Uncoated Weathering Steel (Median)
Single-Coat Inorganic Zn	6
Three-Coat OZ/Ep/PU	13
Three-Coat IOZ/Ep/PU	16
Hot-Dipped Galvanizing	25
TSM, Sealed	36

CONCLUSIONS

Two-coat inorganic systems are corrosion protection systems that may be applied in the shop or field like traditional three-coat systems. While some traditional three-coat systems can pass the ISO 12944-9 CX standard indicating 25 years time to first maintenance, the corrosion at the scribe is significant. The inorganic systems show much less corrosion at the scribe, indicating better corrosion protection. This study also showed one example of how galvanizing and metallizing compare when tested for long-term corrosion performance. Galvanizing and metallizing are accepted as long-term corrosion protection strategies. The results of this study suggest that inorganic systems should be considered to be in this class of corrosion protection strategies as well. While single-coat inorganic systems offer performance, the lack of color can be limiting for wider acceptance in the bridge market. This testing indicates that color is achievable without sacrificing performance by using an inorganic topcoat. Since the two-coat inorganic system is class B slip rated, application can be done without masking of faying surfaces. This saves time and money and virtually eliminates field painting once installed. Two-coat inorganic systems are worthy of consideration in the current class of long-life corrosion protection systems.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

GPI Labs (data collection)

Midwest Thermal Spray (TSM sample prep)

V&S Galvanizing (HDG sample prep)

FUNDING

This work and all testing was funded by Carboline.

DECLARATION OF CONFLICTING INTERESTS

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS

The authors confirm contribution to the paper as follows: study conception and design: J. Manuel; analysis and interpretation of results: K. Blankenship; draft manuscript preparation: K. Blankenship. All authors reviewed the results and approved the final version of the manuscript.

REFERENCES

1. Tator, K. B. Zinc Rich Coatings. In ASM Handbook Organic Protective Coatings (Kenneth B. Tator, ed.), ASM International, Materials Park, OH, 2015, pp. 213.

2. Murphy, T., T. Hopper, and J. McConnell. Single Coat Inorganic Zinc Protection for Steel Bridges. National Steel Bridge Alliance and American Institute of Steel Construction, Chicago, IL, 2023., pp. 3.

3. Tator, K. B. Zinc Rich Coatings. In ASM Handbook Organic Protective Coatings (Kenneth B. Tator, ed.), ASM International, Materials Park, OH, 2015, pp. 214.

4. Carboline. Countdown: How Carbozinc 11 Helped Win the Space Race [Internet]. 2023. [cited 2024 Feb 7]. Available from: https://www.carboline.com/solution-spot/posts/countdown-how-carbozinc-11-helped-win-the-space-race.

5. Munger, C. G., Corrosion Prevention by Protective Coatings. NACE International, Houston, TX, 1999.

6. Murphy, T., T. Hopper, and J. McConnell. Single Coat Inorganic Zinc Protection for Steel Bridges. National Steel Bridge Alliance and American Institute of Steel Construction, Chicago, IL, 2023., pp. 10.

7. Murphy, T., T. Hopper, and J. McConnell. Single Coat Inorganic Zinc Protection for Steel Bridges. National Steel Bridge Alliance and American Institute of Steel Construction, Chicago, IL, 2023., pp. iii.

8. Texas DOT. Bridge Preservation Guide [Internet]. 2024 [cited 2024 May 7]. Available from: https://www.txdot.gov/business/resources/highway/bridge/bridge-publications.html.

9. Montgomery, E. L. Timescale Correlation Between Marine Atmospheric Exposure and Accelerated Corrosion Testing. Presented at the NACE Corrosion Conference and Expo, Houston, TX, 2011.

10. ISO 12944 (2018) Paint and varnishes- Corrosion protection of steel structures by protective paint system- Part 9: Protective paint systems and laboratory performance test method for offshore and related structures. ISO, Switzerland, 2018.

11. Carlson, J., Introduction to Modern Corrosion Protection Systems. Presented at the World Steel Bridge Symposium, Virtual, 2021.

The Red Bucket – Episode 22. Protecting molten sulfur tank cars (Feat. Lupe Pavon and Steve Liebhart)

Mon, 17 Mar 2025 13:45:13 -0400

Summary

Sulfur, an instrumental commodity to global industry, is a highly corrosive commodity typically shipped via rail in a molten state. Shippers must take care to protect their rolling stock by applying linings that resist heat, chemicals, and impacts. In this episode, rail industry expert Lupe Pavon and tank lining expert Steve Liebhart explore service environment, cleaning/surface preparation, and protective lining principles for rail cars in molten sulfur service. They also relate interesting findings from a field inspection.

And, Steve considers himself a near-perfect driver in the snow, and Lupe reveals his favorite vegetable.

Timestamps

Click to follow along with the transcript:

00:00 – Intro
02:11 – Corrosion mechanisms and failure modes of molten sulfur tank cars
05:36 – A highly stressful service environment for a lining
09:01 – Pitting corrosion and substrate blending for surface preparation
14:12 – Carboline's new Plasite XHT 400 hybrid epoxy lining
18:14 – Eliminating an extra step in the surface preparation process
18:38 – We inspected Plasite XHT 400 in two cars after 30+ months in service
25:27 – The four questions

Transcript

Intro

Toby Wall: Moving sulfur by rail is the dominant mode of transportation for that commodity, and the tank cars that haul it and the linings that protect those tank cars take a real beating. The commodity itself is highly corrosive, but also the processes involved in loading it, unloading it and cleaning up after it are very abusive. So what's the best way to protect tank cars and molten sulfur service? That's what my guests are here to discuss, and they'll share the story of a field inspection of a new lining technology, which yielded some crucial findings.

So we're happy to have an episode of The Red Bucket back at Carboline's Research Development and Innovation Facility, which looks great now after some renovations. And I'm joined by Steve Liebhart and Lupe Pavon. So let's have some introductions.

Steve, maybe you can go first. Who are you and what do you do here?

Steve Liebhart: Alright, yeah, thanks, Toby. Uh, yeah, so, Steve Liebhart's my name. I am currently the Global Product Line Manager for Carboline's linings, pipe coatings, and, uh, high heat coatings, so I've been with Carboline for 20 years now, and trying to help market and sell our linings.

Toby: Lupe?

Lupe Pavon: My name is Lupe Pavon. I'm the Rail Field Technical Manager. Been with Carboline coming up on two years in July. We currently supply support to all the customer shops, trainings, and technical inspections.

Toby: And the reason you're both here to talk about this is because we're covering an area of overlap between you two. We have rail cars and we have tank linings. And so when the subject of discussion is the tank lining on a rail car, that means for subject matter experts, you need both a Lupe and a Steve. I wanna start, though, with a question about sulfur itself.

The commodity is corrosive, but how corrosive is it?

Corrosion mechanisms and failure modes of molten sulfur tank cars

Steve: Uh, yeah, well, it's, it's quite corrosive actually, and there's, um, a couple different mechanisms for that even, but, uh, the main thing is the elemental sulfur can react with the carbon steel and form, uh, basically iron sulfide layers. And that iron sulfide layer can actually passivate that substrate a little bit, but it can also be, uh, weakened and, and be part of the, uh, overall corrosion process, you know, it's kind of a catalyst in the whole corrosion process. Not to mention the fact of the, the molten aspect of the sulfur, the heat that's involved and the, the flowing that's involved. The heat alone is, is quite damaging to, to linings, so that, that combined with the corrosive nature of the sulfur itself creates a pretty, uh, pretty bad environment for, for a lining and for, for carbon steel actually.

Toby: In such an unpleasant environment, I wonder what, is, is there a generic way to describe the normal or standard lining technology for a molten sulfur tank car?

Steve: Most folks have gravitated towards, uh, novolac epoxies or even, you know, a phenolic type epoxy, something that has a high heat resistance and overall high chemical resistance. Because that is one aspect of this service that's important, you know, not, uh, let alone the corrosion resistance aspect of the of the lining itself. You have to be able to withstand the physical conditions, being the heat, um, primarily as the breakdown mechanism, but then also the physical abuse that can happen to those coatings. So that's where those novolac epoxies, phenolic epoxies have really kind of, uh, been the go-to products, I would say, for the last several years.

Lupe: Yes, and I've, I've seen, uh, customer specifications, shipper specifications where they specify a one coat epoxy system, seven to nine mils, uh, dry film thickness. And then, uh, I've seen specifications for a two-coat system of the epoxy, uh, coating at, uh, the same millage, uh, seven to nine mils.

Toby: How long should this last? Ideally, let's say.

Steve: What are you thinking, three to five years? That's kind of what I had.

Lupe: Yeah, the inspection intervals is it starts out on a new car three years, and then that's the first interval inspection. And, uh, they will do whatever minor repairs. And then the next interval will be two years after that.

Steve: Yeah, that's what I was wondering. Do they often, I mean, sometimes it seems like there's repairs needed after three years, and then after another two and you're at five, is that typically where now you might need some substantial repairs?

Lupe: Yep. Yes. And, and then when you combine that with the decontamination process that it has to go through, uh, surface preparation, uh, you know, you look at the hours involved. They won't approve that repair. They'll say, "Well, just, I can pay for a new liner."

Toby: We talk about how, how the, the steel itself of a car is impacted by this, by this commodity. For that to happen, there has to be some sort of damage or defect in, in the coating first, right? So, what is the more common way that that damage occurs in the first place? Is it the, the breakdown of the material in, in that service? Or is it damage from all of the normal things that happen in a repair shop or out in the field?

A highly stressful service environment for a lining

Lupe: What I typically see during inspections is, uh, the service that that tank car is, uh, subjected to, you know, the loading, the unloading in the stress that the coating goes through, um, typically to get it that molten sulfur, uh, it's heated to about 280 to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Um, so that's the stress that that coating is going through is what I've seen. And then I've seen, um, failures at the steam coil, uh, area where they'll, they'll inject 15 PSI, which is converted to roughly about 250 degrees Fahrenheit to, to get that, uh, uh, sulfur, uh, now to where it's at a melting point to where it'll unload.

Steve: And for that heat to transfer from those heating coils into the sulfur itself, that's, that's oftentimes, where it's the hottest and where the coating experiences or the lining experiences the hottest points there. So a lot of times you can see that discoloration at the heating coils, but it's that, that heating up and cycling constantly, you know, when, every time those products are heated up might create a little bit of embrittlement, you know, and so, so then the combination of the, of the heat, the heat cycling and then the physical abuse that those cars take, you know, this is really where you get some breakdown of the, of the lining in terms of perhaps cracking or some other type of stress, blister, delamination, anything along the lines that way.

And then once you have that pathway broken where the sulfur can get to the substrate, now the corrosion mechanism takes over pretty quickly.

Lupe: I was just going to add as well, you know, whenever, uh, cars get unloaded, then there'll be a crew that goes in there and cleans the interior, removes any, any, uh, hill or, it's basically a commodity and then whatever tools they use to scrape that out can also have mechanical damages to the liner as well.

Steve: Yeah. So if the lining has become somewhat brittle from the heat exposure and that constant heat and the heat cycling now, if it's getting scraped on or banged on or anything of the sort, now it can damage easier than, than when it was first initially installed prior to seeing those, loads, you know, and the, and the heat that it gets.

Toby: And that work is particularly violent with dry sulfur, right? Because sulfur itself is, the word you've used when we talked about it in the past was how tenaciously it sticks to itself and to anything, any other surface.

Steve: Yeah, and that's the part about if it actually freezes and turns from a molten state to a solid state, wherever it's in contact with the car or the lining, it can tenaciously cling or adhere to the lining itself, and then the same problem can occur now, either the weight of the sulfur itself, or it physically being removed during the unloading process by someone cleaning it perhaps, if the adhesion of the sulfur to the lining is stronger than the adhesion of the lining to the substrate, okay, or it's become brittle and, and is less, you know, uh, less flexible or what have you, it can actually delaminate from the substrate and stick to the sulfur in that process. And now you've again got pathways for the sulfur to get to the to the substrate and start that corrosion process.

Pitting corrosion and substrate blending for surface preparation

Toby: What is happening? What have you seen, Lupe, is the symptom or side effect of this corrosion. What happens at the surface? What does the surface look like if this sort of corrosion has gone on unchecked for too long?

Typically, what I see is the substrate starts to develop corrosion pitting where pits can typically be very, very sharp and deep. So, during the cleaning process, then you have to get a, uh, inspection done to, to, to see how much, uh, steel loss is there. And then, typically there is going to be steel loss, so now you got to do, uh, build that back up, you know, by, uh, some type of, uh, mechanical repair.

Mechanical repair gets us to where, we wound our way to one of the subjects of this, which is blending, the term blending. And Steve and I had this discussion yesterday. It was a pretty short discussion because we didn't really know the answer. But Lupe, maybe you know. Where does that term come to us from?

Lupe: The blending, uh, comes from the, uh, NACE standard, SP0178, where it typically speaks to the weld prep. The blending is what I see is, uh, how you want the coating to, you don't want any sharp edges.

No sharp edges because, you know, the coating tends to pull away during the uh, uh, curing process. So you have very minimal film thickness in those sharp edges. So mechanically you want you take a, grinder and blend those, uh, corrosion areas and not have any bridging, uh, where you'll have a discontinuity.

Steve: Yeah, so essentially grinding away the sharp edges of, well, what originated is maybe a weld seam, but in the case of used cars, would also apply to pitted areas, degraded areas, any areas where you might have a, a sharp edge or transition, which is, which is common for most, uh, linings, right?

Prior to being installed, you want to get rid of all these, uh, sharp edges and stuff because of the edge retention effect, um, that you mentioned, you know, it's pretty common for those linings to want to pull away from the, um, sharp edges unless they're built accordingly to, uh, maintain that edge retention on that, uh, on that sharp edge.

Lupe: Correct. So, so when the previous lining is removed, uh, now it goes into the mechanical process where they'll inspect the thickness of the shell, of the tank shell. And then they'll start grinding and blending of those areas that, uh, need to be, uh, built back up by the welding process. But that's a lot of square footage. You're talking about, uh, a thousand to eleven hundred square feet of steel, right? There are some areas that might be missed and it might be more of a, omega pitting, what I call, so those, those are very challenging for a coating.

Toby: What does the process look like of actually doing the blending. It's a person with a tool, right? But take it from there. What are they doing?

Lupe: So yes, so it's, they have a pneumatic tool, and they're actually hitting the substrate, and they're, they're blending those areas out to where you want to eliminate that sharp, sharp edge on that pit. So that can take hours. Every, every car is different on how it corrodes, uh, because of the exposure, right, of how the previous liner deteriorates, so, I mean, you, you're, you're talking about a lot of man hours to, to do that process, taking that disc, you know, that sander disc, which is 40, 60, uh, grit paper and you're grinding those areas.

Steve: I mean, and it's a, it's a physical job. I mean, you're removing metal. I mean, sparks are flying. It's, it's, it's a, because your goal is to make the surface more uniform in nature, okay, you don't have, you know, steep or even deep transitions where these are, these are difficult for a lining because, you know, when you take a sharp edge or a deep transition, you're asking the lining to flow into those cavities and fill those pits nicely, okay, flow and wet out into those pits, but then also maintain some level of thickness on those sharp edges. Uh, you've got edge retention and you've got flow and leveling properties. And when, when, uh, you know, when you're talking about a lining, these are generally two opposing features. You know, you don't typically have both where you either have good flow and leveling characteristics or you have good edge retention.

Toby: But, oftentimes, you don't have both because those two features oppose one another. And in order to flow well, you typically don't have good build and edge retention properties, you know? Um, so this is why it's important to get that coating applied uniformly by uniforming out the substrate by doing that blending.

Carboline's new Plasite XHT 400 hybrid epoxy lining

Toby: So we should probably introduce a product now. And I am always a little bit skittish about mentioning products on the podcast because we're not trying to sell per se. But we do have one that has an interesting set of properties. And Steve, you said opposing features a few minutes ago. So talk about Plasite XHT 400 and these, you know, opposing features that you've said that some maybe generic products have, this one sort of bucks that trend?

Steve: Yeah, that would be fair to say. I mean, because the XHT 400 is a new technology, uh, you know, modified epoxy that quite frankly has a lot of the features that are, that are really, uh, important for good performance in the molten sulfur service.

And so, you know, Steve talking about those, those two features with regards to edge retention and flow and, and wetting characteristics, uh, this product does actually seem to have both. It flows really nicely into the, to the pits and into, you know, areas that need good wetting as opposed to bridging over the top of those and leaving some sort of gap underneath.

Um, but yet it also holds the film thickness nicely on the sharp edge. So you get adequate coverage on that edge, but then you also adequately flow into those irregular areas and pits. So it's kind of unique in that regard. Um, but those are just some, some side features of the product. I mean, obviously having the, um, high-temperature resistance, the extremely good impact resistance, adhesion, uh, all of the other features, you know, the abrasion resistance, everything that goes into the, um, reasons how and why these linings can fail in this service, you know, from the heat or from the abuse, this product has the features that, that pretty much, uh, overcome a lot of those issues.

Toby: I think we flirted with, with this a little bit earlier about incomplete blending or improper blending or, you know, you said, uh, that's a big square footage. Sometimes you make a mistake, it might just get missed. there's, there's potential that this kind of covers you for that. Is that fair?

Lupe: It's, it's fair to speak to that. So, when a rail car, when a tank car is, um, clean, to spec, uh, white metal blast, our applicator is making sure that there's no areas that miss the cleanliness level of a white metal blast.

But then he's also noting areas that, uh, will need a stripe coat. So you, you will take the coating, dilute it 50%, and you want to hit those areas that are rough, uh, to make sure there's no bridging, uh, during the actual full coat application, um, but with this XHT 400, our, uh, coatings engineers that are out there working with the shops, they're really impressed on, um, there's no need for the, uh, stripe coat.

Steve: And that, that stripe coat that you speak of, I mean, this is also commonly used on, on welds, irregular, you know, areas, geometries, this sort of thing, because you're, you're physically wetting out that, that material on that weld or that, at that area, because again, a lot of products, you know, don't have the flow and wetting characteristics to do that all on their own.

So you physically do it with the brush prior to putting your primary lining over the top. And that ensures that you had good, good wetting out and adequate coverage of that, uh, of that weld seam basically.

Toby: Of course, every car is going to be different, and the amount of added work that you can avoid doing by using this product will be different case by case.

Is, is this a pretty significant time if you run that over, you know, a, a file of cars? What kind of savings are we talking about here?

Eliminating an extra step in the surface preparation process

Lupe: You're, you're eliminating an extra step in the process. You know, you're looking at, you know, 30, 45 minutes to an hour to do those areas that are heavily corroded. So that's, that's one part of it. Uh, the other is the consumption. Having to, uh, mix, measure kits, uh, just for that particular process.

We inspected Plasite XHT 400 in two cars after 30+ months in service

Toby: There was an inspection that we performed last summer. So there were two tank cars that we got a hold of. They were about 20 years old apiece, and they were prepared and then lined in the XHT 400 in the very late part of 2021 and the early part of 2022, they were about a month apart, straddling the new year.

And then we came back two and a half years or so later to look at the performance of that XHT 400.

Lupe: Correct.

Toby: It was observed that the, some of the, some areas of that substrate should have been blended. They weren't. But they could have used it.

Lupe: They could have used it. They could have used it, and upon inspection, we were amazed at what we were seeing. I mean, there was no, uh, deterioration of the coating in those sharp edges. There was no, um, cracking, uh, that you would see and experience in those knuckle areas from, uh, transportation and, and the service that it goes into. Yeah, we were really impressed.

Steve: At some time when we were going to line those cars, I don't know if anybody commented like, "Hey, these are these cars are in pretty bad shape." Or if we were just happy to get those cars and line them and put them in service, you know, and and and get some track record under us because Steve going from lab testing to real-world exposure is not always a direct You know, one to one correlation.

So it was important to take the good performance we were seeing in the lab and actually get that lining into some real-world service exposure, line some cars, and get some service under our belts to actually, um, have that track record.

Lupe: Correct? Correct. And we were just happy to get those cars. They went through the decontamination process and then pre-blast inspection, where you inspect, make sure everything is clean, and then you verify the nonvisible, uh, salts, and make sure your pH is at a neutral.

Our coatings engineer was, that was out at the shop, he was like, "Wow, this car's pretty rough."And so we had a, uh, we had a quick toolbox meeting with the, uh, cleaning crew, and, and we mentioned how not to damage the liner, right? So tools are what they use is very important.

So the cleaning team had the, uh, uh, plastic scrapers and shovels. And then they said, okay, we're, we're going to go in there, uh, pressure wash and see what it does. And then we'll use the scrapers and shovels, so they pressurized, the pressure washer at 3,000 PSI, and they went in there, and one of the operators came back out and said, "Let me let me see your phone because I want to take some pictures and videos of how well the, the commodity is cleaning.

Toby: Steve Because this is, this is also an aspect of the abuse that the, that the lining takes. Because when it doesn't come off easily, or doesn't clean easily, It requires more and more effort to get that stuff off of there. And as you can imagine, you know, the more and more effort typically comes in the, in the, uh, form of brute force, you know, which is either banging or scraping. So, uh, the lining does not usually like that, you know.

So there's, there's this potential for time savings by being able to skip certain steps on the front side.

Toby: And then you observe this, this property or this potential that cleaning is a lot easier, less time intensive, less involved. So savings on maybe both ends of the, both ends of the transaction, if you will.

Steve: Yeah, and I would say that, you know, the big savings likely comes in terms of extended service life of the lining, okay, if you can get twice the service life of the typical linings, that are used today, that's a huge win. All of the other things that we've been talking about, okay, skipping a few steps here, saving on some manpower there, those are all peripheral benefits that could be saved on on each and every car in the file. But I think a lot of the money comes from the extended service life of the lining that you get from making all these other things easier and experiencing less damage of the lining in those cars as a result of that. And by the way, it should be mentioned that, that these cars saw the normal amount of, uh sulfur, molten sulfur loads that any other car would see, you know, during that process, okay, if you've got two and a half years of service with pretty much perfect performance on really ugly substrate, okay, that, that, that wasn't blended and had some really, really, uh, rough texture in there versus two or three years of service with the normal going product that might come in for inspection and require, you know, anywhere from small amounts of repairs to significant amounts of repairs, it seems to me like, like that, that case study alone, you know, might help make that decision right there and, and, and anticipate much better service life out of that, uh, out of that lining in a, in a new car. I think the question that they all probably want to know the same thing like we want to know is how long is it gonna last? You know, and and right now, um, that that story is playing out as we speak. You know, I mean, the clock's ticking right now. It's still in service. I mean, from what I had seen inside those cars, when Lupe and I were inside inspecting those cars, there was no signs of degradation or deterioration whatsoever that I could tell.

I mean, even after cleaning, the lining was still glossy. It had it had like, you know, no, no impact hardly whatsoever from the service that I could tell. So my thought and anticipation is, okay, it should probably go another two and a half years, you know, without any, any issue. And this is what I'm anticipating. I mean, this is a theory of mine at the moment, but this is what I'm anticipating based on what I've seen.

And I've, I've tested and evaluated a lot of coatings, you know, in, in, in my time. So just, uh, theorizing that, that we're looking at, you know, Probably twice the service life than what we've, uh, seen so far on linings.

Toby: Well, the potential for twice the service life is nothing to sneeze at. And you mentioned those cars are still in service. So let's create a bit of a cliffhanger here because after Steve and Lupe inspected those cars last summer, they went back out on the rails. Uh, I hope we get the chance to take another look inside them in about two years' time.

The four questions

And if we do, I'd love to have these guys come back and talk about it. But now, Lupe and Steve, I have four very important questions for each of you to answer. So I hope you're ready. on a scale of one to ten, one being the worst, and ten being the best.

How, how would you grade how well you drove in the snow this winter? How much snow did you drive in this winter, Lupe?

Lupe: Uh, some, up in Canada. So, I would say a seven.

Steve: I would say probably a nine or a 10. I like driving in the snow. I mean, I feel like most people don't drive so well in the snow, and they're usually like in my way and aggravating me, so, uh, I feel like I'm a nine or a 10 snow driver.

Lupe: That's why I gave myself a 7, because I'm super cautious, and I know they're probably saying, "Hey, get out of, get out of my way."

Steve: I'm the guy behind you that's aggravated, saying, "Get out of my way!"

Toby: I kind of feel like Lupe's the 9 or a 10, and Steve might be the 7.

Steve: Self-proclaimed 9 or 10. You know, I don't know. I don't know how the other drivers think of my driving.

Toby: So it's spoken like a St. Louis driver because everybody here thinks they're great. Everybody here is actually really terrible.

Steve: I agree with that. I'm just not one of them.

Toby: St. Louis-style pizza, gentlemen. Steve, you're in St. Louis, have lived here.

Steve: Love it, born, born and raised on it, I mean, it's, it's, it's kind of unique to the St. Louis area actually.

Toby: Have you had it?

Lupe: I have not, I have not had the opportunity, so. So, Steve, is it, uh, like Chicago style?

Steve: No, it's very thin crust, like crispy crackery crust, but, but St. Louis has this weird cheese, it's called Provel cheese. And it's kind of unique to the St. Louis area, actually. It's a blend of cheeses, you know, kind of whatever.

But that's what goes on the St. Louis-style pizza, and these thin, crispy cracker crusts. And, uh, I think it's really good. It's a unique, it's a unique flavor that's different than most.

Toby: I asked a winter question earlier, but we're on the tail end of it.

It's the first part of March now when we're recording, and that means gardening season. If there was a vegetable that you grew and would never get tired of eating it, what might that be?

Steve: So I do happen to actually have a pretty decent-sized garden. I do a lot of gardening here and, um, every year I kind of anticipate or waiting patiently for homegrown tomatoes because, you know, homegrown tomatoes taste a lot better than tomatoes that you buy in the grocery store.

But at the same time, as far as, you know, vegetables that I wouldn't ever get sick of eating and would love to be able to grow better, would be, uh, uh, zucchini. Because I like zucchini, but I try to garden without, uh, pesticides. And my zucchini just doesn't do very well without pesticides.

Toby: You get the squash borer?

Steve: Oh yeah.

Lupe: I love okra. So okra would be one.

Toby: Those of us in St. Louis who became Chiefs fans after the Rams left town at this point in the month of March, are about a month away from watching an absolute beatdown in the Super Bowl. So maybe that wound is not smarting as much as it was a month ago. Do the Eagles repeat next year?

Steve: You know, sometimes teams win the Super Bowl, and then they, um, dissolve the team, and a lot of key players leave or go elsewhere. So, but I do like the Eagles and I would, I would love to see them, uh, you know, repeat if, if they could.

Lupe: I say they could give it another run. They're gonna make it a really good showing.

Toby: Okay. We'll leave it right there. Lupe, Steve, thanks for a great conversation.

Lupe: I appreciate it. Thank you.

The Red Bucket BONUS – Estadio Santiago Bernabeu (Con Juan Pablo Ortega y Emilie Musso)

Wed, 19 Feb 2025 11:25:39 -0500

Resumen

En el episodio inaugural en español de The Red Bucket, nuestros compañeros de Carboline España Juan Pablo Ortega y Emilie Musso hablan sobre la reciente renovación del icónico Estadio Santiago Bernabéu en Madrid, España. El alcance del proyecto incluyó la aplicación de materiales ignífugos cementosos e intumescentes, así como recubrimientos protectores de alto rendimiento.

Tiempos

00:58 – Introducción: Presentación de Emilie Musso y Juan Pablo Ortega.
02:24 – Renovación del estadio: Alcance del proyecto.
04:21 – Requisitos contra incendios: Normas aplicadas en estadios.
05:47 – Césped retráctil: Impacto en los revestimientos.
07:28 – Tipos de protección: Uso de mortero y pintura intumescente.
08:55 – Pyrocrete 40: Beneficios y aplicación.
10:20 – Nullifire SC902: Dónde y por qué se usó.
13:55 – Aplicación en una sola capa: Importancia del espesor.
15:58 – Protección anticorrosión: Recubrimientos adicionales.
17:15 – Plazos exigentes: Cómo se cumplió el tiempo.
18:51 – Cierre: Reflexión final sobre el proyecto.
20:45 – Preguntas extra: Toque personal para cerrar el episodio.

The Red Bucket – Episode 21. Zinc and a comparison of painting, galvanizing, and metalizing (Feat. Kristen Blankenship)

Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:13:42 -0500

Summary

It’s taken for granted in the corrosion industry that zinc protects steel. But there’s more than one way to put zinc on steel and more than one mechanism at work that makes it so protective. Kristen Blankenship returns to The Red Bucket to answer some big questions with even bigger implications:

What’s zinc actually doing on painted, galvanized, and metalized surfaces?
How do these corrosion protection methods compare in terms of performance?
Does the standard "zinc-epoxy-urethane" coating system hold zinc-rich primers back from performing as well as they could on their own?
How many ISO 12944-9 testing cycles will it take before any corrosion appears on panels coated in a two-coat inorganic system?

Kristen also contemplates the deathbed of a lonely scientist.

Timestamps

Click to follow along with the transcript:

0:00 – Intro
02:13 – A very brief history of cathodic protection
04:05 – Electron chemistry explains behavior
06:15 – Summarizing galvanizing, metalizing, and painting
14:15 – Silicate resin technology is understudied
15:47 – Comparing adhesion of each method
17:09 – Engineers understand paint differently than the other methods
20:16 – Surprising results from cyclic aging testing of a two-coat inorganic system
23:43 – Why is paint held to a higher standard?
26:48 – Zinc loading and a sustainability comparison

Transcript

Intro

Toby Wall: Zinc works very well to protect steel structures in corrosive environments. It works when you galvanize, it works when you metalize, and it works when you paint. So why aren't these three methods understood, more or less, as equivalents? Partly that's to do with how well they themselves are understood.

And paint is the odd one out. Our industry hasn't helped itself with all that secrecy surrounding proprietary formulas. That red bucket might as well be a black box. But today, we're going to open that box. Because there's some things you ought to know about how these corrosion protection methods stack up against each other.

And recent testing results are shedding new light on the oldest resin technology you've never heard of. Lab coats on, folks.

Toby: I'm thrilled to have Kristen Blankenship back on The Red Bucket. Kristen is our Product Line Manager for atmospheric coatings and this program's resident chemist. Kristen, welcome back. It's nice to have you here.

Kristen Blankenship: Well, thank you. I am happy to be back. It was a lot of fun last time.

Toby: Well, if you thought Episode 17 was fun, then strap in because you're here to help us better understand zinc and its use in preventing corrosion. You're not here to do a 099-level lecture on zinc because, instead, we can just suffice it to say that its properties make it very useful to protect steel.

We presume that anyone listening knows what the galvanic series is, or if they don't, they can type that into the search engine of their choice and get the picture pretty quickly. And then from a corrosion protection standpoint, you can apply zinc to a surface in more than one way, and it will do what you want it to do.

So with that out of the way, Kristen, let's start with what you know about the history of zinc as a sacrificial material. Because it goes back farther than I think we might realize, right?

A very brief history of cathodic protection

Kristen: Absolutely. So my introduction to using zinc, uh, for corrosion protection was really in the past decade or so when I was working on coatings for steel bridges. And most of, you know, the state of the art, if you will, is a three-coat system that relies on something called a zinc-rich primer. So, that was really my first introduction into the use of zinc. When I did some research in the course of writing some journal articles that I've done, I found that galvanizing, for example, has a couple-hundred-year history. And believe it or not, thermal spray metallizing also has upwards of a hundred-year history. Now, these techniques looked probably a lot different back, 100, 200 years ago than they do today. But the concept is the same. When you apply zinc to steel, the zinc basically corrodes faster than the steel. And so you protect the steel, and you sacrifice the zinc metal.

Toby: The exact same thing is basically happening with those little doodads of zinc on the hull of a boat. Those are there to sacrifice themselves in a highly corrosive environment instead of that environment eating a hole through your boat.

Kristen: Exactly. I like doodad. Another term we, we use for those doodads is cathodic disbondment. We test for that, and we use those, again, because here, here's something a little bit mystical: The reason you can have corrosion protection of steel, next to zinc, which those doodads, right, they're, they're just, on the boat in different places. They're not covering the entire hull. So how does that work?

Electron chemistry explains behavior

Well, that's the magic of electron flow and electron chemistry. So that's what we're dealing with is literally the flow of electrons. And so they are obviously microscopic, atomic level, and you don't have to have the zinc necessarily in contact with metal in that one spot for that galvanic cell to initiate.

You need an electrolyte. Usually, it's water. Salt helps. Sometimes pH, a lower pH can help as well. And if you have those, then you have a vehicle for those electrons to move. So you can have your zinc doodad kind of far away from a spot on the hull and it still be protected. And so that same concept actually rings true in how we utilize zinc-rich primers.

Toby: So you don't need literal 100% coverage by zinc of the substrate, and the zinc can be intermittent. It would still perform its function.

Kristen: Yes. And in fact, what we do in our testing of zinc-rich primers is we actually take a standardized scribe tool, because we're very standardized in the paint industry.

And we take that tool, and we cut into the coating system to expose bare metal. And that is to show in our testing that the galvanic cell is able to be formed and that corrosion protection can occur. So even though in the exposure of that test, you will have that bare metal exposed to salty water and moisture in the air, you will not have corrosion in that scribe.

Or it will be delayed for some time because you have zinc, and you have the moisture, the electrolyte, to actually help those electrons flow, create that galvanic cell, and have the actual zinc oxidize and not the steel itself.

Toby: So, let's walk through each of these corrosion protection methods. Galvanizing, metalizing, and applying zinc-rich primers, in each case, what's happening at the substrate?

Summarizing galvanizing, metalizing, and painting

Kristen: What I'd like to start with is to try to reimagine these techniques in a more fundamental way. Because currently, for many people in the industry, they look at metalizing and galvanizing very different than using a paint system. And, of course, a zinc-rich primer is a paint. However, if we look at the fundamentals of what they're doing, which is utilizing zinc to galvanically protect steel, they're actually not so different.

So I would like to kind of repurpose and reframe how we look at these from the fundamental of getting zinc on the steel. Right? So if we're going to get zinc on steel, how can we do that? Well, one way, the oldest way, is we create a really big bath of very, very hot zinc metal and usually some type of acid. And that bath we dip, you know, anywhere from very small components to very large components of steel into it.

And what happens in that process is there's actually a chemical reaction between the zinc and the iron. We call that a metallurgical bond. And so you actually get, in the chemistry terminology, that would be an ionic bond. So, you form an inorganic complex between iron and the zinc.

So that's pretty tough. It's pretty strong. You take it out, you let it cool off, and you've got a bunch of zinc on the steel. When you go to thermal spray metalizing, instead of a big bath with the zinc and more of an acidic solution, you actually utilize a spray gun.

I've had some people say you could almost compare it to a welder or arc welder, but you're using really high heat, flame almost to take that zinc and make it molten, and it sprays onto the steel. Now what's a little different here is that the steel has not been treated. It hasn't been quote, "pickled" like you would see in a galvanizing process.

So you're really just putting zinc dust and just kind of laying it down on the steel. So what we have to do in thermal spray metalizing is we have to use blasting to get a very deep angular profile so that we have a mechanical bond between the zinc and the steel. When it comes to zinc-rich primers, you know, again, we're thinking conceptually about getting zinc onto steel. In order to get the zinc onto the steel, we use some type of resin system and solvent system, so some type of liquid. In the case of an inorganic zinc silicate, which is a type of zinc-rich primer that's used often and has been around for quite some time, it's usually some organic solvents and a resin system called silicate.

And then you have the zinc in that. And so then what happens is you apply that to the steel. Usually you'll, you'll need a profile, maybe not as deep of an angular profile as you will with the metalizing, but you'll utilize that. You'll spray it on with just a standard spray gun, and then you will allow the solvents to dry, and over time, the silicate resin will actually cure with moisture in the air.

And so now what you have is you have zinc on the steel, but you have zinc embedded in a silicate matrix. So you're getting zinc onto the steel just like you are with metalizing and galvanizing, but now the zinc is kind of held in place by this rock-like resin system, and there's some real interesting phenomena that happen because of that that make it very different in how it protects against corrosion compared to metalizing and galvanizing.

When the zinc's on the metal, the zinc immediately starts reacting with the air and with moisture in the air. So it oxidizes. And theoretically, we believe that you go from zinc to zinc oxide to zinc hydroxide.

Hydroxide comes in because of the moisture in the air. And then there's, of course, carbon dioxide in the air. And so then it goes even further and creates something called zinc carbonate. Zinc carbonate is a salt. We call it a corrosion reaction product. That product, that zinc carbonate is actually insoluble in water.

And it actually is a bigger molecule than zinc itself. So if you imagine zinc on the steel, those outer layers of zinc that are exposed to the atmosphere, creating the zinc carbonate, well, now you're starting to form a barrier. So you started with just zinc metal, zinc particles, and in the case of galvanizing, you actually have a gradation between zinc-iron alloy at the surface of the steel, and then all the way up to the zinc-air interface, you actually have close to 100% zinc. And again, it's because of that metallurgical bond. It's because of the galvanizing process that creates this gradation of a zinc-iron complex that ultimately, as I said, results in 100% zinc at the surface.

So you have 100% zinc at the surface in galvanizing. You have, of course, depending on your alloy because sometimes, in metalizing, we'll do a zinc aluminum alloy, but for the purposes of the conversation, we'll just say it's 100% zinc. So again, free zinc, 100% at the surface. It immediately starts oxidizing, forms that zinc carbonate, and it sits there.

It forms a barrier. But remember, it's just zinc metal. So if there's damage, if there's big rain cycles, heavy rain cycles, or wind, uh, sand abrasion, eventually those outer layers of zinc will erode away. And, of course, depending on where you are, that process can be more rapid, and in a lot of areas, it's going to be fairly slow.

It's somewhat similar to what you see with weathering steel. Of course, it's very different. Weathering steel creates a really dark kind of purplish color of a patina if you will. But again, there's not a lot of physical integrity to that. And so, eventually, it will start falling off and eroding away and exposing some of the zinc underneath that hasn't gone through that oxidation process.

So then it just starts over. So again, it's a highly protective approach because that process takes so long. In the case of putting zinc onto metal using a paint vehicle, what you end up with is these zinc particles in the case of an inorganic zinc in a silicate matrix. And I keep saying rock-like because it really is.

It's sand, rock, whatever, silicates. These silicates over time will react with moisture and continue to cure over time. The outermost layers of zinc actually do get exposed to the atmosphere because, unlike in a zinc-rich epoxy system where the epoxy resin is covering a lot of the zinc, not all of it, but some of it.

You actually have really good permeability of the atmosphere through that silicate resin system. And so that zinc that's in there is able to oxidize and form those zinc carbonates. But the zinc carbonate salts, they fill in the pores within the film. So you actually are forming a barrier in this rock-like matrix and you're holding the salts in a little bit better.

Now, some of you may be saying, "Okay, well, paint erodes and degrades over time." This is true for most organic coating systems. So think about epoxies, urethanes. They will break down over time with exposure to UV light.

In the case of a silicate system, these materials are inorganic, and they do not break down in UV light.

Silicate resin technology is understudied

Toby: I'm recalling our conversations off the air about how comparatively little silicate resin technology has been studied.

Kristen: Nobody talks about silicate chemistry. That's like, that's the next wave of research. This is the oldest technology nobody knows about. And what I mean by that is it's the oldest technology that has no art. Nobody writes papers about zinc-rich primers. Like, nobody's doing research on this technology. Like I say that in a bold way, it's compared to things like bio-based polyols for urethanes. You can find thousands of papers on that, but if you would actually try to find papers on zinc-rich primers, you go back to the forties, fifties, and sixties.

Cause it's just, it's not a hot, it's not a hot area of research. So we're literally having to research it now. So things that we thought were true, like that you form a zinc-iron silica complex. Is that true? Is that really what happens? And if it does happen, can you call that a metallurgical bond? Just like we say, galvanizing has a metallurgical bond.

So we really just don't know a lot about it. Like there's probably some guy that knows a lot about it, but he's either on his deathbed or dead. I mean, that's really where we're at.

Comparing adhesion of each method

Toby: How do these methods compare in terms of adhesion? Like how durable is that bond in each case?

Kristen: In the case of adhesion over time, we know that galvanizing starts with really, really good adhesion because of that quote "metallurgical bond."

In the case of an inorganic zinc silicate system to metal, we have good adhesion initially. But over time, it actually increases. And what we found with galvanizing is that over time, it actually decreases. And the theory on that is that with galvanizing, you're actually, as we said, you're creating these zinc corrosion products, but they're just sitting on top of other zinc. They don't have structural integrity from any type of resin system or rock-like resin system like the silicates. So the way we measure adhesion with these systems is usually some type of pull, right? So we put a dolly on, we glue it on, and then we use a machine to kind of pull it off.

And we measure the stress, the tension. So PSI goes down with galvanizing over time. It actually goes up in the silicate systems. At the end of the day, you need zinc on the metal. So if the zinc is eroding away over time, that's going to give you your life cycle. That's kind of how those all shake out in a comparison.

Engineers understand paint differently than other methods

Toby: That sounded like a rather clinical and unbiased description of what the science tells us about comparative adhesion, but agree or disagree, clinical and unbiased would not be good ways to characterize how engineers and specifiers experience any comparison among these methods.

Kristen: I would definitely agree with that. What I have seen in, primarily in the bridge space, but I think it kind of, it ekes out into the structural steel space at large, is this idea that we know zinc on steel protects against corrosion, and galvanizing and thermal spray metalizing are very straightforward, at least on paper, ways of getting zinc on to steel.

When you put zinc dust in a paint or a coating liquid matrix, things get a little bit tense, and people get concerned. Well, "What's the resin, and who's it from? And what all's in there? Can I know what all is in there?" Right? So, a little bit of that black box, and that can be a little concerning, a little risky for some.

So what I have seen is the adoption of metalizing as a technique has seemed to go maybe a little more smoothly than I would anticipate coming from the coatings world, where getting anybody to use a new type of coating technology requires years of many different types of testing, including real-world, but also accelerated third-party verification, you name it.

So one of the things that we've tried to do here is just look at performance testing standards and submit all of them to the performance testing.

Now we could all coat bridges or steel and just wait 50 years and see what they look like, but I don't know that any of us want to do that and of course it takes 50 years and I hope I'm here in 50 years but who knows, right? So what we do in the coatings industry is we use accelerated testing, and we have, I don't know, you could maybe say many dozens of different types of accelerated testing, and then within each of those standards are, you know, five to ten different versions on the theme. So, we actually leaned on a test standard called ISO 12944-9, and what it calls out, it's a cyclic test that goes from salt fog to UV exposure, so that's sunlight exposure, and then a freeze-thaw cycle that gives some stress to the coating system.

It's used and widely recognized around the globe. It's used a lot to specify and qualify coating systems for offshore structures, which would be the CX environment, so this is one of the most aggressive corrosive environments that a coating could, could be in. And so we took some galvanized panels, some thermal spray metalized panels, and some panels coated with, in this case, it was actually a two-coat inorganic system.

Surprising results from cyclic aging testing of a two-coat inorganic system

So we had that zinc-rich silicate-type primer, and then we put a silicate finish. So an inorganic finish that allows for breathability. It allows for the moisture and the electrolyte to come through. It allows for continued cure of the silicate resin system so that you get the patina to form, but you also get that increase in adhesion over time.

And we submitted all these systems to that ISO 12944 test and we were not really surprised at the results. We saw that the metalizing did pretty well. It performed better than the quote "state of the art" three-coat system, which would be a zinc-rich primer, an epoxy midcoat, and a urethane topcoat.

We found the galvanizing was pretty good. You have to be sure that you get the right amount of zinc for the gauge of the steel that you're using, so we're kind of looking into that to make sure we did that as accurately as possible per the ASTM and AGA standards, but nonetheless, not so surprising, performed better than a standard three-coat system, and then we found with the two-coat inorganic system that it performed, I guess that was the surprise, it performed really better than all of them in the sense that we saw no corrosion at the scribe. So remember we talked earlier about how we take a standardized scribing tool that cuts through the paint and allows metal to be exposed. And what we found after one round of this testing, which indicates roughly a 25-year service life in the most corrosive environment you can think of, offshore in the ocean, we didn't see a spot of rust. So that was interesting. And so we said, well, heck, let's just do it again. So we put it through again. Now, some people like to do the math and say, okay, so if I put it through two times and one time is 25, then two times is 50. I always argue with them that we don't know that because we've not tested the test if that makes sense, we haven't tested the test to see if that is true, and it's a linear relationship, but we put it through twice. Maybe that's 50 years. Maybe it's 40. Maybe it's 60. I don't really know, but it's more than 25. And we found, again, with the two-coat inorganic system, no rust in the scribe.

We did see rust with the metalizing and the galvanizing. Again, still fairly good performance, especially with the metalizing. But we're kind of scratching our heads like, wow, metalizing and galvanizing are used all around the world every single day as, as long life systems, 50 plus year service life.

And people need to know what we're seeing with this two-coat inorganic system because it could be as good if not better. And just to round out this conversation, we put it in a third time, and it's actually now in a fourth time. So we're just going to keep watching it go and, and seeing how far we can take it.

But all that to say, the way that these types of techniques are adopted by different industries can vary greatly. And it's important, I think, that the industry look at a more fundamental approach to qualifying different techniques. Again, at the end of the day, we're putting zinc on steel and how we go about it does matter. But the most important thing that matters is the performance.

Why is paint held to a higher standard?

Toby: I can't imagine anyone would disagree with you, and yet in some sectors, we've talked about roads and bridges, DOTs, coatings have a higher hurdle that they need to leap over in terms of standards and testing before they're qualified compared to these other methods. So what's that all about? Like, why is it that way?

Kristen: So there are standards that the galvanizing and thermal spray metalizing process relies on. The standards are around quality and inspection. When you go to paint, we also have standards around quality and inspection. So, for example, quality, think of the surface prep standard. All right, you got to be sure that you have this profile, right?

We also have performance standards. And they just don't have them for metalizing and galvanizing. There's just, it goes back to the simplicity of metalizing and galvanizing. The way it's explained to an engineer makes sense because it's zinc and it's steel. And you're just putting zinc on steel. There's nothing else in the equation. Anytime you start talking about paint in a bucket, and I don't know what's in the paint. They tell me the hazardous things, but I don't know what else is in there.

I don't know if it's going to work. I don't know if it's going to do what it said. But it all comes down to the fact that they're engineers. They're not chemists. So, what's in that bucket might as well be alchemy. And so our industry over the years has relied on testing so that we don't have to tell everybody, including our competitors, what exactly is in the bucket. So we kind of have set ourselves up in the paint industry that that's just the norm. Nobody believes what you say. You have to prove it. You know, because it's zinc in a paint or a liquid system, it triggers all the testing that you would normally do for coatings. Metalizing and galvanizing it's not expected because it's not paint. These DOTs have been galvanizing bridges and metalizing bridges (galvanizing more) for a long time. And for the most part, they work. So what we're trying to do is just say, "Oh, by the way, there's this old technology that we were kind of not using the right way because we were putting epoxy and urethane over it, and it wasn't actually lasting as long as it could have without that."

And when we did this testing, because that's what we do in paint, that's what I always say, in paint, that's what we do. We test, we test, test, test, all these tests. We tested it, and we said, "Well, my goodness, this is pretty good. And you know, it might be as good or better than these techniques that you've used for a long time. So, Mr. DOT, so Mr. Bridge Engineer, we have an opportunity to give you longer service life, less maintenance, lower cost, less impact on the environment, and it's in a system that's been around for over 60 years."

Zinc loading and a sustainability comparison

Toby: Say more about cost and environmental impacts. Because we know cost is absolutely critical, it always will be, we know sustainability is becoming more and more so, and one of the major influences on the cost and ecological impact of each of these methods is the amount of zinc that each one uses relative to surface area and mil thickness. So how do they stack up?

Kristen: So if you think about metalizing and galvanizing, it's essentially 100% zinc. As I mentioned a little bit earlier, metalizing oftentimes will use an alloy with aluminum, upwards of 85% zinc to 11% aluminum, and of course, there's some zinc-iron alloy. And then with the metalizing, you oftentimes are a little bit thicker on the metalizing. I'm thinking over 10 mils. That's all zinc or a little bit of aluminum. In the case of a zinc-rich primer, namely an inorganic zinc-rich primer based on silicate resin technology, usually you're in the 80-90%.

Some products have 85%. Usually the more high performing zincs are at 85. But at the end of the day, that 3-mil film, 85% of that would be zinc. So, generally speaking, a zinc-rich paint system will rely on less zinc to protect compared to galvanizing and thermal spray metalizing.

And up until very recently, I don't think most people gave much thought to that other than cost, right? But these days, the world is, is understanding the importance of being better stewards of our planet and our environment. There's a lot of tools on how to assess the impact of materials on the environment.

Those tools are always getting refined and getting better. But currently we have something called a life cycle assessment, and that helps us understand the carbon footprint of materials. So zinc, being a metal and a mined metal, definitely has a carbon footprint. A lot of that has to do with the heavy equipment that's used to mine the earth to get these metals. And then, of course, the refining process, which uses a lot of energy to get down to the zinc dust that we need, or in the case of galvanizing or metalizing the zinc ingots. So, generally speaking, many of the zinc-rich primers are going to have a lower carbon footprint than these other techniques, and I know some of the zinc-rich primers, especially the inorganic zinc-rich primers, also have environmental product declarations, and also, and this is important, and I think it's going to be more important in the future, there is a federal highway prescription called Build America Buy America and that currently I believe is not completely enforced in the bridge market, but I believe it will be.

And with that, you need a certain percentage of your raw materials in the construction project to be U.S.-based or U.S.-sourced. In the case of most zinc that's used in galvanizing and thermal spray metalizing, those ingots that I mentioned that are mined and then refined, they typically come outside of the U.S. We do have zinc mines in the U.S. That is, that is true. But right now, a lot of the volume is outside of the U.S. In the case of zinc dust, which is what is used in the zinc-rich primers, that is sourced within the United States for the most part. Again, suppliers all around the world, but a lot of the products used currently in the United States are sourced in the U.S. So when you have a system that's reliant on zinc, 85% plus, you're going to need that zinc source to be sourced in the United States to meet that Build America Buy America requirement that, again, hasn't been fully enacted and enforced in certain market spaces, but we do anticipate that's coming.

So, generally speaking, if you can use your zinc in a more efficient way. Keep your zinc on the metal by embedding it in a type of rock-like resin matrix that will not degrade over time. It allows the zinc to form that patina creating that barrier that doesn't degrade with UV over time.

You actually end up with something that's not only economically efficient, performs very well, but is also environmentally conscious.

Toby: I don't know that there's a better punctuation mark to put on the discussion than that one right there, so that's where we will leave it. The only other thing that we could do is ask Kristen the Four Questions, but we won't because she did that once already. Again, I refer you to Episode 17. Give that a listen. She has strong opinions about hot dogs, and listeners will recall what Eric Zimmerman, a guest on our most recent episode, said about eggnog. So you've come here for the coatings, but you stay for the hot takes about food. Kristen, thank you very much for joining us today. This was great.

Kristen: Thank you. All of us are going to have to give you the 4Qs someday, so we'll have a special episode for that. Sound good?

Toby: It's only fair.

Why substrate surface blending is needed prior to relining tank cars in molten sulfur service

Wed, 29 Jan 2025 14:07:36 -0500

Performance of rail car lining materials varies wildly depending on the commodity.

Some commodities are benign enough that a general-purpose epoxy lining might last a generation. But for molten sulfur, owners and shippers are thrilled if even a high-performance epoxy or novolac vinyl ester lasts three years.

The service is just that corrosive.

And even after that short period, the standard procedure for relining a tank car in molten sulfur service is more time- and labor-intensive than for less severe commodities.

That’s because blending the substrate is commonly recommended as an extra step in surface preparation. That process and its rationale are described below.

What is substrate surface blending?

Blending is a hand-tool process in which an operator grinds away sharp edges from a surface that will be coated. It occurs prior to standard SSPC SP-3 surface preparation for tank car interiors.

The process is critical to the performance of linings of tank cars in molten sulfur service because the corrosion associated with that commodity causes significant surface irregularities in the form of deep pitting corrosion. That irregularity interferes with the uniformity in dry film thickness of an applied lining, potentially leading to its premature failure.

The objective of blending is not necessarily to eliminate the pitting commonly observed on a tank car interior surface. Instead, it is meant to alter the surface geometry just enough so that corrosion pits are within the acceptable shell thickness tolerance, and are wide and deep enough to accommodate the coating. In other words, surface flaws may remain, but they’re gentler than before.

But blending is not always appropriate. If steel is so badly corroded that it loses more thickness than regulations allow, the affected area must be removed and a patch of new steel welded in.

You can see why regular inspections of tank cars in molten sulfur service are important. It can cost $30,000 or more to completely recondition a tank car. Though blending adds even more to that total, it’s still more cost-effective than patching.

Why is substrate surface blending necessary?

Properties of sulfur and the realities of rail transportation create the conditions that make surface blending necessary.

Sulfur is almost never shipped in its solid state because it clings very well to itself and other surfaces. It’s very hard to break apart and would easily clog a hopper car. It’s far easier and faster to load and unload at a temperature above its melting point of 235°F (113°C). In addition, dry shipment would expose a rail car lining to significant abrasion and impact during loading, unloading, and while underway. The commodity is simply less physically abusive in its molten state.

The problem is, it doesn’t always stay molten. During routine loading, unloading, and transit, bits of it sometimes freeze. Tank cars are never filled completely and always have head space containing air and moisture. So if sulfur freezes, it reacts with that air and moisture to form sulfides. Dry sulfides in the presence of moisture are extremely corrosive, and deep pitting is a common outcome. It is mostly observed around the load line, manway, and bottom nozzle, where small amounts of the commodity remain after loading/unloading and inevitably freeze.

But for corrosion to actually begin, there must be some defect in the lining.

One common source of defects is the significant mechanical damage associated with probing and cleaning. Solid sulfur clings so tenaciously to itself and other surfaces that hammers and chisels are needed to break it free. If the adhesion of the sulfur to the lining is stronger than the lining’s adhesion to the substrate, the lining will break away along with the sulfur, exposing bare steel. That sets the stage for corrosion beginning with the next carload.

Another example is during unloading, where in a bid to save time operators run steam through a car’s heating coils at a temperature above what is noted for proper unloading. If that temperature exceeds what the lining is rated to withstand, the lining may degrade, and corrosion could begin as soon as the car is loaded again.

Regardless of how corrosion begins, it must be stopped. The least-bad outcome of unaddressed corrosion is the premature failure of a subsequent lining. Worse than that, the continued corrosion of steel could lead to a loss of thickness sufficient to send the car back to the shop for patching. At the very worst, a tank car could become so compromised that it begins leaking molten sulfur somewhere along its journey.

Shop challenges and blending’s “backup plan”

Blending is a hard, tedious add-on to the already strenuous surface preparation process. As with any difficult manual process, there is a risk that some areas are not blended completely or are missed altogether. It also adds even more time and cost to the expensive reconditioning process. It’s not uncommon for our technical staff to inspect tank cars that badly needed blending but the process was skipped.

We never recommend skipping any form of proper surface preparation. But we also know that mistakes are made, and innovations in lining technology mean those mistakes don’t need to bite as badly.

Plasite XHT 400 is an ultra-high performance hybrid epoxy novolac seeing increased adoption in the rail and other industries where high temperatures and extremely corrosive commodities are involved. In addition to its excellent resistance to heat and harsh chemicals, Plasite XHT 400 exhibits very good flow and wetting properties. These are rare in high-solids, intricately crosslinked formulas, so the product is a great candidate for applications involving less-than-pristine surface geometries.

The image below shows the bottom nozzle of a tank car lined with Plasite XHT 400. The car was put in molten sulfur service following lining application and completed 16 load/unload cycles over a period of two years. It was then taken out of service to study its condition. Note the very good appearance of the lining despite the very uneven surface near the nozzle.

The implication for any owners, shippers, or car shops is compelling: They can, in a single coat, achieve enhanced protection of rolling stock and mitigate the risks of inadequate or incomplete blending.

Make no mistake: Blending is still necessary and will remain so. But investing in a good backup plan can eliminate some of these stakeholders’ more unwelcome surprises.

The Red Bucket – Episode 20. No magic paint (Feat. Eric Zimmerman and Jeremy Sukola)

Thu, 12 Dec 2024 13:07:09 -0500

Summary

Water/wastewater operator customers are asking some strange questions lately. To experts Jeremy Sukola and Eric Zimmerman, it’s as if they’re asking for magic paint. In this episode, we identify an emerging demographic trend and the knowledge gap it’s created. Then, Jeremy and Eric explain why the best ways to close that gap are to have hard conversations early and be involved in educating the next generation.

Also, Eric imagines a driving range on the Mayflower and takes a bold stance against eggnog.

Two important educational outreach initiatives are mentioned in this episode. CarboNext aims to engage, educate, and support the next generation of asset protection engineers and specifiers. And Corrosion School is an long-standing continuing education program Carboline hosts for owners, engineers, specifiers, procurement staff, and applicators. Learn more about that here.

Timestamps

Click to follow along with the transcript:

00:00 – Introduction
03:08 – Strange questions from customers
05:44 – Understanding capabilities and tackling misconceptions
08:00 – A generation of seasoned professionals is retiring out
10:18 – Part of a familiar trend
12:20 – The influence of project schedule pressure
14:18 – Capabilities of coatings/linings are limited
18:34 – Economic decline brings new contractors into industry
20:04 – Manufacturers as problem solvers and honest brokers
24:11 – Breaking barriers to knowledge sharing
29:35 – Benefits of industry involvement
33:12 – Gaining credibility by saying "no"
37:57 – Avoid 99% of problems with early collaboration
40:00 – Four questions

Transcript

Introduction

Toby Wall: Paint is dumb. It truly is stupid. It can only do what it can do. There's no magic paint. Sounds like a manifesto, but those are the answers to some strange questions that we've been hearing a lot recently. As it is in so many other markets, there's a serious knowledge gap in water and wastewater asset protection.

I'm Toby Wall, and today on The Red Bucket, two subject matter experts explain how this gap opened up and what it will take to close it. And another quick note, a little later in the episode, you'll hear me mention Corrosion School and CarboNext. Those are industry facing educational resources Carboline has created.

Links with more information are provided in the summary of this episode. My guests and I strongly recommend anyone new in the coatings industry give those a look. Now, muscular intro music.

A returning champion joins The Red Bucket today because we can't seem to be rid of Jeremy Sukola. Jeremy, hello.

Jeremy Sukola: Hello everybody. Hey, Toby.

Toby: Jeremy's role is probably one of the longest job titles that we have in the organization. If you could remind everybody listening, what it is that you do? The short way to say it might be everything, but what's the business card say?

Jeremy:Yeah, I think the official title now is Vice President Prime Resins and Water Wastewater Markets. So continuing to act in the market management role or market director role for all of the water wastewater markets for Carboline.

Toby: And in that role, you helped bring along the guest that joins us today. We're very excited to have along Eric Zimmerman. Eric, if you don't mind, you could give us a, maybe a brief biography of your professional life. You're new to Carboline, but you're nowhere near anything like new to coatings.

Eric Zimmerman: No, I appreciate the opportunity to be on the podcast today. My role with Carboline is to be the National Business Development Manager for Water and Wastewater Markets. And it's not a, as you alluded to, it's not a role that is new to me. I've been in the protective coatings industry for 27, almost 28 years now. I spent a significant amount of time with a competitor, I did a very similar role of regional business development manager for water wastewater. And so, I've been specifically focused on water and wastewater for about the past decade. I'm very passionate about it. And I'm excited to be here at Carboline to help us exponentially grow those markets and our share in the industry.

Strange questions from customers

Toby: The whole reason we wanted to have this discussion is because you have noticed, both of you have noticed, that subject matter experts in our water wastewater market are starting to get some weird questions. And Jeremy, I wonder if you could start us off. What is happening? What's the phenomenon that you've seen, and maybe share some of those, some examples of those strange questions.

Jeremy: Yeah, absolutely. You know, in our roles, we field questions from a lot of different types of customers. Those customers may be our reps internally, could be a contractor, a specifier, an owner. I would say a trend over the last few years, and maybe even longer than that, maybe the last decade, but really more the last few years, are questions that are not necessarily geared towards some real specific technical questions that have to do with particular coatings and linings, but more questions that are around the edges, around the peripheral. One of the questions that I've been getting a lot, and I'm sure Eric in his time here at Carboline and before has gotten this question as well, again, outside of coatings and linings, it's about surface preparation. And I would say that the most common question that I get asked now is around, how do we get out of doing surface preparation before applying coatings. A lining system, not so much with coatings, atmospheric coatings, but especially on the water and wastewater side. If we've got an aggressive environment where we're going to be putting on a high-build lining system, maybe some resurfacers or even on an NSF application where, you know, we've got products that are, that are UL- or NSF-certified for contact with potable water, the question is, "I noticed that your data sheet says to do this. I noticed that the specs kind of ask us to do this. Do we really have to do that? Can we do this?" Right? Which is usually far less. I'd say that's probably one of the most common questions that I get right now that I consider strange because of just, you know, in the industry, everybody really does understand that surface prep is the foundation of a successful lining system. Eric, would you agree that that's a common question that you're getting asked?

Understanding capabilities and tackling misconceptions

Eric: Yeah, it is. And, you know, there's a stark contrast between what you, and you alluded to it, you know, with atmospheric coatings and then immersion-grade linings, there are technologies that are surface-tolerant, that can allow for minimized surface prep and atmospheric situations. Now, that significantly impacts the long term service life of those coatings, but you can do that in particular instances and use coatings technology to assist in that process. But when it comes to immersion linings, there's really not a shortcut. And, you know, I think one of the common misconceptions that I see, specifically when we talk about concrete, is that, you know, we provide, as a manufacturer, we provide a range for a concrete surface profile in our technical data, and a degree of cleanliness. And a lot of times people feel that, you know, primers will aid in the adhesion for immersion linings. And it's really not what primers are designed for, for concrete linings. It's the, the fact that primers are there to stop, you know, some moisture vapor emissions, but your adhesion is really gained from that mechanical profile and trying to educate specifiers and contractors on that, that there is no magic pill. We have to do the work. We have to get the surfaces clean and profiled correctly, before we're going to have a successful lining installation.

Toby: So you brought up the phrase that's pretty close to the title for this episode, which is no magic paint, no magic pill. So your points are taken. Here are these questions that are coming at you. Jeremy, you said that this was maybe only a few years, a few recent years where these questions were coming in. What was happening before that?

A generation of seasoned professionals is retiring out

Jeremy: Yeah. So in the industry, I would say that, you know, as a lot of our industry SMEs retire out, uh, this is another one of those circumstances where if you look at engineering firms, for instance, there was a time where almost every engineering firm would have a SME on staff. Somebody that had some really good knowledge about the workings of coatings and linings, surface preparation, you know, this person may have even gone through some of our, you know, formal training in AMPP or legacy in NACE/SSPC. We're starting to see less and less of that in the industry. And, you know, it's just a, it's a reality that specifiers, engineers, they, they, you know, they've got to be responsible for doing a lot of things. We've got a lot of younger people coming into the industry. So that knowledge base just isn't there. I would say that's even the case on the coating manufacturer side is a lot of long-standing reps that have been in the industry for 30, 40 years, whether they were sales reps or technical sales representatives, or, you know, your standard subject matter experts for a market, as we start to lose some of that knowledge, and we have younger people coming up in the industry, it's a big gap that's pretty prevalent that we're really trying to trying to work through. So that's why I say in the last 10 years, but really more so in the last, I would say, probably three or four years, it's really stood out quite a bit more.

Toby: What comes to mind as I hear you explain that is a demographic fact, I think, or a demographic headline that we've been seeing a lot lately. And I don't intend that we should try to solve that problem here. This isn't the podcast where we fix education systems. But I would point out, we've been hearing a whole lot about, oh, there's a shortage in the skilled trades. Oh, there's a shortage of truck drivers. Oh, there's a shortage of this, that, and the other. Is this part of that, do you think?

Part of a familiar trend

Eric: Yeah, I'm going to step in here, Jeremy. Sorry. You know, I have been very involved in the National Rural Water Association and rural water associations at the state level. And you know, you see it there as well with, water operators and people to assist in running the plants, the experienced people that are controlling the cleaning and processing of our dirty and clean drinking water, they're aging out and retiring at a very rapid pace. There's a massive void there for operators and it is, you know, quite problematic. There's been some states that have had some aggressive programs to put in place for internships and mentorships to try to lure new operators into the water market, but we see it across the board and Jeremy talked about it with engineering firms. Their staffs have gotten younger. They're not as siloed anymore, or specialized. They tend to be more generalist. You see that across the coatings and linings industry as well with the turnover in younger people. And with contractors as well, it is incredibly challenging for contractors to get labor to apply these, you know, highly technical coatings and lining systems and to Jeremy's point earlier, you know, perform the surface prep that will make it have the adequate life cycle. So it's an extreme challenge in our world right now to get skilled labor to run the plants and the machines and build the systems that we need to operate.

The influence of project schedule pressure

Jeremy: You started this off by asking me about a few questions and I think a couple of other questions come up that highlight another issue that we have in the industry. The questions that we get around how the coatings are either applied or cure, that are very specific to timeframes. Right? For instance, again, if we go back to a potable water lining, "Hey, I noticed that this says it cures in seven days. You know, are there, is there anything that we can do outside of introducing heat and expensive measures to speed that up?" Or, "Hey, I noticed I've got to put on 20 mils, but the coating that I'm putting on only goes on in 10 mils. Can I put more on in one coat?" And I think that questions like that that are extremely common now are more reflective of the pressures there are to save time and to save costs. And I think that's another big driver of a lot of these questions. And like I said, you brought up the comment about magic paint, and I think that's where that feeling that, well, if I can just lean on a coating manufacturer to give me the right answers, that they've got magic paint, it's going to hide all of that, or it's going to allow me to do things that are outside of the capabilities of a coating or a lining system. It goes back to this, like I said, this pressure to expedite project timelines to move things forward faster when unfortunately, how a coating cures, unless you're introducing some type of heat or forced curing, is really, it's not something that we can rush, going outside of the capabilities of a coating system as far as, you know, film build or things like that. Those are things that can be addressed proactively, but we can't change what a coating is. There's a pretty common industry saying, you know, “paint is dumb.” Paint only does what it can do. Coatings are formulated to do certain things. So, again, whether it's surface preparation, whether it's expecting a coating or a lining to cure faster, or be applied in a way that's outside of what it's designed for, paint truly is stupid. It can only do what it can do.

Capabilities of coatings/linings are limited

Eric: Yeah, and to, to back that up a little bit, everything in life is about tradeoffs, right? Carboline and Jeremy and I have solutions that can circumvent some of these challenges that they have in the contracting world. Maybe a product that cures faster or can be applied at lower temperatures or, you know, can be applied at higher film thicknesses in a single coat to save time. Those technologies exist, but there's a tradeoff in the type of application equipment that needs to be used or the degree of surface preparation that needs to be performed to apply that. So while there are viable solutions, the idea that there's magic paint and that you can open a bucket and it goes on the surface perfectly without any effort from a contractor or an inspector or an engineer is false. So you have to weigh all of the options and determine what's the best path moving forward to complete this project successfully and profitably because that's ultimately what all the contractors and us are working to do is, have successful profitable projects.

Jeremy: I use a couple of analogies when I explain this to, you know, people who will reach out and ask these questions is, you know, for like curing, a coating to cure to service a little bit faster. It's almost like going to the trouble of, you know, baking a birthday cake for somebody, and pulling it out halfway through the bake. It may still look like a cake, but once you cut into it and serve it to your guests, you're going to find out real quick what you've got. Or, you know, building a beautiful home, best looking house on the block, and didn’t even put insulation in it. So it looks great until winter comes and you're going to freeze to death. So there are a lot of things that are done to get over the hump, you know, move things along, but the primary goal of applying a protective lining system, for the most part, is to get the maximum service life out of it. So, choosing the right coating, putting it on correctly, over a properly prepared surface with industry standard quality control, quality assurance processes. That's how you get that. So, when these questions come in like that, it's really about education. It's trying to educate the person who's asking the question, maybe to rethink about why they're asking that question. And then that can help us on future projects.

Toby: I'm trying to put myself in the boots of those folks asking these questions. And so let's say that I ask, "Hey, how can I speed this up?" Manifesting the pressure that's on them to do this quickly. And they're in conversation with either of you gentlemen. And you tell them the answer. Are they shocked to hear that, you know, "Hey, paint's dumb. It just can only do what it does." How do they react to that? And then what do they do next?

Jeremy: I'm sure Eric would probably agree. It runs the gamut. You'll some responses will be like you just described. “Oh, wow. I didn't realize that.” Or, a surprise at how many options there are other types of coatings. And sometimes the reply is, "That's the cards we've been dealt. We're just trying to get through the project. That's it." So I would say it's both those extremes and everywhere in between, depending on who you're talking to.

Economic decline brings new contractors into industry

Eric: Quite honestly, many times, you mentioned the, the pressure, you know, the contractual pressure that that exists in a lot of these projects, the responses are quite often reflective of the degree of pressure that is there. That's one of the major challenges that we see quite frequently in the water/wastewater market where, especially when, you know, the economy dips a little bit and contractors try to diversify their portfolios. And so now contractors who primarily have been dealing with steel coatings and linings come and work in water/wastewater, preparation of concrete, understanding how pH affects adequate surface preparation and readiness for resurfacers and lining, and understanding the variability in concrete. When Jeremy or I start to explain a lot of those factors to contractors and the steps that they realistically have to go through, if they haven't put the proper protocols or money in place in the bid process of that, their reaction can have a little bit more volume in it, you know, coming back to us. But I think both of us have been in those situations enough, we understand how to try to explain that, and in a way that can be as palatable to the contractor as possible.

Manufacturers as problem solvers and honest brokers

Jeremy: Really what it comes down to is, continuing to be a resource and help provide a solution. We're often thrown into situations that are difficult for a customer, where the conditions are not ideal and really, as a material manufacturer, it's our job to be part of the solution. We're part of the project. We need to be part of finding a way to get through the pressures that our customer might be feeling, whether it's an owner, whether it's a specifier, whether it's a contractor. It's really just kind of diving in and finding out how best to reach the end goal that mitigates risk as much as possible, but also helps provide a solution for the customer.

Eric: The primary job for Jeremy and I is to have that knowledge and be that resource, but to be as blunt and straightforward as possible and not dance around what the realistic solutions are, because, you know, there can be a tremendous amount of pressure that is applied with schedule and budgets and things like that. It is better to address those concerns immediately on the front side and evaluate options rather than trying to skim around the edges. And those can be challenging conversations, but it's most important to just be honest and up-front and say, "Hey, these are the challenges that you're facing. And these are your options for solutions. Let's decide what the best path is."

Jeremy: Unfortunately, what I do see a lot is I do see customers who may be in such a pickle that they may be shopping around for the answer that they want to hear. And unfortunately, there are people who will provide the answer that they want to hear. Maybe it's just to, you know, position a little better. Maybe it's to sell a gallon of paint, you know, that does exist out there. I would say by and large, most of the industry wants to operate on the up-and-up, but that does happen from time to time, which can make the problem exponentially worse. So I always do caution people that, hey, you're asking a question, I'm going to give you my take on it as a coatings professional, not necessarily just an employee of Carboline, because what I'm going to tell you might be hard information to hear. You're probably going to hear it from everyone else the same, if they're being honest. So I always try to position it that way, that I don't ever want to seem like I'm trying to box out a competitor just to sell a solution that's not a valid one. I always want to give the, you know, if it's bad medicine, sometimes it's bad medicine, but we've got to take it.

Eric: To that end, Jeremy, I mean, we both have been in the industry for a long time and we have competitors, coworkers, industry associates, and quite frequently when you have that, when I have those difficult conversations, I will just refer the contractor or whoever we're talking about, "Look, if you want a second opinion on this, call person X at this company. And they'll tell you the exact same thing because that is the truth.” Because there's no magic bullet for this, right? The truth can't be fabricated. The facts exist as they are. And we need to, like I said earlier, sometimes you just have to rip the band-aid off.

Breaking barriers to knowledge sharing

Toby: As I hear you talk about the ways that manufacturers should be a resource to these decision makers, as a person whose job it is to create marketing materials, promotional materials, educational materials, this is all the sort of stuff that, you know, when it's your job to do this every day, like, ah, that's a broken record to me, you know. This is what everybody says should happen. I want to take that a step further because, and it's not just water/wastewater, it's anywhere in coatings, especially as construction delivery methods evolve, that on the manufacturer's side, folks like us haven't always been viewed as the resource that we know that we are, haven't been viewed as someone you can or should turn to as a problem solver early in the process. And you've talked about having those hard conversations and sometimes it's medicine that needs to be swallowed, sometimes it's ripping the band-aid off. It can just be a barrier getting in the door to have that conversation. So what have you seen work in terms of getting through that door, knowing that it isn't always easy to get in front of those right people? Because there's the, just the preconceived, you know, notion or opinion of what role a manufacturer should play.

Jeremy: I couldn't agree more. Oftentimes customers that we interact with may see paint salesmen, as, you know, somebody there just to, you know, sell a good or a service. And that's the ultimate goal. But I think that what the industry leaders in our world do is involve themselves in committees, conferences, industry associations, where we are connecting with those specifiers, those engineers, and owners and contractors outside of a business setting and more in a setting of learning, right? And what that does is gives us the opportunity to talk about things other than, "Hey, we want to sell you paint. We want you to specify our paint only." We're going to educate a little bit about surface preparation or new technologies or things that affect projects. Right? Different ways that we're procuring and buying and running projects now. So, for us to be part of the solution, we have got to get involved in the industry and show the industry that we are involved. We understand the pain points and we are working to be part of the solution here. So, I think industry involvement is huge to break down a lot of those barriers when, you know, when your customers see that you are thinking about the same things that they're thinking about, you're getting involved in education for those younger guys coming up. I think that goes a long way.

Eric: I could not agree more. You stole almost every word I was going to say, Jeremy. That's a great answer because, you know, the benefit of our roles, as more SMEs in the industry, is that, you know, we can author some of the white papers and give presentations at industry shows and events. While we are paid by Carboline, it is there in the interest of the industry and it's a more generic presentation that educates and, you know, we can build that credibility and trust within the municipal owner group and the specifier group that we, as individuals, understand the challenges and have solutions and yes, we're going to provide our solutions that Carboline offers. We're also going to give you a well-rounded look at what's going to solve that problem, you know, holistically. And it's just spending the time building those relationships and developing that trust within the specifier and owner group.

Jeremy: When I look at this at a micro level, I have been an instructor for AMPP, previously NACE, historical NACE, I am an instructor for AMPP and have been for almost 10 years now. When I instruct, you know, basic CIP1, Coating Inspector Program number 1, it's funny, sometimes the classes that I'm instructing are made up of paint reps from competitors. Engineers, owners, contractors. We'll have 25, 30 people across the board from, you know, different parts of the industry. And I would say by the middle of day two, probably, we've all taken our company logos off of our shirts and hats and are having honest conversations about things that are relevant to successful coating projects, right? It has nothing to do with whose paint does that or what contractor did this or this specifier only, you know, uses this material. It's refreshing to see that because, again, when we talk about educating the community, I don't think you see it anywhere better than the conferences that we attend, you know, sitting through presentations and even these courses, where you've got people looking to expand their knowledge so they could get involved and alleviate some of what we've just spent the last 20 or 30 minutes talking about. So it's really fun to see that. And it's one of the things that I enjoy most about that specific part of getting involved in the industry, is just seeing my competitors sitting across the table from me, or like I said, contractors, owners, engineers, getting everybody in the same room and talking about the things that are really important.

Benefits of industry involvement

Toby: I can say it from personal experience and I'm not even necessarily the target audience for those kinds of meetings or those kinds of symposia. But I have sat in on those, and Carboline hosts its fair share of those. I'll put links in the description to this episode for Corrosion School, which we do, and for CarboNext, which is a sort of an online modular learning that we do. You know, it's interesting that we bring up the knowledge gap, because there is a tool out there, I'm sure other manufacturers have this too, but we have ours, it's called CarboNext, that is meant to provide some of this education that if more folks coming into the industry had it, might have prevented some of those questions that you are being asked. But that was a real big parenthesis to the point, which is, I've been in on those kinds of conferences, what would constitute industry involvement, and if anyone is toying around with the idea of going to that, or is maybe a little bit reluctant to ask your employer to send you to one of those, whether it's something that we host or anyone else does. I'm the marketing guy and I come away with pages of notes out of those and those aren't even for me. Yeah, please attend as many of these as you can. I have seen those organic discussions pop up, between individuals, you know, attendees and instructors, but also attendee to attendee. It's sort of magical to watch that happen.

Eric: Oh, it absolutely is. I strongly recommend being as involved in your particular industry segment as what you possibly can. Every show that I go to, regardless of how long I've been in a particular industry, I learn something from that, I glean information from that. Even if it's just a new contact and a new resource for us to lean on. Because, look, Jeremy and I don't know everything. Well, Jeremy might, quite honestly.

Jeremy: No, I was going to say speak for yourself there, Eric.

Eric: But, we all have mentors and peers that we lean on for information and increasing that network and sitting in on a competitor's discussion or an engineer's discussion, or, you know, the case history profiles that are at a lot of these shows that talk about successful or unsuccessful projects. Those are all opportunities to learn and increase your knowledge base and your network. And I thoroughly enjoy those opportunities. And particularly enjoy the opportunities when we get the chance to present at them. I think it's good for the industry and quite enjoyable. But I highly encourage anyone who is on the fence about attending one of those shows to do it, attend the social functions, meet as many people as you can, attend the sessions, and increase your knowledge base.

Toby: A while back, you guys were saying, the answer might not be Carboline, you know, might not be our buckets that you buy. It sounds like if someone wants to talk to you, you'll talk to ‘em and you're going to shoot ‘em straight and tell ‘em, yeah, here's what would work, or I can point you to what might work for this situation.

Gaining credibility by saying "no"

Eric: Look, as an RPM company with all of our sister companies, we have a variety of solutions that can solve problems across a multitude of industries, but even as diverse as our offerings are, we don't have solutions for every situation. And as we talked about, there are some situations that alternate coatings or linings technology are not going to solve. And you have to be honest and up-front with your client. Sometimes that means the answer is no. And those are hard discussions. And quite honestly, I think we gain more credibility in the situations where we're honest and we say, “No, that will not work,” than trying to fit a round peg into a square hole and make something work on the fringes.

Jeremy: Absolutely agree. I live by a saying, "'No' is a complete sentence." Sometimes the answer to Eric's point is "no." Paint doesn't fix everything. Right? So I would say that, I don't want to speak for Eric, but I can probably safely say that Eric and I both have been put in a situation many more times than once where we're asked to agree with something that someone is going to do where they're going to lean heavily on the paint working where paint is not the solution, right? It could be an alternate solution. It could be something completely different. But we've had to say, “It doesn't matter what Carboline paint you put on, or whatever competitor coating you put on, paint is not the answer here,” or we've had to say, "Our paint, what you're planning on using, is not the answer here.” That's how you become a resource for somebody. If you're trying to convince somebody all the time that only, this is where we get back to that idea of magic paint, right? We make magic paint, only our paint works. If that's the position you put yourself in with people who are calling you for honest advice, you're not a resource, right? That's not what a resource is. You're not a trusted resource. You might be the third or fourth person that's called on the next project, but you're not a trusted resource. And so that's how we get to the point where we're comfortable getting the right answer is by talking to that person who will give me the hard truth, right? So, sometimes that's what we have to do is give that hard truth.

Eric: Yeah, but the really challenging situations are where you have those conversations and you say, "What you're trying to do is not going to work." And your opinion is not received well or abided by and the project proceeds as planned and it goes horribly wrong. And then it comes back and they ask, “Well, why didn't it work?” And you have to refer back to the conversations that we had three months ago, right, where you were told that this is not going to work and now all that has happened is the schedule has been extended out. The cost to remediate this has gone up exponentially and the confidence and trust in all parties has been eroded. So that's why we just have to stand on what is right, what has been proven through the years as best practices, industry standards, and be forthright with all the clients that we work with to try to help them avoid those very painful situations.

Jeremy: It goes back to the whole idea of getting back to basics, right? That's the whole idea is, is getting back to basics. What we do in this industry does not have to be difficult. Sometimes, it's made difficult unnecessarily, right? There are some basic things that I think most people understand that have to be done.

Eric: Plain, dull and dry. Right? As simple as that.

Avoid 99% of problems with early collaboration

Jeremy: That's it. That's it. You know, but when we start to go back to the beginning of this conversation, what that leads to is the questions of, “Okay, I know I need to do these two or three things. I would like to do A instead of B, one instead of two,” you know, that's where we get off track. And so it's all about going back to basics. That's really what it boils down to. Working early with your manufacturer, right? That's where we avoid 99 percent of these problems, because if we can collaborate early, if we could talk about some of the challenges you might face on your project, we can change gears, we can offer a different material. Maybe that different material has different surface prep requirements that can save a little bit of time on the project. Maybe it cures a little bit faster. Maybe it cures at a little bit lower temperature because it's a specific time of the year. Maybe it applies a little different, that’s maybe a little bit friendlier to the contractor who's going to be putting it on. Those are the things that we can get involved with early and help really see what's going to come and avoid those issues.

Eric: Yeah, and I think that's one place that the industry has started to make a significant shift is, much more collaborative delivery systems, specifically in water/wastewater, where, look, there are still design-bid-build projects that go out every day, but the more collaborative design-build efforts where you put a team together and you have an end goal, a schedule, and a budget to come under and the team builds that solution collaboratively. That's where what Jeremy just talked about can happen. Okay, well, we need to get done by December 31. You know, these are the types of solutions that that can be put in place and we present those, and everyone builds the project around those solutions and the end goal. Those projects tend to be much more successful and enjoyable as, you know, you move forward as a collaborative team.

Toby: That's a good punctuation mark, I think, to put on this.

Four questions

Jeremy: Toby, if we have some time, I'd like to talk about politics for a little while.

Toby: We could talk politics or we could ask Eric the four questions, which is, I know is everybody's actual favorite part of this. Who cares about the industry expertise. We are recording this episode in the vicinity of, it's after Thanksgiving, it's not Christmas time yet, but it's in the holiday mindset that I ask you question number one, Eric, are there any family traditions or occurrences associated with the holiday season tha, that you can recall from either earlier in life or even more recently, holiday family traditions?

Eric: Yeah. I mean, as it, as it relates specifically to Christmas, there is a particular breakfast sweet roll that my mother made out of a specific bundt pan that has been a favorite of our family since I was very small. And she passed away in 2016 from cancer, and I have that bundt pan, and that is a tradition, we make those for Christmas morning every year, and it's a cherished memory. It's a way to honor her, and quite honestly, they're very delicious, and calories don't count on Christmas, so.

Toby: No, not at all.

Eric: They're perfect.

Toby: Next time you're in St. Louis, I expect some of those to pass around. Question number two. What's your opinion on eggnog?

Eric: I don't acknowledge the word.

Toby: Fair enough. Question number three. When I first met you was at a workshop here in St. Louis. If I'm remembering correctly, you said that you can take your genealogy back to the Mayflower. Am I right about that?

Eric: That's, that is correct. I'm a direct descendant of the Mayflower. My paternal grandmother was into genealogy. Um, a member of the Mayflower Society, Daughters of the Pioneers, the Goddard family tree, and so, and on my mom's side, we are, they are naturalized Finnish Americans. My grandparents were the first generation that were born here in the United States. Their parents emigrated from Finland in the early 1900s. So I know on both sides of the family where directly my lineage came from. It's kind of cool.

Jeremy: Your forefathers would be extremely disappointed in your take on eggnog.

Eric: Well, that's, you know what, I'm comfortable as an adult human to be able to debate that with my forefathers. Eggnog is nasty. And so it will, it does not pass these lips.

Toby: Here’s my question though. I was looking at the journey of the Mayflower. That was two months long. If you made that journey, Eric, what do you take along for entertainment?

Eric: Well, unfortunately, they didn't have Wi Fi or anything there at those times. So, I guess I would hope that there's a platform on the back of the Mayflower and we put a mat down and we have a gross of range balls and I'd hit 7-irons off the back of the boat and maybe drink a little bit of bourbon as we floated across the ocean.

Toby: That sounds awesome. All right. Question number four. Would you rather water ski behind the Mayflower or water ski behind an aircraft carrier?

Eric: Well, the Mayflower is not going to have enough speed to water ski behind, and while it would be extremely difficult and dangerous to be behind the Nimitz or one of those large nuclear aircraft carriers, I think it would be fun. And then be an absolute extra thrill to watch our military land their jets on that as you water skied behind. So, I'm going to go with supporting the U. S. military and water skiing behind a carrier.

Toby: Just don't try to talk to anybody because they're not going to hear you back there.

Eric: No, you're, yeah, if you fall off, you're dead and that's okay. That's a risk that, you know, Jeremy and I talked earlier about inherent risks in projects, and that's one of those, that if you're going to be behind there, you better have a life jacket and a shark proof vest, right?

Jeremy: I would agree that if you are risky enough to water ski behind a nuclear aircraft carrier, prepare for the risk.

Eric: I guess, Toby, the real answer is I couldn't water ski behind anything. I've tried my entire life and maybe been up two or three times successfully. So, neither one, the Mayflower or a carrier would go well for me.

Toby: The point is moot, but, on the subject of projects and project success, if you want a life vest, or if you want a shark proof vest, Eric and Jeremy make pretty good vests. So I'm really happy that both of you could join me for this discussion. Thanks very, very much.

Eric: Thank you, Toby.

Jeremy: Thanks Toby.

Flagship sculpture gleams after restoration project

Thu, 21 Nov 2024 16:30:05 -0500

Eighteen oil storage tanks made of steel needed recoating.

And?

We've supplied paint for more of these than we can count. Normally that's barely a blip on the radar.

Except these 18 steel tanks are empty, and have been for over 44 years. They're stacked up and welded together, and look like a big red Stonehenge partially collapsed.

They comprise "The Way," the flagship art piece at Laumeier Sculpture Park in in our hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. We may have made the coatings that protect too many steel tanks to count, but we'll never forget these 18.

A "most thorough conservation" is needed

"The Way," created by Ukrainian-American sculptor Alexander Liberman, was installed at the park in 1980. At 65 feet (20 meters) high and 102 feet (31 meters) at its longest point, the striking bright red sculpture weighs 55 tons (50 tonnes).

Over the course of its 44 years on display, the sculpture has sustained more than its fair share of damage from sun, wind, precipitation, and various other impacts by local wildlife and park patrons alike. Re-paints occurred in 1996 and 2011, but, according to the park, "the combination of faded and patchy paint, chipped concrete, and corroded metal indicates that it is time for its most thorough conservation ever."

A coalition of community partners responded to the park's conservation campaign by committing their expertise, materials, and resources to the project, which concluded in May 2024.

Carboline was proud to donate the protective coating materials for the project: a two-part system consisting of a legendary surface-tolerant epoxy mastic primer followed by a premium siloxane topcoat renowned for its weathering properties.

Unique surface prep and application circumstances

Prior to applying the new coating system, surface preparation via natural-media abrasive blasting was completed.

"Natural" here refers to finely crushed coconut husks. Milder blasting media (ground walnut shells being another example) are common when restoring old or fragile substrates, or when work is occurring someplace ecologically sensitive.

This project featured both circumstances: The decommissioned steel tanks comprising "The Way" were already 40 or 50 years old by the time Alexander Liberman got a hold of them in 1980; they are approaching 100 years old now. And a 105-acre park and all its attendant plant and animal life is the wrong venue for harsher conventional blast media.

Next came the coatings.

High-solids Carbomastic 15 was selected as the primer. It boasts a long and storied field history in a wide range of industrial services. It is a surface-tolerant epoxy mastic containing lamellar aluminum pigment shown to perform exceptionally over marginally prepared surfaces, including those containing light, tightly adhered rust or tightly adhered existing coatings.

The topcoat, Carboxane 2000, was color-matched to the original vibrant Toreador Red first applied in 1980. It is an ultra-durable, ultra-weatherable siloxane that offers outstanding color and gloss retention. Those characteristics are obviously important to a large, highly visible art piece located outdoors. It is also abrasion-resistant and withstands the abuse that comes with exposure to wind-driven rain, snow, and ice; animals; and even park patrons.

When specified as a corrosion protection system, Carbomastic 15 and Carboxane 2000 have shown to perform as well as, and sometimes better than, conventional three-coat systems.

But the appeal of this system goes further than how it looks or performs. Applying a two-coat system reduced the project's cost and environmental burden in the form of reduced material usage, packaging, and transportation.

And here's a neat side story: Part of the coating application included preparing a coupon of the Toreador Red Carboxane 2000. That coupon was sent to the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles where it will live in secure storage with no exposure to light. The next time Laumeier Sculpture Park recoats "The Way," they can refer to that coupon for another exact color match.

Proud to take part

Though "The Way" feels a long way off from the harsher industrial environments we're used to, we can't help but feel right at home there.

With local St. Louis roots since 1947, Carboline treasures Laumeier Sculpture Park, one of the many world-class attractions in the region open to the public free of charge. We were honored to do our part in keeping the park—and "The Way"—beautiful and accessible to all for years to come.

Solution Spot | Carboline

Shore D hardness doesn’t matter for intumescent coating performance

A very brief history of Shore hardnes

The origin of Shore D hardness evaluations for coatings

Shore D migrates into commercial intumescent specifications

What's the way forward?

The Red Bucket – Episode 26. The problem with using Shore D hardness for intumescent coatings (Feat. Michael Hollman)

Summary

Timestamps

Transcript

Introduction

How the industry's understanding of hardness has evolved

Durometers' importance in measuring coating hardness

Matching different Shore scales to different coating technologies

When standards are "cut-and-pasted" without context

Harder is not universally better

Elasticity, damage resistance, and impact recovery

Viewing Shore values as a reference point, not a product differentiator

The four questions

Tank car protective lining strategies for emerging biofuel transportation

Evolving existing networks for the new future of fuel

How chemical variability influences protective lining compatibility

Lining solutions for complex fuel requirements

Continued testing and trusted support

"Alpha" sculpture restoration preserves a bold artistic vision

A fresh chapter for a storied sculpture

Balancing performance and aesthetics

Continued support for cultural preservation

A legacy of protection in harsh mining conditions

One company – multiple exposures

Proven performance around the world

Partners in mining asset performance

Selecting the ideal intumescent fire-resistive material

Required fire ratings

Architectural design

Construction timeline

Environmental/sustainability concerns

Sometimes the answer is "all of the above"

A clear path forward

Navigating NSF ratings: Essential insight for welded steel potable water tank linings

Understanding new AWWA D102-24 standards

Use budget and life cycle requirements to optimize system specification

Balancing protection, performance, and budgets

Upgrades at Philadelphia-area water treatment plants deliver clean water to residents

Uniquely challenging conditions and no paper trail

Carbomastic – Carboguard system delivers in unruly environments

The system flows on

Hydroplate 6500: Application

The Red Bucket BONUS - Regulatory affairs in Europe

Resumen

Floor and Wall Solutions Brochure

Shock-Crete Brochure

The Red Bucket – Episode 25. Renovating the iconic Santiago Bernabeu Stadium (Feat. Juan Pablo Ortega [again])

Summary

Timestamps

Transcript

Introduction

Summarizing the renovation of Santiago Bernabeu Stadium

Differing fire ratings for different uses of a structure

Why both cementitious and intumescent fireproofing types were used

Specifying heavy-duty Pyrocrete 40

Nullifire SC902 intumescent fireproofing was uniquely qualified for this project

Primer, fireproofing, and topcoat specification for the retractable trays

Navigating an aggressive schedule during the COVID-19 pandemic

Juan Pablo returns to the site

The four questions

Biofuel producer achieves multi-modal protection for ethanol storage tanks

Ethanol plants create a unique environment

Ideal circumstances for Rustbond® and Carboxane® 2100 BR

A bright future for five bright white tanks

Inorganic zinc-rich coatings: How they work, and how they can work better

The behavior of zinc in inorganic and organic systems

Inorganic zinc-rich coatings vs. galvanizing vs. metalizing

Could two-coat inorganic systems maximize corrosion protection potential?

Red Bull's transformation in Madrid

yyplusplus reshapes an empty shell

Farbocustic® provides insulation and ambience

"Everyone is happy"

The Red Bucket – Episode 24. Fluoropolymers: The unbeatable resin technology for water tank topcoats (Feat. Jeremy Sukola and Kristen Blankenship)

Summary

Selecting the ideal intumescent fire-resistive material

Ideal circumstances for Rustbond^® and Carboxane^® 2100 BR

Farbocustic^® provides insulation and ambience