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Antifouling
Antifouling Agents
ECONEATM from Janssen Preservation & Material Protection is a unique, highly effective and non-metal antifouling agent. It marks a major advance in environmental safety for antifouling agents and, as it does not rely on high levels of metal salts, ECONEATM can be formulated in a wide range of colours, including white, light and bright shades, to meet the aesthetic preferences of boat owners.
Fouling and the Environment
Fouling is the attachment and growth of aquatic organisms such as barnacles, polychaete tubeworms, bivalve molluscs, seaweeds, diatoms and bacterial slime. It has a significant impact on vessel speed, fuel consumption and dry dock costs. On large vessels, fouling can increase fuel consumption by 24 tonnes per day. It also spoils the appearance, which for leisure craft and yacht owners is of high importance.
ECONEA TM, an effective non-metal alternative
Antifouling paints overcome these problems through a slow release of biocidal agents. However, until recently, the only effective agents were metallic compounds. The first were based on tributyl tin. Then, as concerns grew about tin contamination in the aquatic environment, coating makers turned to cuprous oxide and the lighter coloured but less effective cuprous thiocyanate.
Now there is increasing concern about copper in freshwater lakes and marine environments.
Through extensive trials and careful formulation, we have brought an effective, non-metal alternative to the paints and coatings industry.
ECONEATM has low solubility in water to provide long-term protection at low levels of inclusion. Since ECONEATM allows effective antifouling coatings to be made without cuprous oxide, these copper-free coatings do not present the risk of galvanic corrosion of aluminium hulls found when cuprous oxide is present.
Once in the aquatic environment, ECONEATM has extremely low impact. It hydrolyses rapidly when in solution to form very low toxicity breakdown products that are biodegradable. Analytical methods have been developed and we have generated a comprehensive set of data on environmental behaviour in aerobic and anaerobic conditions and on toxicity to a wide range of organisms from aquatic plants and invertebrates to mammals, enabling customers to meet regulatory requirements worldwide.
Interest in ECONEATM is high and commercial coatings should be readily available in the course of 2007. Trials show it can be formulated by conventional methods and does not affect the wet-state or dry film properties.
Compatibility
ECONEATM is compatible with all major "soft-fouling" booster compounds. Janssen PMP owns several patents on such combinations that provide a choice for the end-use formulations of our partners and customers in the antifouling industries.
Other Areas of Application
ECONEATM also shows promise for other antifouling applications. Research is in hand to assess its potential in antifouling protection of polymeric materials in a marine environment and a range of other biofouling applications.
The use of our products is subject to the relevant national legislation. For more information on the status of registration and approval in your country of interest, we invite you to contact us.
