PECM Issue 29 2017 | Page 126

interView QuestiOn and answer On ‘Paints and cOatinGs in the cOrrOsiOn industry’ 1. What is paints and coatings in relation to the corrosion industry and why use it? Metallic materials comprise of a significant portion of industrial infrastructure and are often subject to harsh service environment. The referred environment could be a combination of moisture, oxygen, heat, industrial salts or atmospheric pollutants. The rate at which metallic materials degrade with respect to corrosion depends on the environment that surrounds them. Paints and coatings tend to provide a protective barrier between the harsh service environment and metallic materials and hence, prolong their service life span. 126 PECM Issue 29 2. How have paints and coatings in the corrosion industry evolved over the past decade? How is the paints and coatings technologies of today more effective/efficient than the technology of previous generations? infrastructure from corrosion and erosion damage, (ii) higher industrial throughput requiring higher temperature and pressure to operate and hence creating a need of higher performance-based coating specifications and (iii) growing demand from environmental and health conscious end-users. The use of paints or coatings is not new to humans. Lacquer which was derived from tree sap or through resinous secretion of lac insects was known in Indo-China about 7,000 years ago. Since those times, paints and coatings have kept evolving and changing. The key drivers of the changing trend are mainly (i) the industrial requirement to protect its The paints and coatings of today offer broad temperature and pressure range to be applied in varied service environment. They also offer more resistance to chemical attack and a range of colors and shades for decorative purposes.