PERTH battery anode materials and graphene additives provider Talga Resources has announced the start of a commercial scale trial of a graphene-enhanced coating applied to container ship Algarrobo (IMO 9399789).
The ship’s hull (about 700m2) has been coated with a product called Talphene.
The commercial-scale application follows completion of in-house development and patent pending technology translating graphene’s mechanical properties into paint and coatings.
The ship is now at sea off South America and during the coming 12-18 months the Talphene-coated area will be evaluated in the harsh real life conditions of global cargo shipping.
Talga managing director Mark Thompson said the maritime coating sector was a large market and well suited to use of their Talphene product for improving environmental and economic outcomes.
“By successfully taking this new product from the laboratory to commercial-scale application on a 33,000GT ship, being tested across global marine environments, we are showcasing our graphene’s real-world potential as a bulk industrial product,” Mr Thompson said.
Mr Thompson said the marine coatings segment was projected to grow to USD$12bn by 2024.
Drivers for new coating technologies are said to include environmental and regulatory demands, fuel efficiency, construction costs and maintenance costs.
Growth in emerging economies such as China, India and Brazil are large volume drivers while in terms of value, the Asia Pacific marine coatings market is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period.
