TECHNOLOGICAL CAPABILITY
MOSE project × CMP
CMP’s products were chosen for the MOSE project, a movable flood barrier construction project designed to act as flood defenses for the city of Venice in northern Italy. Coatings for structures that remain submerged on the seafloor must offer excellent anti-corrosive and antifouling performance and must also have minimal impact on the environment. Following more than 10 years of evaluating coating materials and coating systems under these demanding conditions, the coating film performance of CMP’s antifoulings (BIOCLEAN, etc.) has been proven.
MOSE project
The city of Venice is built on tidal flats and experiences severe damage during storm surges due to the impact of land subsidence and rising sea levels. Particularly in fall and winter, tidal currents, tide levels, wind direction, and rainfall all converge to raise the sea level of the Adriatic Sea by no less than 1 m, causing the widespread flooding of urban areas to become a frequent occurrence.
In order to protect Venice, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, from this damage, in the late 1980s the Italian government launched the MOSE project, a movable flood barrier construction project with a total project cost of approx. 700 billion yen.
The project planned to install tidal gates between a series of sand bars that separate the Venice Lagoon from the Adriatic Sea. However, since fixed tidal gates built above the water would detract from the historic scenery, a system was designed that normally lays on the seafloor, and is raised when needed by inflating with air.
The 78 steel movable flap gates to be installed by the project are scheduled to be repainted every 5 to 10 years and will receive continued maintenance for 100 years.
BIOCLEAN antifouling
IOCLEAN is a biocide-free antifouling that prevents fouling organisms from adhering to seawater equipment and facilities in marine environments. BIOCLEAN is a silicone-based synthetic polymer with a low surface tension that forms a surface film activated by multiple specialty modifiers. As a result, the coating surface forms a microphase-separated structure with both hydrophobic and hydrophilic microregions.
This structure creates a smooth, low-adhesion surface similar to that of dolphins or eels. This low-adhesion surface prevents the attachment of shellfish and seaweed by inhibiting the coagulation of protein-like adhesive substances secreted by fouling organisms, thereby reducing adhesion and promoting the detachment of marine larvae.
BIOCLEAN also contains no heavy metals such as copper compounds or organotin compounds. BIOCLEAN has been highly praised for its novel antifouling mechanism, and is used on power generation plants in Japan and internationally, as well as in many other locations.
Features
No binder coat required for easy repainting
When combined with the specially formulated ECOMAX Bi anti-corrosive coating,
BIOCLEAN requires no binder coat, unlike other silicone-based antifouling systems. This simplifies the repainting process.
Excellent antifouling performance
BIOCLEAN is a silicone-based synthetic polymer with a low surface tension and a surface film activated by multiple specialty modifiers. As a result, the coating surface forms a microphase-separated structure with both hydrophobic and hydrophilic microregions. This creates a smooth surface similar to that of dolphins or eels, which resists the adhesion of fouling organisms.
Helping to reduce workloads and lower costs
When combined with BIOCLEAN ECO, which has a 4-year service life, BIOCLEAN enables a two-coat system. This system reduces the number of coatings applied and the cost of the coating process.
Environmental sustainability
Fewer volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
BIOCLEAN ECO and BIOCLEAN ECO-2 help to reduce VOC emissions due to their high non-volatiles content of up to 95%. BIOCLEAN ECO and BIOCLEAN ECO-2 are also toluene- and xylene-free, making them exempt from Japan’s Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) system. BIOCLEAN ECO and BIOCLEAN ECO-2 not only help to reduce VOC emissions but also reduce worksite hazards during the coating process.
Non-toxic, non-polluting formulation designed to prevent marine species adhesion
BIOCLEAN products are non-toxic, non-polluting antifoulings that use no biocides or heavy metals like copper compounds or organotin compounds, and use coating film surface properties to prevent fouling. BIOCLEAN coatings are designed to have a reduced impact on the marine environment and surrounding ecosystems.
* BIOCLEAN coating films have a low surface tension of 20–30 mN/m, which is lower than that of most other substances (e.g., surface tension of water: approx. 73 mN/m). BIOCLEAN coatings are designed to take advantage of the fact that adhesion becomes more difficult as the difference in surface tension increases.
Applications
Steel, concrete, stainless steel, titanium, aluminum, and rubber linings
Primary uses to date have included bar screens in electric power facilities, circulating water pipes, rotary screens, condenser cooling channels (concrete), seawater coolers, and condensers.
