Problem
In our daily lives, we are facing signs of corrosion everyday in rail guards, cars, canopies, rain spouts. Corrosion does not limit to tools and equipment, as you walk or drive in your city, you can see the extend of corrosion in bridges, electric poles, etc.! It is also a challenge that many companies in energy and processing industries face within their upstream, midstream, and downstream operations. Many plants suffer from severe corrosion in pipes and equipment, and the cost of replacement is significant.
Traditional Solutions
Traditional maintenance methods require surface preparation. These preparations often face limitations in their application due to factors such as location of corroded areas, structure geometry, and worker health concerns, etc.. Plus, they damage the environment and cause pollution!
The existing maintenance, repair, and rehabilitation products/processes are characterized as expensive, labor-intensive, and reliant on toxic chemicals.
Our Solution
NanoTech provides an eco-friendly product which significantly reduces labor requirements for surface preparation and is more durable and longer lasting than existing solutions. NanoTech’s rust converter products can be applied directly on rusted structures, equipment and pipes, with no or minimal surface preparation, to convert the existing rust to a primer and protective coating barrier that prevents future corrosion. This makes the treatment time is short, and the equipment are in difficult-to-access locations. The main ingredients of the product, which are extracted from bark, peel and roots of pomegranate plant, come with special physio-chemical structures (i.e. rich in poly-phenols, nano-sized particles) that provide superior reaction efficiency.
NanoTech’s rust converter vs Phosphoric acid based rust converters
NanoTech’s advantage lies in offering a well-differentiated premium solution in the form of its bio-based rust converter product that is produced from sustainable resources. As opposed to phosphoric acid and formic acid that are produced in chemical processing plants, tannic acid in NanoTech’s product is derived from plants. In addition to offering a high degree of safety, its plant-based origin also aligns with principles of sustainability and environmental consciousness.
Phosphoric acid-based rust converters pose safety concerns and require careful handling, necessitating the implementation of proper safety protocols and preventive measures. Furthermore, the treatment process with such products typically entails a relatively lengthy application time, as the coated rust must remain wet for an extended period to allow the acid to effectively penetrate the rust. Formic acid-based formulations offer a comparatively improved safety profile in comparison to phosphoric acid, however, it has challenges associated with its shorter lifespan.
NanoTech’s plant-based product differentiators are highlighted below:
| Row | Feature | Description |
| 1 | Limited or no surface preparation | Which provides significant savings as the result of removing cumbersome process of sand blasting and toxic process of acid washing. It also makes the overall process much easier, more efficient and safer. |
| 2 | Easy to apply | Can be sprayed, brushed or applied by a roller |
| 3 | Potent nano-based formula | The nano-scale particle size of the product significantly affects the inhibition factor of the coating as reactants can diffuse further into the rust, and convert a large portion of iron oxide. This has remarkable effects on the layer stability and makes the overall process less sensitive to the application method or contamination grades of the rusty surface. |
| 4 | Fast drying | No need to wait long to see the effects as it takes nearly no time for the active ingredients to take action. |
| 5 | No hazardous chemicals | Water based formulation which is safe, non-hazardous and environmentally friendly. Neutral pH of the product does not cause further corrosion or erosion of surfaces. |
| 6 | Durable | The NanoTech’s rust converter formulation includes metal oxide nanoparticles in certain composition ratios and structures, functioning as molecular-corrosion inhibitor carriers and binding agents to improve adhesion, mechanical strength and stability properties of the finished coat. |
| 7 | Premium look | Compatible with wide variety of water based and oil based top coats for providing a new and premium look to applied surfaces. |
| 8 | Versatile application | Can be applied on various parts and wide range of shapes of surfaces (i.e. pipes, tanks, flanges, brackets, connectors, fasteners, handles, nuts, bolts, valves, sealing components, and much more.) |
Benefits to the environment:
Replacing corroded metal is a major environmental issue as iron and steel production is one of the largest GHG emitters of any industry (Emitting 1.5 to 3 Kg of CO2 per 1 Kg of steel, depending how the steel is produced). Using NanoTech’s solution, which is environmentally friendly and is derived from sustainable resources, will save the existing assets and play a key role in reducing GHG emissions and climate change. Applying NanoTech product on corroded pipes which normally pass through the lands, would also significantly reduce the contamination of the soils nearby. In addition to the time and cost savings offered by NanoTech’s product, it eliminates the need for sandblasting, which in turn reduces air pollution, noise pollution and waste generation. It also contributes to energy savings (as sandblasting is very energy intensive) and reduces the carbon footprint associated with the rust removal process.