USA: Advanced Polymer, Reactive Surfaces to Develop Environmentally Friendly Marine Coatings

Advanced Polymer Coatings and Reactive Surfaces, based in Austin, Texas, have signed a Letter of Intent to combine their technologies in a joint venture to develop exterior marine coatings functionalized with bio-based additives for submersed hull surfaces and stationary structures.

Advanced Polymer Coatings is well-known for its premier polymer-based tank coating/lining system, MarineLine® used to protect maritime chemical and product tankers. Reactive Surfaces, a leader in bioengineered coating additives, employs its proprietary enzyme and peptide technology for innovative coatings solutions.

Together the firms intend to develop new environmentally-benign, bio-based, functional marine coatings for the maritime industry.

These new coatings will utilize surface-modifying additives designed to meet or exceed efficacy of current marine coatings. The companies are gearing up to take advantage of the rapidly growing, world-wide drive toward non-toxic, low drag underwater vessel surfaces with a goal of increasing “slip” through the water, a major goal of ship owners and operators.

According to Mr. Donald J. Keehan, Chairman of Advanced Polymer Coatings, “This new generation of exterior underwater coatings we will develop will expand our offering to the marine industry. We plan in the years ahead to take advantage of the growing ‘green’ trend for non-toxic, low drag underwater vessel surfaces by introducing Reactive Sciences’ bio-based functionality into new coatings using natural biomaterials, such as proteins and peptides.”

Reactive Surfaces focuses on using bio-based additives to bring stability and added functionality to coated surfaces, including its self-degreasing additive DeGreez™, self-decontaminating additive OPDtox®, and antimicrobial additive ProteCoat®.

Coatings tests will be conducted by the joint venture partners using a number of these different bio-based additives, in a variety of polymer systems, and in a range of marine environments, simulating both stationary structures and underway surfaces, and culminating with on-ship testing.

Dr. C. Steven McDaniel, Managing Partner and Chief Innovation Officer of Surface Technologies explains, “Bio-based functionality employs natural biomaterials, such as proteins and peptides, to provide an enormous resource of functional additives that are non-persistent in the environment, non-toxic and renewable. By focusing on the unique and specific binding properties of these biomolecules, our bio-based additives create an innovative function to coatings systems called ‘recharge-ability.’ By being able to change or renew functionality without recoating, a new effective dimension is added to the coated marine surface.”

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Shipbuilding Tribune Staff, May 11, 2012;