LANXESS Partners to Develop Anti-Fouling Biocide Combinations
I-Tech’s technology, Selektope, and LANXESS’ technologies, SEA-NINE™ 211N and SEA-NINE ULTRA, belong to a set of active agents that are approved by regulatory bodies for ship repair and ship building markets. This joint R&D work undertaken by I-Tech and LANXESS represents the first time that these solutions have been used as co-biocides in marine anti-fouling coating formulations.
For the past 12 months, I-Tech and LANXESS have worked together to develop active ingredient compositions that comprise varying concentrations of Selektope, SEA-NINE 211N, and SEA-NINE ULTRA with other commonly used ingredients for marine anti-foulant applications. A total of 35 paint formulations with a 12-month lifespan were developed and put into static testing environments in the Caribbean, Eastern North Sea, North Mediterranean, and in the Japanese Sea. After six months, all test paint formulations had performed as good, or better than, the commercial paint references. Formulations with SEA-NINE ULTRA (2%) and Selektope (0.1%) content showed excellent performance at reduced total biocide concentrations.