BHP Mitsubishi Alliance’s (BMA) Goonyella Riverside coal mine in Moranbah, Queensland will be the host of a fourth trial of Sparc Technologies’ ecosparc enhanced coating.
The coating is a graphene-based additive designed to protect steel assets from corrosion, enhancing the performance of the steel infrastructure.
According to Sparc, the coating has demonstrated more than 40 per cent anti-corrosion improvement in commercially available epoxybased coatings. The company spent six years conducting research and development to create ecosparc.
The trial will take place at Goonyella Riverside’s coal handling and processing plant (CHPP) and will compare the performance of ecosparc with a market leading anti-corrosive paint.
Under the trial agreement, BMA will prepare the agreed steel infrastructure and arrange for application of ecospar at its own cost, and Sparc will supply the agreed quantities of ecosparc to BMA at Sparc’s cost, along with specified application instructions.
“Sparc is very pleased to be working with BHP Mitsubishi Alliance, Australia’s largest producer and supplier of seaborne metallurgical coal, to complete field trials of ecosparc enhanced coating in its coal handling facilities,” Sparc managing director Nick O’Loughlin said.
“The conditions within the CHPP offers an ideal setting to benchmark the ecosparc enhanced coating against an existing market-leading product. We thank BMA for the innovative approach they have shown by supporting this field trial.”
The trial with BMA will be monitored over the next 24 months, with initial results expected within the first 6–12 months.
Sparc’s ecosparc enhanced coating has previously conducted field trials with the South Australian Department of Infrastructure and Transport, 29Metals and Santos.
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