Mora, September 6, 2017

Chromium VI will be banned

Hexavalent chromium, Chromium VI, or Cr(VI) is one of the valence states (+6) of the naturally occurring element chromium. It is usually produced by an industrial process, through which it is used to reduce friction and increase abrasion resistance, and is one of the most commonly used corrosion control materials today. In 2013, the Cr(VI) sector in EU28 had a turnover of about 135 billion Euro (Panteia Final-Report-Economic-Impact-Chrome-VI). Unfortunately, Cr(VI) is a highly carcinogenic and mutagenic substance. It is listed on the EU's Annex XIV of REACH (Authorization List) and will be banned in the EU on September 21, 2017, eliciting the need for a replacement.

Coatings and surface treatments are changing in many industry sectors. Several factors, including environmental, safety and health (ESH) regulations, drive these changes. Other incentives are the need for ever-increasing performance, and customer demands for lower costs and decreased maintenance.

Most of the chromium alternatives for corrosion control use nanoparticles to inhibit permeation. This is an effective approach, but concern over nanoparticles is also increasing.

The cost of corrosion is estimated to be over 3% of the world's GDP (World Corrosion Organization). All of our traditional corrosion control materials are coming under severe scrutiny because of their environmental, safety and health effects. We might even go as far as to enunciate a basic corrosion principle: “Any material active enough for corrosion control will be a health and environmental hazard.”

TiSurf^® is an effective chromium alternative

TiSurf® is an exception to this corrosion principle. TiSurf® is an environmentally friendly metal/ceramic hybrid material. With its ceramic surface of titanium nitride, TiSurf®-treated titanium is 3 times harder than hard chrome and more wear resistant. TiSurf® also offers extremely low friction in addition to its exceptional corrosion resistance. TiSurf® can be applied internally and penetrates cavities and crevices.

The TiSurf® process contributes positively to the life cycle of titanium products by improving performance while decreasing the need for lubrication and maintenance.

Existing chromium solutions in aerospace, oil and gas, process industry, maritime industry, power industry, engineering, infrastructure, and transport can effectively be replaced with TiSurf® alternatives. Additionally, the replacements provide improved system performance, as the TiSurf®-treated components can be designed for optimum tribological behavior.

More Information

• tisurf.se
• Annex XVII to REACH forChromium VI compounds
• Hexavalent_chromium (Wikipedia)

For additional information contact:
Peter Östlund, CEO, SentinaBay, tel. +46-70-302 84 59, mail: peter@newsotech.com
Håkan Alfon, Investment Manager, Almi Invest, tel. +46-70-658 83 13, mail: hakan.alfon@almi.se

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