EPaint

ePaint Company is a coatings company that develops and markets environmentally friendly coatings, particularly marine coatings to control biofouling. ePaint Company was the first marine coatings company to offer paints to control biofouling free of potentially harmful organotin and copper contianing pesticides. ePaint Company is headquartered in Falmouth, Massachusetts.

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History

Traditional biocides used to control biofouling in marine coatings have included organotin and copper compounds. Concerns over the toxicity of organotins have led to the ban of these compounds in marine coatings by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). When the ban took place, copper alone was left to prevent biofouling in marine coatings. Unfortunately for aluminum hull boats, copper is more electrically noble than aluminum; in the presence of an electrolyte like sea water a battery is created and the aluminum hull corrodes. To solve this problem, the research arm of ePaint Company, Cape Cod Research, Inc., began developing copper-free antifouling coatings with funding from the US Navy in 1985. ePaint was established in 1991 to market environmentally friendly coatings. Since that time, the company has been awarded numerous contracts to research novel methods of bio-fouling control, and has launched an independent research and development effort. ePaint has developed specialty antifouling coatings for the United States Coast Guard, The United States Navy, NOAA, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, and the U.S. Geological Survey. The ongoing research has resulted in three patents.

Technology

Patented Photo-active Technology (US Patent No 5916947, 5,916947): all ePaint antifouling paints contain photoactive catalysts that use sunlight to create hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) from water (H₂O) and dissolved oxygen (O₂), resulting in an inhospitable surface to the settling larvae of fouling organisms.

Environmentally Preferred Biocides: ePaint antifouling paints do not use organotin or copper compounds to control biofouling. ePaint antifouling paints are biocide-free or incorporate environmentally preferred biocides that do not persist in the environment such as Zinc Omadine by Arch Chemicals and Sea-Nine 211 by Rhom Haas. Zinc Omadine is the same active ingredient used in dandruff preventing shampoos and Sea-Nine 211 won the EPA's Presidential Green Chemistry Award in 1996.

Low Solvent (VOC) & Water-based Paint Systems: ePaint offers paint systems that have lower volatile organic compounds (VOC) and also water-based paint systems.

Products

ePaint currently has several antifouling products registered with the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as well as two biocide-free release coatings:
* The products SN-1 and SN-1 HP (EPA Registration # 64684-5) are recommended for commercial and government use. These ePaint products are specified for use on the US Coast Guard 41' utility boats, 47' motor life boat, 55' aids to navigation boats and smaller US Navy craft.
* The products ZO, ZO-HP, EP-2000 and EP-21 (EPA Registration #64684-4) are recommended for recreational cruising and racing boats.
* The product Ecominder (EPA Registration #64684-4) is for flexible surfaces such as inflatable boats.
* The products EP-21 and Sun-Wave are biocide-free, photo-active release coatings.

ee also

* Bottom paint

External links

* ePaint Company home page [http://www.epaint.com]
* US Patent No 5916947 [http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=6063849.PN.&OS=PN/6063849&RS=PN/6063849]
* US Patent No 5,916947 [http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=6063849.PN.&OS=PN/6063849&RS=PN/6063849]
* US Patent No 5,008,146 [http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=5008146.PN.&OS=PN/5008146&RS=PN/5008146]
* International Maritime Organization home page [http://www.imo.org/home.asp]
* United States Coast Guard home page [http://www.uscg.mil/]
* United States Navy home page [http://www.navy.mil/swf/index.asp]
* Cape Cod Research home page [http://www.capecodresearch.com]
* Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) home page [http://www.epa.gov]
* EPA Pesticide Product Label System, ePaint Company No 64684 [http://oaspub.epa.gov/pestlabl/ppls.home]
* EPA Presidential Green Chemistry Award Challenge [http://www.epa.gov/greenchemistry/pubs/pgcc/winners/dgca96.html]
* Woods Hole Oceanographic home page [http://www.whoi.edu/]
* United States Geological Survey home page [http://www.usgs.gov/]
* Arch Chemicals home page [http://www.archchemicals.com]
* Rhom Haas home page [http://www.rohmhaas.com]
* Sea Nine 211 home page [http://www.seanine.com/hull/impact/index.html]