LATreat™

LATreat™ deals with an accelerated form of corrosion that can occur in marine steel piled structures at low waterThere has been concern in the maritime sector regarding a form of aggressive, localised corrosion, called acceler-ated low water corrosion (ALWC).

It is microbiologically induced and leads to unexpected and premature deterioration of marine steel structures. It affects structures at or around the low water level and if left untreated causes premature perforation of the steel resulting in unexpected and often expensive remedial works. It has the potential to cause total failure of quays and other structures.

Mott MacDonald and BAC Corrosion Control have developed a cost-effective solution to deal with ALWC called LATreat™. The treatment concept uses micro- and nanotechnology to both arrest the problem and provide long-term protection against future attack. It is a ‘magic bullet’ treatment utilising cathodically generated molecular hydrogen firstly to clean the affected area, then sterilise the surface using anodically generated chlorine. Finally, using pulse current techniques, ionised salts from the seawater are deposited on the surface to provide an alkaline coating.

A patent covering both the methodology, which is electrochemically based, and the apparatus used to apply the process has been granted. Research continues to fully understand and optimise the process at the micro- and nanotechnology scale.