Account
Please wait, authorizing ...

Do you have an account? Create one now.

×

Zinc, the protagonist of the market

altThe use of zinc and its derivatives as base pigments for corrosion protection is growing more and more in Latin America, especially due to the entry into force of different international regulations. However, international trade in this product fell during 2009.

by: Vanesa Restrepo

Environmental protection regulations limited the use of several pigments used in corrosion protection: minium (lead oxide) and zinc chromate are two of the most common examples. However, new alternatives have been developed that allow to maintain the levels of protection, minimizing the risks of toxicity, especially in the work of primer.

Zinc phosphate then emerged as one of the alternatives that presented the best behavior and its use has intensified in the last two decades, to the point of being considered the standard pigment most used for its atoxicity against chromates.

This compound, as well as other zinc derivatives have then come to the front page in the purchase records of many paint manufacturers who find in them the perfect equation between cost, benefit, performance and sustainability.

- Publicidad -

Zinc, the matrix
In the paints and coatings industry, suppliers typically purchase this metal in the form of flakes or lamellae that are then ground, mixed and subjected to various processes to incorporate them into different formulations. Many of the zinc suppliers consider that zinc in its sheet state presents "an almost ideal combination of active anticorrosive properties of the metal itself with the protective barrier effect of the leaf-shaped pigments (passive corrosion protection)".

In Latin America, Peru stands out as the main producer of this metal, even occupying the second place in world production volume, with 14.18% of the total, according to the 2008 balance sheet delivered by the United States Geological Survey, USGS for its acronym in English. (See figure 1)

The main destination for Peruvian zinc exports is Guatemala, where 46.44% of national production arrives, according to the report delivered by the information portal The Datamyne. This report also confirms that total zinc exports during 2009 were 74,930 kilograms, equivalent to US$153.1 million.

Together with China, Australia, the United States and Canada, Peru contributes around 68.5% of all metal globally. The production of this block of countries has increased substantially in the last 50 years, going from two million metric tons in the 50's to about 11 million in 2008. This is due, among other reasons, to the increased use in civil construction and engineering works of parts coated with this metal, in order to protect them against corrosion.


altLatin American Trade
But despite being one of the main producers, Peru registers imports of US $ 475,428, totaling more than 442 thousand kilos of the metal. Venezuela is the main supplier, followed by Guatemala and Mexico.

Zinc imports in the region showed significant decreases in 2009, compared to fiscal year 2008. This is demonstrated by the records provided by The Datamyne, which cover imports of zinc powders and lamellae (code 790390).

Colombia, the country that reports the highest number of imports, saw its purchases reduced by US$734,657, equivalent to about 62%. Thus, during 2009 581 thousand tons of zinc arrived in Colombia, while in 2008 the figure was 1.2 million. In this case, Venezuela and Mexico were the main suppliers of the metal with 68% and 22%, respectively.

- Publicidad -

Meanwhile, Mexico recorded imports of US$335,320, 71.4% less than imports made during 2008. The United States is the most direct supplier and thanks to existing trade agreements provides more than 98% of the zinc purchased by the "manitos" industrialists.

In the south of the continent the import activity of this metal is much more limited, but still reaches important figures to highlight. In Chile, for example, 24,800 tons of zinc were imported, mainly by the companies Hempel A/S Chile Ltda., Merck S.A and Sigma-Aldrich Química Ltda. The first of them is responsible for 99% of purchases of this metal abroad.

Australia, Singapore and the United States are also responsible for providing zinc to Argentines, who during the previous year spent US $ 150,000 on the purchase of this product. This represents a decrease of 69.73% compared to the statistics of 2008, when the purchase value was US$33,915.

Different applications
The main application of zinc – more than half of the volume of product consumed each year – is destined to the galvanizing of steel, a procedure that consists of the immersion of a piece of molten zinc metal to achieve complete protection against corrosion in aggressive situations.

However, these particles are increasingly being implemented as a pigment base, especially in coatings intended for priming and as a complement to white pigments.

Precisely in this type of applications, the versatility of zinc compounds is recognized, which can act as sacrificial anodes, avoiding oxidation and wear of metals in structures such as bridges, tanks, airplanes, among others, with excellent weather resistance that can improve, depending on the type of resins used in the mixture, when formulating the coating.

- Publicidad -

The new generation
Today it is increasingly common, especially in construction, the use of inorganic zinc coatings, which go through a process of hybridization with polymers in an inorganic vehicle, which allows savings in maintenance time due to its long duration, in addition to a very good protection against corrosive phenomena.

This type of coating, which can be water-based or solvent-based, also offers self-healing and post-curable products, whose uses vary to meet the demands of the industrial maintenance market, especially with regard to storage tanks.

The most important condition for coatings formulated with pigments and zinc compounds without any failure is that there is an excellent cleaning of the surface, which will allow good adhesion and interrupt the electrical flows that can lead to corrosion of the metal.

Author: Vanesa Restrepo

No thoughts on “Zinc, the protagonist of the market”

• If you're already registered, please log in first. Your email will not be published.

Leave your comment

In reply to Some User
Suscribase Gratis
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSLETTER
DO YOU NEED A PRODUCT QUOTE?
HIGHLIGHTED INTERVIEWS

Entrevista con Sergio Zárate de Lanxess

Entrevista con Sergio Zárate Empresa: Lanxess Realizada por Ana María Mejía Evento: LACS 2019 - México Junio 2019

Entrevista con Roberto Barrera de Lubrizol

Entrevista con Roberto Barrera Empresa: Lubrizol Realizada por Ana María Mejía Evento: LACS 2019 - México Junio 2019

Entrevista con Miguel Ángel Castillo de Evonik

Entrevista con Miguel Ángel Castillo Empresa: Evonik Realizada por Ana María Mejía Evento: LACS 2019 - México Junio 2019

Entrevista con Marcos Basso de Eastman

Entrevista con Marcos Basso Empresa: Eastman Realizada por Ana María Mejía Evento: LACS 2019 - México Junio 2019

Entrevista con Juan Carlos Orozco de DOW

Entrevista con Juan Carlos Orozco Empresa: DOW Realizada por Ana María Mejía Evento: LACS 2019 - México Junio 2019
Load more...
SITE SPONSORS










LATEST NEWSLETTER
Ultimo Info-Boletin