International. Lanxess' Bayferrox inorganic pigments brought color to the race course at the Hydro-Québec Montréal ePrix, the electric car racing category.
The Inorganic Pigments (IPG) division supplied nearly 37 metric tons of charcoal-colored Bayferrox 340 pigments to Canadian producer Beton Brunet of Beton Brunet based in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Québec, for the construction of 5.5 kilometers of concrete barriers bordering both sides of the 2.75-kilometer route.
The race in Montreal was the last of the third fia Formula E season 2017, which began in Hong Kong and toured eight other cities, including Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Paris, Berlin and New York. In motorsport, Formula E is a "sports platform for sustainability".
Formula E features all-electric cars and uses city streets for the tour. The concrete barriers used to block the course and separate the crowds from the track were designed and built especially for the event with twice the size of standard barriers, and were adorned with the Montreal city logo, adding aesthetic appeal.
"We are delighted with this exciting project, not least because sustainability is a high priority in Formula E," said Lise Charron, North American Account Manager for the Montreal-based IPG business unit. "The sustainability issue that this whole project is about is a big fit as it aligns with many of our business values. The Bayferrox pigments used in the project are SCS certified. Scientific Certification Systems is one of the leading independent certification companies and determines, for example, the proportion of recycled raw materials used in an industrial production process." The barriers were designed to last and be reused for several more seasons, as Montréal has signed a three-year contract to host the race.
"Before this project, we only worked with pigments on a small scale, so our experience with respect to use and color goals was limited," said Isabella Bégin, Project Manager at Beton Brunet. "We are happy to partner with Lanxess on this project and receive their support with color selection and management. Pigment experts were able to recommend a package size that could fall directly into our production process, eliminating dust, waste, additional handling steps and potential weighing errors."
