Arkema Strengthens Its Rilsan Pipe Coating Solution With New Working Partnership With RMB Products, Inc.

Arkema Inc.'s Technical Polymers business has strengthened its Rilsan fine powder solution for water treatment and water desalination applications through a new working partnership with RMB Products, Inc., which specializes in large-scale coating of steel piping in the fabrication and plastic lining/coating of large metal structures.

"Rilsan-coated carbon steel is a cost-effective and technically accepted alternative to stainless steel in today's water treatment plants, including desalination units," said Adrien Lapeyre, Sales and Business Development Manager for Rilsan fine powders, in Arkema's North American Technical Polymers business. "With our working relationship with RMB Products, which has invested in a large fluid bed for large scale pipe coating, we can use our expertise in the application process to strengthen our offering to the market."

"RMB Products is excited about the addition of fluidized bed coating using Rilsan fine powders," said Randy Gardiner, Chief Technology Officer of RMB Products. "Arkema has been the ideal partner and has been instrumental in the incorporation of this technology into our coating and lining product offering. The Rilsan fine powder fluidized bed process allows us to offer a high integrity, tough and corrosion resistant coating to all surfaces of complex metal structures, such as pipes, tanks and a variety of pumps and valves."

"What's more," added Lapeyre, "Rilsan-coated carbon steel pipe has significantly lower cost and is produced with less energy and carbon dioxide emissions than stainless steel, which reduces the plant's environmental footprint. It offers better aging resistance, a highly versatile range of chemical resistance, and protection for parts during handling and storage."

Since 1967, Arkema's Rilsan high-performance powder coatings have been used in the water industry for coating pipes, pumps, valves and fittings. Manufactured from a vegetable-based, renewable resource, Rilsan resin is the market's only engineering bio-plastic.

Rilsan-coated pipes overcome common pitting and corrosion problems encountered when stainless steel is used in water treatment and desalination piping, and can cut the installed cost of a piping system by half. Extensive research by Arkema shows that Rilsan-coated carbon steel reduces the CO2 emissions from pipe manufacture by more than 40 percent when compared to super duplex stainless steel. Rilsan case studies include a 40-year track record of success in water and waste water treatment and 10 years of service in sea-water-reverse-osmosis desalination plants.

SOURCE: Arkema