LuminOre ‘Mussels Out’ Bio-Fouling in Great Lakes
The prolific spread of zebra mussels throughout the Great Lakes and beyond is a multi-billion dollar menace for business and industy. Yet, testing with a new composite metal application by LuminOre Industrial & Marine Coatings Inc. suggests the zebra mussels may quickly lose their footing.
Ventura, Calif. (PRWEB) July 13, 2005 -- Most of the power plants and
industrial facilities in the United States were built without a bio-fouling
predator present in the waters, so when the prolific Zebra Mussel spread
throughout the Great Lakes and beyond, it quickly became a multi-billion dollar
menace plugging up pipes that conduct water to towns, factories and steam
turbines. However, excitement over a new composite metal application offered by
LuminOre Industrial & Marine Coatings Inc. of Ventura, Calif., indicates it
could be the solution to the Zebra Mussel problem.
Recent research
involving LuminOre Industrial & Marine Coatings indicate the company’s
protective coatings to be an excellent deterrent to marine organisms attaching
themselves to ship hulls or structures beneath the water line. In documented
testing, a LuminOre® coating has all but nullified the effects of the mussels,
suggesting that the technologically advanced coatings can provide new options
for the shipping industry as well as power plants and other industrial
facilities that depend on water intake systems.
Bret Solomon of Solomon
Diving in Monroe, Mich., attributes 50 percent of his business to cleansing
underwater structures of Zebra Mussels, and he has seen firsthand the
catastrophic impact that Zebra Mussels can have on industry. He explains that
Zebra Mussel infestation actually places industrial facilities in jeopardy of
completely shutting down, and he has seen industrial plants try everything from
chemical treatments, scraping and power blasting to custom-building two-ton
screens made of solid copper. Yet, Solomon believes LuminOre coatings are the
future solution to the Zebra Mussel problem.
“Five years ago, we
installed LuminOre-coated test plates underwater on an off-shore structure in
the Great Lakes,” says Solomon, who has helped municipalities and industry fight
Zebra Mussel infestation in the Great Lakes for nearly 20 years. “The plates
were positioned in a heavily-encrusted Zebra Mussel environment, and since that
time, I’ve documented and monitored their condition. And, after five years, the
test plates have stayed completely clean and free from Zebra Mussel infestation.
These are fascinating results.”
LuminOre Industrial & Marine was
founded to develop industrial and marine coatings based on various metals,
including copper, and apply those coatings through a patented cold-spray
application process bringing cutting-edge, molecular technology to the issue of
marine fouling.
“We’re committed to developing sophisticated coatings
that are more efficient and cost-effective than any other marine applications
currently available,” explains Terry Gould, president of LuminOre Industrial
& Marine Coatings Inc., an official licensee of the patented LuminOre
process. “LuminOre’s cold-sprayable process allows a thin layer of metal to be
applied over any substrate, in virtually any configuration or design. Our
coatings look, feel and act like hot-cast metal, yet no heat is needed in
application. Once cured, our coatings have many of the characteristics of a
hot-cast metal — such as copper — including characteristics, texture, luster and
heat conductivity, and they are also non-galvanic and
non-leaching.”
Licensed through LuminOre Inc. of Vista, Calif., LuminOre
composite metals are applied using conventional HVLP or plural component spray
equipment, and are available in aluminum, brass, bronze, copper, iron,
nickel-silver, stainless steel, X-metal and Z3. LuminOre coatings can be
directly applied as a retro-fit or during the molding process when building a
boat, and LuminOre marine materials can be used on fiberglass and wood as well
as steel and aluminum because there is no galvanic reaction.
All
toxicology tests have been conducted and EPA submission is still on-going for
the LuminOre copper product and, therefore, not yet available for distribution
in the United States. For more information on LuminOre Industrial & Marine
Coatings or LuminOre products, visit www.luminoreprotectivecoatings.com or contact Terry Gould at
805.654.9351.
Located in Ventura, Calif., LuminOre® Industrial &
Marine Coatings Inc. is a licensee of LuminOre Inc., specialists in composite
metals. LuminOre’s patented, cold-metalizing process seamlessly applies to
almost any surface, giving the look of solid metal casting without the weight
and expense. In addition, the extremely versatile LuminOre applications provide
long-term protection for chemical tanks, potable water storage, industrial
facilities and in harsh marine environments. For more information on LuminOre
protective coatings and metallic finishes, call Terry Gould at 805.654.9351 or
visit www.luminoreprotectivecoatings.com.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/7/prweb260603.htm