Ecoprot, Eco-friendly Corrosion Protecting Coating of Aluminium and Magnesium Alloys, an ECO Innovation Project

Abstract

The aim of this project is to industrialise a procedure for producing glass-like, environmentally-friendly and self-healing cerium-based coatings for corrosion protection of aluminium and magnesium alloys. The coatings were developed in a previous Integrated Project, MULTIPROTECT, and the procedure was granted a patent.
The new product is intended for the aeronautic market, where it will be introduced as an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional Cr-based coatings, which provided optimum corrosion protection, but with a major drawback represented by their toxicity. The market will first focus on the French aeronautic sector and will be further extended to address a wider geographical area. The specific objectives to achieve this target are the following: Optimization of the coating process for industrial applications (process scale-up). Validation of the coated products according to the high standards of the aeronautic industry, in order to ensure replication of the process. Life cycle assessment of the entire process and the final product, taking into account all production stages, from raw materials to energy and water consumption, end-of-life, etc. Business plan to ensure penetration of the final product into the French aeronautic market as a first step and then extend it to other geographical areas.