We’re pleased to welcome Tatsuya Nakagawa, Co-Founder and VP at Castagra Products, Inc., to the Think Tank blog. Castagra specializes in sustainable coatings that are based on castor oil and gypsum. Tats has joined us today to talk about sustainable coatings for above ground storage tanks.

Benefits of Sustainable Coatings 

by Tatsuya Nakagawa

Storage tank coatings may not typically be the first thing one might think of when referring to “green technology”, but like many other growing industries, the industrial coatings sector is no exception when it comes to ecological innovation. 

The primary concerns of switching to a sustainable coating are closely related with performance and cost: will the product do a better job than the old industry standard, and will it break the bank? There are misconceptions that for a product to be environmentally friendly it must be sub-par or expensive, but emerging technologies have proven otherwise.

Let’s take a look of some of the benefits of switching to a sustainable coating.

Cost

The number one concern in many facilities is cost. A coating must fit into the budget and also do the job, which is why many facilities don’t seek out alternatives. A sustainable coatingcan actually be 10-30% less expensive than the typical petroleum-based products typically used.Because of additional sustainable coating benefits like fast application and curing rates, a facility can realize reduced downtime, saving costs from more efficient operations.Moreover, because a sustainable coating will “auto bond” to previous coats, issues that come up are infinitely repairable with minimum downtime, saving even more in the long run.

Durability

While durability is not usually associated with sustainable products, in the coatings industry, improved durability can actually be a result from switching to a sustainable coating. Sustainable coating can be flexible, highly protective, and withstand forward and reverse impact tests. Sustainable coatings can have higher adhesion rate than traditional coatings.

Health & Safety

When a facility deals with food and ingestible products, it’s essential to meet all health and safety regulations. A green product should exceed these regulations.Sustainable coatings areVOC and BPA-free with no noxious fumes, and can also have no flash point, considerably boosting safety.

Environmental

Not-for-profit organizations use a “triple bottom line” in their accounting framework, incorporating three aspects of performance: financial, social, and environmental, differing from traditional reporting structures by adding ecological and social benchmarks that can often be difficult to measure. With the advent of academic disciplines that have been planned with sustainability in mind, over the past thirty years these environmental and social measures have increased many times over.

It’s essential to ensure your sustainable product is measurably environmentally friendly, not only in the application process, but also in the manufacturing process, ensuring minimal or no waste stream.

While storage tank coatings may not be top of mind when considering environmental initiatives, when reviewing the benefits, it’s found that sustainable coatings are better, faster, cheaper, and greener!

For more information about sustainable coatings, visit Castagra.

For information about maintaining your tanks, including maintenance, repair, and coatings, visit Fisher Tank’s Services page.

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