Sparc Technologies and the South Australian Department for Infrastructure and Transport (DIT) are to trial the company’s ecosparc graphene enhanced coatings on steel infrastructure such as bridges and jetties in the state.

The parties have signed a Trial Agreement under which Sparc and the DIT will conduct collaborative field trials at the West Beach Bridge in Adelaide and the Streaky Bay Jetty on the Eyre Peninsula (pictured).

The DIT has approximately $45 billion in assets with the supply of the ecosparc enhanced expected imminently.

Sparc Managing Director Nick O’Loughlin said: “We expect this agreement will be the first of several with asset owners representing a key step towards the global adoption and commercialisation of ecosparc in anti-corrosive coatings.”

The trial locations in highly corrosive coastal environments are considered are ideal pieces of infrastructure for the first field trials of ecosparc.

Successful field trials would represent the final stage of testing over four years of research and development and more than 10,000 data points based on accelerated laboratory testing which has demonstrated significantly improved anti-corrosive performance, according to the company.

During the trials, performance of an ecosparc enhanced coating will be compared with a control area coated with a market leading anti-corrosive paint.

Further reading:
Sparc reports benefits from ecosparc graphene coatings

Picture: Trial infrastructure at Streaky Bay Jetty, Eyre Peninsula, SA