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Paint: a great source of microplastics at sea
15 September 2020
With tens of millions at a time, microplastics end up in the sea by blasting old layers of paint onto ships, windmills or oil platforms. Old paint is removed from steel surfaces under high pressure. In addition to heavy metals, the paint consists of a large part of plastic, and the remains are often not collected. Next to tire grinding, fibres from synthetic clothing, plastic ingredients in cosmetics, this is an underexposed cause of the plastic soup.
The Norwegian-English company Pinovo has developed a system to collect paint residues during maintenance work. Their solution makes the company one of the finalists of the Ocean Solutions Sprint of the World Economic Forum. Pinovo also sounded the alarm in an article that appeared on the forum’s website, calling for stricter regulations.
Pinovo’s assumptions
Pinovo concludes from their research that microplastics from paint (by sandblasting in the open air or by using high-pressure water spraying) contribute significantly to the plastic soup. Pinova has an obvious commercial interest in this message, and scientists have not evaluated the research. For example, Pinovo claims that this source is responsible for 1.5-2.25 million tons of microplastics per year, which is much higher than RIVM previously calculated. However, RIVM did note that there are many margins of uncertainty, and the problem has hardly been investigated yet.
Pinovo assumes the following:
- Worldwide, 6 billion kilos of paint are applied on steel substrates, such as ship hulls and offshore.
- Approximately half of that paint consists of synthetic components (plastic).
- Half to 75% of the paint residue is not collected.
- The lifespan of paint on ship hulls is on average 20 years, so each year 5% of all paint is replaced.
Point of view plastic soup foundation
This relatively unknown source of the plastic soup is in urgent need of further investigation. Based on the knowledge already available, international agreements must be made to prevent this form of pollution. By recycling the grit used for blasting, such as in Pinovo’s system, costs can be saved, and there is also an economic motive to stop this pollution.
A major problem is that pollution takes place in international waters, far away from inspectors or competent authorities. The Plastic Soup Foundation, therefore, believes that plastic in paints should be restricted internationally.
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