BASF light stabiliser increases pontoon durability

BASF’s Tinuvin range of light stabiliser has been applied by Fujian Atlantis Plastic Products Co. Ltd., a China-based producer of plastic products for marine floats for the aquaculture market, to protect polypropylene pontoons.

To make the pontoons resistant to intense sunlight, a light stabiliser such as Tinuvin is added to the polymer during manufacturing. This protects the PP pontoons from prolonged exposure to UV light, thereby improving its weatherability and extending its lifetime.

Hermann Althoff, Senior Vice President, Performance Chemicals Asia Pacific, BASF, said: “Our UV stabilisation products create a stress-crack-resistant platform that maintains the structural integrity of the plastic article for many years”

China’s Fujian Province produces most of the country’s cultured seafood. Fish farmers there have transformed a small fishing village into the capital of the yellow croaker industry, producing 75 per cent of the nation’s total output in 2019.

In aquaculture, floating pontoons interconnected by plastic walkways act as enclosures to raise seafood like shrimp, oysters, and fish. While raising fish, crustaceans, and molluscs in landlocked ponds and fenced-in ocean pens has gone on for decades, what has changed is the traditional solution of low-end, low-cost applications for fish farmers.

Min Lin, General Manager of Fujian Atlantis, said: “Fish farmers are sensitive to cost, and previously used pontoons made of foamed plastics. These become brittle and prematurely break. By using Tinuvin, we could achieve a high-quality, more durable pontoon that is not susceptible to breakage, chalking and fading even under extreme sunlight. This reduces costs for the fish farmer and enhances our reputation in the market. Furthermore, the pontoons can be recycled at the end of their service life which will reduce the volume of waste headed for landfills.”