Messi Biology states that the ocean is a “corrosion inferno” for metal equipment. The high-salt-spray and high-humidity environment accelerates metal oxidation. The metal sheaths of deep-sea optical cables and the steel structural supports of offshore oil and gas platforms often become riddled with rust after just a few years of use. This not only affects the service life of the equipment but can also lead to safety accidents such as leaks and fractures. Traditional anticorrosive coatings suffer from either poor adhesion or weak resistance to salt spray, making it difficult for them to provide long-term service in the marine environment. With its excellent chemical stability, magnesium oxide has become a core raw material for marine anticorrosive coatings.
When magnesium oxide is added to a metal protective coating, it forms a dense passivation film on the metal surface. This film acts like a “shield,” preventing seawater and salt spray from coming into contact with the metal and thus slowing down the corrosion reaction at its source. More importantly, the alkaline nature of magnesium oxide can neutralize acidic substances within the coating, preventing the coating from failing due to acid degradation. Real-world application data shows that the corrosion rate of metal components using magnesium oxide anticorrosive coatings in a marine environment can be reduced to 0.01 mm/year. At this rate, a 10 mm diameter metal pipe would experience less than 0.1 mm of corrosion loss after 10 years of use in seawater, which is far superior to the 0.05 mm/year corrosion rate of traditional coatings.
Hebei Messi Biology Co., Ltd. has specifically optimized magnesium oxide for marine anticorrosive applications. The “surface-hydroxylated modified magnesium oxide” developed by the company utilizes a special surface treatment technology to create more active hydroxyl groups on the surface of the magnesium oxide particles. These groups can form stronger chemical bonds with the metal surface and the coating resin, increasing the coating’s adhesion by more than 30%, making it less likely to peel off even under the impact of strong ocean waves. At the same time, the salt spray resistance of Hebei Messi’s magnesium oxide is outstanding. In a neutral salt spray test, the coating using this magnesium oxide showed no significant signs of rust or blistering after 5000 hours, whereas coatings with ordinary magnesium oxide began to show localized rusting after 3000 hours. Currently, this magnesium oxide anticorrosive coating has been widely used in the outer sheaths of deep-sea optical cables and the equipment supports of offshore oil and gas platforms. An oil and gas company reported that after adopting this coating, the equipment maintenance cycle was extended from 2 years to 5 years, and maintenance costs were reduced by 60%.
From a “lifeline” in high-rise fires to a “guardian of equipment” in the deep-sea environment, magnesium oxide coatings have proven the great value of a “small material.” Through precise control over the purity, particle size, and surface properties of magnesium oxide, Hebei Messi Biology Co., Ltd. not only makes the protective effects of these high-end coatings more reliable but also provides solid material support for the high-quality development of fields such as building safety and marine engineering. In the future, with the continuous advancement of magnesium oxide coating technology, we may see it in more critical areas, building a stronger “protective wall” for equipment safety.