Painting & Coating Services: An Environmentally Friendly Approach

Liberty Industrial Group’s New Service Line Offers a Safe Alternative to Sand and Silica Blasting

A few months ago we featured an article about our painting and coating services in our company newsletter (LIG NEWS). We received so much positive feedback that we’ve decided to post the article in full below.

July 1, 2019, LIG NEWS: Liberty Industrial Group is always looking for ways to improve processes and create less impact to the environment. LIG now uses a product/process that not only achieves these important business goals, but also provides a safer workplace.

Corn cob blasting grit is a safe blasting media for sensitive facilities, piping, and vessels that LIG works on every day. Corn cob abrasive removes surface contamination, debris, and old coatings with little to no impact on the substrate. As well, it is much safer to the environment (and employees!) when compared to older blasting media such as silica.

Corn cob is biodegradable and organic. It is obtained from the woody ring of the cob. It is resistant to break down and can be re-used in the blasting process, allowing us to perform work with less expense to our clients! Corn cob media is available in a variety of grit sizes and presents no health or environmental hazards. This virtually dust-free blasting process, with no sparking, leaves a dry and clean surface!

Cob blasting is also a solvent free way to remove finishes. It is important to remember that glass and other delicate surfaces need to be properly masked to avoid damage. Less abrasive than using sand/silica, the expired product can be used as landscaping mulch once the job is complete. Typically, with sandblasting, sand must be hauled away, adding extra expense. (If the stripped finish contains lead or other hazardous material, LIG would utilize proper safety measures to remove the finish and dispose of the blasting media with all environmental and health protocols in place.) Additionally, cob blasting won’t pit most industrial and commercial surfaces as severely as sandblasting, thus reducing the amount of time and material needed to sand (smooth). LIG can then pass these time and expense savings to our clients. Not having to sand surfaces down as heavily as would be needed when utilizing other media is very efficient. Taking advantage of this relatively new product is one more way that LIG separates itself from the competition.

Above (left), you see a pipe at a liquid petroleum gas plant. The near-perfect finish is partially the result of having such a smooth service to apply paint and coatings. Our team of experts planning and discussing the project (above, center) is the primary reason, however.

For more information about our environmentally and workforce-friendly painting and coating services, contact us today.

If you’d like to receive our monthly newsletter by email, please contact our Director of Risk and Safety at Stu.Kemppainen (at) LibertyIndustrialGroup.com.