The Lanxess Inorganic Pigments (IPG) business unit supplied nearly 37 metric tons of charcoal-colored Bayferrox 340 pigments to Beton Brunet, based in Salaberryde-Valleyfield, Québec, for production of 5.5 kilometers of precast concrete barriers that lined both sides of the inaugural 2.75-km Hydro-Quebec Montreal ePrix race course. The July 29–30 event capped the FIA Formula E circuit 2017’s third season, which kicked off in Hong Kong and toured eight other cities, including Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Paris, Berlin and New York. In motor sport, Formula E is a dubbed “sports platform for sustainability,” as the series features full electric-powered cars and uses city street courses.
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| The charcoal-colored barriers premiering at this year’s ePrix will be deployed for future Formula E events along Montreal thoroughfares. |
Twice the size of standard units, the concrete barriers used to block off the Montreal ePrix route as well as separate the crowds from the raceway were specially designed and constructed, and adorned with the city’s logo for aesthetic appeal. The barriers were likewise engineered for re-use, owing to Montreal’s three-year contract to host the ePrix.
“Prior to this project, we had only worked with pigments on a small scale, so our experience in regards to usage and color targets was limited,” says Beton Brunet Project Leader Isabella Bégin. “[Lanxess] pigment experts were able to recommend a package size that could be directly dropped into our production process, eliminating dust, waste, extra handling steps and potential weighing errors.”
“The [project’s] theme of sustainability is a great fit, as it aligns with many of the values of our business,” adds Lanxess IPG Account Manager North America Lise Charron, based in Montréal. “Bayferrox pigments are SCS-certified. Scientific Certification Systems is one of the leading companies for independent certification and determines, for example, the proportion of recycled raw materials used in an industrial production process.”