Algae build up on sea defences and on associated pedestrian steps is a real hazard if the algae is not treated. It is very slippery underfoot, even when the sea has retreated.

No definition of algae is generally accepted and the etymology is obscure. The singular “alga” is the Latin word for “seaweed”. Algae is thus an informal term for a large, diverse group of photosynthetic organisms which are not necessarily closely related.

Algae can be unicellular or multicellular. Most are aquatic and autotrophic and lack many of the distinct cell and tissue types found in land plants. The largest and most complex marine algae are called seaweeds, while the most complex freshwater forms are the Charophyta.

Algae exhibit a wide range of reproductive strategies, from simple asexual cell division to complex forms of sexual reproduction. They lack the various structures that characterize land plants, such as roots and leaves. Most derive energy from photosynthesis, although some derive energy both from photosynthesis and uptake of organic carbon.

A lichen is a composite organism that can arise from algae and lives among filaments of multiple fungi in a symbiotic relationship. The combined lichen can come is many forms, sizes and colours and has properties different from those of its component organisms. Their properties are sometimes plant-like but they are not plants. They may contain the word “moss” in their name and may superficially look like and grow with mosses, but lichens are not related to mosses.

Blocksil has over the last few years been working for Balfour Beatty on the Blackpool seafront, coating large parts of it in an anti-algae coating. The £27.1 million Anchorsholme scheme to reduce flood risk to 4,800 properties in Blackpool was officially opened in late 2017. The Blackpool Council scheme was funded by the Environment Agency through government grant aid and delivered by Balfour Beatty.

A kilometre of concrete sea wall has been replaced by Balfour Beatty to maintain access to the beach, and a new promenade attracts residents and visitors with views over the Irish Sea. The new defences will help protect Blackpool’s tourism and recreational income for the next 100 years, in addition to safeguarding Blackpool’s iconic seafront tramway, vital infrastructure and a major pumping station.

Blocksil’s role was to supply and apply our specialist anti-algae coating. This transparent coating is expected to last for many years based on much earlier work carried out at Blackpool. The coating can be applied by spray, brush or roller, thus making application extremely versatile.

Train operating companies (TOC’s) are continually trying to stretch their budgets to keep their rolling stock clean and presentable as part of the customer experience. The ability to reduce cleaning time and hence cost is clearly something the TOC’s are after. And we at Blocksil can give them the cost saving by cutting down their cleaning time.

Applying the hydrophobic CleanProtect® system to both the exterior and interior of trains drastically reduces the need and cost for intensive cleaning. This ‘stay clean’ coating, when applied to the exterior of a train will prevent the build-up of grime, reducing the number of visits to a train-wash.

A train wash is like a car wash, where the train exterior is cleaned by rotating brushes or foam flails. The equipment and process is well established, but where Blocksil’s hydrophobic CleanProtect scores is in the reduction in water volumes and detergents needed to clean the train. It is well known in the industry that whilst water recycling already reduces the water usage, the discharged water will almost certainly need some treatment to meet environmental standards. If CleanProtect coating is used on the train alongside an efficient train wash, then the environmental cost savings to the TOC are potentially huge.

And CleanProtect can be applied to all interior walls, including wash rooms, the surfaces can be cleaned without the use of abrasives, just water. If graffiti has been applied to the coating by paint or marker pens, this can also be removed with water or anti-graffiti gels without damaging the surface or leaving a ‘ghosting’ residue.

Using this system will reduce the need for expensive cleaning materials, cut cleaning hours and be more kind to the environment. What’s not to like!

The CleanProtect nano coatings are fire rated to EN 45545-2:2013 Railway Applications – Fire protection on railway vehicles – Part 2: Requirements for the behaviour of materials and components, set R1.

The latest generation CleanProtect now has an improved solvent signature.