Services Products All Products Container desiccants Absorpole AbsorBag AbsorGel Hanging AbsorGel Blanket AbsorGel Max & Compact AbsorGel Sheet In-box desiccants AbsorGel Pouches AbsorGel Sheet Accessories Packaging Industries Agriculture Electronics Cocoa Automotive Beverage Knowledge Moisture Magazine Container rain Moisture damage costs Why calcium chloride? Moisture damage Caking Corrosion FAQ Webinars About Our organization R&D Quality and production News Our people Transparency & Accountability Sustainability Sustainable desiccants Circular economy program Contact Language Contact us Corrosion Corrosion is a natural process that changes a metal into a more chemically stable oxide. This chemical or electrochemical reaction with the environment means a metal is gradually corroded and destroyed. Most commonly, this corrosion involves a reaction with an oxidant such as oxygen, hydrogen or hydroxide. The most familiar example is rust, which is the formation of iron oxides. Understanding corrosion Many structural alloys corrode merely from exposure to moisture in the air, and for many metals, there is an increased risk of corrosion from 60% relative humidity. This means that absolute humidity, temperature and time of exposure are important factors to consider when preventing corrosion. What’s more, there is an increased risk of corrosion when cold metal meets warmer air with high relative humidity, as condensation can lie directly on the metal surface and accelerate the process. Moisture-related corrosion is an almost constant risk – while the cost of corrosion in supply chains is massive. Not just the cost of many corrosion-prevention solutions, but also the extra cost, time and environmental footprint for reworking or even scrapping components when these solutions are absent or they underperform. Lowering and even removing some of these extra costs, time and environmental burdens is vital for smooth, cost-effective and sustainable supply chains. Different ways to prevent corrosion: Ship by air. You can shorten the transit time with air shipments, although it is costly and not environmentally sustainable. Apply oil, grease or treatments. Shielding the metal surface protects it from corrosion. But surface protection comes with a high cost, and often the oil or grease needs to be cleaned off before the next step in the manufacturing process. Wrap in VCI plastic. Special plastic covering, known as VCI technology (volatile corrosion inhibitor), is frequently used. But VCI is expensive, plastic-intensive and still not the most efficient nor sustainable method of preventing corrosion on metal. What’s more, depending on the shipping conditions, VCI may not be enough on its own. Use desiccants. Desiccants lower the moisture in the surrounding air to eliminate aroot cause of corrosion. In most cases, desiccants are also the simplest, most cost-efficient and environmentally aware solution compared to the above methods. Our solution Learn more about AbsorGel® and our moisture damage prevention line of desiccants: Container desiccants / Inbox desiccants Related information Whitepaper Corrosion Prevention Case Study: Sustainable corrosion prevention in shipping
