SEA walls designed to protect vulnerable coastlines from erosion by the sea are themselves at risk from the pounding of the waves. It’s a problem likely to get worse if sea level rises or storms become more frequent because of global warming.
To protect these sea defences, the German chemical firm BASF has developed a spray-on polyurethane coating that is now being tested on the shores of the North Sea. Made by mixing two chemicals – a polyol and isocyanate – the coating can be applied directly to a loose layer of stone using a high-pressure spray, or mixed with…
