UR30™ in Aquaculture Operations

The Mitsubishi-Shindoh Co., Ltd., has developed a proprietary copper-zinc brass alloy, called UR30, specifically designed for aquaculture operations. The alloy, which is composed of 64% copper, 35.1% zinc, 0.6% tin, and 0.3% nickel, resists mechanical abrasion when formed into wires and fabricated into chain link, woven, or other types of flexible mesh. To date, in over 10 years of aquaculture experience, chain link mesh fabricated by this brass alloy has not suffered from dezincification, stress corrosion cracking, or erosion corrosion.

Corrosion rates depend on the depth of submersion and seawater conditions. The average reported corrosion rate reported for the alloy is < 5 μm/yr based on two- and five-year exposure trials in seawater. The Ashimori Industry Company, Ltd., installed flexible pens with woven chain link UR30 meshes in Japan to raise Seriola (i.e., yellowtail, amberjack, kingfish, hamachi). The company has also installed brass pens to raise Atlantic salmon at the Van Diemen Aquaculture operations in Tasmania, Australia. In Chile, EcoSea Farming S.A. has installed woven chain link brass mesh pens to raise trout and Atlantic salmon. In Panama, China, Korea, Turkey, and the US, demonstrations and trials are underway using flexible pens with woven chain link UR30 and other mesh forms and a range of copper alloys.

References

  1. Copper in AquaCulture, International Copper Association/Copper Alliance™, Visit this website for information about copper aquaculture pen site locations, case studies, species of fish being raised, as well as the benefits, challenges, research, and media releases .