We are thrilled to announce the winners of Phase 2 in the Rust Busters Challenge!
The Rust Busters prize competition tasked innovators from around the world to propose solutions to extend the life of water infrastructure in the United States. Phase 1 of the competition received 35 white paper submissions and awarded five teams $50,000 to develop their approach and offered the opportunity for lab and field-testing by the Bureau of Reclamation and its partner, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
We are thrilled to announce the Phase 2 winners:
- High Barrier Controlled Release Rustbuster Coating, $65,000: the solution is a modified polysulfide coating with organometallo-phosphato polymer to improve barrier protection.
- Coal Tar Enamel Spray, $35,000: the solution provides the equipment and method for robotic spray application of coal tar enamel so that workers need not be present in the application environment.
The results of the laboratory testing were published in a December 2021 report which can be viewed here.
Thank you to everyone who submitted and followed the challenge. We would like to extend a special thanks to our judging panel and reservoir partners who supported the evaluation of the Phase 2 winners.
