DSM Showcases New Sustainable Paint

DSM and Italian paint manufacturer ICA Group have jointly developed a new, sustainable paint for industrial interior furniture applications called Iridea Bio. It contains DSM’s Decovery® plant-based resin. Decovery resins are made from renewable resources and combine typical acrylic performance with beneficial sustainability characteristics. The new Iridea Bio paint line provides for coatings that are more resilient, lightfast and resistant to chemicals than existing alkyd resins. In addition, it is safer and healthier to use, and is suitable for intensive industrial processing.

DSM received the European Coatings Show Award for best paper: "Health-Risk-Free Resins for a Better Future, Based on Fatty Acid-Modified Polyurethane Dispersions.” Although challenging, by tailoring the backbone of a urethane it is possible to create resins for paint that comply with any regulation or voluntary label, and without emissions. Such urethanized alkyd binders, commercially available from DSM, exhibit optimal performance yet do not pose any health risks.

DSM’s booth itself was almost completely made out of recyclable materials (like cardboard) and carried DSM’s sustainable solutions:

  • Powder coatings for heat-sensitive substrates (Uralac® Ultra);
  • Plant-based resins for interior wall paint and industrial wood (Decovery®);
  • Niaga® technology for carpet production; adhesives that enable endless material re-use. 

 

Hexion Launches Low-VOC Waterborne Epoxy Resins

Hexion launched two new waterborne epoxy resins. These label-free, low-volatile organic compound (VOC) resins enable the manufacture of high-performance, water-based coatings at a competitive cost.

“Our new resins, EPI-REZ™ Resin 6521-WH-56 and EPI-REZ Resin 6531-WH-57 enable formulators to create environmentally compliant coatings with excellent adhesion to both metals and nonmetals,” said Ann Frederix, Senior Vice President, Epoxy Specialties. “Their flexibility and strong corrosion resistance make them well suited for demanding applications like transportation and heavy-duty protective coatings.” These new waterborne epoxy resin dispersions are used alone or as a blend.

 Benefits include:

  • Improved adhesion to a range of substrates, including blank steel;
  • Excellent corrosion and water resistance;
  • Greater flexibility and impact resistance;
  • Enhanced chemical resistance;
  • Ease of use and environmental compliance;
  • Longer pot life of up to 6-8 hours;
  • Fast dry, with wet-on-wet recoating options;
  • Storage stability at ambient temperature and up to 50 °C;
  • Greater shear stability, allowing pigment dispersion;
  • Very low co-solvent levels, allowing the formulation of very low-VOC coatings (< 50 g/L).

The two new resins can be blended to provide a balance of properties, and each has its own features. EPI-REZ Resin 6531-WH-57 provides extra flexibility and impact resistance, making it especially suitable for transportation applications. It also provides a long pot life and contains only 2.5% solvent, resulting in easy-to-use, very low-VOC coatings. EPI-REZ Resin 6521-WH-56 provides greater hardness and faster drying with performance similar to Hexion’s NewGen™ Epoxy resin EPI-REZ 6520-WH-53, at an attractive cost. Both new resins are currently produced in Europe.
 

Huntsman Unveils New Range of Low-Temperature-Curing Agents

Huntsman Advanced Materials, a division of Huntsman Corporation, launched a new portfolio of low-temperature-curing agents for heavy-duty industrial coatings applications in sectors including oil and gas, marine, transportation, and industrial maintenance.

The Ara® Cool range has been designed in response to key challenges facing the coatings industry, including the need for faster curing at low temperatures and reduced VOC levels in products. With improved curing speed between 0 °C and 10 °C, along with excellent surface appearance and adhesion properties, the products are suited to a variety of applications including anticorrosion and protective coatings, as well as decorative paints.

By enabling formulators to address the need for faster processing in cold or unpredictable weather, the range increases productivity by extending application periods into the cooler seasons and avoiding breaks in the application schedule. The extremely long pot life of the products enables ease of application, allowing end users to save on time and overall project expenditure.

In addition, the VOC levels across the Ara Cool portfolio are in line with regulatory requirements for low-temperature-cure applications, and are REACH compliant to meet new regulations being introduced next year.

The range launched with three initial products:

  • Ara Cool 3077 – multipurpose low-temperature-curing hardener (zero-VOC). This highly reactive, formulated amine provides a zero-VOC alternative to benzyl alcohol and solutions that contain SVHC. Ara Cool 3077 is a multipurpose hardener for coatings and flooring applications that has been designed to deliver superior reactivity at temperatures as low as 5 °C and can be used as a co-accelerator for slow hardeners.
  • Ara Cool 1047 W 80 – surface-tolerant low-temperature-curing hardener. A Mannich-base high-solid hardener for low-temperature-cure metallic surfaces, Ara Cool 1047 W 80 provides excellent corrosion protection for critical substrates that require fast hardness development at 5 °C or less. It offers superior surface appearance and excellent adhesion, even under humid or cold conditions.
  • Ara Cool 1034 XW 90 – low-temperature-curing hardener with very long pot life. This modified Mannich-base type is an ultrahigh-solid hardener for pre-treated steel surfaces with an improved pot life. The SVHC-free Ara Cool 1034 XW 90 has outstanding low-temperature reactivity and is suitable for applications in general protective and decorative paints.

“The launch of the Ara Cool range sees us take a clear step forward in achieving superior reactivity levels at low temperatures,” explained Dr. Martin Gerlitz, Marketing Manager at Huntsman Advanced Materials. “With outstanding cure speeds, even in the coldest of conditions, the portfolio meets the increased demand we are seeing for most efficient coatings for extreme climates. In addition to opening up new markets for our customers, the low VOC levels of Ara Cool are futureproofed to meet new 2018 regulations, providing reassurance that the products meet the needs of the industry for years to come.”
 

LANXESS Offers Products and Services for Coatings' Toughest Demands

Specialty chemicals company LANXESS showcased its comprehensive product portfolio for manufacturing coating materials. Examples include benzyl products, the latest biocides and environmentally friendly colorants. One of the highlights was the new Bayferrox iron oxide pigments manufactured at the company’s Ningbo site in China. 

High-Performance Pigments for All Kinds of Demands

With its Bayferrox and Colortherm iron and chrome oxide series, LANXESS supplies a comprehensive portfolio of inorganic pigments in more than 100 colors. “As our customers see it, our decades of experience in manufacturing quality products and in process development and optimization sets us apart from many of our competitors,” said Thomas Pfeiffer, Vice President for the EMEA region for the Inorganic Pigments (IPG) business unit at LANXESS. “We continuously invest in new technologies in order to meet the demand for high-quality, sustainably produced pigments driven by the urbanization megatrend.”

The products largely meet customers’ increased wishes with regard to color intensity, consistent quality of color, ease of processing and worldwide availability. “The key advantages of our high-performance pigments are the narrow tolerances in the colors’ shades and intensity. This makes color reproduction faster, easier and more reliable during the manufacture of paints and coatings. What’s more, their micronization makes these pigments extremely dispersible,” explained Dr. Stephan Spiegelhauer, Head of IPG’s Global Competence Center Paint & Coatings.

Chemist Dr. Christine Kathrein, Head of Product Development in Product and Business Development at IPG, gave a talk on “Highly Targeted Color Spaces with Made-to-Measure Iron Oxide Pigments” at the Conference. She explained how the chromaticity of inorganic pigments is determined by the complex relationship between particle size and shape, endowment, particle size distribution and dispersibility within the matrix. She also spoke about the Ningbo process developed by LANXESS, which enables a narrow particle size distribution and achieves a color that exactly matches the specified target parameters. Compared to all other iron oxides on the market, the innovative and particularly sustainable Ningbo process makes it possible to manufacture the brightest and most yellow-toned red pigments.

New Water-Based Pigment Preparations

LANXESS’ Rhein Chemie Additives (ADD) business unit showcased its large portfolio of Levanyl and Levanox water-based pigment preparations. 

With an ideally proportioned pigment volume concentration, the inorganic dispersions of the Levanox series achieve excellent results in opacity, lightfastness, and weather and chemical resistance. The excellent resistance of these products means they are primarily used in construction and coatings.

The specially balanced content of organic pigments makes the Levanyl range particularly brilliant and colorful. These products are primarily used in colorings and coatings, wood protection and printing. Recently, ADD has broadened its Levanyl series with 12 new products. They are free of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and comply with the key European norms and standards. The new Levanyl types meet standards for use in children’s toys (EN 71-3/71-7/71-9), qualify for the environmental labels Nordic Swan and Blue Angel, and are listed in the database run by the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) of “BfR-recommended materials for contact with food.” Ralf Scholtz, Head of the Colorant Additives business line at ADD, says: “We have already produced samples and provided our customers with technical advice, and the new products have already replaced previous ones without problems in a wide range of applications.” 

New Regulatory Challenges for Biocides

Paint and coating manufacturers are increasingly subject to more rigorous labeling thresholds and other demands on their products, such as lower leaching of active ingredients. The new product range from the Material Protection Products (MPP) business unit is equipped to meet these regulatory and technical challenges, and allows customers to modify their preservatives strategy accordingly. 

Warnings for sensitizers and allergy labeling are playing an increasingly important role in the evaluation of biocides. The European Chemicals Agency has proposed significantly lowering the labeling threshold for methylisothiazolinone (MIT). MIT is one of the most frequently used active ingredients worldwide for in-can preservation. A low labeling threshold for this active ingredient would mean DIY products exceeding these MIT levels could in the future only be sold to professional users. 

MIT-free formulations containing combinations of isothiazolinones (BIT, CMIT/MIT, OIT) and/or bronopol are already available. LANXESS is also testing combinations with other nonsensitizing biocide active ingredients. Nicolas Gallacier, Global Marketing Director for Industrial Preservation and Coatings at MPP, stated, “Our registration experts are actively involved in association committees and in close contact with the authorities so as to ensure we can help equip our customers for the new legislation. This shows that LANXESS is a competent partner that enables paints and coatings manufacturers to operate successfully on the market.”      

LANXESS also featured a new generation of preservatives, the “Preventol next” series. Preventol next A 29-D and Preventol next A 31-D are fungicide/algicide combinations that have achieved excellent results in the laboratory and in two-year external weathering tests in a damp climate. Their innovative slow-release technology meets industry’s growing demands for low leaching and environmental impact.

Industrial Chemicals for High-Quality Formulations

LANXESS also exhibited its benzyl products. The main exhibit was benzyl alcohol for the production of premium colorant and coating formulations. The company manufacturers this high-purity substance at production sites in India and Germany. With its two facilities on separate continents, LANXESS is very well positioned to supply this key chemical to global corporations with various production locations, and small and medium-sized enterprises in a wide range of countries. “Through the ongoing optimization of our logistics processes, we are able to provide our customers with high supply reliability,” added Hans-Joachim Feldhaus, Global Marketing Director for Benzyl Products and Amines in the Advanced Industrial Intermediates business unit.