A professor at Eastern Michigan University who developed sustainable alternatives within the polymer and coating industries was recognized for his innovations during the Michigan Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference, held October 26 in Detroit.
Scottish scientists Dr. David Hepworth and Dr. Eric Whale invented Curran®, an innovative additive for coatings. Curran® was developed with a special, patented process by Scottish company CelluComp Ltd.
History is replete with examples where technological advancement has always been at the cost of nature, and that at every step of the way nature has fought back to get its due.
To comply with VOC regulations, coatings manufacturers have gradually moved away from conventional low-solids, solventborne systems to several emerging technologies, which include high-solids, UV, powder, waterborne and solvent-free systems.1-3
Grit blasting of metal surfaces, a routine surface preparation technique prior to painting, is expensive, labor-intensive, time-consuming, and generates a large amount of hazardous, powdery waste