Chemical Engineering February 2016 - 16

Newsfront
Painting it 'Green'
Driven by consumer demand and regulatory pressure, paint and coating formulators, along with
makers of chemical additives for those markets, have brought to the forefront products with
improved environmental and health performance
In BrIef
LOW-VOC PAINT
PErfOrMANCE
ZErO-VOC PAINTS
NEW ADDITIVES
DIMENSIONS Of
SuSTAINABILITy
ADDING fuNCTIONALITy
M
odern paints and coatings are
complex mixtures of film-forming
substances, fillers, pigments
and a host of additives (see box,
p. 17). Many of the compounds traditionally
used in paint and coating formulations present
significant environmental and human
health risks. Spurred by tightening regulations
and growing demand for healthy and
sustainable products on the part of endusers,
the paints and coatings industry has
delivered a wide range of materials with
significantly improved environmental and
health properties. And thanks to a continued
focus on innovation, many of the newer
environmentally friendly paints and coatings
have begun to achieve parity with conventional
products in performance.
" The drivers behind the development of
sustainable paints are really a combination
of both regulatory pressure and consumer
demand, " says Chris Connelly, director of
brand management at Benjamin Moore
(Montvale, N.J.; www.benjaminmoore.com).
" The development started as a way to comply
with environmental regulations, but now,
consumers, contractors, and facility managers
are more aware of the social and environmental
impacts of products, and are
demanding paints with lower environmental
and health impact. "
In general, the advancements in paint and
coating technology related to environmental
impact have come as a result of several
factors, including the development of better
formulation technology and the availability
of new additive options. " The current state
of the art is a result of an accumulation of
many small innovations that have added up
to large advancements in the environmental
performance of paints, " says Chris Cook,
director of the Planet Possible program at
16
AkzoNobel (Amsterdam, the Netherlands;
www.akzonobel.com).
" The technology of environmentally
friendly paints has expanded significantly
over the last 10 years and this technology
expansion was enabled by innovation, "
says Murray Hemsley, global market leader
for Architectural & Protective Coatings at
Eastman Chemical Co. (Kingsport, Tenn.;
www.eastmanchemical.com). " The primary
focus across both architectural and industrial
coating applications has been on technology
that enables maximum performance
while still meeting stringent volatile organic
compound (VOC) and emission requirements, "
he remarks.
In addition to paint formulators developing
better methods for combining paint components,
the companies supplying them are
also now looking for ways to deliver more
environmentally sustainable chemicals to
use in their formulations. AkzoNobel's Cook
says his company, along with others, are
now pushing harder on suppliers to engage
in more sustainable practices.
Low-VOC paint performance
Historically, one of the major environmental
challenges associated with paints and coatings
has been due to high levels of VOCs
and other species that can have negative
effects on indoor air quality, contribute to
smog formation and adversely affect longterm
human health (see box, p. 18).
" Modern paint makers have moved away
from the old model of making paints with
solvents like ketones, toluene and other
organic solvents, " explains William Golton,
a former industry consultant and former
analytical chemist at DuPont. " Now, all the
VOCs in most paints come from the additives,
and in many cases, the high-VOC adChemiCal
engineering www.Chemengonline.Com february 2016
http://www.akzonobel.com http://www.eastmanchemical.com http://www.benjaminmoore.com http://www.Chemengonline.Com
Chemical Engineering February 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Chemical Engineering February 2016
