Chemical Engineering February 2016 - 17

ditives are now being substituted by
higher-boiling compounds that have
the same effect on the paint properties, "
he says.
AkzoNobel's Chris Cook continues,
" The development of more
sustainable paints is an extension of
the long-running trend to 'greener'
products, and the movement away
from solvent-based products is expanding
from wall paints to the trim
and wood-care products market,
including stains, varnishes, lacquers
and polyurethanes. Paints have
largely made that switch, already,
but other product sectors are doing
the same. "
Lowering VOC levels in paints has
been a central area of innovation
for the paint industry, says Golton.
" for low-VOC automotive finishes,
it remains more difficult to achieve
comparable performance to solventbased
products at the same cost
than it is for paint at this point, " he
says. " The challenge there is that it
is a bigger technological leap to go
Paint ComPonents
P
aint can be considered a liquid mixture that, when applied to a substrate, converts to
a solid film. Paints are varied and can be very complex. Most paints are composed of
the following four major categories for paint ingredients: binders (the film-forming component);
the solvent (to allow the application of the liquid to a surface); pigments (to impart
opacity and color); and additives (to modify application and finish properties).
Binders. Paint binders bind the pigment molecules to form a film and bind the film to the substrate.
Binders are usually synthetic or natural resins, such as alkyds, acrylics, vinyl-acrylics,
vinyl acetate/ethylene, polyurethanes, polyesters epoxies and others. Binders are sometimes
categorized by the mechanisms for drying or curing. The binder material often surrounds
particles of pigment materials. The drying process involves the evaporation of the solvent, as
well as typically an oxidative cross-linking process for the polymers in the binder.
Solvents. The solvents carry the nonvolatile parts of the paint and control the viscosity of
the paint during the application process. for waterborne paints, water is the solvent, while
solvent-borne paints can have a variety of organic compounds, including aliphatic hydrocarbons,
aromatic compounds, ketones, alcohols, esters, ethers and others.
Pigments. Pigments are generally granular solids that are incorporated to give the paint color.
Titanium dioxide, pthalo blue and red iron oxide are often used to give paint opacity and color.
Engineered molecules and dyes are often used in paints as well
Additives. usually added in small amounts, paint additives can have a significant impact on
paint properties. Common categories for additives include rheology modifiers, surfactants,
driers, foam-control agents, anti-settling agents, wetting agents, biocides and others.
from a solvent-borne product to a
waterborne product than it is to substitute
additives in a product that is
already waterborne. "
" In the architectural-coatings industry,
low-VOC is no longer a specialty
product offering; it is a musthave
option for all brands in the
space, " says Mary Ellen Shivetts,
senior product stewardship manHEXOLOYThe
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Chemical Engineering February 2016

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