Biocide systems are an effective means to reduce the growth of unwanted organisms. The demand for efficient preservation has increased continuously, one reason being the ongoing shift toward waterbased coatings formulations that are usually more prone to microbial attack.

At the same time requirements on biocides in terms of safety for human and the environment are strict - enforced by governmental regulations such as the EU Biocidal Products Directive as well as the increased public awareness of the potential toxic hazard of these chemicals.

Finding a balance between ecology and economy is a difficult task. The fourth European Coatings Conference on "Novel Biocide Technology" will address today's challenges for the paints and coatings industry regarding biocides and will give an up-date on latest developments in biocide systems and antimicrobial coatings. 12 high-level presentations by international speakers from both industry and academia will focus topics such as:

• Preservation of increasingly biodegradable products
• Innovative in-can and dry-film preservation
• Elemental silver as an antimicrobial agent for antimicrobial coatings

The conference addresses R&D managers of coatings raw materials producers, coatings formulators, and end users across Europe and beyond.

In the morning of the first conference day the additional pre-conference tutorial "Biocide Basics" will introduce participants to the basic materials and concepts that are at work in modern biocide systems, for both in-can- and film-preservation of coatings.