Green technology: alkyd emulsions

The depletion of natural petroleum resources, toxicological effects on human health, restrictive environment legislation and the spiralling escalation in prices of crude oil cumulatively have increased interest in the development of waterborne coatings.
New research has been carried out in the area of alkyd emulsions, their parameter study as well as their performance in paints. The emphasis is given on physico-chemical aspects of these properties, their effects and how to modify them in order to achieve improved performance.
The authors conclude that alkyd emulsions offering near zero VOC are a revolutionary technology for the paint and coating industries. According to their findings, alkyd emulsions offer good performance characteristics and can be seen as a truly green technology, as the major raw material component - oil - is of vegetable origin.
The full paper appeared in the September 2009 issue of "Paint India".