Abstracts

European Coatings Technology Forum |
Bio-based Coatings

Achim Raschka, Nova-Institut, Germany

Renewable carbon is the key for a sustainable sustainable future production in the chemical industry. Already by now bio-based feedstock is used for a broad range of materials and chemicals and also other materials from alternative feedstocks like carbon dioxide captured from offgases or chemically recycled materials will be available in future. Also in the paints and coatings industry these materials are discussed as a part of a sustainable development more and more in the last years and in future they also might be an option for larger scale – although by now the share of bio-based and also CO2-based polymers in this area is quite small. Already since decades several plant oils are used as feedstock in this area and also several bio-based solvents, building blocks and polymers already play a role – and may rise in future. The presentation of the nova-Institut gives insights in the state of the art of bio-based polymers and building blocks used in the chemical and polymer industry based on the latest market reports from 2020 and shows examples from the possible use in paints and coatings. It presents the developments of interesting building blocks like succinic acid, itaconic acid or others and shows the possible role of these for paints and coatings in future. It also gives insights to the availability of renewable carbon feedstocks, to dedicated projects in the areas of industrial biotechnology and sustainable chemistry and to alternatives for a sustainable polymer production.

Talk 1:  Lignin binders for adhesives and printing inks – Bio-based and formaldehyde-free

Dr. Lydia Heinrich, Fraunhofer WKI, Germany

The range of starting materials that can be used as monomers for the synthesis of bio-based binders is growing every year and includes vegetable oils, sugars and different products of bio-technological processes. However, few are as promising and at the same time as challenging as lignin. As one of the main components of wood, it is the biggest source of aromatic molecules in nature and offers unique opportunities to synthesize high glass transition temperature polymers. Furthermore, as a by-product of the paper-making process, it is available in large quantities without any competition in the food production value chain. However, its low reactivity and heterogeneous composition mean that material uses have been limited to partially replacing phenol in phenol formaldehyde adhesives. In this talk, different ways to incorporate lignin in polyester and polyether binders are presented. The synthetic method allows the tuning of important properties such as the viscosity, the solubility and the melting behavior of the lignin binders, and avoids the use of formaldehyde entirely. Thus, lignin-based polymers were formulated into adhesives and printing inks. Results of performance testing of these products will also be presented. The developed polymers show promise for a range of applications, and for finally creating a high value use for lignin.

Talk 2: Recent progress on bio-based polyurethane coatings

Saskia Beuck, Covestro, Germany

Covestro ranks among the world’s leading manufacturers of premium polymers. Business activities are focused on the manufacture of high-tech polymers in the field of polycarbonates, polyurethanes, coatings, adhesives and specialty raw materials. Covestro is working on sustainable solutions to the greatest challenges of our age following the PPP principle (People-Planet-Profit). Because of the outstanding quality and high variability of property profile of formed coatings, polyurethane coatings have been well accepted and widely applied in various industrial applications, such as automotive, furniture, sports and leisure, etc. During the talk, our recent progresses on development and studies of bio-based chemicals as sustainable building blocks for polyurethane coatings will be shown as well as how sustainability inspires our innovation strategy. Focus will be set on how to achieve new and unexpected technical properties using bio-based materials. We will present case studies conducted in collaboration with our customers of the new bio-based products and will give an outlook on planned activities.

Talk 3:  Searching for green solutions: Recent advances in solvents for polymers

Dr. Anna Zhenova, Green Rose Chemitry, United Kingdom

Increasingly strict legislation and growing momentum towards a bio-economy is driving the paints and coatings industry to develop new chemistries and formulations. However, when replacing hazardous, petro-derived conventional solvents, such as NMP and toluene, there are very few alternatives that are both green and safe. This presentation will cover recent development and commercialisation of solvents suitable for polymer-based formulations, including examples where unique properties of bio-based solvents have provided unexpected benefits.

Talk 4: How to steer sustainability? – From hands-on-experience to future concepts

Ellen Reuter, Evonik, Germany

Sustainable developments without compromising the resources of future generations are needed. Evonik Coating Additives is experienced in translating customer needs into innovative solutions for sustainable and resource-efficient coatings, with adapted services and products. For many end consumer markets there is growing interest in sustainable products – this is also true for coatings such as e.g. architectural paints. A positive impact on sustainability goals can be achieved by optimizing processes either in more efficiently formulating the paints or by using chemistries that have a more favorable carbon footprint than established technologies. However, besides meeting challenging regulatory demands with regards to labeling and VOC regulations, this trend also includes the need of products formulated with bio-based raw materials. There already are options for bio-based additives and specialty binders including established chemistries – but new, untapped structures from research projects are also explored for successfully formulating paints. Test results are shown for different kinds of applications including pigment concentrates & wall paints. High Throughput Equipment might help to carry out fast assessment of new samples & technologies in comparison to existing products. In addition, a potential setup how to assess and steer research & development activities is discussed.

Talk 5: Shellac - a versatile natural polymer for coatings

Manfred Penning, Shellac Coonsult, Germany

Shellac, the only commercially used insect resin fits perfectly into the concept of GREEN CHEMISTRY and renewable, biodegradable natural resins and film formers for coating applications. Shellac is an excellent film former and has a very good adhesion on many surfaces. High gloss, a good surface hardness and an excellent UV resistance are important properties of this natural polymer. Shellac films are also resistant against hydrocarbons. A very low water vapour and oxygen permeability as well as a good compatibility with other polymers and additives make shellac an interesting binder and coating resin. It is a food grade polymer        (E 904 in Europe) and used for the coating of children’s toys. Today, mainly aqueous shellac solutions are used for coatings on plastic, aluminium and cellulose films as well as for dielectric coatings in organic electronics. The surface coating of wood, paper and cardboards are also interesting applications for aqueous solutions from this versatile Biopolymer - SHELLAC.

Talk 6: From classic coatings to biobased systems: Principles, potentials and optimization

Dr. Elisabeth Moshake Hobum, Germany

With an increasing demand of biobased coatings the question of how to formulate them and which raw materials to use gains importance. But where to start and how to overcome the challenges in switching from a petrochemical formulation to a biobased one? What is already possible today? What could future formulation look like? Through modification of fatty acids from vegetable oil we at HOBUM Oleochemicals produce biobased binders since 60 years. Together with you, we are going to answer these questions and share examples from our daily work.

Talk 7: How standardisation and certification can accelerate the use of bio-based products in the coatings sector

Jarno Dakhorst, Nen, Netherlands

In the transition towards a low-carbon (circular) economy, the industry is shifting from fossil-based to bio-based raw materials for their products. Also the coatings sector is looking into the use of raw materials derived from biomass. Credible claims about characteristics of bio-based coatings are key for the acceptance of these novel products, both in business-to-business and business-to-consumer / business-to-government communication. This lecture will give insight in the role of standardisation and certification to improve communication about important characteristics of bio-based products throughout the entire supply chain. This lecture will conclude with some takeaways for the coatings sector about the opportunities and challenges in applying standards and certifications in their business strategy and operations to accelerate the use of bio-based products in their coatings.

Talk 8: Bio-based coatings – Modern surface protection with plant-based materials

The coating industry is under increasing pressure from consumers and from governmental regulations in order to reduce the environmental impact.  Drivers are especially the increasing demand for organic and environmentally safe products as well as for sustainable and resource-saving ways of production. The aim of Leinos Natural Paints is to combine proven knowledge of old techniques with modern industrial production. Leinos produces paints and varnishes for indoor and outdoor use corresponding to high technical standards. Reducing energy consumption, processing costs and emissions are special objectives as well as the reduction of hazardous additives. The application range of natural paints covers metal, cork, stone and especially wood surfaces. Special attention is given to widen the spectrum of plant oils together with closer access to raw materials and looking for shorter transport routes. The plant oils show outstanding properties with respect to the fatty acid structure. The high proportion of unsaturated fatty acids promises quick-drying properties, new functionality and an interesting way to improve coating performance. The R&D is working to develop a polyvalent oil system with fast drying and good weather resistant capabilities. Natural paint products open a new chance for the industry. Using plant or plant products as raw material for industrial products supports the new concepts of whole-plant-utilisation and of circular economy. Circular processing will integrate the demands of both industry and environment. Let´s do it, it´s worth while!

Talk 9: Sustainable emulsifiers – meeting market trends with high performance products

Dr. Christian Hubert Weidl & Anne Forst, BASF, Germany

Contributing to a more sustainable future has become a common target of chemical sectors and demands high level of environmental and social responsibility along the entire industry value chain. Our customers continuously look for innovative solutions that help them contribute to sustainability without having to compromise on performance. Therefore, BASF has embedded sustainability in its corporate purpose: "We create chemistry for a sustainable future.” This ambition is directly linked to a number of factors: - Growing customer needs to differentiate with sustainability; - New regualtins and standards in value chains, - Changing societal and business environments propting demand for sustainalbe products. For emulsifiers, this translates into sourcing renewable raw materials from sustainable sources, providing transparency for downstream users and labels while ensuring superior product performance. When assessing the biobased content of a product, the preliminary European norm prEN17035 offers consistent and transparent definition and segmentation of surfactants. However, performance of biobased surfactants is not determined by the source of the raw materials but by their chemical structures. In this workshop, sustainable emulsifiers with superior performance in water-based binder systems along with an approach of how a balance can be achieved between corporate ambitions, technical requirements and economic feasibility will be presented and discussed.

Talk 10: Biobased, renewable and biodegradables barrier coatings

Dr. Samir Kopacic, TU Graz, Austria

Further development and growth of circular bioeconomy demands intensive utilization of renewable resources to create innovative materials for different applications. In particular, the use of byproducts from pulping, agriculture, food and fishing industry to create products with added value is crucial for circular economy. Naturally, renewable materials such as nano- and microfibrillated cellulose (NFC and MFC), PLA, PHB, technical lignins, chitosan, alginate and technical proteins are in the focus of many public and private organizations and have a potential to substitute synthetic fossil-based polymers used for surface treatments. These bio-based materials, applied on heterogenic and porous surface, could provide interesting surface and barrier functionalities while still maintaining their environmentally friendly characteristics. In this work potential of natural, sustainable and fully recyclable coatings as well as case studies related to packaging materials are going to be presented. The main target of performed investigations concerns the analysis of the coatability. tightness, film formation and the investigation of functional barrier properties. Very promising results and application examples originating from research projects should encourage further utilization of bioproducts in barrier coating as well as reduction of synthetic fossil-based polymers in coating industry.

Talk 11: Wishful thinking vs reality check: Possibilities and limits for development of new products based an renewable ressources

Dr. Matthias Hölderle, Alberdingk, Germany

The presentation gives an overview over different aspects influencing feasibility of launching new products based on renewable ressources.   Technical and regulatory (REACH) factors and their impact on economics are evaluated. It will be discussed which expectations people have are realistic and which are not. The audience will be actively included in this discussions by online surveys. Subsequently current portfolio and future plans of Alberdingk Boley concerning products made from renewable ressources are presented and explained including the findings from the first part oft he presentation.

Talk 12: Plant-based acrylic resins for use in decorative paints

Willem-Jan Soer, DSM, Netherlands

The lecture will focus on the use of plant based (meth)acrylic monomers in waterborne acrylic resins. An overview of different plant-based monomers will be given with a main focus on their use in decorative paints. It will be shown that plant-based acrylic resins not only can meet the same requirements as their fossil-based countertypes, but in some cases even outperform them!

Talk 13: Sustainability in the field of coating additives

Dr. Tina Radespiel, Byk, Germany

In order to be also leading in sustainable additives and for further reduction of CO2 footprint, BYK is using different innovative approaches in R&D. For development of sustainable products, known building blocks from renewable resources but also new bio-based building blocks are investigated. Furthermore, biomolecules like proteins are tested regarding their effect as additives. New sustainable production processes, like biocatalysis, are implemented. Biocatalysis uses less energy, has less by-products or can even produce substances which are impossible to synthesize chemically. Additionally, in order to cover all emerging topics regarding sustainability, the team of the R&D-group for biotechnology, with their specific biotech background, supports colleagues from R&D during development of new products and also colleagues from sales regarding bio-related requests.

Talk 14: Engineered Polysaccharides: Alpha-1,3-glucan as a performance additive for coating applications

Dr. Christian Lenges, DuPont BioMaterial, United States

Polysaccharides are important biopolymers with many industrial and consumer product applications.  Cellulose, starch and gum derivatives are broadly utilized as rheology additives in the coatings industry, often in combination with polymer binder resins, pigments and other components.  Momentum is building for the selection of more sustainable coating chemistries without compromising the current product performance standards.  Impacting the sustainability footprint of coatings is primarily focused on the transition towards low volatile content coatings and the use of high solids/multi-component systems – in addition, the use of biobased building blocks and additives may add further to the sustainability position of coating chemistries. DuPont BioMaterials has developed a family of engineered polysaccharides through the selective polymerization of sucrose to provide materials ranging in molecular weights, polymer architecture and particle morphology. The underlying enzymatic polymerization process offers the opportunity to design the polysaccharide structure to provide numerous performance options in combination with typical coating chemistries. This presentation will focus on selected application examples for this new family of additives and will outline several relevant application examples.