International Coatings Scene
LATIN AMERICA
BY CHARLES W. THURSTON
LATIN AMERICAN CORRESPONDENT
THURSTONCW@RODPUB.COM
Rohm & Haas cools off rooftops
in Latin America
Cool roof
technology
continues
to grow in
popularity
as industry
seeks energy
efficient
solutions.
Commercial and residential rooftops in Latin
America increasingly are taking on a cooler
white visage as users of acrylic emulsions
recognize both the economic and environmental
value in reflecting more of the sun’s rays. “This
technology works best in tropical areas, which
includes most of Latin America, where it has great
potential for growth,” said Cesar Soto, the marketing manager of industrial, construction, and
aquaset paints and coatings for Rohm & Haas in
Mexico.
As a supplier of acrylic resin to paint and
coatings formulators in Latin America, including General Paint and Henkel, Rohm & Hass
is currently producing enough acrylic base
product in Latin America—including the company’s new plant in Mexico’s Queretaro
state—to supply regional demand. “The use of
acrylic resins for cool roofs will increase much
as the demand for architectural paints
increases in Latin America,” said Soto. “The
demand in the Caribbean is already very
strong, especially on islands like Puerto Rico.
In Central America and the Andes, where the
technology is less well known, the demand is
growing more slowly.”
A primary product in the company’s elastomeric coating or Cool Roof line is Roplex EC
9791, which is 100% acrylic, and offers characteristics of strong adhesion, durability, UV
reflectivity, substrate degradation resistance
and fungal resistance. One high-profile application of the product was made in 2007 in Mexico
by General Paint, which covered the rooftop of
Mexico City’s Central de Abastos, or produce
market. However the technology is applicable
in a broad range of situations, ranging from
homes to commercial offices to industry.
“The air conditioning market in Latin
America is mature, but there are varying levels, with some very sophisticated, like offices,
and others at a low level use, as in houses. Cool
roof technology can help save energy at all levels and anyone can apply it,” said Soto.
The white acrylic coatings has been
shown to have a stronger albedo—the fraction of light that is reflected from a surface—at 0.87 than aluminum asphalt emulsions at 0.60, and more than ten times the
reflectance of black asphalt, which is about
0.06, according to Rohm & Haas’ technical
service specifications.
“The use of acrylic resins for cool roofs
will increase much as the demand for
architectural paints increases in Latin
America,” said Soto.
Other proposed applications for the white
acrylic technology includes roads, where the
goal of use is to reduce surface heat and thus
reduce the greenhouse effect aggravated by
carbon emissions. The Public Works Research
Institute in Japan has experimented with
coating roadways white, and researchers at
Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory are advocating
widespread coating of both rooftops and roads
in California.
The cool roof application works well because
it reflects far more than visible light. Total solar
reflectance is the sum of ultraviolet, visible and
near infrared (IR) reflectance. Ultraviolet
makes up five percent of the electromagnetic
spectrum, visible 43%, and IR 52%, according to
Plasticolors, of Ashtabula, OH, which also produces IR reflective coatings. CW
