Algaecides Update
The economic downturn continues to impact the biocides market,
but biocide manufacturers are cautiously optimistic.
BY KERRY PIANOFORTE
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Although the economic down- turn certainly has had a nega- tive impact on the market for
biocides, manufacturers are reporting
that there is some recovery in sight.
The biocides market has been negatively impacted by a number of factors
including oil prices, new housing
starts, automotive sales and overall
consumer confidence, according to
Bernard Franc, business manager, biocides, Troy Corp. “When the building
and construction industries are down,
biocides used in paints, adhesives,
wood stains, wallboard, and caulkings
will be down as well,” he said.
“Conversely, as consumers look to
reuse/recycle to conserve energy and
resources, the demand for more effective biocides in water treatment and
dry/wet state preservation increases.”
“The number of new homes built
and the number of renovations
declined significantly, affecting
paint demand,” said Celso Magri,
strategic marketing manager, Dow
Microbial Control. “This subsequently impacted the biocides market. The
extent of this impact is different
among regions, but we already see
positive developments, especially in
some rapidly developing economies.”
“We have seen a reduction in biocide consumption in line with the
overall economic situation,” agreed
David Tierney, business director,
Arch Chemicals, Inc. “This has varied
between the different segments with,
for example, automotive applications
affected worst. Many companies have
taken this as an opportunity to
rationalize the number of biocide
products used and optimize stock
holding.”
Troy offers a number of zero and low VOC dry-film and in-can preservative products that
meet a wide variety of needs.
Photo: Troy Corp.
LOWERING VOC LEVELS
CONTINUES TO DRIVE GROWTH
The ongoing demand for low- and no-VOC coating systems continues to be
the key driver for growth in the biocides market. Troy reported that it
has recently expanded worldwide
production of dry-film fungicides and
wet-state preservatives to support
projected volume growth in VOC-free
products.
“Biocide suppliers are introducing
solvent-free, water-based preservatives as alternatives to solvent-based
‘Legacy’ coatings to help coatings
manufacturers worldwide meet lower
VOC regulations,” said David E.
Faherty, vice president marketing,
Troy Corp. “Troy offers a comprehensive line of zero- and low-VOC dry-film and ‘in-can’ preservative prod-
