Bioengineered Additives
A Pipeline
of Value
Delivering
Unique
Functionality
to Your Coating
In the last of a three-part series discussing the potential for biofunctional coatings to serve as catalysts for
revitalizing the coatings industry, the wide variety of
technologies under development at Reactive Surfaces
is highlighted. The company has established a strong
technological base and is positioned to help paint and
coating formulators transform their conventional
products into functional materials designed to
address unmet customer needs.
By Steve McDaniel, Ph.D., J.D.
CHIEF INNOVATION OFFICER, REACTIVE SURFACES
Specifically engineered, biobased additives possess many advantages when compared to conventional ingredients, includinghigher performanceand amoreenvironmentally
friendly profile. In addition, they add novel functionality to coatings not possible with traditionally available additives, creating
new opportunities for high performance formulations. The possibilities for creating value through the use of bioengineered ingredients is limited only by the imagination. Think of the functionality that you would like your coating to bring to a surface and
chances are nature has already perfected a solution.
Biologically-derived additives offer a novel approach for
functionalizing coatings and surfaces (see, “Formulating
with Bioengineered Additives: Enhancing the Performance
and Functionality of Paints and Coatings,” Coatings World,
March 2010). The blending of molecules isolated from nature
with the synthetic environment of a coating represents a
novel route for functionalizing coatings with unique properties. Biological catalysts (enzymes) have a variety of desirable characteristics, including catalytic specificity and efficiency, manufacturing sustainability through utilization of
renewable resources and environmental compatibility
through natural degradative processes for disposal. As such,
these novel additives present an immediate opportunity for
coatings companies to diversify, distinguish and expand markets for their product lines by providing coatings that not
only protect and beautify but also functionalize the surfaces
they coat (see, “Functional Additives: A Platform for
Revitalizing the Paint and Coatings Industry,” Coatings
World, February 2010).
Recent biotechnical advances have provided important
tools for the efficient development of enzymes with improved
properties for both established and new areas of application.
Case studies published by the Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD) document how
biotechnology has been implemented and assessed, in terms
of cost and sustainability, across a variety of industries
(Table 1). The conclusions were noteworthy for those industries that have not yet embraced this technology: 1) the
approaches for incorporation of biotechnology were rarely
systematic, i.e. each company took a different approach; 2)
adoption of the technology was attempted even though
biotech skills had to be acquired, usually through industrial
