LATIN AMERICA
BY CHARLES W. THURSTON
LATIN AMERICAN CORRESPONDENT
THURSTONCW@RODPUB.COM
Comex battles Mexican graffiti
with nanocoating technology
Nano coatings
are helping to
keep Mexico’s
infrastructure
graffitti-free.
Graffiti has not yet become high art in most areas of Mexico, so enter- prising paint and coatings companies are cashing in on the multi-billion-dollar global problem with nanotech-based products.
Comex Group, for example, sells Deletum
3000 as its premier anti-graffiti coating
throughout Mexico, but is not yet selling it
in the United States, according to a source
at Comex's U.S. headquarters in Lonetree,
Colorado.
Deletum 3000 was originally developed by
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
(UNAM) Professor Victor Castaño, a prolific
nanotech researcher at the University's
Center for Applied Physics and Technology,
in Santiago de Queretaro. The technology
for Deletum 3000 was sold to Comex by
UNAM in 2004.
Recently, Deletum 3000 was honored by
the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies,
which was established in April 2005 as a
partnership between the Woodrow Wilson
International Center for Scholars and the
Pew Charitable Trusts. Castaño continues
work on nanotech coatings, and serves as a
consultant to industry, like CG2
NanoCoatings Inc., of Ottawa.
The Comex product is a two-component
system, including a high-performance
acrylic urethane base, plus nanoparticles,
oil and water-proof molecules, and a cross-linking agent. It is sold in six colors and is
available in 1-, 4-, and 20-liter packages.
Typically, there are three types of anti-graffiti coatings, including permanent, semipermanent and sacrificial. Permanent coatings are formulated to last through multiple
solvent cleanings, and spray paint does not
generally penetrate the surface. Semi-perma-
nent coatings also may be cleaned with solvents, but each cleaning wears away part of
the barrier, requiring reapplications of the
base coating. Sacrificial coatings are water-based. Providing a smooth wax or polymer
surface that will wash off with the graffiti.
Competing manufacturers of anti-graffiti
paint include Ameron, Dupont, Ecological
Coatings, Graffiti EnviroSafe, Safety Point
and others. Among recent developments in
anti-graffiti paints is a hardener developed
by Bayer that enhances performance of
waterborne polyurethane paints. Another
approach has been developed by Glass
Fusion International, which markets a sili-ca-based coating that is applied over paint
to resist graffiti. Costs for anti-graffiti
paints and coatings can range from $60 a
gallon to hundreds of dollars.
While the exact cost of graffiti removal is
difficult to sum, in some countries, like the
United Kingdom, the cost is estimated at
$1.5 billion per year, and some cities like
Los Angeles are estimated to spend well
over $100 million per year on the problem.
Last year, Los Angeles enacted a law requiring new buildings to include anti-graffiti
coating, unless the owners sign a contract
vowing to remove any graffiti on their property within 72 hours from notification. In
New York, applying graffiti can result in a
$1,500 fine.
On the other hand, a successful graffiti
artist may find his or her work in the
Brooklyn Museum, or purchased for corporate logo use. According to Wikipedia,
France's graffiti group 123Klan "has
designed and produced, logos and illustrations, shoes, and fashion for the likes of
Nike, Adidas, Lamborghini, Coca Cola,
Stussy, Sony, Nasdaq." CW