Coatings World - January 2011

Reactive Surfaces Patents Self-decontaminating Additives in North America, Europe and Pacific Rim

Reactive Surfaces extended protection of its self-decontaminating coating additive compositions worldwide with the grants of patents in Great Britain, Hong Kong, Australia and Canada. The patented compositions comprise enzymatic additives which when admixed into a coating when applied to a substrate result in a highly stable, long-lasting coated surface capable of rapidly and continuously catalyzing the decontamination of organophosphorus neurotoxins, such as pesticides and nerve gases, that come into contact with the surface.

The granted claims vary slightly by country but are generally directed to both permanent and temporary coatings that are liquid, liquefiable or mastic in nature. The coatings comprise a variety of both naturally-occurring and genetically-modified hydrolase enzymes delivered in a dry bacterial cell powder or liquid formulation at loading rates of between approximately 0.001 percent up to approximately 40 percent by weight or volume in coatings applied at five microns thickness and greater. The types of coatings shown to be amenable to functionalization by the claimed additives include a variety of coating types and multicoat systems. Also claimed are methods for self-decontaminating coated surfaces using the claimed coatings and multicoat systems.

ity performance required.

Increasing raw material prices and supply shortages are the major challenges for 2011, according to Craig Baudendistel, director of sales, Shamrock Technologies. “Raw material costs continue to increase across the board and in some cases dramatically,” he said. “We also continue to experience raw material supply tightness and shortages for some feed stocks.

“Shamrock implemented price increases in 2010 due to the dramatic escalation of costs we are experiencing,” said Baudendistel. “However we have not been able to pass the full amount of these increases to our customers. We are experiencing margin erosion in some of our product lines.”

Tightening Regulations

Recent regulatory developments are requiring products be compatible with low and zero VOC systems. “BYK Chemie has been a leading company in the chemical industry, and not just the additives industry, in working with the EU on REACH,” said Bruce Seeber, business line manager, BYK USA. “The challenge for additives manufacturers is to offer products which contain more sustainable raw materials and to help coatings customers meet green regulations like LEED and Green Seal.

“The additives industry as a whole is fully cooperating with other chemical companies to prepare for increasing regulations,” said Seeber. “This means developing products that will formulate with other resins and coatings systems, as well as developing prod-

ucts which lead the way with new technology and chemistries.”
Lower VOC regulations have put more importance on the
role of multifunctional additives to improve the performance of
today’s coatings, whether for architectural, industrial, automo-
tive, or specialty finishes. “Innovative suppliers will be the big
winners as they respond to the market needs for better perform-
ance and added value to the coatings producer,” said Peter Sheri-
dan, director, performance additives, Troy Corporation. “Troy
recognizes the need to support our customers in registration for
REACH, and in response we have supplied all documentation
necessary to comply with the mandates. Anticipating and meet-
ing the needs of regulatory challenges is essential to supporting
our regional and global customers.”
Regulations are specific to each country, but in general they are
following very similar trends globally. “You see different imple-
mentation timelines, stronger or less aggressive targets depending
on the region, and perhaps weaker enforcement systems in some
of the emerging markets,” said Justiniano. “Low odor formula-
tions are more important than low VOC in most of the emerging
markets, such as China, Southeast Asia and Brazil. In North Amer-
ica, low VOC content low odor regulations are both creating chal-
lenges and opportunities for coatings additive suppliers.

“For example, when the last bit of solvent is removed from a
coating formulation, film formation becomes more difficult,” Jus-
tiniano explained. “Low VOC paints are more susceptible to
freeze/thaw problems, and the additives that can help solve the
freeze/thaw challenge can affect the efficiency of rheology mod-
ifiers. The sustainability movement is providing us with a host of
challenges and opportunities that we’re dedicated to resolving.”
Currently, the coatings industry has been driven by a combi-
nation of regulatory restrictions, consumer expectations as well
as the emerging markets of environmentally friendly and food
contact products, according to Heather Yang, regulatory com-
pliance manager, Shamrock Technologies. “Some regulations,
such as the EU’s REACH initiative, have affected the world pro-
ducers exporting paints and coatings. Large companies set up
their own Certification Program as a comprehensive environ-
mental initiative to help their suppliers reduce the environmen-
tal impact of both the materials they supply and their own
manufacturing operations.”
These new requirements make it necessary for a company to
proactively plan all major long-term elements of corporate strat-
egy. “This includes financing, formulation, manufacturing, raw
material information collection, product development, marketing
and others,” said Yang. “Shamrock has taken the following meas-
ures to be compliant with global regulations: actively monitor
hazardous substances to ensure global market compliance; en-
sure adequate infrastructure is in place to deal with classifica-
tion, labeling and packaging; update substance registration
dossiers; and cooperate with others in the supply chain, to make
sure the changes are managed smoothly.”