suited for Asia’s tropical climates, Troy also offers “green” wet-
state preservatives and performance additives for the region.
“Troy enables its customers to comply with stringent environ-
mental standards, while also achieving superior performance,”
Smith said. “With full manufacturing, product development and
service capabilities in Asia, Troy is well-positioned to help its
customers to lead in their respective markets.”
Wilson Nova Ruiz, head of sales, materials protection prod-
ucts, Lanxess Corp., has seen an increased demand for biocides,
especially for water treatment and disinfection. “Fracking ac-
tivities for the oil and gas shale area lead to increased bio-
cide demand, mainly in the U.S. and to some extent in Latin
America and Asia Pacific,” he added. “In the disinfection field,
some countries have begun or are increasing their measures to
prevent disease. There is a growth pattern for in-can preserva-
tion biocides as many solvent formulations are being shifted
to water-based materials. Biocides are not needed for in-can
preservation, however, in water-based formulations, the bio-
cide becomes essential.”
Meeting customer needs
Meeting the increasingly changing formulation and performance needs of their customers is a key challenge for biocides manufacturers.
Environmental regulations and the continued move to water-
based products present many opportunities. “It is always very
interesting for customers to have VOC free products and lower
toxic materials,” said Ruiz. “It is very important to follow new
regulations on labeling and registration. From the performance
point of view, some products, after being used for a long period
of time, can present issues due to increased resistance or mi-
croorganisms against biocides. More specifically, in the case of
polymer emulsions, customers are looking for options to close
the gaps of some isothiazolines against acid forming bacteria or
sulphate reducing bacteria.”
“As always, our customers are looking for what their cus-
tomers are looking for: class-leading protection in the wet-state
and on the film surface; “green” attributes, such as minimized
environmental persistence, lowest toxicity and safe handling at-
tributes; and of course, cost efficiency,” said Smith.
“World class regulatory support is a service that provides
value to Troy customers,” Smith continued. “Different regions
and countries around the world often have complex procedures
and protocols that necessitate the assistance of suppliers like
Troy who have experience helping customers achieve compliance. Troy has a long history of regional and local regulatory
expertise, and has been serving customers in Europe, Asia, Latin
America and the Middle East/Africa for several decades.”
New products
Environmental regulations continue to drive substantial changes
in the bioicdes market. Biocides makers have met this challenge
by offering a number of new products that meet this needs.
This past year Troy launched two new “green,” high performance dry-film preservatives for Asia customers. “Polyphase
689 offers long-lasting, broad-spectrum dry-film protection
against both fungi and algae,” said Smith. “689 has been tested
extensively in Southeast Asia in tropical and sub-tropical environments and has proven to be highly effective against severe
fungal and algal threats. Polyphase 7026 is a new, green dry-film
preservative for interior aqueous coatings, offering full-spec-trum anti-fungal efficacy against problematic microorganisms,
including Alternia alternate.
Polyphase 689 and 7026 are zero VOC products with very
low hazard profiles. Both products also offer class-leading efficacy at very low use levels, resulting in excellent cost efficiency.”
In North America, Troy introduced Mergal K9N and MC14,
two advanced broad-spectrum wet-state preservatives based on
CMIT/MIT (methylchloroisothiazolinone / methylisothiazoli-none) technology. Mergal K9N and MC14 offer cost-effective
materials protection at very low use rates, enabling manufacturers to balance cost control with performance objectives.
Additionally, the two products represent green preservative
technology, as they are zero-VOC, formaldehyde-free chemis-tries engineered to leave a minimal carbon footprint.
With the acquisition of Verichem Inc. in 2011, Lanxess bolstered its products portfolio for in-can preservation and water
treatment for the U.S. market.
“In addition, Lanxess acquired the Material Protection busi-
ness from Syngenta in 2011,” said Ruiz. “Lanxess offers state-of-
the-art product formulations with reduced tox profiles products
for the building industry, for the preservation of paints, dry film
protection, joint compounds, sealants, paper and adhesives and
gypsum board.”
Lanxess has also completed the expansion of the production
capacity in its Pittsburgh based manufacturing site. In 2012,
Lanxess registered six new product formulations for the mate-
rial protection market in the U.S.
Lonza Microbial Control’s zinc Omadine ZOE Antimicrobial
product and related zinc pyrithione compounds are being increasingly used to protect the surfaces of paints, coatings and
other dry films from fungal and algal growth.
According to Lonza, this surge in their use has occurred in
part as paint containing rival carbendazim and diuron products
now need to carry enhanced environmental warnings on their
labels at normal use levels because of toxicological concerns expressed by regulatory bodies in certain markets.
As an alternative, zinc pyrithione, shows a lower toxicological profile when used as a dry film preservative, according to
the company. It also provides good activity against both fungi
and algae, offers long-term protection due to its low water solubility, and does not trigger environmental symbol labeling at
normal use levels. Zinc Omadine ZOE Antimicrobial has the
added benefit of not discoloring in the presence of other metal
ions in paint and coatings formulations. This new product consists of a mixture containing both zinc pyrithione as the active
agent, along with zinc oxide, which provide broad-spectrum
antimicrobial activity that preserve paints and coatings, extends their useful life, and deters the growth of fungi and algae
on painted surfaces. CW
32 | Coatings World
www.coatingsworld.com
December 2012
