Academic Research – Fundamental to Advancing Sustainable Coating Technologies

By Cynthia Challener

Many industries today recognize the need to improve the sustainability of processes and products. The paint and coatings sector is no excep­tion. The development of “greener”
products is no longer driven simply by regulatory changes, but also by the need to meet customer expectations and the desire to realize the economic, social, and environmental advantages that many sustainable solutions can offer. There is still much to be learned, however, and academic researchers in universities around the world are
exploring many of the fundamental questions about the potential of greener raw materials and the resins and other ingredients derived from them to yield cost-effective, high-performing paints and coatings.

The concept of “green” has evolved over time into the broader context of sustain­ability, according to Mark D. Soucek, professor of Polymer Engineering at the.University of Akron. “The initial focus on environmental issues graduated to a focus on using greener materials and making coatings ‘benign by design,”‘ he says. “The last frontier will be making sustainable coatings using green starting materials and processes that yield green formulations,” he adds. While regulations on volatile organic. compounds (VOCs) continue to drive industry, there is also a significant push to find safer materials for applications where both workers and end users may be exposed to hazardous chemicals. One example noted by Dean C. Webster, chair of the Department of Coatings and Polymeric Materials at North Dakota State University (NDSU) is the active search for alternatives to isocyanate curing chemistry.