Green chemistry

The share of solvents (volatile organic compounds or VOC) ultimately determines how environmentally sound the products of our customers are. The construction materials industry is a key cause of VOC emissions.

Sealants, adhesives, coatings, and floor coverings release VOC into the atmosphere and solvents also have a strong influence on interior air quality. Our goal is to support coatings and plastics manufacturers with the increased use of solvent-free systems. BYK has successfully reduced the VOC content of its product portfolio over the past two years. Nevertheless, BYK only has limited influence on the environmental qualities of a product since additives just account for a small portion of a coating or plastic material.

We are increasingly in a position to offer additives made from renewable resources such as modified fatty acid from tall oil. Product examples with renewable raw materials include BYK-1740, Viscobyk-5120 or BYK-1161. This employs a mostly CO2-neutral material and conserves fossil resources.

Labels and eco-balance

Green quality seals are awarded to products with particular ecological qualities. As part of this evaluation, not just the final products, but also their source materials such as coatings and plastic systems have to meet stringent requirements. Many BYK additives meet the specifications of the European EU Ecolabel for interior and exterior coatings and paint products.

New additives for aqueous coatings

At ALTANA, product stewardship also means the continuous advancement and optimization of existing systems. BYK has demonstrated this with two new multifunctional additives for aqueous coatings, which not only are easy to process, but also environmentally compatible. This is further enhanced by benefits in the process and supply chain. Because the system only uses a single additive, it offers better product safety.Furthermore, the product is less complex and warehouse inventories can be reduced.

Environmental compatibility of new pigments

ECKART is one of the leading global providers in the development and production of innovative pigments. The company has recently developed a new generation of effect pigments on the basis of calcium sodium borosilicate, which are primarily used in cosmetics. In contrast to conventional pigments, the new product called “Mirage” stands out for high gloss, good transparency, and pure interference colors. Thanks to their high transparency, the new “Luxan” pearlescent pigments made from borosilicate can be combined with any color shade without affecting the original characteristics of the base color. These new pigments are an alternative to effect pigments that are made from a base material that is surface-mined in India.

Solvent-free products and renewable resources

A growing number of customers are specifically asking for solvent-free adhesives. This caused ACTEGA Rhenania to develop a new series of polyurethane adhesives for packaging films that meet this specification – and are even more efficient. The laminating of composite films requires significantly less adhesive than with conventional polyurethane systems. The new adhesives are made of polyols. 80 percent of the resulting polyurethanes are based on renewable resources, for example a component of castor oil.

Aqueous protection coatings

Safety is a top priority for manufacturers of food packaging, since systems that are in direct or indirect contact with food are subject to stringent safety standards, for example when it comes to using finishing coatings on food trays, yogurt lids, or blister packs in the pharmaceutical industry. ACTEGA Rhenania is engaged in intensive research in this field. As a specialty coatings manufacturer, the company has developed an aqueous protective coating for flexible packages that meets the demanding requirements of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). We do not use any components with known potential negative impacts, such as phthalates and PVC copolymers, but also melamine resin, bisphenol A and bisphenol A diglycidyl ether. This allows us to provide our customers with solutions that follow the recommendations of the German Ministry of the Environment to restrict the use of bisphenol A. We have also managed to lower the share of organic solvents with VOC content to below ten percent.