Research Underway to Develop Bio-Based Products
In a recent press release, coatings manufacturer Teknos announced that it was participating in a new research project with the goal of developing bio-based binders and coatings as sustainable alternatives for fossil-based materials.
“Sustainable binders and coatings are becoming more and more important. To combat climate change and resource scarcity, companies in all industries need to develop low-carbon, bio-based alternatives to fossil-based materials,” said Pasi Virtanen, Group R&D Manager, Innovations at Teknos. “In the coatings industry, the availability and price of materials as well as the high technical requirements have limited the usage of bio-based solutions. Therefore, it is important to develop new alternatives.”
About SUSBINCO
Originally formed by a consortium of Finnish companies and research institutes in the fall of 2021, the SUSBINCO project is working to develop novel and bio-based product portfolios for manufacturing and commercialization in global markets. That winter, Teknos announced that it would be participating in coating preparations, coating research, end-user and converter research.
Since its launch, the research project has been reported to receive funding from the Finnish export promotion institute, Business Finland. In addition to Teknos, the consortium partners include Brightplus, CH-Bioforce, CH-Polymers, Kiilto, MetGen, Metsä Board, Mirka, Montinutra, UPM-Kymmene, Valmet Technologies, Åbo Akademi University, VTT Technical Research Center of Finland, Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology, University of Oulu, Natural Resources Institute of Finland, Tampere University and the University of Eastern Finland.
For the project, the research collective is specifically looking to create binders and coatings that can be used in packaging, paints, adhesives, sealants and abrasives. For the new, ecofriendly products, binders and coatings, researchers hope to achieve between 80%-100% bio-based content.
“The ambition of this project is very high; enabling products with at least 80% of bio-content means doubling the current available bio-level,” Virtanen explained.
“By the end of the project, we hope to have a range of polymers with high bio-based content that we can utilize widely in our own solutions. This is an important project, which also provides excellent support for our current corporate strategy.”
The SUSBINCO project is expected to support Finland in becoming the development and market leader of bio-based solutions.
“It is great to be part of such a wide and experienced consortium. As a coating manufacturer, Teknos aims to widen the end use applications of the coatings and binders developed in the project. In addition, we bring expertise on the technical requirements of the raw materials used in the coating industry. As a global company, we also expect to bring enhanced export potential to the solutions developed,” Virtanen concluded.
Other Green Coatings News
Earlier this year, specialty chemicals company Arkema announced that one of its products was approved to carry the United States Department of Agriculture Certified Biobased Product label. According to the release, SYNAQUA 4856 alkyd is made from 97% biobased raw materials, which come from byproducts of Nordic foresting.
The biobased label confirms that the percentage of renewable biobased content is certified and monitored by the USDA, as part of the USDA-led BioPreferred Program to assist with development and expansion of products derived from plants and other forestry rather than petroleum-based products offered on the market.
Arkema’s waterborne binder is APEO, ammonia, solvent and plasticizer free. Using the product in interior wall paint and primer formulations reportedly offers benefits for matte and gloss paints such as low VOC capabilities, good hardness, yellowing resistance, good whiteness, high gloss (where desired) and good drying.
The announcement arrives nearly a year after the company placed inaugural Green Bond fully dedicated to the financing of a new plant in Singapore that’s slated to manufacture 100% bio-based Rilsan polyamide 11.
For a total amount of 300 million euros, this Green Bond has a maturity of six years and an annual coupon of 0.125%. The offering was more than 10 times oversubscribed, according to the company.
In years prior, AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals (Amsterdam) announced that it would be working with Renmatix (King of Prussia, Pennsylvania), one of the winners of the company’s Imagine Chemistry challenge in 2017, on biomass-based performance additives for paints and construction materials.
The two companies signed an agreement to collaborate on research and development related to Renmatix’s Crysto Cellulose, a form of crystalline cellulose the firm isolated. Renmatix uses a proprietary process to convert biomass into cellulosic sugars and bio-fractions, which can then be used in the manufacture of products that would traditionally be made using less sustainable materials.
Renmatix was one of three startups that won joint development agreements through the 2017 Imagine Chemistry program. The firm was awarded the opportunity in response to its novel method of isolating bio-fractions by breaking materials down using only hot, pressurized water.
The companies expect the agreement to result in biomass-derived components for architectural paints and construction materials.
