COATING & LININGS

PAINT GOES GREEN

The terms of the solvent emissions directive, due to take full effect at the beginning of 2007, will place tight restrictions on the level of solvents in tank linings and coatings in all installations. But many paint and coating manufacturers are already ahead of the game.

As Morten Lauritzen, group project manager (protective coatings) with Hempel A/S explains: "There is a big push towards high volume solids. More and more customers set a minimum for the volume of solids. This is something we have been working towards for the last 10 years." With competition in the global market for protective coatings ever increasing, Hempel opened its Innovation Centre in Lundtofte, north of Copenhagen in Denmark, in May 2001.

The purpose of the Innovation Centre is to set new standards for research and development in the paint industry, including the selection of new raw materials which are more environmentally friendly. Hempel is not alone in developing "greener" products.

Matching performance
Many companies - such as Sigma and Ameron - have a full range of high volume solids products. The challenge they now face is to develop products that match the performance of their less ecofriendly predecessors.

Says Lauritzen: "There are products in the market with 100% volume solids, but the chemical resistance is not on par with the ones with low volume solids." At Sigma Coatings, Marketing Manager Gerard de Vries describes the company's approach to the challenge: "We are developing new products that are chemical resistant and that will offer a wide range of applications," he says. "This allows the tank operator to be as flexible as possible."