“Waterborne coatings Are 40-60% recyclable by their very nature”
Why water-based systems are leading the charge toward sustainable industrial coatings
Mike Jeffries
Business Development Manager – Industrial Coatings Covestro
Growing for sustainability demands, including lower VOC emissions, bio-based raw materials, and improved recyclability, are accelerating the adoption of waterborne coatings. In this interview, Mike Jeffries, Business Development Manager for Industrial Coatings at Covestro delves into the unique benefits of waterborne systems, critical formulation challenges, and the sectors driving the fastest transitions to these environmentally friendly technologies.
How are sustainability demands such as lower VOCs, bio-based raw materials, and improved recyclability shaping the development of waterborne coatings?
Waterborne coatings by their very nature are 40-60% recyclable. By using water instead of solvent, a significant portion of the coating formulation may become recyclable simply by evaporation into the biosphere. Waterborne coatings are one of the leading technologies available to drive to lower VOCs and are one of the easiest technologies to incorporate bio-based raw materials.
Which formulation challenges remain the most critical for waterborne systems?
I hear from formulators that they are at the mercy of the evaporation rate of water in ever changing environments. This can affect drying, curing, and blocking times. Because of this, it is challenging for waterborne coatings to mimic the “Class A Finish” achievable through a solvent-based coating.
The coatings industry also desires waterborne coatings to perform at the same highperformance level as solvent-based coatings. To achieve this, these waterborne formulations often require a post application reaction to occur. This can often be achieved through 2K technology, through addition of a water dispersible polyisocyanate, aziridine or carbodiimide. Some self-crosslinking mechanisms can be built into a polymer as well, such as oxidative and Schiff base self-crosslinking or even UV curing. But nevertheless, the desire is always to have this high level of performance in a 1 K waterborne coating.
Which sectors are showing the fastest shift toward waterborne technologies?
Benefiting from continued innovation in resin developments, site-applied floor coating technologies, both 1 Kand 2K, are increasingly migrating to waterborne technology. This is true for both concrete floor coatings as well as wood and engineered wood substrates. Certain technologies, such as polyurethane and acrylic dispersions and oxidatively curing water-based resins, lend themselves to the higher durability and aesthetic demands expected in these sectors.
The same is also true for light industrial coatings. Here we see a need for corrosion resistance and desire for faster dry with lower VOC, causing a shift to 1K waterborne self-crosslinking acrylics and oxidatively curing polyurethane dispersions.
