Low and Zero VOC Coatings

Over the last few years environmental regulations and an increased desire by consumers for greener products have created a greater demand for low and zero VOC products.  Most major paint companies have a variety of products to meet these needs.

“It’s very important which is why Dunn-Edwards continues to position itself on the forefront of green issues by examining the overall environmental impacts of paint – from raw materials, through formulation and production, to end use and end-of-life management,” said Tim Bosveld, vice president  of marketing at Dunn-Edwards.

“It’s vital that Sherwin-Williams Industrial Wood Coatings offers low and near-zero VOC products,” said Nick Bartoszek, marketing director, New Product Development, Industrial Wood Coatings at Sherwin-Williams. “Changing regulations make it imperative for both coatings manufacturers and their customers to adapt. As a manufacturer, we stay ahead of the curve by having fully tested and excellent products ready for market before they are needed.”

There are a variety of reasons why customers seek these types of products. “Some customers – the early adopters who are proactive in using these products – use lower VOC products as a selling point to tell their sustainability story,” said Bartoszek.

“Others adopt them because of permit reasons. As the economy has rebounded, manufacturers find themselves facing the positive issue of increased demand for their products, but that may also present a challenge in that they are approaching or are already at their permitted emission levels. Lower VOC coatings can help them meet demand without exceeding those limits – and in some cases, actually decreasing their emissions as a result of a full line changeover to lower VOC coatings. Finally, there are some manufacturers who make the switch only when they are regulated to do so.”

Sherwin-Williams Industrial Wood Coatings offers a full portfolio of products to achieve lower and near-zero VOC levels. “We offer both waterborne and solventborne products with higher solids,” Bartoszek said. “It’s important to offer products in both categories because some manufacturers want to use solventborne coatings, and this can be addressed by using ‘exempt’ solvents that don’t count against VOC levels because they are not ozone depleting. Increasing solids means that there is less material going into the air and more applied to the finished part. It had been a challenge in the past, but newer resin formulations have improved the quality of the finish and has the benefit of requiring fewer coats, which speeds manufacturing and reduces cost by taking steps out of the finishing process. We also offer 100 percent solids UV, polyurethanes, low VOC lacquers, conversion varnishes and pre-cats, as well as waterborne UV products.”

Dunn-Ewdards offers a large portfolio of low and zero VOC coatings. These include zero VOC (Everest, Spartazero, Acri-Wall and Ultrashield), Ultra-low VOC (Suprema, Spartawall, Duraflo and Ultra-Scrub) and Zero VOC primers (Ultra-Grip Select, Vinylastic Select, Inter-Kote and Ultrashield Multi-Surface).

Challenges

Despite the growing popularity of these types of coatings Bartoszek noted that many customers still want to use solventborne coatings because it’s how they’ve always finished products. But if you’re manufacturing in a part of the country with tight emission regulations – such as California, with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) jurisdiction – customers are limited as to what can be used.

“We have the ability to go to very low VOC levels for solventborne conversion varnishes, but that entails using solvents  such as TBAC, acetone or oxsol – all considered ‘exempt’,” said Bartoszek. “These coatings spray a little differently than higher VOC products. This affects our ability to dial in dry times and can add cost.”

Sherwin-Williams has seen a significant increase in the use of and interest in waterborne coatings. “Shops using today’s waterborne coatings find that they look, feel and perform similar to the solventborne coatings they used in the past and offer significant emissions advantages,” said Bartoszek. “We featured a program we call ‘The Waterborne Challenge’ at last year’s AWFS in Las Vegas and WMS in Toronto that asked participants to look at 14 panels finished in light and dark stains and paints and decide which was finished in waterborne and which was finished in solvent-borne coatings. The result at both shows was half and half – the flip of a coin, if you will. We believe that’s a good indication of the performance waterborne coatings deliver today.”

“The typical challenges of formulating for zero and low VOC coatings is to try to balance certain key properties, such as film hardness, block resistance, and dirt pick-up resistance for exterior products all while trying to ensure we get the proper amount of coalescence of the paint films,” said Chris Wessels, vice president of product development at Dunn-Edwards. “There are also application concerns due to not being able to use solvents that would help with open time of the paints that have to be removed due to their contribution to VOCs. 

“These are just a few of the challenges that formulators are faced with on a routine basis,” he said.  “One additional item that is often overlooked is the increased challenges that paint manufactures have with trying to keep the wet paint preserved from spoilage due to microbes.  As we have lowered the VOCs in our coating systems, some of these solvents that were helpful in keeping microbes from growing, have made these paint systems more challenging to protect and to keep equipment in the production environment from being contaminated with microbes that can inoculate the paint systems during the manufacturing process.”

Low and zero VOC paint and coating can be used in variety of applications requiring low odor. This includes hospitals, schools and other high traffic areas.

“Zero VOC is most sought after in all markets where consumers are concerned with health and the environment,” said John Kim, product manager at Dunn-Edwards.

“Sherwin-Williams was the first coatings manufacturer to offer a full line of formaldehyde-free coatings, and, of course, one of the advantages of waterborne is that it is formaldehyde-free,” said Bartoszek. “That’s important because formaldehyde is in the news again. Certainly, low odors is something most hospitals, offices, schools, retail establishments and residential furniture and cabinet consumers desire. It’s also a topic of interest among manufacturers, who want to ensure an reduced odor workplace environment for their employees”