Meeting evolving regulations
With increasing regulatory restrictions, the coatings industry must transition away from PFAS, tin catalysts, cobalt driers, and cyclic silicones due to environmental and health concerns. This transition involves developing new formulations that balance regulatory requirements with application performance. While effective replacements exist, optimising performance while eliminating restricted substances remains a key challenge for formulators.
Key trends and materials:
Key regulatory trends and formulation challenges in industrial coatings explained:
- PFAS-free formulations: Restricted under the Stockholm Convention and REACH due to their bioaccumulation and toxicity concerns, substances such as PFOA and PFOS have been banned. Upcoming PFAS restrictions will cover thousands of substances, impacting coatings used for weather resistance, corrosion protection, and substrate wetting.
- Tin-free catalysts: Organo-tin compounds, such as DBTDL and DOTL, are heavily restricted under REACH Annex XVII due to concerns about toxicity and endocrine disruption. Metal-based alternatives, including bismuth, zirconium, and zinc, offer regulations compliance but require optimisation to balance reactivity and pot life.
- Cobalt-free driers: Cobalt salts, classified as carcinogenic (Category 1B), are currently under regulatory review in both the EU and the US. Non-cobalt oxidative driers enable regulations compliance with these regulations but may require different resin and additive combinations to achieve optimal drying behaviour.
- Cyclic silicone-free and low-cyclic silicone additives: D4, D5, and D6 siloxanes are classified as very persistent and very bio accumulative (vPvB) under REACH regulations. While restrictions apply to consumer and professional coatings, certain industrial exemptions remain. Silicone-free and low-cyclic silicone additives are addressing these changes while delivering comparable performance.
Key materials:
Key raw materials used to provide regulatory compliance:
- Catalysts: Tin-free curing agents optimised for reactivity and stability.
- Driers: Cobalt-free oxidative driers designed for efficient film curing.
- Surfactants & Additives: PFAS-free, cyclic silicone-free and low-cyclic silicone options for substrate wetting and levelling.
Formulation support:
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