November 25th, 2021
Worldwide environmental limits on emissions and regulatory requirements are driving the development of water-based coating technologies.
Solvay has developed Reactsurf 0092, an alkylphenol ethoxylates-free (APE) and non-ionic reactive water-based emulsifier for solid epoxy resins mainly for use in industrial coatings and paints or binders.
Solvay’s unique and versatile Reactsurf 0092 technology allows for the formulation of high-performance waterborne epoxy-based coatings which can match or exceed that of solvent-based (SB) coatings but with an appreciably lower level of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Solvay continuously develops and supplies products to meet the sustainable development challenges and regulatory requirements its customers face today and tomorrow for cleaner, healthier paints and coatings formulations.
The new, cost-effective, environmentally and processing friendly emulsifier offers easy handling by combining both characteristic external and internal emulsification phases with no additional chemical modification required.
“Solvay’s Reactsurf 0092 emulsifier incorporates a highly reactive functional cross-linking group, a perfect balance and synergy between emulsification and epoxidation to achieve a highly reactive emulsifier,” said Dr. Rong Er Lin, Research & Innovation Manager, Solvay Novecare Coatings Asia-Pacific. “This offers good particle size control for optimum emulsion coalescence and consistency without reduction in strength and provides excellent application performance and emulsion stability of paints and coatings.”
Waterborne epoxy emulsions which incorporate Solvay’s Reactsurf 0092 exhibit excellent freeze-thaw (F/T) resistance and are still flowable under -10 degrees C (14 degrees F) at up to 5 F/T cycles. Results of salt spray tests (ASTM B-117) on cold steel rolled (CRS) plates coated with epoxy emulsion paint with both high and low pigment volume concentrations (PVC) display a combination of high corrosion resistance, superior wet-adhesion, and no peel-off, contrary to test benchmarks. Additional characteristics such as MEK (methylethylketone) Rub Test (ASTM D5264), impact resistance and pendulum hardness are equivalent to conventional waterborne epoxy coatings but with the significant benefit of very low VOCs.
High-performance waterborne epoxy resin paints and coatings are used in many end-use industrial applications such as railway freight and passenger rolling stock, rail tracks and fittings, storage tanks, shipping containers, pipes, and structural steelwork.