Category: Painting/Coating

Eco-friendly paint most effective against fouling on ships and boats

Read the full story from Chalmers University of Technology.

Emissions from copper-based antifouling paints are a well-known environmental problem. As much as 40 percent of copper inputs to the Baltic Sea come from antifouling paints on ships and leisure boats. According to a new study, this is completely unnecessary. When the researchers compared copper-based antifouling paint with biocide-free silicone-based paint, they found that the environmentally friendly alternative was best at keeping the fouling at bay.

Non-PFAS wetting agents for decorative chromium(VI) plating

Read the full story at Products Finishing.

This article is based on a presentation given at NASF SUR/FIN 2022, in Rosemont, Illinois, in Session 6, Responses to PFAS / PFOA.  It follows the case study of three facilities’ conversion from PFAS-containing wetting agents to non-PFAS equivalents, eliminating PFAS and moving forward with a smaller and more sustainable environmental footprint.  The journey of conversion from PFAS-containing wetting agents in both chromic-sulfuric etch and hexavalent decorative plating tanks can be complicated and winding due to deep rooted standard industry practices, as well as state and federal regulations.  Outlined here is a clear course of action that led to eliminating PFAS from the facilities’ wetting agent strategies.

Can silkworms take a bite out of petrochemicals?

Read the full story at GreenBiz.

The Activated Silk solution can be sprayed onto leather to create a protective coating that repels moisture, replacing the need for the thin polyurethane films.

Webinar: Paint your Coatings Green: Wetting and Dispersing Additives to Address Changing Regulations

Mar 10, 2022, 1 pm CST
Register here.

Sustainability and the notion to be “greener” are drivers for formulation changes within the industry. A formulator must balance performance, cost, and production viability, while keeping up with many environmental standards from various governances, both globally and nationally. Selecting raw materials that satisfy the required criteria can be a challenge. BYK strives to alleviate formulators’ stress by offering solutions that anticipate downstream regulatory changes while delivering reliable performance. This webinar will focus on wetting and dispersing additives that have been developed to offer corrosion resistance protection in waterborne DTMs and tin-free and biocide-free alternatives to existing products as well as a glimpse into how changing regulations guide innovation developments.

Learning Objectives:

  • Learn about recent innovations to improve corrosion resistance in waterborne protective coatings.
  • Discover the tin-free and biocide-free wetting and dispersing additive families.
  • Hear about how BYK takes action to stay ahead of regulatory changes.
  • Understand how R&D incorporates sustainability initiatives into next generation innovations.

Can’t attend live? Register to view the webinar on-demand!

Speaker: Mary Kate Nolan, Technical Support Manager – Sales and Distribution BYK USA

Aerospace and Defense Consortium finds safer alternatives to hexavalent chromium

Led by Toxics Use Reduction Institute (TURI) Research Manager Greg Morose, the Aerospace and Defense Hexavalent Chromium Free Consortium is on the verge of finding safer alternatives to hexavalent chromium for conversion coatings, which is typically the base coating layer applied to bare aluminum. 

The consortium, including Boeing, Lockheed Martin, NASA and Raytheon, has been working together since 2012 and has found safer alternatives to hexavalent chromium for sealants and bond primers. If this current phase of research is successful, hexavalent chromium could be eliminated from the entire coating system.

Lockheed Martin in Texas has completed the bare aluminum corrosion, neutral salt spray and paint adhesion performance testing. NASA has started beachfront corrosion testing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. TURI will conduct statistical analysis on the performance test results. A complete report of testing results and recommended safer alternatives is expected in the first quarter of 2021. View TURI’s website for details and published research reports. Contact Greg Morose for more information.

Assessment of Safer and Effective Alternatives for Coating Removal Products

The Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Institute did a project to identify and evaluate safer alternatives to methylene chloride and other chemicals of high concern used in coating removal products. Read the results in the final report, Assessment of Safer and Effective Alternatives for Coating Removal Products.

See also: Assessment of Safer and Effective Alternatives to Methylene Chloride for Paint Stripping Products (2017)

EPA’s New Rule on Aerosol Cans: What it Means for Who

Read the full story in Waste360.

How to manage wasted aerosol cans has long been a hot-button topic, as there are stringent rules around these potentially flammable containers as well as associated consequences—mainly high costs to comply and potential for serious violations.

But handlers will have less to worry about with the passage of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) rule around aerosol containers. That’s because it designates them as universal waste, resulting in simpler standards than when they were treated as conventional Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) hazardous waste.

But, more specifically, what will the new policy mean for generators, transporters and processors? And why after decades of being categorized as hazardous waste are these spent or damaged cans no longer designated as such?

EPA Bans All Retail Distribution of Methylene Chloride to Consumers for Paint and Coating Removal

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) regulations to prohibit the manufacture (including import), processing, and distribution of methylene chloride in all paint removers for consumer use will go into effect after November 22, 2019. As of that date, it will be unlawful for any person or retailer to sell or distribute paint removal products containing methylene chloride for consumer use, including e-commerce sales.

“EPA’s action keeps paint and coating removers that contain the chemical methylene chloride out of consumers’ hands,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “It is against the law to sell or distribute methylene chloride for paint and coating removal in the retail marketplace—a step that will provide important public health protections for consumers.”

EPA is encouraging all consumers to stop using methylene chloride products that they may have already purchased for paint and coating removal. EPA is also reminding all retailers that sales of these products to consumers is prohibited by EPA regulations under the authority of section 6 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). To learn more about how to comply with the regulations, including recordkeeping requirements, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/assessing-and-managing-chemicals-under-tsca/small-entity-compliance-guidance-regulation-methylene

The final regulation on methylene chloride for consumer paint and coating removal use was published on March 27, 2019, and the prohibition related to manufacturing, processing and distribution of methylene chloride for consumer paint and coating removal use is in now effect. A variety of effective, less harmful substitutes are readily available for paint removal.

EPA is continuing to work through the process outlined in TSCA to review the risks associated with other uses of methylene chloride. This process is designed to thoroughly evaluate available science before taking action to manage the risk associated with the other uses of the chemical.

Webinar: Waterborne Paint is The Future: Transition From Solvents Today

Thu, Dec 5, 2019 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM CST
Register here.

Join PPRC as collision repair shop managers and painters discuss the economics, permitting and other advantages of switching to water-borne automotive coatings.

There will be a question and answer period following the presentations or discussion, and to be respectful of everyone’s time the Q&A will be posted on the pprc.org website for later reference.

This webinar is brought to you by the PPRC, with funding through the Washington State Department of Ecology

EPA Issues Compliance Guide to Assist Small Entities with Methylene Chloride Consumer Paint and Coating Removal rule implementation

EPA has released new guidance to help methylene chloride processors and distributors comply with the March 2019 rule under section 6(a) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) prohibiting the manufacture (including import), processing, or distribution in commerce of methylene chloride for consumer paint and coating removal. The final rule became effective on May 28, 2019. Requirements for downstream notification and recordkeeping for all manufacturers, processors, and distributors of methylene chloride (excluding retailers) went into effect on August 27, 2019.

The guide describes the requirements EPA has established to address unreasonable risks from the use of methylene chloride in consumer paint and coating removal. The guide also

  • defines key terms,
  • identifies the regulated entities,
  • describes the required or prohibited activities, and
  • summarizes the downstream notification and recordkeeping requirements.

The small entities directly regulated by this rule include:

  • processors (since they formulate paint and coating removers containing methylene chloride),
  • distributors of methylene chloride
  • distributors of paint and coating removers containing methylene chloride, and
  • retailers.

The rule is fully effective on November 22, 2019, when prohibitions on manufacturing (including importing), processing, or distributing methylene chloride for consumer paint and coating removal go into effect. This includes a prohibition on distributing any methylene chloride for paint and coating removal to or by retailers, including e-commerce retailers. 

For more details, the full compliance guide is now available at: www.epa.gov/assessing-and-managing-chemicals-under-tsca/risk-management-methylene-chloride