SUSTAINABILITY
AkzoNobel Develops A More Sustainable Way of Making Resins AkzoNobel, in collaboration with the Dutch Advanced Research Center Chemical Building Blocks Consortium (ARC CBBC), has developed a more sustainable process of making resins, which employs bio-based monomers.
W
ith the aim of developing a more
release of active ingredients, or the ability to
so they can be made in a more efficient way
sustainable process for making
add new functionality during the lifetime of a
and on a larger scale. Estimates suggest it
resins, AkzoNobel has been
coating.
could be around five years before the first
working with the Dutch Advanced Research
“There’s no doubt we’re on the verge of
products start to emerge.”
Center Chemical Building Blocks Consortium,
progressing to the next level of coatings
“We’ve still got a long way to go in terms of
with most of this research taking place at the
technology, thanks to this fantastic example
exploring the scope of the technology, but it
University of Groningen – where the team
of collaborative innovation in action,”
will almost certainly define the future of our
is led by professor in organic chemistry and
explains Klaas Kruithof, AkzoNobel’s Chief
products,” continues Kruithof. “By 2040 or
Nobel Prize winner, Ben Feringa, and PhD
Technology Officer. “We’re opening up a
2050, there’s also a good chance we might
student, George Hermens.
new future for paints and coatings by using
only be using bio-based monomers in our
The research conducted by AkzoNobel and
sustainable building blocks that will enable us
resin production, which will help us to reduce
the ARC CBBC has led to the development
to explore and develop some really exciting
the overall carbon footprint of our products.”
of a new process that uses bio-based
functionalities for our customers.”
A detailed explanation of the science behind
monomers to make the resins, rather than
“Faced with the challenge of developing
the development of the new process can
the traditional oil-based. Requiring just UV
the sustainable chemistry of the future – a
be found in a research article which has
light, oxygen and renewable raw materials,
major goal of the ARC CBBC – I’m extremely
just been published in the journal Science
patent applications have already been
pleased with these game-changing results,”
Advances1.
filed for resins and coatings made with
adds Feringa. “They show that a material
monomers derived from sugar derivatives
for coatings can be produced from biomass
For further information:
isolated from biomass.
using a sustainable chemical process. Having
www.akzonobel.com
This innovation could pave the way for the
started in 2018, the research project is still at
introduction of futuristic functionality, such
a relatively early stage and a lot of work still
as intelligent paint that uses controlled
lies ahead in order to optimize the monomers
The process uses bio-based monomers to make the resins. Biomass is cracked by using acid to produce the sugar derivative (furfural). Using light and oxygen and adding different alcohols, it produces monomers that can be polymerized into polymers which are used in coatings; the monomers can also be used in coating formulations which are cured by UV-A light.
1
https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/51/eabe0026
© G. Hermens – P. Visser
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