Based on its favorable material property profile, Vinyl acetate - Ethylene (VAE) polymer emulsions have great potential for further growth and value generation, especially in the Paint & Coatings market and - as spray-dried re-dispersable powders (RDP) - in the Construction market. This is fueled by a global trend to avoid Volatile Organic Components (VOCs) emissions and in general to choose more sustainable options for housing and interior. Over the past two decades, the leading VAE producers expanded towards Asia, where China already took the lead position in VAE emulsion consumption. In this Tech Talk, the playfield for VAE polymer emulsions will be laid out: Its position in the general chemicals and polymers value stream, the main producers, and it’s main applications or markets. In specific, the advantages and disadvantages of the polymer material in the desired application, such as low VOCs Interior Decorative Paints, but also in Exterior and Construction applications will be discussed. We will point at future potential innovations, as this technology is full of opportunities for continuing this success story in the decades to come.

The main task of stain blocking wall paints and wood coatings is the protection of painted surfaces from impurities that are located underneath the coating. Over time, these impurities tend to migrate through the coating which become finally visible on the surface. This migration of unwanted components through the coating to the surface, called “bleeding”, needs additional re-work to be covered again, is time-consuming and is therefore directly coupled to higher costs. Stain blocking binders were developed to prevent bleeding of such dyes by catching these impurities irreversibly before they migrate to the surface. Necowel 4350 is a waterborne alkyd emulsion based on renewable raw materials, that provides a well-balanced ratio of anionic and cationic groups which attack ionic dyes and impurities at the beginning and prevents therefore the migration through the coating to the surface. This presentation focuses on the use of Necowel 4350 as active stain blocking binder and its application on walls as well as wooden substrates, and explains the high stain blocking efficiency towards different dyes and tannins.

Challenges in the Selection of Bio-Based Dispersing Additives for Architectural Paints