Hazard Reduction

Yttrium-based metal primer to resist corrosion in automobiles. Cationic electrodeposition primers provide corrosion resistance, high transfer efficiency (low waste), reliable automated application, and very low organic emissions in the automobile industry. Traditional electrocoats utilize lead salts or lead pigments to enable their high corrosion resistance properties. Using yttrium is 100 times safer than lead at typical levels of use and is more effective in preventing corrosion. Yttrium is a common element in the environment and more plentiful than lead and silver.

Fatty acid ester alcohol that acts as a coalescing agent and reactive diluent in alkyd and latex paints. This product is based on sustainable technology and uses renewable triglycerides (unsaturated fatty acid) as feedstock. These renewable triglycerides facilitate film formation and remain as part of the coating by incorporating the VOCs into the paint coating as fatty acid esters. The product is made by the interestification of vegetable oil fatty acid esters and propylene glycol to monoesters of the fatty acids.

UV-curable, one-component, low VOC automobile paint primer. This primer is made through a new urethane acrylate oligomer primer system. The primer cures in minutes from UV light, which is ten times faster than conventional urethane technologies. The primer requires fewer preparation steps, has a lower application rate, is more durable, controls corrosion better, and has an unlimited shelf life. This automobile paint primer contains less than half the amount of VOCs in conventional primers and is diisocyanate-free (a major source of occupational asthma).

Alkyd paint from recycled plastic bottles (PET), acrylics, and soybean oil with low concentrations of VOCs. Traditional alkyd paints are made with a solvent-borne coating and constituents of the petroleum industry. PET is incorporated in a polymeric alkyd-acrylic dispersion (LAAD), which gives the paint more rigidity, hardness, and hydrolytic resistance. Acrylic decreases the drying time and increases durability. Soybean oil stimulates film formation and improves floss, flexibility, and paint cure.

Chrome plating with trivalent chromium. Conventional chrome plating uses hexavalent chromium. Hexavalent chromium is the most toxic form of chromium due to its carcinogenic properties. This technology uses trivalent chromium, which is much less toxic and non-carcinogenic. This company uses a new electrodeposition process alternating between a cathodic pulse followed by an anodic pulse and a relaxation period. This process allows for thicker coatings of trivalent chromium and allows the structure and properties of the coating to be adjusted.

Sustainable and energy efficient building materials. These builing materials capture carbon dioxide and replenish farmland. The industrial hemp used in these products are grown sustainably and manufacture into insulation materials with renewable energy. Hemp growth offsets 9.8 tons of carbon dioxide per acre. HempWool® has no VOCs and toxins and is safe to touch. Other products include Hempcrete, Hemp and Lime Blocks, and AcoustiBatts.

Highly magnetic materials for enzyme immobilization. Enzyme immobilization can improve enzyme stability and enable enzyme recycling. This company uses a highly magnetic matrix that protects the enzymes from degradation and denaturation, allowing them to function in more extreme temperatures and pHs. The immobilized enzymes are also optimized to reach full activity and high loadings. The magnetic matrix allows the enzymes to easily and quickly recover with a simple magnet. This technology allows for cost-effective, industrial biocatalysis with better activity, results, and productivity.

Blowing agent for the production of polystyrene. Polystyrene foam is traditionally produced with chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) blowing agents, contributing to ozone depletion in the stratosphere, ground-level ozone pollution, and climate change. Polystyrene foam is used in product packaging for insulation, stiffness, resistance to moisture, and recyclability. This novel production method uses carbon dioxide as a blowing agent to produce polystyrene. Carbon dioxide is a byproduct of several industrial processes. Carbon dioxide is accessible, inexpensive, and nonflammable.