Waste Prevention

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).

Chempol® MPS paint formulations using biobased Sefose® oils. Chempol® MPS is a Sefose®-based alkyd resin technology that enables paint and coating formulation with less than half the VOCs of traditional alkyd paints and coatings. Sefose® oils are made from sugar and vegetable oil and serve as a viable alternative to petroleum-based solvents. They enable new high-performance alkyd paints with less than half the solvent. Using less hazardous solvents in paint improves worker safety, reduces indoor fumes, and improves air quality.

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.

Bioprocesses for chemical manufacturing. The Biochemize (P2B) technological platform is a more profitable, non-hazardous, and low-waste alternative to synthetic chemical manufacturing processes. Bioprocesses are highly selective and efficient. Enzymes used in bioprocesses are efficient and can be reused several times, reducing waste. Bioprocesses also reduce energy usage by enabling reactions to occur in mild or moderate conditions. Reagents and reaction conditions in bioprocessing are also less dangerous.

Pulp and paper enzymes. MetZyme® is a family of enzymatic solutions for all lignin-based biomass applications. These enzymes treat and enhance reused pulp, allowing clients to substitute virgin fiber with recycled fiber (RCF). Products made from RCF require less energy and chemicals to produce. MetZyme® PUREECO™ enzyme process lignocellulosic feedstock to create sustainable and renewably-sourced chemical building blocks for bioplastics, sorbitol, xylitol, furfural, 5-HMF, FDCA, organic acids, and other technologies that support biofuels. Lignin is often treated as waste and burned.

One-step, environmentally friendly process for the synthesis of solid oxide catalysts. The conventional production of catalysts requires acid-base precipitation with a metal nitrate, producing large volumes of nitrate and halogenated waste and emitting NOx and SOx gases. The extraction of nitrate and other salts generates large volumes of wastewater. This novel synthetic process eliminates aqueous and nitrate waste by using an organic acid, a pure metal, and an oxidizing agent that is usually air.