Development of novel paints or surface coating systems by acrylation of epoxidized vegetable oils

• funding program: ZIM (BMWI) Kooperationsnetzwerke
• term: 01.01.2018 – 31.12.2019
• project partner: Hesse GmbH & Co. KG

Initial position:

Paints or surface coating systems, which are currently available on the market, are mainly produced from fossil resources. However, coating systems can be produced from renewable raw materials. Originally, natural oils and resins were used as raw materials for the production of paints and varnishes. The public’s demand on the industry and increasing environmental awareness in times of dwindling mineral oil reserves and increasing importance of CO₂ reduction require the use of toxicologically harmless raw materials. In this context, the vegetable oils can again play a major role. Due to their chemical structures, they can serve as an interesting alternative to established petrochemical raw materials with improved sustainability. For oleochemistry, vegetable oils with predominantly unsaturated fatty acids, such as dragon’s head oil for example, are suitable. In particular, vegetable oils with specific fatty acids can provide an interesting source of raw material for applications and uses in this increasingly growing sector.

Pure vegetable oils can only be used to impregnate wooden surfaces. However, as coating raw materials, the vegetable oils cannot be used without additional chemical modifications, since the C = C double bonds present in the fatty acid chains are too slow to react. Through targeted chemical modifications, the vegetable oils can be converted into monomeric building blocks, which are cured by UV irradiation to form stable films, since a large number of chemical modifications is possible via the double bonds.

Aim:

The aim of the project is to develop low-cost vegetable oil-based binders that can be processed by radiation polymerization into useful coating systems. This shall be achieved by the conversion of oxirane rings of epoxidized vegetable oils with high oxygen content, e.g. from the epoxidized dragon’s head oil, by ring opening with acrylic acid or with methacrylic acid into the corresponding acrylates. The vegetable oil-based binders produced in this way can be cured in existing industrial equipment by means of UV radiation or UV LEDs and ESH technology.

Resuslts:

Project is in progress.