Luca Amadeo, Chiara Mantovani – SAFIC ALCAN ITALIA- Luc Nonneman, Rob Prins – SAFIC ALCAN NECARBO
The growing use of indoor climate control appliances in homes, offices and commercial buildings around the world is predicted to become one of the top drivers of global electricity demand over the next three decades. The global energy demand from air conditioners is expected to triple by 2050. The use of air conditioners and electric fans to reduce indoor temperature already accounts for about one fifth of the total electricity used in buildings around the world, and about 10% of all global electricity consumption today. With improving living standards in many developing countries, the growth of air conditioning demand in hotter regions is expected to rocket. Supplying power to air conditioning comes with large costs and environmental implications.
There are several possibilities to reduce power consumption used for indoor cooling. Obviously improved efficiency of cooling equipment is one of them, but in addition improved building design and passive climate conditioning may contribute.
One technology that could help to reduce the need for air conditioning is to apply heat reflective and insulating coatings, commonly referred to as Cool coatings, to buildings. Cool coatings technologies have boomed in several countries during the last 10 years as they were identified to be an important cost-effective way to reduce the energy consumption. In addition to the energy savings potentially deriving from the use of Cool coatings in construction, there are several other applications in which these products can represent an innovation: think of the possibility of having car interiors that do not overheat or road signs capable of having reduced heat absorption.
Cool Coatings composition and formulation
A Cool coating is a functional product that is able to partially reflect the IR component of solar radiation, insulate from heat, or both. In the field of building paints, the formulation is usually based on a combination of a styrene-acrylic dispersion, capable of providing adhesion, water resistance and flexibility, together with a polyurethane dispersion that guarantees a hard, abrasion-resistant and anti-blocking film. Functionalizing elements must then be introduced, which typically can be heat-reflecting pigments and insulating fillers.
The continuous research, competence and experience of Safic Alcan Necarbo technicians have made possible to develop materials dedicated to all those companies that are investing in the development of Cool coatings.
Heat-reflective pigment preparations
Nebotint® WH series by Safic Alcan Necarbo is made up of 11 pigment preparations compatible with the most common binders for waterborne paints. These are highly concentrated, low VOC pastes, made with heat-reflecting pigments capable of reducing the absorption of most near-IR radiation. Nebotint® WH pastes contain selected pigments with excellent chemical and light resistance. These pastes can be easily introduced by simple mixing into waterborne paints, making them able to reflect heat. The company’s studies have shown that the application of paints containing Nebotint® WH allow to achieve a temperature difference of 10 to 20% (depending on the color) between inside and outside of a wall exposed to sunlight.
Low density filler preparation
SSafic-Chem FP2362C is the low-density waterborne preparation, capable of heat and sound insulation when incorporated in waterborne paints. In fact, this innovative technology shows synergistic effects in passive heat reduction when used in combination with Nebotint® WH pigment preparations and it improves characteristics such as adhesion, elasticity and scrub resistance. Additionally, Safic-Chem FP2362C can be used to replace part of the mineral fillers normally used in formulations. Thanks to its very low density, equal to 0.57 g/cm3, this material allows to obtain significantly light paints, which will have less impact on the total weight of the applied product and will have a higher yield than traditional products, with a consequent advantage in terms of cost per painted m2.
Waterborne dispersions for Cool Coatings
LThe Neboplast® range by Safic Alcan Necarbo includes numerous acrylic, styrene-acrylic and polyurethane dispersions for the formulation of any water-based paint product. In particular, two products have been developed to be used in combination for the formulation of Cool coatings:
– Neboplast® SB 8765: styrene-acrylic dispersion with excellent outdoor, water and alkali resistance; does not contain organic solvents, plasticizers or alkyl-phenol-ethoxylates (APE); the very low MFFT allow to not use coalescent
– Neboplast® PEU 8352: non-yellowing polyurethane dispersion, which guarantees a very transparent film without the use of coalescent; it has excellent mechanical properties, combining flexibility and abrasion resistance
Safic Alcan Necarbo is the Dutch company of the Group which develop, produce and distribute chemical specialties such as solventborne resins (Nebores®), waterborne dispersions (Neboplast®) and pigment preparations (Nebotint®) for the coating industry. Safic Alcan is a French specialty chemicals distributor based in Paris. The company develops and supplies a wide range of polymers, materials and additives for rubber, coatings, adhesives, thermoplastic industries, polyurethanes, lubricants, detergents, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals. With a network of 32 strategically located locations in Europe, Middle East, North America, Asia and South Africa, the company represents cutting-edge manufacturers around the world. Its highly skilled sales engineers enable the company to provide dedicated technical expertise and high-performance solutions, thus creating long-term partnerships with the majority of customers. Safic-Alcan employs 700 people worldwide and generated a turnover of over 900 million Euros in 2022.
