Water-borne alkyd coatings based on TOFA: A modern perspective

 
The coatings industry is urgently moving towards more sustainable solutions to reduce the impact on the climate change. Use of water-borne coatings with less VOC can reduce the environmental impact as compared to solvent-based systems. To reduce the CO2 emissions, water-borne alkyd (WBA) coatings with a higher content of bio-based raw materials than most of the other coating technologies, due to the use of natural fatty acids, can be a viable solution for the industry. Tall Oil Fatty Acids (TOFA), 100% bio-based fatty acids, is one of the most sustainable raw materials for the manufacturing of WBA emulsions. TOFA is obtained from crude tall oil (CTO), a by-product of the Kraft paper production process using pine trees from responsibly managed forests. Compared to other vegetable-based fatty acids, TOFA is known to provide superior properties, such as drying speed, hardness development, gloss retention and UV resistance, in coating applications. This work explores how a stable alkyd emulsion based on TOFA can be formulated into water-borne coatings, and how it compares to other water-borne technologies by offering a fit-for-purpose and sustainable alternative to the coatings industry.