Dow Coating Solutions Drives New Innovation in Low- or No-Odor Formulations

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The recent formation of Dow Coating Solutions has given The Dow Chemical Company a unique platform for business, product and technology growth. To drive innovation, the new business unit has established targeted R&D initiatives focused on key areas such as smart coatings, improved durability and reducing costs. The most closely watched and talked about theme, however, continues to be new technologies related to sustainable coating formulations.

Specifically, the business is looking at ways to replace petrochemicals with renewable feedstocks, as well as empower products that generate fewer emissions or odors – without compromising the quality of the formulated coating.

“The company has made tremendous advancements in sustainable chemistry for coating applications,” George Hamilton, president of Dow Coating Solutions, said. “Dow Coating Solutions is building upon those advancements to provide the industry with solutions that meet emerging standards and may help our customers reduce the environmental footprint of their products without affecting product quality."

Helping Reduce Emissions and Odor

“Low VOC and odor are recurring topics in our discussions with customers and industry leaders,” Wendy Hoenig, global director of R&D for Dow Coating Solutions, explained. “While we have the technology and products in our portfolio today to meet their current needs, we continue to work on new solutions with the goal of eventually eliminating VOCs and the odor they cause in coating formulations.”

One initiative that shows tremendous promise is the recently introduced BLUEWAVE™ Technology. This patented technology allows Dow Coating Solutions to efficiently and effectively disperse polymers and other material that have been traditionally very difficult to industrially manufacture as aqueous dispersions.

Reducing Industry Reliance on Petrochemical Feedstocks

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Even as the Dow Coating Solutions R&D team continues to look for ways to reduce VOC levels in traditional coatings raw materials, the business is also looking to replace traditional petrochemical feedstocks with renewable, often plant-based, raw materials by leveraging existing programs.

“Dow has – through businesses like surfactants, polyurethanes and epoxies – made tremendous advancements in renewable or bio-based feedstocks for coatings raw materials,” Hoenig said. “We’re entering an exciting time for the coatings business at Dow in which we will continue to advance these, and other initiatives, that move us further ahead toward sustainable products.”

Examples of new products introduced or being developed in the past 12 months include:

• ECOSURF™ SA Surfactants, a new generation of patented, biodegradable, non-ionic surfactants that meet most regulatory and environmental standards world-wide, while offering excellent performance and economics.
• RENUVA™ Renewable Resource Technology, a new process that enables natural oil polyols for products with high levels of renewable content and excellent coatings performance

ECOSURF is available today and RENUVA is being evaluated in targeted application areas.  These programs will establish Dow Coating Solutions as an innovation leader in this important growing field.

Hoenig and the R&D team will continue to look at new technologies to stay ahead of the curve and reduce the business’s dependence on petrochemical feedstocks, as well.

For more information about Dow Coating Solutions and ongoing initiatives, visit www.dowcoatingsolutions.com