News
08-01-2024
Movie: First Biobased Industrial Coating Demonstrated in the Bright Coatings Project
An important milestone has been achieved: the successful demonstration of bio MPA in industrial coatings. Biorizon spin-off company Relement teamed up with Worlée Chemie and Baril Coatings to successfully demonstrate this game-changing industrial coating: a first of a kind, high performance, waterborne alkyd coating; incorporating Relement's ingredient bio MPA to replace the fossil-based ingredient phthalic anhydride.
After three years of tinkering and testing various formulas, the partners, among whom Biorizon co-initiator TNO, hit a breakthrough with a pilot run of this eco-coating. And as a final check, it was showcased by Straalbedrijf Boxtel on an electric wheelloader made by TOBROCO-GIANT. A successful demonstration that proofs industrial performance coatings can be sustainable. It contains the highest percentage biobased content ever achieved.
For many years the coating resin industry tried to replace fossil phthalic anhydride. Relement's launching product bio MPA (3-methyl phthalic anhydride) turns out it to be a renewable solution: it not only replaces fossil-based ingredients but on top of that a waterborne coating has been developed to lower emissions and improve the safety profile. Additionally, other benefits were found that can be attributed to the use of bio MPA.
Biorizon spin-off Relement is now ready to scale up the production of bio MPA to ton-scale, which will lead to the commercial introduction of much more sustainable coatings, composite resins, adhesives and more.
Contact
For more information on this project please visit the Bright Coatings project website, contact Biorizon’s Sugar Horizon Manager Paul Könst at paul.konst@tno.nl or +31 (0) 6 25 04 13 79 or Relement CCO Monique Wekking at monique.wekking@relement.eu or +31(0)6 468 473 58.
Acknowledgements
This pre-commercial project is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the REACT-EU programme.
See also:
Biorizon spin-off Relement raises 1 million Euro seed round to scale-up renewable coating ingredient
Biorizon spin-off Relement announces closing of its seed financing round by adding Brabant Startup Fonds (BSF), the Brabant Development Agency (BOM) and TNO as early investors. Smart Industries Fund, managed by Innovation Industries, already invested into Relement last year. In addition, Rabobank has recently provided an Innovation Loan to Relement. The total investment amount adds up to 1 million Euro.
Revolution in the paint industry: Relement replaces petroleum with plant residues
Recently, the Dutch newspaper BNDeStem published an interview with Monique Wekking, CCO at Biorizon's spin-off company Relement. "At Relement, we are now able to convert raw material furfural, made from bagasse biomass, into a chemical compound called aromatics, a full-fledged alternative to fossil aromatics used in paint. The great thing is, it makes the paint not only bio-based, but also better in quality," Monique Wekking explains. "It improves the scratch resistance, for example."
Bright Coatings Project: Pre-commercial demonstration of bio-aromatic MPA in a 100% sustainable alkyd coating
Biorizon’s spin-off company Relement is coordinator of the recently started Bright Coatings project. Biorizon co-initiator TNO participates as well. Objective of the project is the realization of a pre-commercial demonstration for the production and application of the ‘missing-link’ in a 100% sustainable alkyd coating application: the biobased aromatic MPA, based on locally available starting materials.
Biorizon is powered by
This project is made possible by a contribution from the European
Regional Development Fund (ERDF) within the framework of OP-Zuid.
