The Road to Eliminating Harmful Chemicals in Coating and Constructions Industry
September 14
3min read
Many industries have been using APEO or alkylphenol ethoxylates as surfactants in their products for more than 50 years. It includes textiles, pulp and paper manufacturing, household, paint and coating manufacturing, and many more. APEOs are versatile and cost-effective due to their wide variety of applications.
However, several studies in the last two decades pointed to the harmful impacts APEO posed to wildlife, water, and human. With the majority of usage in aqueous solutions, APEOs are discharged into industrial wastewater and water sewage. Therefore, humans are exposed to the risk of contaminated waters and food, ingestion of pesticide sprays, and absorption through the skin from sanitary products.
In regard to these studies, a few regions have created regulations to limit the use of APEOs in industrial products. Some major regions even completely eliminated them from the emulsion raw material bases, including coating resins and latex dispersing agents. These regulations urge manufacturers to develop formulations to substitute APEOs as surfactants.
Coating and Construction Industry’s Response to the APEO-free Regulations
As a manufacturer, complying with the regulations is just as important as protecting consumers. Especially with the increased demand for green-label products, which in the Coating and Constructions Industry means that the products do not contain APEO, Formaldehyde, Chlorine, and are low in VOC.
It is a big challenge for manufacturers to substitute APEOs, as surfactants played an important part in binding two elements in a uniform mixture. This is especially true in producing a can of latex paint, which is near impossible without the existence of surfactants. Hence, it is necessary to replace APEOs with formulations that can give the same result.
Using non-ionic wetting and dispersing agent like DISPEX®️ Ultra FA 4480 can be an alternative to using APEOs. The excellent pigment-wetting properties of DISPEX®️ Ultra FA 4480 improve gloss and color intensity for aqueous pigment pastes. It is also perfect for water-based alkyds, polyester resins, and aqueous polyurethane emulsions.
It is important for manufacturers to comply with the regulations and protect consumers from harmful chemicals. Even though there are no regulations yet on the use of APEOs as surfactants in Indonesia, many manufacturers are shifting into producing APEO-free products.
Click here to find your Coating and Constructions product solutions with Bahtera.
Many industries have been using APEO or alkylphenol ethoxylates as surfactants in their products for more than 50 years. It includes textiles, pulp and paper manufacturing, household, paint and coating manufacturing, and many more. APEOs are versatile and cost-effective due to their wide variety of applications.
However, several studies in the last two decades pointed to the harmful impacts APEO posed to wildlife, water, and human. With the majority of usage in aqueous solutions, APEOs are discharged into industrial wastewater and water sewage. Therefore, humans are exposed to the risk of contaminated waters and food, ingestion of pesticide sprays, and absorption through the skin from sanitary products.
In regard to these studies, a few regions have created regulations to limit the use of APEOs in industrial products. Some major regions even completely eliminated them from the emulsion raw material bases, including coating resins and latex dispersing agents. These regulations urge manufacturers to develop formulations to substitute APEOs as surfactants.
Coating and Construction Industry’s Response to the APEO-free Regulations
As a manufacturer, complying with the regulations is just as important as protecting consumers. Especially with the increased demand for green-label products, which in the Coating and Constructions Industry means that the products do not contain APEO, Formaldehyde, Chlorine, and are low in VOC.
It is a big challenge for manufacturers to substitute APEOs, as surfactants played an important part in binding two elements in a uniform mixture. This is especially true in producing a can of latex paint, which is near impossible without the existence of surfactants. Hence, it is necessary to replace APEOs with formulations that can give the same result.
Using non-ionic wetting and dispersing agent like DISPEX®️ Ultra FA 4480 can be an alternative to using APEOs. The excellent pigment-wetting properties of DISPEX®️ Ultra FA 4480 improve gloss and color intensity for aqueous pigment pastes. It is also perfect for water-based alkyds, polyester resins, and aqueous polyurethane emulsions.
It is important for manufacturers to comply with the regulations and protect consumers from harmful chemicals. Even though there are no regulations yet on the use of APEOs as surfactants in Indonesia, many manufacturers are shifting into producing APEO-free products.
Click here to find your Coating and Constructions product solutions with Bahtera.