As governments all over the world double down on Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) restriction in coating, the world is shifting towards green coating options. This has driven growth of global green coatings market, which is projected to see an annual growth of 5.8% to $118,990 million in 2023. 

Asia Pacific, which holds the second biggest market share, will see the highest annual growth at 6.7%. Among the green alternatives that contain low or zero VOC, water-based coatings will take the lead. Having seen impressive growth in the last few years globally, water-based coatings is projected to grow as new technologies emerge to improve its performance. 

Water-based coatings offer certain advantages such as low toxicity and flammability. Considering that it is still in the nascent stage of development however, a few performance problems remain, including foam stabilization and substrate wetting.

Emerging new technologies are helping to address this issue. BASF formulation additive FoamStar ED 2528 is extremely effective in doing so. Our evaluation of Foamstar ED 2528 on clear coat resulted in similar density and much lower foaming height, signifying similar defoaming performance on microfoam and much higher defoaming performance on macrofoam compared to benchmark. 

This high-performance emulsion defoamer is highly effective on microfoam and macrofoam, provides high transparency on clear coat high-gloss topcoat, and has excellent storage stability. Mostly used for industrial coating, the low-odor, VOC-free water-based emulsion with no mineral oils or cyclic silicone is highly sustainable to boot. 

Foamstar ED 2528 shows high defoaming performance on white topcoat compared to benchmarks. 

Another solution to air bubbles and substrate wetting in water-based coating is defoaming wetting agents, such as BASF’s Hydropalat WE 3229. Not only does it offer strong substrate wetting, it also comes with the best-in-class defoamer that prevents air bubbles. Our testing results in significantly lower foam level compared to other similar products in the market, while maintaining low VOC level and odor. 

Hydropalat WE 3229 shows excellent defoaming performance compared to similar products in the market.

Hydropalat WE 3229 shows high leveling performance in wetting test on release paper.

As the technology continues to improve, water-based coatings will continue to grow in popularity. By 2027, the global water-based coatings market is expected to reach EUR73 billion, of which EUR15.5 billion will be coming from China. Today, we are already seeing industry giants such as BASF and Valspar pouring in significant investment into water-based coatings as demands continue to rise.

 

Ready to elevate your coating solutions? Bahtera Adi Jaya provides cutting-edge BASF products like FoamStar ED 2528 and Hydropalat WE 3229 to meet your specific needs. Partner with us today for innovative, sustainable, and high-performance solutions. Contact us now!