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Zero VOC Colorants—A to Z High Hiding, High Performance, High Strength, IR Reflective
Abstract
The deadline for SCAQMD regulations for VOC’s in colorants is fast approaching. Beginning January 1, 2014 the SCAQMD will regulate the VOCs in POS colorants with a maximum VOC level of 50 g/L. Many companies have made the switch many more are working on it. Green chemistry is changing rapidly. Colorants are no exception. Beyond the VOC aspects there are many changes taking place. Before the advent of 16 cylinder colorant dispensers, the paint chemist was limited to the conventional 12 colorants. Now with 16 cylinders, that color palette and pigment selection can be increased. It is now possible to make colorants that will provide hiding in a 1 coat application where previously it required 3 or 4 coats. This is due in part to higher hiding pigments as well as higher concentration of pigments in the latest colorants. Heucotech took the new pigments available and blended them to give reasonable close matches to their predecessors. Among the new pigments being used are high performance pigments. Red 254 offers superior hiding to the conventional pigments used in the R colorant. It also offers superior exterior properties. Yellow 184 and Yellow 139 offer superior properties to the pigments currently used in the AXX and T colorants. IR reflective pigments are becoming popular in many applications to reduce the effect of solar heat. TSR, total solar reflectance is becoming a popular vernacular in the coatings industry. These IR Reflective pigments are being incorporated into Universal Colorants to be used in Point of Sale (POS).