From the Sector

Genomatica (Geno) alongside longtime collaborator Aquafil [ECNL:IM] successfully completed the first demonstration scale production runs for plant-based nylon-6. The material is intended to reshape the $22B nylon industry, enabling brands to meet demand from consumers for sustainable everyday materials from apparel to automotive parts to carpets. Geno and Aquafil have produced the first several tons of plant-based nylon-6 building block caprolactam, have converted it to nylon-6 polymer, and are now in the process of transforming it for evaluation in nylon applications such as yarns for textile and carpet and engineering plastics as part of pre-commercial quantities from demonstration production taking place in Europe.

The companies have been collaborating to first produce pilot-scale quantities of plant-based nylon-6 and have now advanced to produce pre-commercial quantities at demonstration scale which will help determine the final design of future commercial plants. The material will go to leading global brands and their value chain partners who are eager to explore and develop renewable products, create showcase goods and test feedback with customers.

Plant-based nylon-6 is Geno’s third major product line on a path to commercialization. The company has executed high impact deals with a range of brands to accelerate the global commercialization of sustainable materials, with the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 100 million tons in upcoming years. Recent milestones advancing the sustainable materials transition include: a collaboration with lululemon (NASDAQ: LULU) to bring plant-based materials into lululemon’s products, a production milestone with partner Covestro (OTCMKTS: COVTY) for plant-based HMD used in sustainable coatings, and a partnership with Asahi Kasei (OTCMKTS: AHKSY) and a newly formed venture with Unilever (NASDAQ: UL) to commercialize and scale plant-based alternatives to feedstocks like palm oil or fossil fuels, to make key ingredients used in everyday cleaning and personal care products.

Bodyshops can now take advantage of the vehicle refinish industry’s first repair calculator to measure, manage and reduce carbon emissions, which has been developed by AkzoNobel.

Designed to help customers improve their carbon footprint when using the company’s premium refinish products, the CO₂eRepairCalculator* is part of a new initiative which aims to encourage bodyshops to become more sustainable.

The tool is the latest digital innovation from AkzoNobel focused on making a long-lasting difference to customers. It identifies the carbon levels associated with the painting and drying process – including the energy consumed – and is linked directly to the vehicle refinishing products being used. It also provides data relating to the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), therefore helping customers to understand where improvements can be made.

When using the tool, the emissions and energy consumed are calculated based on a controlled two-panel repair in a spray booth to Greenhouse Gas Protocol accounting standards. The results are presented in an online dashboard, which allows local energy prices to be factored in.

The launch means it will now be easier for bodyshops to take positive action in an effort to meet their sustainability and carbon reduction targets. This is becoming increasingly important, as insurance companies are putting greater pressure on preferred bodyshop partners to cut their emissions in line with supply chain ambitions that meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The CO₂eRepairCalculator is currently being introduced in the UK market to Sikkens customers (with Lesonal to follow shortly). It will be rolled out across markets in Europe during the next few months.

*CO₂e stands for carbon dioxide and equivalent gases. The tool measures carbon dioxide (CO₂) and equivalent gases such as methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O), which all fall under the term greenhouse gases (GHGs).

• The Borvida™ portfolio introduces sustainable base chemicals to Borealis’ range of product offering
• The range will initially be based on non-food waste biomass, and chemically-recycled waste; in the future it will also draw from atmospheric carbon capture
• The traceability of the content will be based on Mass Balance, which is ISCC PLUS certified
• This is the next step in an ambitious sustainability journey, which will see Borealis move away from traditional fossil-based feed

Borealis is strengthening its EverMinds™ circular product offering with Borvida™, a range of sustainable base chemicals.

The Borvida portfolio will offer base chemicals or cracker products (such as ethylene, propylene, butene and phenol) with ISCC Plus-certified sustainable content from Borealis sites in Finland, Sweden and Belgium. The move is part of Borealis’ broader commitment to a Future-Positive Revolution, in which the unrivalled benefits of base chemicals and polymers can be enjoyed at minimal impact to the planet.   

The portfolio will initially comprise Borvida B, from non-food waste biomass, and Borvida C, from chemically-recycled waste. In the future, the range will evolve to include Borvida A, sourced from atmospheric carbon capture. Borvida is complementary and is the building block to Bornewables™, a portfolio of polyolefins based on renewably-sourced second generation feedstocks, and Borcycle™, which offers circular polyolefins produced from mechanically- and chemically-recycled plastic waste.

Borealis produces a wide range of base chemicals for use in numerous industries based on various feedstock, such as naphtha, butane, propane and ethane. Through its olefin units (steam cracker and propane dehydrogenation), it converts these into the building blocks of the chemical industry: ethylene, propylene and C4 hydrocarbons (butylenes, ethyl tertiary-butyl ether (ETBE) and butadiene), and C5-6 hydrocarbons (pygas, phenol) among others.

The basis of the Borvida portfolio is Mass Balance, a Chain of Custody model that enables sustainable content to be tracked, traced, and verified through the entire value chain, offering sustainability-assured products from feedstock to end product. Using this model, circular alternatives can be offered in a cost-effective and environmentally-conscious way, which can be scaled up quickly without compromising on quality or efficiency.

Borvida can be used for a wide range of different polymer and chemical applications, also beyond polyolefins (PO). Non-PO polymers, such as polycarbonates, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), super absorbant polymer (SAP) and other chemicals, are utilised for various end applications including coatings, plasticizers, adhesives, automotive, electronics, lubricants, detergents, appliances and sports equipment.

Together with key strategic partners, including Neste and Covestro, Borealis strives to provide a long-term solution in order to allow value-chain partners to meet their sustainability goals. Borvida will enable our customers to increase the sustainability of their products, keeping them ahead of forthcoming legislative changes, and meeting their customers’ demands for climate-conscious products.

Introduced on a smaller scale in early 2020, early renewable base chemicals customers include Covestro. “The use of alternative sustainable raw materials is one important pillar of our strategic ambition to become fully circular”, comments Frank Dörner, Managing Director Covestro Procurement Services GmbH & Co. KG. “The new product line is a good example for joint solutions, another strategic pillar, in order to establish new and reliable supply chains creating benefits for our customers.”

Stahl announced the launch of its Integra^® portfolio, a versatile toolbox that provides tailor-made, customer-orientated solutions under the umbrella of flame-retardant technology, protective surfaces, and protective coatings. The integrated, polymer-driven approach behind Integra® offers customers greater flexibility in terms of product development, helping them to achieve regulatory and environmental compliance while ensuring superior product quality and fabric integrity.

The market for flame retardants and performance coatings is increasingly complex and subject to extensive – and often conflicting – demands and requirements. This includes increasingly stringent chemical industry legislation that limits flexibility regarding chemical and additive usage as well as growing expectations from stakeholders regarding environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors.
 
With Integra^®, Stahl offers a polymer-driven solution that builds upon the flame-retardant technology offered through Stahl’s Eagleban™ brand, which is enhanced by Stahl’s expertise in polymer-based technologies for protective coatings and surfaces. By using the proven polymer technology as its “backbone” while harnessing the other technologies in its toolbox, including specialty crosslinkers and other additives, Integra® can help customers solve complex challenges in a flexible, integrated way that goes beyond traditional additive-driven approaches.

People in Brazil have a new ally in the fight against an invasive carrier of dengue fever – a mosquito-repellent coating developed by AkzoNobel’s Coral brand.
 
Known as Well-being Protection Anti-Mosquito, the colorless matt varnish contains an active ingredient called permethrin. Its repellent action is specifically designed to combat the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which was largely responsible for dengue cases in Brazil surging 165% during the first few months of 2022 – according to figures from the Brazilian Ministry of Health. As well as spreading dengue, Aedes aegypti can also transmit the zika and chikungunya virus.
 
When a mosquito lands on the new transparent topcoat, the permethrin is absorbed through its feet and over-excites the insect’s nervous system, causing it to disengage or fall off. Permethrin is a well-known repellent and is commonly used in fabrics for mosquito nets and protective clothing.

The effectiveness of Well-being Protection Anti-Mosquito was tested in an independent external laboratory, certified by the Brazilian Network of Analytical Laboratories in Health. All the tests took place on painted walls and ceilings in a life-size house environment and successfully proved that mosquitoes were repelled from the room after contact, with the active ingredient being retained in the varnish matrix.

Baldwin Technology Company Inc. has announced the installation of its TexCoat G4 finishing system at Graniteville Specialty Fabrics, a recognized leader in the production of specialty coatings and coated fabrics. With Baldwin’s cost-efficient and highly sustainable spray finishing technology, Graniteville Specialty Fabrics has been able to increase production efficiency, and minimize chemical and water waste.

Based in Graniteville, South Carolina, Graniteville Specialty Fabrics produces coatings and coated fabrics that are resistant to water, fire, UV and weather for the military, marine and tent markets, and others. The company excels in developing and sourcing custom coatings, and creating specialized technical solutions to meet specific, and often unique, end-user requirements. The installation of Baldwin’s TexCoat G4 is part of a major facility upgrade to maximize production efficiency and capacity in the durable water-repellent finishing and coating line to meet growing customer demand for advanced engineered products.

With extensive sustainability benefits, unprecedented tracking and process control, and Industry 4.0 integration, the TexCoat G4 provides consistently high-quality fabric finishing, with no chemistry waste, as well as minimal water and energy consumption. This system utilizes non-contact precision-spray technology, ensuring precise finishing coverage with the exact amount of chemistry for reaching the optimal performance of the fabric. Changeovers (pad bath emptying, cleaning and refilling) are significantly reduced, resulting in substantial chemical conservation and increased productivity.

The Techtextil and Heimtextil Summer Special exhibitions, taking place together in Frankfurt from June 21-24, represent an opportunity for Monforts to showcase its finishing and coating technologies for two of its major markets – especially at a time when energy prices continue to soar for textile manufacturers in Europe.

Existing customers of Monforts include many manufacturers in the field of home textiles, as well as those making geotextiles, automotive fabrics and other functional materials – all of whom will be well represented in Frankfurt this June. Dedicated Montex lines have also been supplied to producers of airbags, flame retardant barrier fabrics and spacer fabrics, as well as high-temperature filter materials.

Energy prices are rising steeply everywhere and a particular emphasis for Monforts in Frankfurt will be on the energy and heat recovery that can be achieved with Montex stenters, through features such as better insulation of the treatment chambers or the MonforClean system, in which waste heat from the drying process is used to pre-heat the drying air resulting in a radical reduction in the conventional heat supply required compared to gas and thermal oil heating. The modular system for heat recovery can also be extended for exhaust air cleaning and odour elimination. Monforts can provide a range of further resource-saving and energy recovery options tailored to each individual line installation including modification of the heating source.

With the Qualitex 800 visualization software, all article-specific settings can be stored and the formulations for thousands of treatment processes called up again at any time. Individual operators can also personalise their dashboards with the most important machine functions and process parameters.

The Qualitex 800 system is available for the automatic and continuous operation of the company’s Montex stenters, as well as its Thermex continuous dyeing ranges, Monfortex shrinking systems and Montex®Coat coating units.

Monforts Montex®Coat coating units serve an equally diverse number of markets, including tents, tarpaulins and awnings, black-out roller blinds and sail cloth, automotive interior fabrics and medical disposables. Full PVC coatings, pigment dyeing or minimal application surface and low penetration treatments and solvent coatings (in explosion-proof conditions) with knife coating, roller coating or screen printing can all be accommodated with this system.

All of these very different materials require coating and finishing for maximum efficiency, using Monforts technologies which provide the ultimate in flexibility and the ability to switch quickly from one fabric run to the next, without compromising on the economical use of energy or raw materials.

The Monforts EcoApplicator offers further potential for sustainably achieving perfect finishes via a precise direct application system, as an alternative to conventional padding – where fabrics are immersed in a bath of the required finishing chemicals. It can significantly further reduce the energy and water required and finishes can be applied on just one side of the fabric, or both, and even separately on each side, to be sealed in place via different heating zones in the stenter.

Akzo Nobel N.V. has completed the acquisition of Colombia-based paints and coatings company Grupo Orbis, strengthening its long-term position in Latin America.

Present in ten countries in Central America, South America and the Antilles, Grupo Orbis has consolidated revenue of around €360 million. The transaction includes the Pintuco paints and coatings business, Andercol and Poliquim (resins, emulsions, adhesives and specialty chemicals), Mundial (paints and related product distribution services) and Centro de Servicios Mundial (shared services center).

The Pintuco portfolio consists of 75% decorative paints and 25% coatings, offering a wide range of products across ten countries, creating several opportunities for revenue synergies.

Monforts will highlight its advanced finishing and coating technologies for the production of technical textiles at Techtextil North America, which takes place at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta from May 17-19.

The company and its US representative PSP Marketing, of Charlotte, North Carolina, will be part of the centrepiece VDMA German Pavilion at the show.

Energy prices
With energy prices continuing to go through the roof, an emphasis at Techtextil North America will be on the energy and heat recovery that can be achieved with Montex stenters, through features such as the MonforClean system, in which waste heat from the drying process is used to pre-heat the drying air. This results in a radical reduction in the conventional heat supply required. A range of further resource-saving and energy recovery options can be specified per individual line installation.

Advanced machine operation
With the highly intuitive Qualitex 800 visualization software, all article-specific settings can be stored and the formulations for thousands of treatment processes called up again at any time. Individual operators can also personalise their dashboards with the most important machine functions and process parameters.

The Qualitex 800 system is available for the automatic and continuous operation of the company’s Montex stenters, as well as its Thermex continuous dyeing ranges, Monfortex shrinking systems and Montex®Coat coating units.

Versatility is the key
Monforts Montex®Coat coating units serve an equally diverse number of markets, including tents, tarpaulins and awnings, black-out roller blinds and sail cloth, automotive interior fabrics and medical disposables. Full PVC coatings, pigment dyeing or minimal application surface and low penetration treatments and solvent coatings (in explosion-proof conditions) with knife coating, roller coating or screen printing can all be accommodated with this system.

The three winners of the Paint the Future global startup challenge are all set to accelerate their innovative solutions for the paints and coatings industry. Following an intense three-day bootcamp, these startups were selected by an international jury to continue working with AkzoNobel on sustainable business opportunities.
 
These are the three winners of the Paint the Future global startup challenge:

• SolCold (Israel) - Sustainable self-cooling coating based on anti-Stokes
• Aerones (Latvia) - Robotics for wind turbine maintenance
• SprayVision (Czech Republic) - Data-driven approach to optimal spray application of paint

“Through Paint the Future, we’re bringing innovation and sustainability together as a key driver of our business,” says Thierry Vanlancker, AkzoNobel CEO. “In our ecosystem, we collaborate with startups, suppliers, customers and academia around exciting solutions that will ensure a more sustainable future.”

Paint the Future startup challenges are designed to connect startups with industry knowledge and expertise to help accelerate their solutions in the paints and coatings industry. This Paint the Future global startup challenge launched May 18, 2021, attracting 245 submissions from 62 countries. Ten finalists were invited to Amsterdam to participate in the bootcamp program.
 
This is AkzoNobel’s second global startup challenge, following its industry-first predecessor in 2019. Regional startup challenges have since been held in Brazil (2020), China (2021), and most recently in India (2022).