We spoke exclusively with Nitemar Vieira, head of Lanxess' Technical Competence Center for Latin America and Mexico, about the latest developments in the manufacturing process and new developments in inorganic pigments for the formulation of paints and coatings.
by Duván Chaverra Agudelo
Although it is a well-known market in the field of paints and coatings, the inorganic pigments sector does not cease to surprise us with the launch of new products year after year, which have some advances in terms of performance properties.
In this opportunity we will delve into the development of this important raw material for formulation, analyzing the current creation process highlighting manufacturing methods with environmental trends; We will also highlight the most recent inclusions in properties that have this type of indispensable products within the guild of paintings and that can already be purchased in the market.
It is worth establishing that inorganic pigments are metallic compounds obtained by precipitation, drying and/or calcination. As for the type of color, muted shades related to iron oxide, bright red and orange colors of cadmium pigments can be obtained.
Compared to organic pigments, inorganic pigments have a lower coloring force, however, they have characteristics such as outstanding weathering fastness and an outstanding covering power. Other properties to highlight are its resistance to migration, its easy dispersion and heat stability.
However, when its characteristics are highlighted, concerns arise about what companies are doing within their production processes, not only to create innovative products, but also to take care of their facilities, contribute to the environment and protect their group of employees.
That's why we spoke with Nitemar Vieira, head of the Technical Competence Center for Latin America and Mexico at Lanxess, the company specialized in this kind of pigments. with it we will know deeply the manufacturing processes of the German company and the latest characteristics of this class of products.
Initially, our guest highlighted the sustainable investment that currently exists within this sector: "The Laux manufacturing method in Germany stands out as one of the most sustainable production processes in the world. The exothermic reaction, intrinsic to this process, produces intense heat. The energy released is reused in the manufacturing process, resulting in a significant reduction in external energy consumption. In addition to that, the heat recovery in the Laux process allows an economy in hot water and a noticeable decrease in cooling water."
As a sign of its evolution, the company will now have a new inorganic pigment factory in China. The plant will have modern environmental production standards and an initial annual production capacity of 25,000 tons. There they will manufacture red iron oxide pigments using the process called "Penniman", which, according to the company, has highly sustainable characteristics.
"With our advanced and innovative production process, we are raising the level of production of iron oxide pigments worldwide, especially with regard to water treatment, waste gas treatment and energy consumption," said Joerg Hellwig, global head of Lanxess' inorganic pigments business unit.
In Latin America, manufacturing processes have also had a concentration on the environmental aspect, as Nitemar Viera explained. "In Latin America, the water used in the production process returns to nature cleaner than in the initial phase, a part of the plant has its own plant to co-generate energy from the natural resource, sugar cane. The production process of iron oxide pigments uses recycled material in more than 94% of the composition of its raw material, which makes Lanxess inorganic pigments recognized in the so-called Green Building through important certifications, for example LEED certification."
News and applications
In terms of innovations, the company highlighted a new launch of one of its brands: it is a new yellow iron oxide with a clean, micronized hue and that has low oil absorption, which provides a remarkable dispersion capacity and makes it a suitable pigment for highly concentrated systems, since it has low viscosity. It is known under the trade name Bayferrox® 910LOM.
The pigments currently marketed on the market by the German company have a wide variety of applications ranging from emulsion to decorative, industrial, powder, coil coatings, inks for the automotive industry, anticorrosive and for the protection of wood and furniture.
It is well known that pigments based on iron oxide and chromium are opaque and have good covering power for formulations. In this regard, Nitemar highlights that the Bayferrox® and Colortherm® lines have obtained significant improvements in the covering power due to their uniformity and color stability.
And precisely on the main novelties in terms of the pigmentation power of the inorganic line, Nitemar Viera commented that "several factors influence the dyeing power of inorganic pigments: the origin, processes and characteristics are some of them. The synthetic pigments of iron oxide and chromium that we have developed have a high pigmentation power, as they are micronized and provide excellent dispersibility; in addition, they have a small particle size, restricted colorimetric range and color constancy."
To conclude, our guest described some recommendations that should be taken into account when selecting a type of inorganic pigment for a certain industrial or residential application.
"There are many reasons why producers use iron and chromium oxides for applications in industrial and residential inks. We can highlight its high density, excellent performance in relation to chemical resistance, solvents and weathering, good covering power, great dispersion facility (micronization), small particle size, small surface area and low cost. For example, our portfolio includes products with special shades and metal control, has a positive influence on the process of substitution of inorganic lead-based products, also reduces the amount of organic in the formulations, maintains the physicochemical characteristics of the formulations and minimizes the cost/formula."
Finally, the head of the Technical Competence Center for Latin America and Mexico of Lanxess, forecasts a 2014 in which expectations in the segment of inorganic pigments are very positive. "Lanxess has the goal of doubling the region's organic economic growth (Latin American GDP) in the iron oxide market."
