International. Powder coatings are very well positioned to promote sustainability in many very demanding domestic and industrial applications, including appliances and furniture, automobiles, sports stadiums and more.
Arkema, a chemical company that recently completed the acquisition of Specialty Polymers, is exploring and advancing the recycling of post-consumer PET (from bottles and other plastic items) together with a consortium of companies to recover monomers. The company intends to reuse them as raw material for more sustainable polyester powder resins for the coatings market.
The project, entitled Suschempol, is led by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and was founded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and the State Research Agency as part of the NextGenerationEU initiative.
Neil Tariq, Global Commercial Director of Coating Resins at Arkema, explained: "This project was a perfect fit for Arkema. As a leading supplier of polyester resin for solvent-free powder coating technology, we are constantly exploring new paths, partnerships and scientific research that promote the circularity of our products."
"We are excited about the long-term goals of this project and look forward to sharing more innovation with our customers and partners in the coming years," added Tariq.
The coating process is optimized to produce a high-quality finish using minimal energy, minimal waste and time.
In addition, dust that does not end up in the product can be more easily collected and recycled, or even reused.
