Ferrier chemists to paint the town green
Chemists from the Ferrier Research Institute have helped to develop a new sustainable-based paint.
In a five year collaboration with leading New Zealand paint manufacturing company Resene, the chemists have created a waterborne paint formulation based on cellulose—which originates from plant-matter—making it naturally derived and renewable.
Dr Simon Hinkley, Dr Cameron Tristram, Professor Bradley Williams and Jennifer Mason have been working on the product since 2009, when Resene won the ‘What’s Your Problem New Zealand’ research competition.
The competition, run by Industrial Research Ltd (now Callaghan Innovation), aimed to encourage businesses to develop innovative products and increase research and development.
As the winner, Resene was awarded $1 million to develop renewable paint with a goal of breaking the long-term reliance on gas and oil for high performance paints and addressing consumer demand for environmentally friendly products.
After a year’s research, Ferrier chemists were awarded funding from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment to continue their investigation and have now developed a cellulose-based polymer for use as a paint coating.
Dr Hinkley says the paint is ‘doubly renewable’ as both of its major elements, cellulose and levulinic acid, are derived from plant material.
“Cellulose derivatives have been used for over a century in everything from explosives, to cigarette filters and wallpaper paste. The use of it is heavily embedded in society, so finding a new space in that area was very difficult,” says Dr Hinkley.
The research, published in the international journal ChemSusChem in January this year and featured on the cover, required a diversity of disciplines during its development.
“Dr Tristram, then a PhD student, successfully characterised a poorly soluble set of molecules, chemically converted them into something that had desirable physical attributes, and formulated it into a solution that gave the necessary properties”, says Dr Hinkley.
“He then proved it was compatible with the other 1,000 odd ingredients that make up the average tin of paint. It was a fascinating study touching on countless disciplines”.
Resene is now in the process of patenting the formulation. Nuplex, a New Zealand derived chemicals company, has come forward as a supporter of ongoing research at Ferrier.