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The drying and application times of a coating have always been crucial for paint sales, but now it seems, the way that a coating dries is set to revolutionise the specialty coatings industry. This is because researchers at the University of Surrey in Guildford, UK, have discovered that as coatings dry the molecules separate into layers based on their size (smaller on top of larger).

The APS Physics website reports the discovery as follows, “As the liquid in a drying colloid evaporates, particles below the surface are forced closer together. At the same time, Brownian motion results in the particles jostling about randomly. Brownian motion is faster for smaller particles, so they can more easily redistribute themselves as the colloid volume decreases. Larger particles cannot move away so quickly and accumulate at the surface-air interface. Researchers who have studied colloids containing particles of different sizes have found that for certain evaporation rates, larger particles concentrated at the top of a drying film while smaller particles were more evenly distributed throughout”

The discovery was a considerable shock to the researchers, with Richard Sear and fellow team member Andrea Fortini declaring, “The stratification that we found was neither predicted nor expected, and we spent a few months verifying the results.”

Unfortunately, the way that coatings dry is not entirely uniform and has proportional limitations, which may hamper some more technical applications of the discovery. However, at least the researchers have found a value for improving stratification, as explained, “The [layering] effect occurred for particle-size ratios ranging from 2:1 to 14:1, but only when the number of small particles exceeded the number of large ones by a factor of 200 or more. Even when stratification occurred, it was not perfect: some large particles remained trapped near the interface by surface tension.”

The United Press International news agency is speculating that, the discovery may, “… have implications for a variety of coatings and industries, from beauty products to pharmaceuticals.” Whilst Fortini himself has suggested on the University of Surrey website that, “This type of ‘self-layering’ in a coating could be very useful. For example, in a sun screen, most of the sunlight-blocking particles could be designed to push their way to the top, leaving particles that can adhere to the skin near the bottom of the coating.”

Whilst the research was EU funded with “aims at the reduction of environmentally damaging volatile organic compounds in paints.” The importance of the discovery may now be applied to any number of “industrial products such as paints, inks, and adhesives”.

Other coatings industry executives are still waiting for feedback from their own research communities, but it seems that the impact will be far reaching. Already paint and coating industry specialists are now considering how this improved understanding can be used in developing new coatings or improving current products. Others question whether the slight randomness of how the molecules separate will prevent the technology being applied to high-tech coatings, whilst more generic paints require lower technical specifications.

Only time will tell is this discovery will revolutionise the coatings industry, or is the research really just as interesting as watching paint dry?

As part of the EU’s ambitious new ‘Circular Economy Package’, designed to ensure that “resources are used in a more sustainable way”, the EU parliament and Council is set to adopt a draft regulation that is aimed at lowering the use of non-organic fertilisers.

Describing the current situation, the international law firm Pinsent Masons said, on their website Out-law that, “At the moment only conventional fertilisers that are typically extracted from mines or produced chemically can be traded freely across the EU.” But now this looks to be changing as, “The Commission has proposed regulations. which cover the conversion of bio-waste into raw materials that can be used to manufacture fertilising products.”

The new laws will promote the use of organic fertiliser, as the European Commission press release made clear, stating, “Currently, the EU imports around 6 million tonnes of phosphates a year but could replace up to 30% of this total by extraction from sewage sludge, biodegradable waste, meat and bone meal or manure.”

When explaining the proposal to the EurActive news agency, Jyrki Katainen, the European Commission Vice-President for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness said, “Very few of the abundant bio-waste resources are transformed into valuable fertilising products. Our farmers are using fertilisers manufactured from imported resources or from energy-intensive processes although our industry could valorise these bio-wastes in recycled nutrients. This Regulation will help us turn problems into opportunities for farmers and businesses.”

The full draft regulation can be read here, with an accompanying fact sheet here, but Pinsent Masons outlined the proposed changes as follows, “The new rules will apply to all types of fertilisers, and introduce strict limits for cadmium in phosphate fertilisers. The limits will be tightened from 60 mg/kg to 40 mg/kg after three years and to 20 mg/kg after 12 years, reducing health and environmental risks.”

The UK based Renewable Energy Association explained in more detail how the proposals will work, stating that, “As some fertilising products are not produced or traded in large quantities across the EU, the Commission has proposed optional harmonisation. This means that manufacturers within the EU can choose to comply with;

1. The revised EU Fertilisers Regulation, affix the CE mark to their product and trade it anywhere within the EU.

or

2. National rules, which allow them to trade their product in their national market.”

Whilst traditional, phosphate based fertiliser traders are naturally worried that the regulations will devastate their export business overnight and put many traders out of business, other sectors of the agricultural industry have welcomed the development.

When talking to the agricultural website Hortidaily, Copa and Cogeca Secretary-General Pekka Pesonen explained how many EU farmers are struggling to stay in profit with rising production costs, such as fertilisers. He was therefore happy to see the draft plans to regulate mineral fertilisers, saying “As the first deliverable of the Circular Economy Package, we welcome this proposal to extend the scope of the EU fertilizers regulation to include organic fertilizers so that farmers in Europe will have a wider choice of fertilisers and better access.”

However, he continued his statement by stating that the regulations did not, “address the real core of the problem. Farmers are not only users of mineral fertilizers, they also produce organic fertilizers like manure and digestates from biogas plants. Certain regions have a surplus whilst others have a deficit. Although the proposal does provide room to allow fertilizers based on manure to be substituted for mineral fertilizers, the proposal is far from realistic. For European farmers, it looks like window dressing. They still cannot make use of the innovative products like mineral concentrates from manure. Moreover, we are concerned about reducing the maximum level for cadmium below 60mg/kg P2O5 which could put additional pressure on production costs of phosphate fertiliser. This gives additional support to our proposal to cut import duties to zero for fertilizer products to reduce input costs. We urge the EU Commission to make this a reality.”

Whether the EU Commission will listen has yet to be determined, but it seems that for now the EU fertiliser market is set for unsteady waters.

No one believes that the old 2003 EU regulations on fertilisers were perfect, but the new rules will put a lot of pressure on phosphate traders and have great potential to cost jobs. Maybe this will be a deciding factor for politicians when they come to vote on the legislation. If the rules are adopted, then at least there will be a guaranteed “transitional period allowing companies and public authorities to prepare for the new rules.”

Phosphate traders and fertiliser manufacturers who do not want the law changed, still have time to write to their MEPs. But they had better be quick.

Manufacturing, buying and trading industrial chemicals is a tricky business. Chemical prices are continually in flux and the market is forever shifting. It is therefore vital to keep your finger on the pulse, to find out the latest price trends, to know which new chemical process facilities are starting up and which are being mothballed. There are numerous websites, such as ICIS or RCS, that carry pricing news and production updates, but what is the best way to know what your chemical market wants?

Well, my former boss wouldn’t make any business decision without looking at the numbers first. He never wanted someone to tell him what they thought our customers wanted, he wanted to see the data. He believed in the power of market research, as do many others.

For example, Shawn O’Connor of Forbes magazine heartily recommends market research, stating that, “Be sure to conduct your own primary research to get information specific to your particular, unique business and the sub-set of consumers you hope to attract. A few research tools to consider include interviews, surveys, questionnaires, and focus groups, which can identify critical information about the importance of price and certain features as well as the strengths and weaknesses of competitors.”

Whilst according to Entrepreneurship.org, market research can provide us with, “…essential information to guide you in making strategic business decisions. By gathering research about your business concept, industry, potential customers, and competitors, you can uncover or verify unmet customer needs in the marketplace, and, many times, discover new ideas for products or services. Market research can provide you with value that should exceed the time and cost of the research itself. It can help you minimize your financial risks by determining if your product or service will succeed or fail in the marketplace, and perhaps save you from making costly mistakes.”

So it seems that market research is an invaluable tool for any business. But of course the problem with doing research in the chemicals industry is that you cannot start stopping people in the street asking them when they are next thinking of buying 24mt of potassium carbonate.

Of course, for a wider picture on public opinion, an expert such as Gallup can be useful. Or you can pay for a professional market research company such as Mintel or CircleResearch to do the asking for you, but firms like these usually provide only general consumer needs, not global, industrial markets like chemicals.

If you really want to research your customers’ chemical needs and know about your competitors, then you need a chemicals specialist researcher. IRL offers a market research for the coatings industry, whilst  other firms like Spotchemi and Frost&Sullivan can also use their indepth understanding of business to provide the detail you need, for the exact chemical product and region you need.

Failing that, you can always do it yourself! And if you want to know how, you can click here: WikiHow.