The world's population is growing, particularly in the big cities. With its innovative, sustainable products, specialty chemicals company LANXESS is helping to make life in cities safer, healthier and more comfortable. At this year's American Coatings Show (ACS) taking place in Atlanta, Georgia, from April 8 to 10, 2014, the company will be presenting material protection products as well as organic and inorganic pigments that fulfill even the most exact of requirements. The spotlight will be on premium products for the coloration and preservation of coatings, paints, plasters and mortars. “Our extensive and high-performance product portfolio actively reflects the megatrend of urbanization. American manufacturers of paints, coatings and coating materials – which represent a very important customer segment – can count on our products when it comes to sustainability, too,” remarks Dr. Hans-Peter Baldus, who is responsible for the pigment business of the LANXESS Inorganic Pigments (IPG) business unit in the United States.

Paving the way for LEED certification

At ACS, the Inorganic Pigments business unit will present ecologically safe iron and chrome oxides from the established Bayferrox and Colortherm ranges for coloring coatings. The pigments are lightfast, weather-stable and very resistant to chemicals. The current range comprises more than 100 shades produced from the basic colors black, red, brown, green, yellow and orange.

The production facilities for these pigments in Porto Feliz in Brazil and Krefeld-Uerdingen in Germany are SCS-certified. LANXESS IPG is thus the world's only pigment producer to have received this certification. Scientific Certification Systems, Inc. is one of the leading companies for independent certification, and determines, for example, the proportion of recycled raw materials used in an industrial production process. “An evaluation of our processes revealed a recycling content of over 92 percent. This exceptional result makes a very good contribution to our sustainability strategy,” says Joerg Hellwig, Head of the Inorganic Pigments business unit at LANXESS. “As a next step, we are planning an audit of our facility at the Jinshan site in Shanghai, China.”

Pigments from SCS-certified production operations comply with LEED and are thus safe for sustainable building. Already represented in over 40 countries, the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification system evaluates and confirms the environmental, social and economic sustainability of buildings in their entirety. The evaluation parameters include energy efficiency, water conservation, CO₂ reduction, eco-friendly indoor fixtures and fittings, and responsible use of all resources required. With this certification LANXESS IPG enables its customers to develop sustainable end products.

“The trend toward urbanization is driving the demand for environmentally friendly, sustainably produced iron oxide pigments. With our new facility in Ningbo, we are expanding our global production network to ensure we grow along with our customers,” explains Hellwig. A new plant with a production capacity of 25,000 metric tons per year is currently being built in the Ningbo chemical park on China's east coast in which LANXESS will manufacture high-quality iron oxide red pigments. Here, the company will apply for the first time its optimized Penniman process in which improved water treatment and waste gas cleaning bring a high level of environmental sustainability. The plant, characterized by its particularly high energy efficiency, is designed to meet and exceed the latest environmental standards. “We are very proud of the fact that we are the first manufacturer of iron oxide pigments that is in a position to manufacture these bright, clean, yellow-shade red pigments in an environmentally-friendly and consistent way,” adds Hellwig. The new products from Ningbo will be marketed globally under the Bayferrox brand for use in the paints and coatings industries.

Long-lasting material protection with superior toxicological profile

At ACS, the Material Protection Products (MPP) business unit of LANXESS will be showcasing high-performance fungicides and algicides that offer long-lasting antimicrobial protection for paints, varnishes and other building coatings. Preservatives from LANXESS help paints last longer during storage by preventing decomposition caused by microorganisms. In addition, other microbicides ensure that paints and coatings provide lasting film protection after application by preventing algal and fungal attack on the film. Products from established brands Preventol, Sporgard, Veriguard and Biochek will be on display. The film preservative Preventol A14-D – which is now EPA-registered in the United States – will be presented to the American market for the first time. The VOC-free formulation ensures that no molds or algae can grow on and damage dry coatings.

MPP will also be focusing on formaldehyde- and VOC-free in-can preservatives for protecting water-based, eco-friendly paints and coatings from microbial attack by bacteria, fungi and yeasts.

Brilliant hues with excellent lightfastness

The Functional Chemicals (FCC) business unit is presenting pigment preparations based on organic and inorganic high-performance pigments from the Levanyl and Levanox ranges that make it possible to obtain brilliant hues with excellent lightfastness.

Due to their high weather resistance, special grades such as Levanox Yellow 6G-LF and Levanox Blue 4G-LF are ideal for outdoor use, for example. These inorganic dispersions are specially treated to prevent heavy pigment particles from forming a compact sediment if they settle. This means they can be completely homogenized again simply by stirring, even after prolonged storage.