cinganinnovativeportfolio.“TheBrazilianandSouthAmericanmarketsareveryimportant
andstrategictoAkzoNobel.Theystillrepresent4percentoftheglobalmarket,butthegoal
is to reach6percentwithinfive years. AkzoNobel is has a very substantial leadership in the
global powder coatings market, and our strategy for Brazil is to become leaders in those
segmentswhicharemoreattractivetoourcompany.Wecanleadmostofthesesegments,
in for those we still don’t lead, we are pursuing leadership this year,” anticipates Gustavo
Carvalho, business manager AkzoNobel Powder Coatings in South America.
Titanium Dioxide - Excellence in Pigments
With its unique characteristics, titanium dioxide has become irreplaceable pigments in
paint and coating formulations and essential to achieving excellent quality end products.
Having a higher hidingpower andmatchless brightness, titaniumdioxide is the bestwhite
pigmentonthemarket,providinggreatvalueformoneyandgreatdispersibilityincoatings
and resins. It is also fundamental for pigmentationand color composition, whiledelivering
good lightfastness, easy dispersion andweathering resistance.
Currently, research efforts and new developments reflect a search of improved producti-
vity, lower costs and enhanced performance in the end product, thereby expanding the
range of applications. “The highlights of our formulations are possibly those designed
for clean coatings due to their higher gloss, outstanding dispersion properties and great
weatherability,” says Camila Pecerini, product manager at Evonik’s Inorganic Materials
business for Latin America.
CCQM director Ricardo Campos says that before titanium dioxide, other white pigments
wereused,suchaskaolin,zincoxideandcertainotherwhiteminerals,becausenotonlywas
titaniumdioxide tooexpensive, itwas hard tofind in themarketplaceaswell. “As titanium
dioxide becamemore affordable, the picture changed, and nowother white pigments al-
mostoutofuseduetothegoodcost-benefitratiothattitaniumdioxideprovides.Inaddition
to itsmain properties, titaniumdioxide also provides UV reflectance to dissipate the heat,
while extending the coating’s durability. This variety of attributes, i.e. good hiding power,
no toxicity, UV protection, low chemical reactivity, and also lowprices compared to other
pigmentswhichfeaturenoneofthese,maketitaniumdioxideessentialinthepaintindustry.”
Oils & Derivatives - A Healthier Replacement
Awareness grows each day around theworld of the need for solutions tomakemore sus-
tainableproducts, andoil andderivatives alreadyexistwhichcan replacecertainchemicals
and petrochemicals.
Oils andderivatives havebeengainingmore andmoreground in thepaint industrybecau-
se they are environmentally friendlier solutions, as their sources are plants like soybeans,
sunflowers, palms and their fatty acids, etc. Accordingly, their toxicological and ecological
profile are more beneficial than those of mineral bases. “Investing in less polluting and
easily degradable technologies is a growing trend in the manufacturing sector as whole.
Customers and consumers want the products they buy to be less or even not harmful to
their health and the environment, and this calls for the industry to get ready to provide
such solutions,” says Ruth Keiko Kuriyama, newproduct development manager at Cargill
Industrial Specialties.
Companies today are proving more concerned about environmental issues and seeking
productsthatwillcausenoharmtotheenvironment.“Somemovesarealreadybeingmade
towardsreplacingpetrochemicalswithseedoilsandderivatives.Oneisexampleissoybean
