Mar 01, 2008

ASTM Committee D01 on Paint and Related Coatings, Materials and Applications will present a technical seminar, “New Solvents and Formulating Techniques for Low VOC and HAP Paints,” on Sunday, June 15, 2008, from 4 to 6 p.m., at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The seminar will be held in conjunction with the D01 committee meeting to be held June 15-18 in Vancouver.
 
Formulating quality coatings with low volatile organic compound content has been a high priority of the paint industry since the environmental movement began in the 1970s. The degree of difficulty has increased as VOC limits continue to be reduced, with more recent regulations making hazardous air pollutants a priority as well. The purpose of the seminar is to explain the current state of the art in achieving quality products with the lowest possible VOC and HAP content.

The following three papers will be presented at the seminar:

• “Solvent Selection and Formulation Practices for Low VOC and Low HAP Coatings”-J. Douglas Booton, Eastman Chemical Company—This paper explains the scientific principles used in solvent selection and how they can be applied to achieve good properties while minimizing VOC and HAP content.
• “Film Forming Aid Selection to Minimize Volatile Organic Content”-William Arendt, Versicol Chemical Corp. —This paper, which Arendt co-authored with Arron Strepka and Makarand Joshi, demonstrates the benefits of incorporating less volatile film-forming aids to lower the VOC content of waterborne coatings.
• “Photochemical Reactivity–A New Paradigm for VOC Regulation”-Ronald R. Hill, ExxonMobil Chemical Company—Hill will present the case for basing future regulations on the tendency of ingredients to form ground-level ozone, rather than the current approach, which is to reduce the mass of nearly all volatile components emitted under specified test conditions.  Examples will show how these principles make it possible to formulate better products while further reducing smog.

For further technical information, contact Dr. William Golton, The Cecon Group Inc., Wilmington, Del. (phone: 302/994-8000; wgolton@earthlink.net). Committee D01 meets June 15-18 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. For membership or meeting information, contact Jeffrey Adkins, Technical Committee Operations, ASTM International (phone: 610/832-9738; jadkins@astm.org).

Release #7923