have achieved varying degrees of industry-wide adoption . To be successful , four fundamental pillars for new chemical technologies must be met simultaneously : performance , scale , affordability and environmental impact . Performance is the key criteria required to reach a broad set of users and to realise the magnitude of the opportunity to replace petrochemical-based products . Whilst many companies employ biobased chemistry , very few proactively pivot in a meaningful way without some unique performance attribute to inspire change .
Figure 2 – Hansen Solubility Parameter map
Property
% coalescing agent in Neocryl A-6099
Butyl levulinate
1,3-pentanediol monoisobutyrate
2,2,4-trimethyl-
2,2-dimethyl-1- ( methylethyl ) -1,3- propanediyl bis ( 2- methylpropanoate )
Triethylene glycol bis ( 2- ethylhexanoate )
20 25 30 20 25 30 20 25 30 20 25 30 Compatibility ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ + - + - + - ++ ++ ++ Coalescing performance + + + + - + - + - + + - + - + + + Gloss level ++ ++ ++ + - + + + - - + - + + + Hardness ++ ++ ++ + - + - + - - - - + + + Water resistance ++ + + - + - + - - -- -- -- + - + - + - Performance ranking + 9 + 8 + 7 + 2 + 3 + 2 -2 -4 -3 + 5 + 5 + 5
Table 1 – Comparative performance of coalescing agents in Neocryl A-6099
are derived from non-food biomass , such as corncobs and bagasse , without using feedstocks containing genetically modified sources . Figure 1 shows the chemistry involved . The new technologies from NxtLevvel are in a fully commercial phase that directly address industry needs in view of such challenges as :
• Stricter health , safety and environmental regulations , forcing companies to change away from using hazardous products
• Consumers increasingly demand more sustainable products , with reduced packaging and transportation costs
• Aquatic toxicity becoming a particularly sensitive issue , putting huge pressure on chemicals like d-limonene
• Legally binding limits for carbon emissions in the years to come
Recent years have seen the advent of numerous biobased chemistry technologies , which
Application testing
A common tool used by formulators developing home and personal care products , and institutional and industrial cleaners , employs the HSPs . These have proven to be a powerful yet practical way to understand issues of solubility , dispersion , diffusion , chromatography and more . Professionals have been able to formulate intelligently using insights that can be characterised by just three parameters : δD for dispersion ( van der Waals ), δP for polarity ( related to dipole moment ) and δH for hydrogen bonding . Figure 2 maps the HSP values for the solvents developed by NxtLevvel . The strength of the HSP parameters is that we know that like attracts like , so formulators can apply HSP values to that of the material of interest to solubilise , aiding in the selection of the proper solvent or solvent blend . One example is the use of butyl levulinate ( Nxt Solv * 200 ) as a coalescing agent in waterborne coatings . Testing was done in a waterbased Neocryl A-6099 resin system comparing compatibility , coalescing performance , gloss level , hardness and water resistance to those of 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentanediol monoisobutyrate , 2,2-dimethyl-1- ( methylethyl ) -1,3-propanediyl bis ( 2- methylpropanoate ) and triethylene glycol bis ( 2-ethylhexanoate ). Table 1 demonstrates the superior
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