Royal DSM N.V. and Novomer Inc. have announced an agreement to jointly develop a revolutionary coating resin using carbon dioxide (CO2) as a raw material.
Royal DSM N.V., a global
life and material sciences company headquartered in the Netherlands, and Novomer Inc., Waltham, MA, have
announced an agreement to jointly develop a revolutionary coating resin using
carbon dioxide (CO2) as a raw material.
This development agreement
follows a cooperation agreement and an investment by DSM Venturing in Novomer
in 2007. The joint development project will benefit from the broad variety of
DSM’s technologies and market access, in combination with the unique, efficient
CO2polymerization technology of Novomer.
The chemistry and process
technology for producing polymers from CO2and
propylene oxide (PO) will be developed by Novomer, while DSM will convert the
polymers into resins and formulate them for target applications such as
coatings, adhesives, and graphic arts. Initial results are encouraging and
suggest that this project might lead to completely new and improved application
properties in coatings.
Given the fact that up to
50% by weight of CO2is used as raw material, the
production of these resins will result in an improved carbon footprint. The
process is also expected to be highly efficient, enabling the replacement of
conventional resins in a number of coating applications.
Polycarbonate resins are
widely known because of their superior performance and resistances and
theoretically could find use in many types of coatings. Commercial use of
conventional types has, however, always been limited due to their cost position
and some weaknesses that are inherent in these products. The new CO2-based
aliphatic polycarbonates to be developed by DSM and Novomer could potentially
resolve these weaknesses.
“DSM and Novomer are looking to develop the first polymer in more than
a decade to enter the mainstream of the coating industry,” said Rob van
Leen, chief innovation officer of DSM.
“This exciting development can lead to a breakthrough that could change the
coating industry. Besides cost issues, these innovative coating resins also
address environmental and performance issues. They therefore fit in perfectly
within DSM’s People, Planet and Profit approach.”
Peter Shepard, vice
president of business development of Novomer, adds: “We are very enthusiastic about our relationship with DSM, as they
bring a wealth of skills and industry knowledge to help drive the
commercialization of our technology in the coatings industry. In addition, this
product development relationship with DSM leverages our ongoing technical
development work that has been supported by the New York State Energy Research
and Development Authority.”
For more information, visitwww.novomer.com.