Periodic Reporting for period 2 - LIGNICOAT (Sustainable COATings based on LIGNIn resins and bio-additives with improved fire, corrosion and biological resistance)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2022-12-01 al 2024-11-30
Coatings are widely applied in nearly all industrial sectors, and there is a growing need to develop more sustainable systems. Historically, the coatings industry was driven by regulatory issues to reduce the content of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Currently, many products labeled as "environmentally friendly" have low bio-based content. The challenge lies in substituting fossil-based resins and components with more sustainable alternatives, while maintaining performance standards that are at least equivalent. Biobased coatings are a growing niche market, driven by customer demand. However, developing economically competitive biobased products poses a significant challenge, particularly in reducing the gap of raw materials costs. Currently, most bio-based options rely on imported vegetable oils, but new value chains are needed to develop biocoatings using local resources. In this context, the development of chemicals and materials from lignocellulosic biomass is a crucial research area, given the abundance of these resources, which do not compete with the food chain. Lignin, the second most abundant organic polymer on Earth, remains largely underutilized, despite its potential for significant economic returns and environmental benefits if value-added applications can be developed. However, the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into viable commercial products is a complex process, and to date, no commercially viable options have been established. Over the course of three and a half years, LIGNICOAT project has focused on demonstrating the technical and economic feasibility of using lignin as a raw material to produce bioresins for various applications in the field of functional coatings. The project aimed to develop new synthetic routes to obtain polyurethanes, alkyds, and epoxies based on lignin intermediates, and to validate these in an industrially relevant environment. The objectives went beyond merely increasing the bio-based content and ensuring performance; they also sought to leverage lignin's unique characteristics to develop bio-additives, which would increase the bio-content and provide additional features such as anticorrosive, fireproof, and antimicrobial properties in high-volume market case studies.
A significant part of the work involved validating the lignin intermediates produced during the first period, with a focus on their suitability for developing bioresins and their application in various coatings:
•Polyols and polyacids were developed for polyurethane (PU) resin-coatings applications, including the non-isocyanate polyurethane (NIPU) route. A biobased PU formulation was successfully validated using scaled-up lignin polyols (LPOs). This bioresin served as the primary component in a flame-retardant waterborne formulation system, which featured a lignin content of 3.5% and a total biocontent of 35%. Additionally, a solvent-borne PU system was explored with the objective of increasing the biocontent, achieving lignin contents ranging from 9-30% and biocontents between 14-30%. These solvent-borne bioformulations demonstrated improved fire performance.
• Polyacids for alkyd resin-coatings application: fractionated lignin was successfully formulated into corrosion-resistant metal coatings, achieving a lignin and total biocontent of up to 15%. This result significantly surpassed the reference biocontent of 5%.
• Glycidated lignin, derived from depolymerized lignin, was optimized to produce epoxy resins and successfully validated in coil coating applications, achieving a lignin content and total biocontent of up to 23%.
• Antimicrobial and antiviral formulations have been developed based on bioadditives and bio resins (bioalkyd and melamine-sugar resins).
A comprehensive strategy for disseminating and exploiting of LIGNICOAT results was implemented, engaging over 180,000 stakeholders across scientific, industrial and broader audiences. Industry engagement was particularly strong, reaching more than 100,000 professionals, while nearly 48,000 researchers and academics were engaged through dissemination activities. The project’s digital presence grew significantly, with over 1,000 social media followers, 350 newsletter subscribers and seven videos showcasing our solutions, visits and events recordings. Dissemination efforts included 25 conference presentations, six organized workshops, and collaboration with other EU projects through five joint activities, enhancing the project’s visibility and impact.
Exploitation activities focused on 17 Key Exploitable Results (KERs), prioritizing seven based on innovation, impact, and market potential. Detailed business plans were developed for the industrial partners, including comprehensive analyses of external and internal environments, financial assessments, and intellectual property strategies. Revenue models were outlined for four KERs associated with the main final products. In addition, the potential exploitation routes for research institutions were updated, and a comprehensive evaluation of the broader socio-economic and environmental impacts was conducted.
•Polyols and polyacids were developed for polyurethane (PU) resin-coatings applications, including the non-isocyanate polyurethane (NIPU) route. A biobased PU formulation was successfully validated using scaled-up lignin polyols (LPOs). This bioresin served as the primary component in a flame-retardant waterborne formulation system, which featured a lignin content of 3.5% and a total biocontent of 35%. Additionally, a solvent-borne PU system was explored with the objective of increasing the biocontent, achieving lignin contents ranging from 9-30% and biocontents between 14-30%. These solvent-borne bioformulations demonstrated improved fire performance.
• Polyacids for alkyd resin-coatings application: fractionated lignin was successfully formulated into corrosion-resistant metal coatings, achieving a lignin and total biocontent of up to 15%. This result significantly surpassed the reference biocontent of 5%.
• Glycidated lignin, derived from depolymerized lignin, was optimized to produce epoxy resins and successfully validated in coil coating applications, achieving a lignin content and total biocontent of up to 23%.
• Antimicrobial and antiviral formulations have been developed based on bioadditives and bio resins (bioalkyd and melamine-sugar resins).
A comprehensive strategy for disseminating and exploiting of LIGNICOAT results was implemented, engaging over 180,000 stakeholders across scientific, industrial and broader audiences. Industry engagement was particularly strong, reaching more than 100,000 professionals, while nearly 48,000 researchers and academics were engaged through dissemination activities. The project’s digital presence grew significantly, with over 1,000 social media followers, 350 newsletter subscribers and seven videos showcasing our solutions, visits and events recordings. Dissemination efforts included 25 conference presentations, six organized workshops, and collaboration with other EU projects through five joint activities, enhancing the project’s visibility and impact.
Exploitation activities focused on 17 Key Exploitable Results (KERs), prioritizing seven based on innovation, impact, and market potential. Detailed business plans were developed for the industrial partners, including comprehensive analyses of external and internal environments, financial assessments, and intellectual property strategies. Revenue models were outlined for four KERs associated with the main final products. In addition, the potential exploitation routes for research institutions were updated, and a comprehensive evaluation of the broader socio-economic and environmental impacts was conducted.
The most significant scientific-technological advancements have been the development of bio-based coatings with high bio-based content (up to 35-40%) utilizing lignin (derived from kraft, organosolv, and hydrolysis processes) as a feedstock. In contrast to traditional fossil-based coatings, these bio-based coatings leverage a renewable byproduct from the agri-food and forest-based industries. The developed bio-based coatings exhibit enhanced properties, including anti-corrosion, fire-resistance, antiviral, and antimicrobial properties, and are suitable for application on wood and metal substrates. Innovative processes have been employed, such as ring-opening polymerization under mild conditions to produce lignin polyols, lignin oxidation and fractionation to yield lignin polyacids, and lignin depolymerization to obtain depolymerized lignin. Notably, these technologies are scalable and compatible with conventional industrial equipment, minimizing the need for significant capital investments and facilitating adoption by industry.
The expected impact focuses on three main aspects: economically, the introduction of eco-friendly solutions will enhance industrial competitiveness, addressing a growing consumer demand and contributing to reduce the reliance on fossil-based materials; socially, the project has the potential to create green jobs by establishing a cross-sectorial interconnection between the lignin supply chain and industrial partners. Moreover, utilizing local lignin will support regional bioeconomies; environmentally, bio-based coatings lower fossil-carbon footprints and promote circular economy practices. Compared to their respective petro-based counterparts:
• Bio-coating for fire protection of wood achieved a reduction of 33% kg CO2 eq.
• Bio-alkyd coatings for anticorrosion of metal scored a reduction of 33% in freshwater ecotoxicity potential (expressed in CTUe).
• Antimicrobial-antiviral bio-based coating for metal achieved a reduction of 10% in kg CO2 eq.
• Bio-based epoxy coating for film application achieved a reduction of 67% in resource use (expressed in MJ).
Overall, the project contributes to eight UN SDGs, promoting sustainable practices and reducing EU reliance on fossil-based materials. These outcomes align with the European Green Deal and circular economy framework.
The expected impact focuses on three main aspects: economically, the introduction of eco-friendly solutions will enhance industrial competitiveness, addressing a growing consumer demand and contributing to reduce the reliance on fossil-based materials; socially, the project has the potential to create green jobs by establishing a cross-sectorial interconnection between the lignin supply chain and industrial partners. Moreover, utilizing local lignin will support regional bioeconomies; environmentally, bio-based coatings lower fossil-carbon footprints and promote circular economy practices. Compared to their respective petro-based counterparts:
• Bio-coating for fire protection of wood achieved a reduction of 33% kg CO2 eq.
• Bio-alkyd coatings for anticorrosion of metal scored a reduction of 33% in freshwater ecotoxicity potential (expressed in CTUe).
• Antimicrobial-antiviral bio-based coating for metal achieved a reduction of 10% in kg CO2 eq.
• Bio-based epoxy coating for film application achieved a reduction of 67% in resource use (expressed in MJ).
Overall, the project contributes to eight UN SDGs, promoting sustainable practices and reducing EU reliance on fossil-based materials. These outcomes align with the European Green Deal and circular economy framework.