Paints based on renewable materials

Paints, at the coating meaning, are known since a long time. Typically, paint is a dispersion of one or more powders (pigments and fillers) in a macromolecular substance ("resin"), called film-forming material, diluted in solvents. Pigments are solid particles, used to give opacity and/or color. Today almost all pigments have a synthetic origin. The fillers are often natural compounds. Unlike pigments, fillers have low opacity and are colorless. These very cheap products achieve the required solid content under satisfactory economic conditions. Resins used in paints have the property of forming a continuous solid (hard or flexible) film under specific conditions. They are often called “resins”. They can be solid or liquid at room temperature. The solvents are used to control the viscosity of the paint in order to facilitate its production and application. The solvents used are volatile compounds. Additives are minor compounds (a few percent), whose function is to either promote or prevent some developments of the product. For example, surfactants improve the homogeneity of the dispersion. Some additives protect the film against mold or ultraviolet radiation, or against the formation of free radicals under the action of sunlight. Since the end of the 18th century most of those paints are petroleum-based. But the near disappearance of the petroleum causes a renewed interest in bio-based preparations. In this communication, we present an overview of bio-based alternatives.