Coatings, Inks & Resins
Material selection for coatings, inks & resins
Coatings, printing inks and resins use oleochemicals in two ways: as building blocks, such as polyols, fatty acids and phenolic compounds that become part of the polymer, and as additives that control flow, wetting and flexibility. Choosing the right material depends on whether it has to react, and how.
What the process needs. Alkyd resins are made from a polyol such as glycerine, a dibasic acid or anhydride, and fatty acids or oils. Drying alkyds use unsaturated fatty acids that cure by oxidation in air, while non-drying alkyds based on saturated or lauric fatty acids plasticise stoving and baking systems. Castor oil serves as a non-drying plasticiser and as a natural polyol for polyurethane coatings and adhesives. Cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) and cardanol are bio-based phenolics: cardanol is the basis of phenalkamine curing agents, which cure epoxy coatings at low temperature and in damp conditions, and of cardanol-formaldehyde resins. Epoxidised soybean oil (ESBO) plasticises and stabilises PVC plastisols and inks, and hydrogenated castor oil derivatives are used as rheology additives that prevent sagging and settling.
Key specification parameters. For fatty acids and oils, iodine value indicates drying behaviour, and acid value, colour and fatty acid composition affect the resin's properties and colour. For polyols, check assay or hydroxyl value and water; for glycerine, assay and colour. For castor oil, hydroxyl value, acid value, moisture and colour matter. For CNSL and cardanol, check cardanol and cardol content, polymer content, viscosity, moisture, ash and colour, which varies from pale for distilled cardanol to dark brown for technical CNSL. For ESBO, oxirane oxygen and iodine value.
Recommended product types. Refined glycerine as an alkyd and polyester polyol. Castor oil and hydrogenated castor oil. Oleic acid and lauric, caprylic and capric acids for alkyd and ester modification. Cashew nut shell liquid, decarboxylated CNSL and cardanol for phenolic resins and epoxy curing agents. Epoxidised soybean oil for PVC plastisols.
Documentation. Ask for a specification and certificate of analysis for the offered lot and the safety data sheet. Coatings for food-contact, toy or interior uses may need specific regulatory statements. For EU and UK imports, confirm the REACH registration status of the substance. Ask for the certificate scope with your quotation where bio-based or sustainability claims will be made.
Handling and shipping. CNSL and cardanol are dark, viscous liquids that thicken in cold weather and irritate the skin; follow the safety data sheet, avoid skin contact and store them closed and away from oxidising agents. Castor oil and ESBO are shipped in drums, IBCs, flexitanks or ISO tanks. Glycerine is hygroscopic, so keep containers sealed. Hydrogenated castor oil is a flake or powder that should be kept dry.
Qualifying a new source. Resin colour, viscosity build and drying time respond to small differences in raw-material composition, so make a laboratory batch with each new lot or source and compare it with your standard before switching production.
Products for Coatings, Inks & Resins
Cashew Nut Shell Liquid (CNSL)
Cashew nut shell liquid (CAS 8007-24-7) is the dark resin held in the shell of the cashew nut, Anacardium occidentale. A by-product of nut processing, it is the world's main renewable source of alkyl phenols for resins and friction materials.
Decarboxylated Cashew Nut Shell Liquid (DCNSL)
Decarboxylated cashew nut shell liquid is CNSL that has been heat-treated so its anacardic acid loses carbon dioxide and converts to cardanol. The result is a cardanol-rich renewable phenol with lower acidity and better thermal stability.
Cardanol (Bio‑Based Phenol)
Cardanol (CAS 37330-39-5) is a renewable phenol distilled from cashew nut shell liquid. It carries a fifteen-carbon unsaturated side chain on the benzene ring, which gives phenolic resins built from it a natural internal flexibility.
Castor Oil
Castor oil is the feedstock for an entire branch of oleochemistry, because ricinoleic acid carries a hydroxyl group that ordinary fatty acids lack. That group is the entry point to sebacic acid, undecylenic acid, polyols and 12-hydroxystearic acid.
Hydrogenated Castor Oil (Castor Wax)
Hydrogenated castor oil, supplied as flake or micronised powder, is the direct precursor to 12-hydroxystearic acid, the thickener in most lithium greases. Splitting the wax releases the hydroxy acid that gives grease its structure.
Palm Methyl Ester
Palm methyl ester is produced by transesterifying palm oil or palm fatty acids with methanol. It is supplied for industrial use as a bio-based solvent, lubricant base and sulphonation feedstock, rather than as retail automotive fuel.
Glycerine
Glycerine (CAS 56-81-5, INCI Glycerin) is propane-1,2,3-triol, a clear, odourless, syrupy liquid with a sweet taste. It is recovered as the co-product of soap making and biodiesel manufacture, and is traded as crude or refined to 99.5 percent.
Epoxidised Soybean Oil (ESBO)
An epoxidised vegetable triglyceride (CAS 8013-07-8) bought on oxirane oxygen content. One of the highest-volume bio-based functional chemicals, and a route into polyols without petrochemical feedstock.
Oleic Acid
Oleic acid (CAS 112-80-1) is the eighteen-carbon monounsaturated fatty acid, liquid at room temperature because of the single cis double bond that kinks its chain. Commercial grades are traded by iodine value, titre and colour.
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Contact our team to discuss your specific requirements for the Coatings, Inks & Resins industry.
Start with the process and specification
- End use and required material or feedstock
- Critical analytical limits and physical form
- Handling temperature, storage and pack format
- Volume, documentation needs and delivery destination
Confirm the evidence before ordering
Grade, origin and certification are confirmed for each proposed source. A vegetable-derived feedstock is not automatically certified sustainable, pharmaceutical grade or suitable for every application; request the evidence needed for your intended use.
Product illustrations show representative material and packaging. The quotation confirms the actual source, grade, pack size and labelling.
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