The need of developing new waterborne products that can compete with present solvent-borne ones has been strongly acknowledged by all the stakeholders of the sector . Our innovative approach will use water as coating solvent, making our product virtually VOC-free and thus long-term marketable in EU and US. In addition it will use raw polymeric materials synthesized from renewable vegetal sources, so contributing to create alternatives to increasingly expensive fossil fuels. Finally the researched formulations will provide our new coating with superior mechanical long-lasting abrasion resistance, wearing and cleaning features with a competitive price, offering our end users (furniture and floor manufacturers) an attractive alternative on the market shelf to today’s endangered varnishes We expect to boost the EU coating sector by recovering 13% market share in 10 years with respect to present market forecasts.

The aim of this project is to help two large European sectors, wood coatings and wood furniture to reverse the present declining competitiveness trend, by developing a new technology of water-borne wood coatings for wood furniture with moderate and high functional requirements such as abrasion/scratching resistant or dirt repellent surfaces. The new brand products will cover a highly unmet need of our two represented sectors, the presence in the market of wood coatings that being compliant with the VOC-Free-Chemicals legislation, maintain or improve the level of technical performance and finishing quality of present solvent-based coatings.

Scientific and Technological Objectives
The aim of ECOVARN is to develop a waterborne bio-based coating for wood surfaces with improved properties, such as oleophobic-hydrophobic features, better adhesion properties and competitive drying time, excellent finishing aspect of the product and low VOCs content.

Scientific objectives
- To generate new knowledge on the transformation of plant oils (soybean and corn) onto resins that can constitute the base of tailored-functionality polyurethane coatings; this will enable us to find substitutes to fossil hydrocarbons as the polymer base.
- To increase the scientific understanding of the effect on the concentration, composition and interactions of a number of additives (i.e. surfactants, surfaces conditioners, tixotropic agents) on the coating hydrophobic-oleophobic properties. Then we will be able to study the stability of different formulas.
- To investigate and characterize the main variables governing the mechanical durability, hydrophobic-oleophobic properties and drying time in such coatings. This knowledge will enable the development of a broad range of coatings with the required mechanical and chemical properties.

Technological Objectives
- To develop a waterborne system with long-lasting hydrophobic-oleophobic properties
- To develop a process to manufacture polyurethane resins from soybean and corn oil
- To develop a finished wood coating product with the following features for processability

Since the research capacities of most of the SMEs are extremely limited to develop such a product, several European and national associations have decided to collectively join forces to engage a number of highly skilled and reputed Research Organizations and representative Enterprises and collaboratively write this proposal. We expect to help our associates by developing, disseminate and providing them with new know-how and access and to an European-branded waterborne coatings “ECOVARN”.

Leading IAGs:

IAG 1 Paint Research Association (UK)
Role: Will be the Coordinator of this Project and will take the role of Consortium Manager to coordinate all the administrative, financial and legal aspects at consortium level, as well as the inter-relationships with EC. Chairman of the Steering Committee. They will act as a dissemination cannel for the transfer of the knowledge to their members. They will expand their background about this field of technology. They will transfer that knowledge to companies that represents.
Benefits: Members of the Association will be the end user of the technology developed. Licensing will be the main commercialization strategy after the project.

IAG 2 National Association (Spain)
Role: They will act as a key player in the dissemination/ exploitation ECOVARN Project. Because of his involvement and contacts with companies from different segments of the wood, will participate in the validation and integration of the final product, as well as the transfer of these results to different applications. Dissemination, training and exploitation activities
Benefits: Members of the Association will be the end user of the technology developed. Licensing will be the main commercialization strategy after the project.

IAG 3 National Association (Poland)
Role: They will act as a key player in the dissemination ECOVARN Project. Because of his involvement and contacts with companies in the segment of floor sector, will participate in the validation and integration of the final product, as well as the transfer of these results to such application. Dissemination, training and exploitation activities .
Benefits: Members of the Association will be the end user of the technology developed. Licensing will be the main commercialization strategy after the project.

IAG 4 National Association (Czech Republic)
Role: Dissemination, training and exploitation activities focused in the furniture manufacturer sector. To gain information on the European and world situation in the furniture production area. To effectively promote the interests of the Czech furniture industry at the European level. Benefits: Members of the Association will be the end user of the technology developed. Licensing will be the main commercialization strategy after the project.

Subcontracted RTDs:

RTD1 (Germany)
Role: Research and development in polyol and prepolymer synthesis. Coating formulation.
Benefits: 100% reimbursed eligible costs of R&D activities. Deep knowledge in coating chemistry and formulation.

RTD2 Inspiralia Tecnologías Avanzadas (Spain)
Role: Synthesis and Characterization of prepolymers, coating formulations.
Benefits: 100% reimbursed eligible costs of R&D activities. Increasing of material background, chemistry, synthesis and characterization of new coating products.


Industrial partners:

SME1 (Italy)
Role: they will identify current coating manufacturing issues in relation to the SoA and processability. They will also provide information on VOC emission, solvent content and issues surrounding waterborne coatings.
Benefits: To expand their market for polymer compounding services (PAINTS FOR WOOD). In addition they clearly see the potential of widen the range of compound recipes to offer to their recent and future customers. Increased knowledge, ability to meet EU VOC legislations, part in supply chain with IPR (Licensing), and access to diverse wood market.

SME2 (Germany)
Role: To supply the RTD with the necessary vegetable oil for the development of new coating. They will provide information about vegetable oil process, characterization and chemical modification. Supplier of vegetable oil from different nature and origin.
Benefits: To expand their market of oil and derivates products. Licensing in the new chemical process of polyol synthesis, market access to a new application.