Covestro receives Alain Clause Award for environmentally compatible UV dispersion: Award for more efficient coating

At this year's European Technical Coatings Congress (ETCC) in Amsterdam, Covestro received the Alain Clause Award of the Belgian Association of Technicians from the Paint and Allied Industries ATIPIC for the best lecture on ecological and environmentally compatible developments. The award is endowed with 1,000 euros.

Dr. Eva Tejada was honored for her particularly sustainable coating technology based on the UV-curing, aqueous polyurethane dispersion Bayhydrol® UV 2877. Formulations containing this binder have a low content of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and cure quickly. Moreover, around 38 percent of the product is based on biomass. The author has now succeeded in reducing the drying time by another 50 percent and also made it possible to cure shaded areas.

Optimum balance of speed and surface quality
UV curing has proven itself as a technology for the rapid curing of coats. However, shaded areas, such as complex shaped parts, or the use of pigmented paints are a challenge.

In addition to UV curing, the award-winning development introduces self-crosslinking of the polyurethane dispersion, which opens up various possibilities: Either the previously UV-cured coating film is self-crosslinking, resulting in subsequent curing of shaded areas, or curing takes place only in the form of self-crosslinking, without the influence of UV radiation. In both cases, coatings of high quality result. If the crosslinked coating layer is post-cured under UV radiation, its quality can be further improved.

In the case of aqueous dispersions as binders, the drying speed of the coating also depends primarily on the evaporation of the water. The author was able to achieve a faster release of the water and, as a result, a 50 percent reduction of the drying time. Potential applications include pigmented and clear coats, curing with LED lamps and on-site coating of parquet floors.

This new multicuring product thus increases robustness and efficiency in waterborne UV curable systems, overcoming the main pain points of this technology in a more sustainable way. At the same time, it is a perfect example for achieving more with less: As a result, a reduced consumption of energy and fossil resources leads to better surface properties.

ETCC: a leading paint congress
The ETCC Congress is a leading meeting place for scientists and technicians in the coatings industry and is organized by the Federation of Associations of Technicians for Industry of Paints in European Countries FATIPEC and the Oil & Colour Chemists Association (OCCA). It is held every two years at different locations, where it is organized by the respective national FATIPEC association. This year's congress in Amsterdam was attended by 444 participants from 44 countries, with a total of 108 talks. The next ETCC Congress will be held in Poland in 2020.

About Covestro:
With 2017 sales of EUR 14.1 billion, Covestro is among the world's largest polymer companies. Business activities are focused on the manufacture of high-tech polymer materials and the development of innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, construction, wood processing and furniture, and electrical and electronics industries. Other sectors include sports and leisure, cosmetics, health and the chemical industry itself. Covestro has 30 production sites worldwide and employs approximately 16,200 people (calculated as full-time equivalents) at the end of 2017.

Find more information atwww.covestro.com.
Follow us on Twitter:www.twitter.com/Covestro

Forward-looking statements
This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Covestro AG. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Covestro's public reports which are available atwww.covestro.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.