SoyGuard® products help contribute to the coating industry’s major environmental challenge of reducing Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) emissions!
VOC's are hydrocarbons released from burning fuel such as gasoline and oil as well as vapors from paints and solvents. These vapors are released into the atmosphere and are acted upon by the sun and heat and combine with Nitrogen Oxides to form smog.
The use of solvents in coatings continues to be restricted by stringent regulations. Solvents have traditionally been used as carriers and diluents in many coating and paint products, including the solvents Toluene, Acetone, and Xylene. However, the emission of VOCs and hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) from such coatings has been cited as a contributor to poor air quality and smog formation. The use of solvents as carriers for the resins in coatings is a major contributor to this VOC problem. The soy methyl ester solvent used in SoyGuard® has ultra-low VOC emissions (less than 5% by volume).
The restriction of solvents has caused many manufacturers to reformulate penetrating finishes by either removing solvents resulting in high solid finishes or by relying on waterborne systems. Finishes were traditionally formulated with mineral spirits or organic solvents, a preservative, and water repellent, and a small amount of drying oil as the binder. Presently, more waterborne finishes have been developed and solvent amounts in many formulations have been decreased to meet environmental regulations. Thus, a wide variety of finishes for decks is now available. However, the penetrating characteristics of many finishes have been affected. In some formulations containing natural or synthetic solvents, the proper absorption of the finish is hampered by the high volume of oil on the surface. If the oil is a drying oil, it may dry before absorbing into dense areas on the wood.
Some of the newer water-based coatings are semi-transparent acrylic blends that due to their higher molecular weight, still form a film on the surface and are subject to the cracking that is characteristic of all film-forming finishes. A film finish cracks as wood expands and contracts during normal moisture cycling, and water gets underneath the finish and deteriorates the wood. Generally, film-forming finishes are not recommended for decks.
Natural oils (linseed and tung, for example) are initially very effective in stopping the absorption of water into wood, but they tend to darken over time because they are a food for fungi. Wood treated with natural oils and resins generally need extensive cleaning before reapplying the finish.
Our formula contains a solvent that evaporates from the wood surface leaving behind a polystyrene film. The solvent also absorbs into wood by capillary action and remains in the wood to provide additional protection from water damage. The advantages of our solvent is they do not harm the environment after evaporating and do not serve as a food for most biological growth, making future coats easier to apply.
