Achieve talc-free paint formulations with Omya's mineral solutions automated with AI

#1. What is Omya’s position in the market for talc alternatives?

Omya as a leader in minerals for paint and coatings can offer alternative solutions to avoid the use of talc in paint formulations. 

As of July 2024, talc has proposed to be classified as carcinogen (Category 1B, H 350 meaning it may cause cancer). This classification might significantly impact products intended for commercialization in Europe, as they must comply with the European Ecolabels criteria, which restrict substances which are assigned hazardous classifications.

#2. How is Omya unique and why can Omya find solutions for the affected paint manufactures?

Talc is historically a familiar mineral to Omya. As a former supplier, there is a wealth of knowledge surrounding the use of talc. In addition to being a global producer of calcium carbonate and dolomite, Omya is also a distributor of mica and clay. Depending on the properties, Omya's technical service can help find the right mixture to replace talc.

Omya mineral alternatives of different particle sizes and morphologies

#3. What are the most critical challenges customers are facing nowadays and how your innovative solutions are helping them?

The price-performance ratio for talc is relatively good, and due to its functional properties, a one-to-one replacement is usually not possible, but Omya can provide paint manufacturers with valuable guidance. I firmly believe that this will strongly support paint manufacturers in their intensive efforts to develop new solutions that are both technically effective and economically viable.

#4. What are the current and future market trends / shifts and how Omya is leading them?

The trend toward sustainable and environmentally friendly raw materials continues. The pressure for sustainable and durable paints will increase, and the supply of raw materials which will not comply with this need will decline due to regulations. This will pose significant challenges to the raw materials industry and paint manufacturers in the coming years, unless they do not come prepared.

At the European Coatings Show of this year, Omya presented its solutions in our talk “Let's talk about talc” and on our booth we showcased the power of Omya as solution provider, thanks to its international net of distributing solutions and the Flexshuttle, its highly automatized High Throughput Experimentation (HTE or Flexshuttle) which is now pioneering AI.

Watch tech video: Replacing talc in coatings: Practical solutions for future formulations

#5. Can you further detail the possible solutions across industries and your contribution?

Collaboration between raw material manufacturers and paint manufacturers will and must increase. The workload will not decrease, and we will have a lack skilled labor in the laboratories. In addition to good collaboration, automation combined with artificial intelligence will be necessary to find solutions such as replacing certain raw materials like talc.

Watch this video: Omya Lab’s Flexshuttle automated formulation lab 

About Jack van Leeuwen   Jack van Leeuwen is Director of Technical Service for Construction at Omya. With 40 years of experience in the Construction and Coating Industry. He has extensive industry knowledge, from nanocoatings to EIFS systems, from both a technical and economic perspective. The diversity of his experience and the internationality of the projects led to his deep understanding and ability to support and anticipate the customer's requirements in terms of formulations, production, applications, and design. He is a board member of the SVLFC (Association of Swiss Paint and Coating Chemists). Before joining Omya, he held management positions at Sto, Akzo Nobel, and various industrial coatings manufacturers.

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