From The Potato To The Color

2023 Author : Hannah Pearcy | [email protected] . Last modified: 2023-11-26 11:39

Potato chips are a popular snack. The water obtained when washing the potatoes contains a lot of starch. This “waste product” is now used for a new type of binder that is used in an interior wall paint.

Author I Photos: Susanne Sachsenmaier-Wahl

According to the Federal Association of the German Confectionery Industry (BDSI), Germans eat an average of between 0.9 and 1.25 kilograms of potato chips per person per year. That's around ten bags. In a European comparison, the Germans consume significantly fewer potato chips than their neighbors. The Germans are in the lower midfield. Irish people and British people eat 2.5 to 2.9 kilograms a year, twice as much to almost three times as much. The European champions in chip consumption are however the Dutch with an annual per capita consumption of over three kilograms. If you are wondering why a painter's magazine deals with potato chips, you will find the answer below.

From wash water to binder

Before the potato can become crispy chips (or chips), the tubers must first be washed or peeled. The water required for washing was drained into the sewage system for years - and with it the potato starch contained in large quantities. This can replace synthetic binders in interior wall paints. Caparol provided proof of this to visitors to the “Paint, Finishing & Facade” (FAF) trade fair by presenting the interior wall paint “PlantaGeo”.

Of course, the potato starch is not entirely new in the painting industry. "Starch has been known as a binder for centuries, for example for glue or glue," says Dr. Johannes Westmeier, laboratory manager for interior paints. The problem, however, is that it is water-soluble and becomes brittle after drying. "The challenge for us was to modify the unusable potato starch to such an extent that we can use it as a useful binder for interior wall paints." The research phase took five years before the new development PlantaGeo could finally be presented in Cologne in March.

While conventional binders are made fully synthetic from crude oil, the team of experts led by Dr. Westmeier succeeded in replacing the proportion of crude oil in the interior paint with modified potato starch. The result is an interior paint classified as highly opaque that is suitable for all new and renovation paints. Because one aspect was particularly important to the development team: innovation should not be at the expense of quality. Dr. Johannes Westmeier is certain that the new interior wall paint will meet the demands of the professionals: "Craftsmen can achieve the same results at the highest level as they are used to from Caparol products," he says.

In concrete terms, this means, for example, that the new interior paint has very good hiding power. It is classified in class 1 according to DIN EN 13 300 and thus ranks high in the contrast ratio. In terms of wet abrasion resistance, it is in the middle (class 3) and is considered washable. With its dull matt surface, it also visually complies with current requirements. Wolfgang Hoffmann explains why the decision was made to use the properties mentioned: “We deliberately wanted to start with a matt interior wall paint of wet abrasion class 3. This is the mass market and so we can test whether sustainability comes to the interior wall paint segment.”The brand ambassador answered the question of further gloss levels as follows:“Technically, it is currently difficultto produce a silky gloss quality according to the PlantaGeo principle. However, the market decides whether there will be more gloss levels soon.”

The innovative interior color is offered ex works in white only. But that does not mean that other colors are not possible. "Tinting is possible without problems with standard solid colors," says Wolfgang Hoffmann. “To make the effort of self-tinting easier, we offer a limited tint of white on our tinting systems. This means that up to a lightness value of 70 can be tinted on the system without any problems. This covers 80 percent of the spectrum of the most tinted interior colors.”But Hoffmann has to admit a small restriction:“Intense dark colors are not possible at the moment.”

Environmentally friendly and sustainable

In addition to the proven quality, the craftsman and the end customer also get something else: a clear conscience, because PlantaGeo is environmentally friendly and sustainable, because the starch is actually a waste product from food production. "Before companies process potatoes into French fries or chips, they are peeled and washed," explains Dr. Johannes Westmeier. A lot of starch gets into the water. This is recovered from a DAW supplier and used as the starting material for the new binder. The production of the new interior paint is therefore not in competition with food production. Westmeier is proud of the result. "We aim to make a contribution to getting away from fossil fuels," emphasizes the expert: "Sustainability meansto ensure the supply of the future."

The trend towards resource-saving products continues. "More and more consumers are consciously consuming," says Wolfgang Hoffmann. And this trend is no longer limited to food. Environmental compatibility and harmlessness with regard to pollutants and preservatives combined with high quality - that is what consumers want in all areas of life today. "This also applies to your own four walls," says Hoffmann. After all, healthy living plays a crucial role in well-being.

Fulfill customer requests

What benefits does the craftsman get from using the potato starch-based paint? In Hoffmann's opinion, the painter professional definitely benefits from the innovation. "On the one hand, the professional wants to offer his customers safe products, on the other hand he wants to use safe products in his daily work," explains Hoffmann. In addition, there will be an increase in consumer demand. This also increases the pressure on the craftsmen. So if you want to serve the clientele, for whom environmental protection and sustainability are a high priority, it is a good idea to offer appropriate products. “Anyone who is familiar with this topic from the start gives their customers a clear conscience,” summarizes Wolfgang Hoffmann.

But is the customer also willing to dig deeper into his pocket for this good conscience? "Unfortunately, the laws of the market economy also apply to" green "sustainable products," says Wolfgang Hoffmann. “If the price is too high, the willingness to buy decreases. Therefore, a premium price of a maximum of five percent is the target.”This additional price is inevitable due to the more expensive raw materials and the more complex production, says Hoffmann.

The interior wall paint with potato starch binder is not the first product from Ober-Ramstadt that is based on renewable raw materials. In addition to a facade insulation made from hemp, the manufacturer has recently also been offering a varnish, a glaze and a wood oil, the binder of which is obtained from camelina (see Malerblatt 4/2019, p. 20 ff.). Should more products from renewable raw materials follow? "This is just the beginning of a long journey," says Wolfgang Hoffmann. "I assume that the majority of our interior wall paints will be produced on the basis of renewable raw materials in ten or 15 years."

You can find the article on Caparol products with

camelina binder here: bit.ly/2uLhWV6

www.caparol.de/

Wolfgang Hoffmann, Caparol brand ambassador

More and more consumers are

consciously consuming. This also applies to your own four walls