Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering (Dec 2022)
A comprehensive review on kaolin as pigment for paint and coating: Recent trends of chemical-based paints, their environmental impacts and regulation
Abstract
The global kaolin market size was estimated at USD 4.41 billion before the end of 2022 and is projected to reach USD 5.87 billion by 2030. The growth of the market is primarily driven by the rising demand for kaolin from end-use industries such as paints and coatings, plastic, paper, ceramics, among others. Kaolin, which is high in silica and alumina, can be utilized in the production of paint and used as a cheaper alternative to titanium dioxide. This substitute might be beneficial to paint and coating industries from chemical interactions and sludge, hazardous air pollution and manufacturing waste. This paper reviews the application of mineral-based pigment for paint and coating; recent trends of chemical-based paints and their environmental impacts with possible regulations. The study results provide a strong justification to adopt renewable-based kaolin pigments as a special fine particulate material added to a substance in order to reduce the environmental burdens, enhance paint properties and its usually cheap and inert material. This might reduce the effect of health issues related to kidney and nervous damage, cancer and direct eye irritants that cause an allergic response in humans and animals. Regulatory bodies should enact strict norms on paint and coating manufacturers to assess the effective reduction ways of emitting air pollutants and chemical sludge, use of heavy metals, etc., this action might change the targets over a medium to long term of new EPA norms. Paint and coating industries will gradually replace the refractory material, as in addition to the ceramic and paper industry, which beyond the third largest kaolin consumption industry, the proportion of kaolin consumption of paint industry will reach about 1.86 million tons by 2023.
