TAGS: Sustainability / Natural Adhesives
An Interview with Chris Sieto – Head of Business Development at Elementis
Elementis as an entity is a firm believer of ‘enhanced performance through applied innovation’. This is quite evident through their latest product introductions. More sustainable and higher performing rheological additives: THIXATROL® organic thixotropes and Bentone® hectorite clays. Both of these products series continue to be well received and even sought after by formulators of sealants and adhesives industry for the building & construction market.
Let’s hear from Chris Sieto, Head of Business Development at Elementis, on what the company offers to help formulators reach their own sustainability goals.
#1 Can you tell us about the history of Elementis, and when they began to supply raw materials to the adhesives & sealants industry?
What you may not realize is that Elementis is a relatively small company -- only 1,600 people globally. But our size keeps us nimble and laser-focused on what is most important to serve our customers.
For example, we offer local customer support through our five development and testing facilities across the globe (USA, Brazil, Germany, Taiwan, and China). Our technology organization works hand-in-hand with formulators to streamline their production processes. Our goal is to make the formulation of adhesives and sealants quick and easy. This is done through safer handling, easier incorporation, and faster batch times.
Elementis has been supplying material solutions for adhesives and sealants formulators for more than 175 years. Our Hectorite clays have been around since the 1930’s, and our THIXATROL® products have already been through several generations of products. The older generations of THIXATROL® were based on diamine waxes and the raw materials for those weren’t necessarily from sustainable sources. But now, they are.
#2 Yes, and the fact that they are now from sustainable sources is critical in today’s market. Tell us more about Elementis and What drives the company’s commitment toward sustainability?
Elementis has committed to achieving new Environmental Sustainability goals by 2030. With the dedication of our employees and the strong innovative culture, Elementis will minimize its environmental impact and deliver products and solutions that are good for the world. Some of our goals are:
- Reducing waste by 10%
- Reduce water usage in operations by 10%
- Increase energy efficiency by 20%
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25%
As a company and community, we are committed to make positive change in the world and we will continue to work every day on further minimizing our environmental impact and making a difference as a community.
We are also establishing commitments towards positive water stewardship. We will strive to understand our water risks, our water use, and our water impacts—so we can minimize our environmental impact, inspire our employees, and deliver products and solutions that are good for the world.
#3 Can you tell us more about your portfolio of THIXATROL® organic thixotropes used as rheology modifiers for A&S in B&C?
Yes, as mentioned earlier, the
THIXATROL® products have already seen several generations of improvement. Starting from the original version of
THIXATROL® MAX based on diamine goes back to at least 20 years. We then moved to castor-oil derivatives, as environmentally friendly products.
The latest generation of products, THIXATROL® 8000 Series, also incorporates castor oil derivative products but they are now up to
75% bio-based. The 8000 series are adapted to offer more efficient and easier to activate technologies i.e. a lower activation temperature and a much wide range of usage for effectiveness.
The latest next-generation grades in this series,
THIXATROL® AS 8053 and
THIXATROL® PM 8056 offer low temperature activation. When making adhesives and sealants, formulators traditionally have a significant cool down period in the process before addition of a catalyst. With the new 8000 series, because it has a lower activation temperature, formulators can add the catalyst right away (without waiting for the ‘cool down phase’) which results in up to a
50% reduction in processing time. Not only are these products more sustainable solutions because of the bio-based nature, they help formulators to double their production capacity and
achieve up to 30% energy savings.
Watch this video to learn how Thixatrol® AS 8053 helps formulators achieve up to 30% reduced energy consumption and 50% reduction in production time »
#4 That’s impressive data, Chris! Now let’s hear about the Bentone® Hectorite Clays – where is their place in A&S for B&C?
Hectorite Clays are primarily used for water-based adhesives and sealants in the building and construction segment such as tile sealing, window sealing, etc. For this market we are replacing fumed silica and cellulosics with more environmentally-friendly product offering.
Hectorite has efficient workability and improved efficiency without any negative effects such as water pick up. The most recently launched products in this line are the
BENTONE® DE and
BENTONE® EW.
We have offered Hectorite clays since the 1930s, as Elementis has the purest and largest hectorite clay mine in the world. It’s a naturally occurring material that is mined out of the ground, and with minimal processing, it provides unique benefits to adhesives & sealants formulators –
primarily in terms of sag resistance. Bentone® Hectorite Clays also find use in spray applications of paints and coatings and in cosmetics and personal care skin care and other applications.
#5 What do you see as the main trends that will impact the B&C market A&S needs in the coming years?
There is a whole movement to
reduce the number of traditional metal fasteners to achieve lightweighting – whether in concrete masonry construction or in wood applications. Nails and screws are being replaced with high-performance structural adhesives and sealants.
The
electric vehicle EV automotive market will also use adhesives and sealants for heat dissipation, again lending to lightweighting and environmental friendliness.
#6 What does ELEMENTIS have planned to further support formulators to meet these trends?
When it comes to our rheology modifiers and hectorite clays, Elementis is continuing to work on developments for easier activation and improved optical properties. Stay tuned for new product announcements in Q4 2022.
Elementis also supports these needs with its other businesses products, such as dispersants and defoamers for paints and coatings that are used in the building & construction market.
Discover All Product Series from Elementis
View a wide range of adhesive and sealant ingredients supplied by Elementis, analyze technical data of each product, get technical assistance or request samples.
About Chris Sieto
Chris Sieto is currently the Head of Business Development globally for Elementis. His responsibilities include product development, pricing and promotion for the Industrial Coating, Architectural Coating, Adhesives and Construction markets.
He has over 20 years of marketing experience in the area of minerals and chemicals for the paper, construction and coatings industries. Chris has a B.S. in Earth & Mineral Science from Penn State and a MBA from Lehigh University.
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