Search for sustainable pigments

Twenty companies and the Centre of Expertise Biobased Economy will work together in the search for sustainable pigments which would be suitable for ink and other uses.

The parties are joining efforts in the KLAC (Colour Application Centre) at the Green Chemistry Campus in Bergen op Zoom. The Centre of Expertise Biobased Economy is a cooperation between the Avans college of higher education and the HZ University of Applied Sciences.

Dorien Derksen, lecturer at the Centre of Expertise Biobased Economy is head of research at the KLAC. Together with other researches, teachers and students of Avans and HZ she conducts research into obtaining and processing biobased pigments.
Examples are red pigments from corn, a black pigment from broad beans, yellow pigment from onion waste and plants and a blue pigment from algae. One of the challenges is to produce pigments which are suitable for ink, paint and bioplastics.

The initiative includes companies working in synthetic materials, coatings, leather, textiles, paper and cardboard. Many companies want to make their products greener and more sustainable, but lack the knowledge, materials or time to develop and test pigments. By bringing these parties together more focused research and development becomes possible. The KLAC experts are available to answer questions about materials and any other issues which help the companies. (bron: SignPro)