Page 40 - Respond 2018 Magazine

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Smart façades for a

sustainable future

By Ms. Pamela Phua, Cluster General Director, Vietnam Singapore & Indochina,
Director, RD&I, South East & South Asia, Middle East
Director, Exterior, Wallpaint Expertise Group, RD&I, Global
AkzoNobel Decorative Paints
pamela.phua@akzonobel.com

To mitigate the impact of the frenetic pace of urbanisation that the world is seeing, a
tremendous effort in research & development is necessary. Indeed, more than ever it is
essential to support improvements in sustainability by using renewable energies whilst
decreasing carbon footprint and reducing waste and pollution generation. At AkzoNobel,
we believe that we can play a key role in addressing parts of these challenges through
innovative solutions.

AkzoNobel is constantly developing better and more protection, and of course bringing aesthetic delight to
sustainable products, delivering essential ingredients, exterior façades.
essential protection and essential colour to help create
more human cities around the world for a more liveable Pollution control and self-cleaning delivered
and inspiring life. Our commitment to sustainability is through photocatalysis
evidenced by our consistent high ranking over the last According to the World Health Organization, 92% of
10 years on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (ranked people across the world breathe in unhealthy air,
1st consecutively for four years) and our Planet Possible resulting in millions of deaths every year. Rapidly
initiative dedicated to constantly finding ways to deliver evolving into a global health crisis, worsening air
more with less. pollution in the form of thick smog continually engulfs
Asia’s megacities like Beijing and Delhi as well as
AkzoNobel is a leading paints and coatings company Europe’s metropolises such as Paris and London.
with worldwide recognized brands such as Dulux
and Sikkens. Our global research, development and To support urban communities to combat pollution,
innovation (RD&I) centre for exterior wall paints is AkzoNobel embarked on a program to deliver next-
located in Singapore, a vibrant innovation hub in generation depolluting paint based on the technology
Asia. Our research programs are mainly focused on of photo-catalysis of titanium dioxide. By absorbing
sustainability, energy efficient solutions, durability and sunlight, specifically ultraviolet radiation, photoactive
titanium dioxide particles can be activated in the
presence of oxygen and moisture to produce free
radicals. These highly active radicals are capable of
degrading pollutants like nitrogen oxide and sulphur
oxide, thereby contributing to the abatement of noxious
emissions from motor vehicles and other human
activities. However, the radicals can also decompose
organic constituents in the paint and consequently
impair the paint durability with excessive chalking.
This challenging obstacle was overcome by a specially
formulated inorganic film having a higher resistance to
radical attack.

While cleaning up the air, our photocatalytic paint can
also deliver outstanding self-cleaning properties with low
dirt pick-up to building facades. This eco-positive benefit
derives from both the degradation of the dirt particles by
the radicals and the photo-induced super-hydrophilicity
effect, where the latter is manifested by a water-loving