In the early summer, a pavilion was being built in a community in a large city in the north. The pungent smell of paint made pedestrians passing by cover their noses. A female worker who was busy spraying wood couldn't support it before long and ran to a distance Tone. "The smell of paint is very harmful, and it has to dry for a while," she said.
In people's minds, even if this kind of thing is harmful, our lives cannot be separated. In fact, this is a misunderstanding.
Paint contributes greatly to air pollution, and some cities have begun to ban it
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have become one of the main sources of air pollution. It is not only the precursor of PM2.5, but also the main component of photochemical pollution. The "Thirteenth Five-Year Plan" outline is clear, and the control of the total emission of volatile organic compounds will be promoted in key regions and key industries. These key industries include petrochemicals, organic chemicals, surface coating, packaging, printing, etc.
Statistics show that the total amount of volatile organic compounds emitted into the atmosphere by China's paint coating industry is about 4.3 million tons per year, of which paint accounts for about 98%. The paint contains a large number of toxic and harmful substances such as benzene, formaldehyde, heavy metals, and the volatilization period can be up to 15 years. It is the main invisible "killer" outside the exhaust of the car. Nearly 90% of children with leukemia are related to paint decoration.
Because the danger of paint is obvious, developed countries have already begun to restrict and expel it. The United States in 1978 banned the production and use of lead paint; the European Union in 2004 had legislation restricting the production and use of paint.
In the face of the severe air pollution prevention and control situation, some cities in China have begun to say "no" to paint. Starting from July 1 last year, Shenzhen took the lead in completely prohibiting paint. After that, Beijing issued five new air pollutant emission standards. Beijing stipulates that after 2017, the furniture manufacturing industry will completely ban the use of paint spraying.
Paint is eliminated, how to replace it? The coating materials using water as the solvent have been able to fully meet the general needs. Compared with paint, the advantages of water-based paint are very obvious. Liu Yangjiang, chairman of Chenyang Water Paint, told reporters that water paint uses fresh water as a thinner without any thinner. At the same time, water paint has unparalleled advantages in construction and transportation. "In 2015, the national paint market sold about 16 million tons. If water paint coating is implemented throughout the country, not only will it save 5 million tons of energy, but it will also reduce emissions by 5 million tons of toxic and harmful gases."
Last year, favorable policies for water paints followed one after another: In February, the paint consumption tax was officially implemented, and in October, the state officially imposed a sewage charge on volatile organic compounds. The squeezing effect of these policies on paint living space should be very obvious. However, industrial paints and wood lacquers, which account for more than 60% of the paint industry in my country, are still dominated by traditional paints, and the proportion of water paints is less than 5%.
Why is such a green product not popular in the market? Is the cost too high, or is it insufficient capacity?
Industry insiders said that although the price of water paint is slightly higher than that of paint, paint spraying and transportation require professional disposal. The later costs are higher. In terms of total cost, paint does not have much advantage. The reasons for the slow promotion of water paints are, firstly, low market awareness and secondly, insufficient implementation of local policies.
"We have contacted a lot of people who have painting needs, and also surveyed many painters. They don't know about water paint, and many people simply don't know that this product can replace paint." An industry insider said.
Of course, driven by the policy, some sensible companies have already taken the initiative to “abandon oil to water”. Tianjin Baodao Bicycle Co., Ltd. took the initiative to find Chenyang Water Paint and requested that all of its products be painted with water paint. Since water paint is greatly affected by the environment such as temperature and humidity, it took two years for the "tailor-made" of Baodao Company. At present, all technical indicators have been very stable.
Not only Treasure Island, but also Sany Heavy Industry Co., Ltd., which includes major domestic real estate companies, has also started deep cooperation with water paint manufacturers to make their products more environmentally friendly.
Water paint manufacturers have felt the market heating up. "Our previous telephone consultation hotline has three or five customers calling every day, and now there are five or six hundred customers every day." In order to welcome the full arrival of the era of water paint, Chenyang Water Paint, as a leader, is still expanding its production capacity and will play a role. Greater energy saving and emission reduction effects.
Professor Geng Yaozong, honorary chairman of the Hebei Provincial Adhesives and Coatings Association, said that the widespread use of water-based paints is the future trend, which is of great significance to environmental protection, but there is still a long way to go to promote it. "From the experience of developed countries, the elimination of paint requires technological innovation and national policy support. We look forward to scientific and technological progress and policy implementation in place to usher in a green era in the coating industry as soon as possible." Geng Yaozong said.