2K waterborne polyurethane wood coatings based on fatty acid methyl esters

Trends in wood coatings are obviously driven to waterborne systems. In addition the use of renewable resources as replacement for fossil oil is often discussed. In this context there is a conflict in the use of renewables for energy or materials. Vegetable oils are well known for wood coatings, e.g. alkyds or polyurethane dispersions. In this context fatty acid methyl ester (biodiesel) turns out to be an alternative to technical fatty acids and vegetable oils. This study compares waterborne 2K polyurethane clearcoats for furniture application based on fatty acids and fatty acid methyl ester. Furthermore the influence of different process parameters to the final dispersion and coating film properties were determined.