Air Products Launches Two New Environmentally Friendly Surfactants

APE-free Surfactants Aimed at Architectural Coatings Market

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Apr 13, 2010, 09:00 ET

LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa., April 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Air Products (NYSE: APD) today introduced two new surfactants for the architectural coatings market that are alkylphenol ethoxylate (APE)-free and specially targeted for zero VOC coating formulations.

Carbowet® 13-40 is a VOC- and APE-free alternative to 30-40 mole ethoxylate surfactants for use in waterborne coatings, inks and adhesives. It provides excellent handling properties due to its liquidity. In addition, it offers substrate wetting, pigment wetting and stabilization, and emulsification in a variety of applications and polymer systems.

EnviroGem® 2010 is a solvent- and APE-free surfactant that contributes no VOCs to zero VOC coating formulations and provides exceptional handling properties, substrate wetting and pigment wetting in architectural coatings.

"As global trends and regulations move away from coatings with APE-containing ingredients, Air Products is developing APE-free alternatives to help ease our customers' transition to these more environmentally friendly applications," said Solomon Lemma, global business manager, Specialty Additives and Personal Care for Air Products.

Both Carbowet 13-40 and EnviroGem 2010 are environmentally friendly alternatives for APE-containing surfactants and require little to no reformulation by customers while providing the same wetting properties and very low foam.

APEs are increasingly under consumer and regulatory scrutiny because they are persistent in the environment and are suspected of being endocrine disruptors.

For more information on these new surfactants, please visit www.airproducts.com/surfactants.

Air Products (NYSE: APD) serves customers in industrial, energy, technology and healthcare markets worldwide with a unique portfolio of atmospheric gases, process and specialty gases, performance materials, and equipment and services. Founded in 1940, Air Products has built leading positions in key growth markets such as semiconductor materials, refinery hydrogen, home healthcare services, natural gas liquefaction, and advanced coatings and adhesives. The company is recognized for its innovative culture, operational excellence and commitment to safety and the environment. In fiscal 2009, Air Products had revenues of $8.3 billion, operations in over 40 countries, and 18,900 employees around the globe. For more information, visit www.airproducts.com.

***NOTE: This release may contain forward-looking statements. Actual results could vary materially, due to changes in current expectations.

SOURCE Air Products