Opinion Article - Enhancing the quality of alkyd resins using methyl esters of rubber seed oil

Purpose: Alkyd resins constitute a very high proportion of conventional binders used in surface coatings. In order to enhance the quality of these alkyd resins methyl esters of rubber seed oil (MERSO) were used in the preparation of the resins. Methods: MERSO were obtained by in-situ alcoholysis of rubber seed. Alkyd resins having oil lengths of 45, 50 and 55% were prepared with MERSO, phthalic anhydride and glycerol using alcoholysis method. Lead (II) oxide and xylene were used as catalyst and refluxing solvent, respectively. The physico-chemical characteristics of the MERSO and the resins obtained were compared with the corresponding value of rubber seed oil (RSO) and its alkyd resins. Chemical resistance of the alkyd resins was also determined. Results: The acid value of the finished alkyd resins depends on the rate and extent of esterification. Iodine value of the alkyd shows that the level of unsaturation depends on the oil length of the resins. The free fatty acid (FFA) value (1.99%) of the MERSO was much lower than that of the RSO (9.54%). This supports the choice of methyl ester as a preferred alternative to the use of the raw RSO in alkyd resin preparation. All the alkyd samples were fairly resistant to brine, acid and water but poorly resistant to alkali. However, the MERSO alkyds were observed to have a better resistance than the RSO alkyd resins. The scratch/gouge pencil hardness shows that the hardness of the alkyd films decreases with the oil length