Sustainable use of propylene glycol monomethyl ether in epoxy composite coatings for marine corrosion prevention

Abstract

Conventional epoxy coatings emit harmful Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), particularly xylene, during application. This research investigated the use of propylene glycol monomethyl ether (PM) as a sustainable substitute for xylene in high-solid epoxy composite coatings. Five formulations with varying xylene-to-PM ratios (100:0, 0:100, 30:70, 50:50 and 70:30) were tested for VOC emissions, viscosity, and corrosion resistance. PM significantly reduced VOC emissions across all formulations, with the 100:0 PM formulation achieving an 80% reduction in VOC content compared to the xylene control. Corrosion resistance was assessed using weight loss tests, where the 100:0 PM formulation demonstrated a corrosion rate of 8.71 mpy, which, despite being higher than the xylene control's 2.18 mpy, still exhibited 66.67% inhibition efficiency. The results showed that PM-containing formulations performed comparably to or better than the xylene-based formulation in terms of VOC reduction and corrosion protection. This study demonstrates the potential of PM as a sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to xylene in high-solid epoxy composite coatings, paving the way for cleaner corrosion protection methods in marine applications.