Clarcel Fillers in Paints

Diatomite is a mineral composed of the amorphous silica

skeletal remains of microscopic aquatic plants called diatoms.

Diatomite main properties

· lightness
· porosity
· brightness
· absorptivity
· purity
· multi-shaped
· rigidity

CLARCEL products are obtained by flux calcination

and particle size selection of diatomite.
They are composed of more than 85% of silica

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 Paints

• Main advantages of CLARCEL for paints:

Matting effect
Porosity
Chemically inert
Whiteness
Hardness
Silica structure
Light density

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 Matting effect
To obtained a matt effect small particles (5µm to 50µm) are added to paints.

The irregular and very porous shape of diatomite enhance their efficiency.

Incident light
Diffusion of the incident light by reflection

CLARCEL particle
embedded in paint film

A narrow size distribution is however necessary to insure regular roughness of

the surface and reflection of light.
Dis tributio n G ra nulo mé trique du CLARCEL DIF/D

7,5
7
6,5
6
5,5
5
4,5
4
3,5
3
2,5
2
1,5
1
0,5
0
0,1 1 10 100 1000
D ia mè tre d e s p a rtic ule s (µm)

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 Permeability
Paints as coating
Paints are more than just colors we apply to surfaces.

They are coatings serving a variety of purposes.

In addition to coloration, paints protect surfaces,

can change their shapes, and alter their physical properties.

Let's consider paints as coatings

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 Permeability
Most paints include at least four groups of components:

Binders, Volatile substances, Pigments, and Additives.

Binders give their structures to paints.

They create coatings that stick

to surfaces and remain in place indefinitely.

Volatile substances are chemicals that keep the paints fluid

enough to be applied easily and that subsequently evaporate during
drying.

Pigments give coating its color, opacity, and other

optical properties

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 Permeability

Additives help these three components working

together to form a uniform coating.

Some additives aid in the drying process

Others help keep the binder or pigment particles from clumping

together before the paint is used

Still others alter paint’s viscosity to make it easy to apply.

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 Permeability
Common paint problems

Excess humidity or other

Penetration of rain, humidity and other
moisture escaping from inside
forms of moisture
through the exterior walls

The water is unable to Rainwater migrates through

escape through the wall and gets under the
paint and create layer of paint.
blisters when the paint
is heated by sunlight.

A performant solution :
Paints must meet two requirements :

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Permeability
First requirement

Act as a barrier to rain

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 Permeability
How does the paint works ?

Wall

Breath paint

The film does not allow rainwater to pass into the wall because the
capillaries in the film are much finer than those in the wall.

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 Permeability
Second requirement

Allow the release of any moisture contained in the substrate

or coming up from the ground by capillary action.
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 Permeability
How does the paint works ?

Wall

Breath paint

The micro porous nature of the paint, plus its excellent adhesion,
allows moisture in the wall to pass through the paint without
blistering.
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 Permeability
Dry weather Rainy weather

Wall Wall

Breath paint

Breath paint

Solution : Breathability

The micro porous nature of paints means

that they protect the masonry surface
from rain, allow entrapped moisture
vapour to escape.
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 Permeability
Main advantages of paint “breathing”

• Preventing the penetration of water, but enabling the

removal of moisture

• Minimum surface preparation

• Easy to apply, even on complex surfaces

• All weather application

• Excellent dry film properties that provide adhesion,

durability and breathability.
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How do we get Porosity

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 Porosity

From IDPA –International Diatomite Producers Association(Member of IMA-Europe)

The structural porosity of Diatomite CLARCEL®

☺ Helps the dispersion of the components

☺ Helps the drying process by improving the liberation of

solvent or water from the surface

☺ Allows the migration of moisture to avoid bubbles in the film

of paint
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What about the market of Masonry Paint

In Western Europe, Brteathability is a key parameter for Masonry

paints
This is measured according to ISO NF 7783-1

Production of paint represant 500 000 t per year.

Three differents FORMULAS

FORMULAS USE of DIATOMITE

X
Silicate

Acrylic dispersion
YES

Siloxane
YES

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 Other properties
Chemically inert
CLARCEL do not react with the solvents and is environmental friendly.

Whiteness
CLARCEL products have an extremely good regularity of the whiteness
(single extraction site).

Hardness
Because of the hard silica structure, CLARCEL improve the resistance of the
surface to scrub.

Silica structure
CLARCEL allow internal light reflection leading to plain colours with less
pigment.

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 Other properties

LOW DENSITY compared to Calcium

carbonate (< 600 g/l) or Talc (> 400 g/l)

 Lower sedimentation rate => better stability

 Better uniformity => particles spread better in the

coating

… and more volume (liters) for the same price in € /kg

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 References
AKZO NOBEL
DEUTSCHE AMPHIBOLIN WERKE
BRILLUX
JOBI FARBENFABRIK
LACUFA
ALLIGATOR
ZERO LACK
ALSECCO
DINOVA
NECARBO (SIGMA KALON)

REFERENCES DIF N FD DIF R DIF D

DAW X

BRILLUX X X

AKZO NOBEL X X

JOBI X

STO X

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CONCLUSION

Advantages of CLARCEL as a
PAINT ADDITIVE:

 High flatting efficiency

 Uniformly controls gloss and sheen
Increases toughness and durability
Controls water absorption
 Improves physical & chemical properties of surface
coating
 High bulking value

We recommend 5% by weight

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