In light of the research focus on waterborne, powder, and high-energy cure coatings and the regulatory pressure to use such coatings, questions have been raised about the future of traditional solvent-based coating systems. This paper attempts to answer these questions. The paper discusses the technical factors that explain why solvent-based coatings continue to be used in approximately 65 percent of industrial coating applications. It also reviews advances in the study of ozone formation, and explains why these advances are likely to reduce regulatory pressure on solvent-based coating systems in many parts of the U.S. The paper concludes that, for both technical and environmental reasons, solvent-based systems will continue to be used in most industrial applications for the foreseeable future, although the mixture of solvents may change over time. The paper also discusses an innovative new approach that the California Air Resources Board has developed in an effort to reduce the ozone-forming potential of aerosol coatings while still allowing the use of solvent-based systems. This reactivity-based approach, which encourages the use of solvents with lower photochemical reactivity, is also being evaluated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
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