Epoxy floors are a popular flooring choice in commercial and industrial settings due to their durability and strength. But did you know that these flooring options also offer a host of environmental benefits?
Many epoxy formulations have low VOC content, reducing the release of chemicals into the air. This helps to improve indoor air quality and supports a healthy environment for employees and occupants.
Energy Efficiency
As energy needs and concerns grow, a variety of industries are actively looking for environmentally friendly and sustainable solutions and ways to reduce their carbon footprint. Epoxy resins, although not easily seen at first glance, play a vital role in important applications and sectors, helping to achieve these sustainability goals.
For example, epoxy flooring systems offer significant energy efficiency benefits, and are built to last. They help to keep the space at a comfortable temperature without wasting energy through traditional heating methods like radiators and air vents. This helps to cut costs while also conserving energy and minimizing greenhouse gas emissions.
In addition to the energy savings, epoxy floors are easy to maintain and do not require harsh cleaning chemicals. They are simply mopped with water or a mild detergent, which eliminates the need for large amounts of chemicals to be used, further contributing to lower energy usage and environmental impact.
Another area in which epoxy can help to lower energy consumption is through radiant heating systems. These work invisibly under the floor, distributing heat evenly throughout the space. This allows the space to be heated using less energy, while also preventing cold spots and preserving the aesthetic of the space.
Harnessing the power of the sun is another popular renewable energy source. Epoxy plays an essential role in the development of solar panels, helping them to be both sturdy and lightweight. The epoxy-based coatings protect the solar panels from the elements (temperature fluctuations, rain, hail, storms and strong winds), increasing their lifetime and reducing maintenance costs.
The electrical industry is another traditional segment that uses a great deal of epoxies, especially for composite materials and adhesives. Printed circuit boards in electronics use epoxy for insulating and specific types of corrosion protection. Epoxy is also an important component of the electricity grid, both the main high voltage arteries and the fine-mazed network reaching all electricity users.
Epoxy composites also make cars and other vehicles lighter in weight, accelerating the shift to sustainable mobility. They do so while maintaining strength, reliability, safety and durability. This increases fuel efficiency while lowering carbon dioxide emissions, and is particularly helpful for electric vehicles.
Indoor Air Quality
Epoxy floor coatings are a great choice for enhancing indoor air quality. Its seamless, non-porous surface prevents dust, allergens, mildew, and other contaminants from accumulating and potentially posing health risks for occupants. Its durable and easy-to-clean nature also reduces the need for intensive cleaning products that may contaminate indoor environments, which aligns with sustainable practices that prioritize minimizing chemical usage and conserving water resources.
Additionally, epoxy floors are non-flammable and do not release harmful Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) into the environment during or shortly after application. Exposure to VOCs can cause a number of negative side effects, including eye, nose, and throat irritation, headache, and respiratory distress. However, choosing low-VOC and even VOC-free epoxies eliminates these emission periods completely, ensuring that a space is safe for all occupants.
Furthermore, epoxy’s light-reflective properties make it a great choice for improving overall lighting in garages, warehouses, and other industrial spaces, which cuts down on electricity usage. This translates to reduced usage of fossil fuels to generate energy and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
In addition, epoxy floors require minimal maintenance compared to other flooring materials, which further reduces resource consumption. For example, unlike porous materials that can harbor dirt, bacteria, and mold, epoxy floors are easy to clean with simple sweeping and mopping. This minimizes the need for harsh chemicals and other environmental contaminants that could contaminate the surrounding environment.
The eco-friendly benefits of epoxy are numerous. Its durability, reduced waste, energy efficiency, low maintenance requirements, and low VOC emissions make it a great choice for homes and commercial settings alike. The demand for green building materials and products is on the rise, and epoxy resins offer a sustainable alternative to less eco-friendly options.
Epoxy can be produced using recycled materials, reducing the need for raw and virgin materials that have a significant impact on the environment during production and transportation. The use of recycled materials in epoxy formulations can also lower the need for landfills, which are already a growing concern due to their capacity to contribute to climate change. Moreover, the use of recycled materials helps to conserve natural resources and reduces waste production in general.
Low Maintenance Requirements
One of the primary reasons epoxy is a great flooring option is because it requires very little upkeep. It’s easy to sweep or vacuum up dust and debris, and mopping with simple detergents is effective. The coating is very durable, so it resists abrasion and scratches.
Epoxy is also resistant to chemicals. This makes it perfect for a garage or workshop where automotive fluids and other hazardous materials might spill. This type of protection also makes it ideal for storing tools that could normally rust, like metal tools and hammers. It can also be applied over existing concrete flooring, eliminating the need to remove and replace it with a different material, which helps reduce waste and energy usage.
Regular cleaning and maintenance will help keep your epoxy floors looking like new. It’s a good idea to sweep and mop daily, with more frequent scrubbing of high-traffic areas. Avoid using harsh chemical cleaners, as these can damage the floor coating. It’s also important to repair any large gouges or cracks as soon as they appear.
Although epoxy is resistant to abrasion, you will still want to take measures to minimize scratching of the surface. Place mats or rugs near entranceways to trap dirt and gravel, and ensure that furniture legs have pads that will prevent them from damaging the floor. You should also ensure that heavy machinery or pallets are not dropped or dragged over the epoxy surface, as this can cause serious damage.
While scrubbing frequency will depend on the level of soilage and the work environment, it’s generally advisable to scrub every week and regularly in high-traffic areas. This will maintain the shine and durability of your floors for a long time.
Aside from reducing your environmental impact, a well-installed epoxy coating will protect the cement beneath it. This helps reduce the risk of costly and disruptive repairs, especially as the concrete ages. Epoxy is also non-porous, so water, dirt, cleaning solutions and other liquids cannot penetrate the surface, making it a very safe and sanitary coating. It’s also resistant to salt from winter road treatment, so you won’t have to worry about that staining or damaging your flooring.
Recycled Materials
The use of recycled materials is an important aspect of eco-friendly epoxy flooring, contributing to a circular economy that minimizes waste and supports recycling efforts. This is especially true for concrete epoxy, which is often formulated using recycled glass or quartz in order to achieve unique finishes. This approach to production aligns with the growing demand for environmentally conscious flooring solutions and helps reduce reliance on traditional chemical-based materials.
Epoxy floors are also incredibly durable, requiring minimal maintenance over their lifespan. This minimizes the need for specialized cleaning products and water usage, which further cuts down on pollution and resource consumption. In addition, the nonporous surface of epoxy floors prevents the buildup of dirt and debris that can compromise indoor air quality, making them a healthy choice for commercial, industrial, or residential applications.
One of the most innovative developments in epoxy is the development of recyclable epoxy resins. Scientists at NREL have discovered that the molecule chains of biomass can be broken down using a simple catalyst to produce a bio-based resin that can be used to make epoxy polymers. This approach is much more environmentally friendly than conventional methods for breaking down polymers, which require high temperatures and pressures that can damage the molecules.
Unlike most plastics, which are made of petroleum or natural gas, the carbon filaments in biomass offer a more diverse set of chemical possibilities. This enables scientists to create new epoxy polymers with more desirable characteristics than those derived from petroleum-based products, such as improved strength and flexibility. As such, the recyclability of these epoxy polymers is likely to contribute significantly to sustainable applications in the future.
Conventional recycling methods for epoxy polymers involve a combination of chemical, mechanical, and thermal treatment. The chemical treatment involves incubation with strong catalysts like NaOH, peracetic acid, nitric acid, or ionic liquids. The mechanical and thermal treatments involve grinding and crushing the waste material into small pieces, which can then be reformed into low-performance products as filler or reinforcement material [3]. The limited number of available commercial epoxy polymer recycling processes limits their applicability and sustainability.
