Driers/Siccatives | ECOS & VALIREX

Discover our Wide Portfolio of Primary, Secondary and Auxiliary Paint Drying Additives

The Paint Drying Process – Is Paint Drying a Chemical Reaction? 

So, where do our drier chemicals come in? Primary driers, also known as surface driers or auto-oxidation catalysts, primarily ensure catalytic hydroperoxide decomposition. Auxiliary driers, which enhance the performance of primary driers, can prevent wrinkling and improve hardness, gloss, and drying performance. They also promote pigment wetting and reduce the adsorption of primary driers to the pigment. Lastly, secondary driers act as cross-linkers, ensuring overall drying throughout the coating. 

Primary Driers/Siccatives – Manganese and Cobalt Polymer Technology

Regulatory developments cast doubt on the future use of traditional cobalt driers, like cobalt octoate, under question, especially in consumer applications like paints. Responding to this uncertainty, we have developed our patented ECOS portfolio. ECOS products incorporate metal in a polymeric structure, limiting its bio-accessibility. This ensures safety without compromising on drying performance. 

Interested in reading more on our efforts to create safe, low-toxic chemicals with improved environmental impact? Read our information on the replacement of traditional cobalt products. 

Primary Driers/Siccatives – Traditional Cobalt, Cerium, Manganese & Mix Portfolio

In addition to our innovative polymer technology, we continue to offer traditional VALIREX metal carboxylates. Within our cobalt, cerium, and manganese carboxylates range, we offer octoate-free grades to address toxicity concerns related to 2-ethylhexanoic acid and its metal salts. 

Interested in reading more on our efforts to create safe, low-toxic chemicals with improved environmental impact? Read our information on octoate replacement.

Cobalt Driers

Cobalt carboxylates are the most effective oxidation catalysts at ambient temperatures. Cobalt driers produce fast surface drying to the film.  

Cerium Driers

Cerium carboxylates promote polymerization and through-drying processes. They are particularly recommended for baking enamels and white and clear overprint varnishes, as they produce less discoloration than other active metals. 

Manganese Driers

Manganese carboxylates do not only enhance the surface drying of the coating, but also have some through-drying properties. When combined with cobalt, balanced surface and through drying is achieved. However, due to their brown color, high concentrations of manganese driers are not ideal for use in light-colored or white paints. They typically perform well under elevated heat. 

Mix Driers

Mix driers can boost efficiency while ensuring excellent and stable quality. Umicore provides a selection of different drier combinations, with properties depending on the metal types and concentrations involved. 

Secondary Driers/Siccatives - Lithium & Zirconium Portfolio

Within our range of lithium and zirconium carboxylates, octoate-free grades are available to counter actual toxicity concerns related to the substance 2-ethylhexanoic acid and its metal salts. 

Interested in reading more on our efforts to create safe, low-toxic chemicals with improved environmental impact? Read our information on octoate replacement. 

Lithium Through Driers

Lithium carboxylates promote through-drying, making them popular in high-solid coatings and water-dispersible alkyds. They remain effective, even in cooler environments. Lithium driers enable surface hardening of alkyd resins. However, caution is needed to avoid overdosing as it can impact the films' weathering resistance. 

Zirconium Through Driers

Zirconium carboxylates enhance the through-dry of auto-oxidative drying systems and are most active on alkyd resins containing high levels of hydroxyl groups. They are often used in combination with cobalt and calcium carboxylates. 

Auxiliary Driers/Siccatives - Barium, Calcium & Zinc Portfolio

Within our range of barium, calcium and zinc carboxylates, octoate-free grades are available to counter actual toxicity concerns related to the substance 2-ethylhexanoic acid and its metal salts. 

Interested in reading more on our efforts to create safe, low-toxic chemicals with improved environmental impact? Read our information on octoate replacement.

Barium Driers

Barium carboxylates improve through-drying of coatings and have good pigment wetting characteristics. They demonstrate lower water sensitivity than calcium carboxylates and reduce loss-of-dry.  

Calcium Driers

Calcium carboxylates are popular driers and beneficial when used with active driers like cobalt and manganese. They improve hardness and gloss while reducing skin-formation, silking, and blooming.  Additionally, they serve as pigment wetting/dispersing agents and loss-of-dry inhibitors. However, calcium carboxylates are not recommended for coatings that must dry under adverse conditions such as water sensitivity. 

Zinc Driers

Zinc carboxylates keep auto-oxidative films "open" by slowing down the cobalt drier, which allows hardening throughout the coating. They are highly effective as wetting/pigment-dispersing agents and carry the added benefit of inhibiting mildew formation in coatings and enhancing gloss levels.