Fly-ash in paint: UNSW start-ups on show at Expo

Fly-ash is an under-used by-product of burning coal to produce energy. Considered waste, some is used in cement and concrete while much is dumped in ponds or just stored underground. 

UNSW-affiliated Vecor Technologies is processing fly-ash to make advanced materials for a variety of sectors which will benefit from lower costs and greater sustainability. 

One of those sectors is the paint industry, Vecor’s Alec Rowan told Industry Update at the Expo. 

“The paint industry uses large quantities of titanium dioxide. It’s one of the whitest substances on the planet and requires heavy refinement.”

Recent supply chain disruption has made sourcing titanium dioxide harder, says Rowan, which is where Vecor’s fly-ash comes in. 

“Currently we are developing a ceramic pigment using fly-ash as a partial replacement for titanium dioxide, and we expect to provide the replacement material at a significantly lower cost than titanium dioxide. 

“We also expect to improve the customer’s environmental profile by replacing a mined material with a recycled waste product.”

Vecor is now working with potential customers in the US to establish demand for its product.

“At the moment we’re working on establishing industrial scale manufacturing processes and continuing product trials,” says Rowan. 

“Vecor has been working with UNSW academics Professor Charles Sorrell and Associate Professor Pramod Koshy for more than a decade, and has established dedicated research laboratories at UNSW to support further technical innovation and product development for fly-ash use and also other product areas.”

UNSW has had a vital role in the company’s development, giving Vecor access to UNSW specialists in materials science and engineering, as well as facilities.