CNSL: an environment friendly alternative for the modern coating industry

Considering ecological and economical issues in the new generation coating industries, the maximum utilization of naturally occurring materials for polymer synthesis can be an obvious option. In the same line, one of the promising candidates for substituting partially, and to some extent totally, petroleum-based raw materials with an equivalent or even enhanced performance properties, is the Cashew Nut Shell Liquid (CNSL). This dark brown-colored viscous liquid obtained from shells of the cashew nut can be utilized for a number of polymerization reactions due to its reactive phenolic structure and a meta-substituted unsaturated aliphatic chain. Therefore, a wide variety of resins can be synthesized from CNSL, such as polyesters, phenolic resins, epoxy resins, polyurethanes, acrylics, vinyl, alkyds, etc. The present article discusses the potential of CNSL and its derivatives as an environment friendly alternative for petroleum-based raw materials as far as polymer and coating industries are concerned.