ABSTRACT
Paints have three constituents: pigments for colour, a binding substance to hold the particles of pigment together and a solvent to enable the mixture to flow freely. It is the solvents which are the main problem since they are designed to evaporate. Most of the solvents used come into the category of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and are aggressive pollutants. It has been calculated that over 500 000 tonnes of solvent are released into the atmosphere globally each year. (Eco-Renovation, Edward Harland, Chelsea Green Publishing Company, Vermont, USA, Revised edition 1999). Another statistic is that organic solvents are responsible for 20 per cent of the hydrocarbon pollution in the atmosphere and second only to motor vehicles (Berge, 2000).
