UNILAG professor unveils nanotech paint coatings to curb lead poisoning

A University of Lagos professor has unveiled patented bio-based coatings that could give Nigeria’s paint industry a safer alternative to lead-based products. Prof Olayide Obidi, head of the university’s Department of Microbiology, presented the work during her inaugural lecture at the Ade Ajayi Auditorium on the Lagos campus.

Obidi said her research began with challenges facing the Nigerian paint industry, including the use of lead to extend paint shelf life. She described lead as a cumulative neurotoxin linked to developmental problems, organ failure and death.

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We have successfully produced the first bio-based solutions for coatings. These have been patented and are ready to be commercialised.

Her research introduced nanomaterials into paint production. A comparative evaluation of conventional biocides and green-synthesised nanoparticles showed improved control of microbial activity in paint, she said. “We have successfully produced the first bio-based solutions for coatings. These have been patented and are ready to be commercialised,” Obidi said.

She argued that research should move beyond laboratories and become useful to society. “There is a need to bridge the ever-widening gap between academia and industry. Therefore, research should not end in the laboratory. It should be commercialised and beneficial to humanity,” she said.

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There is a need to bridge the ever-widening gap between academia and industry. Therefore, research should not end in the laboratory. It should be commercialised and beneficial to humanity.

Obidi also called for better-equipped laboratories and increased investment in protective nanocoatings technology. “Innovative, ground-breaking research can only be carried out in well-equipped laboratories,” she said. She urged government bodies, research councils and regional development agencies to align their efforts and provide the financial and institutional support needed to take the coatings into commercial production.

She said commercialising the patented solutions could strengthen Nigeria’s paint industry, provide safer products and support technological development. University of Lagos Vice-Chancellor Prof Folasade Ogunsola also spoke at the event.

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Innovative, ground-breaking research can only be carried out in well-equipped laboratories.