Method for manufacturing bismuth based pigment having an improved alkaline resistance by encapsulating said pigment with a chelating agent

1. A bismuth based pigment encapsulated by a layer of chelating agent, further comprising a silane of the general formula R—Si(OR′) 3 wherein R is an alkyl group, being substituted with at least one electron donating group, and R′ being an alkyl or an aryl group, wherein the silane is included at 0.5% to 10% of the total weight of the pigment, and wherein the weight of chelating agent is 0.1% to 30% of the total weight of the bismuth based pigment.

2. The bismuth based pigment of claim 1 , wherein the chelating agent is selected from the group consisting of Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid (EDTA), Hydroxyethylethylenediaminetriacetic Acid (HEDTA), Nitrilotriacetic Acid (NTA), glycosides and polyglycoside derivatives, sorbitan derivatives, sodium vinylsulfonate, sodium styrylsulfonate, trimercaptotriazine, or a combination thereof.

3. The bismuth based pigment of claim 1 , further comprising a layer of one or more inorganic compounds based on one or more salts, or one or more oxides, heteropolyacids, organic acids, sulphites, sulfides, sulfates, phosphates, pyrophosphates, polyphosphates, hydrates, carbonates, silicates, or their salts, selected from the group of alkali-earth metals, metals, non-metals, transition metals or lanthanides, or a combination thereof.

4. The bismuth based pigment of claim 1 , wherein the weight of chelating agent is 10-20%.

5. A method for manufacturing a bismuth based pigment having an improved alkaline resistance, the method comprising:

i) providing a dried bismuth based pigment according to claim 1 ;

ii) encapsulating the bismuth based pigment with a chelating agent, wherein encapsulation is performed in a slurry; and

iii) drying of the pigment.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises a step of forming the slurry by:

adding the pigment to Water to form a dispersion; and

stirring said dispersion at a temperature between 10° C. and 100° C., for a time period between 30 minutes and 120 minutes.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the step of forming a slurry is performed prior to the step of encapsulating.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the step of encapsulating comprises adding the chelating agent to the slurry in an amount between 0.1% and 30% of the weight of the pigment.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of encapsulating comprises forming the slurry by adding the pigment to an aqueous solution that includes the chelating agent at a concentration between 0.1% and 50%.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein one or more inorganic compounds are added to the slurry before the chelating agent is added to the slurry, said inorganic compounds being selected from one or more salts, or one or more oxides, heteropolyacids, organic acids, sulphites, sulfides, sulfates, phosphates, pyrophosphates, polyphosphates, hydrates, carbonates, silicates, or a combination thereof, or their salts selected from the group of alkali-earth metals, metals, non-metals, transition metals or lanthanides, or combination thereof.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the method further comprises adding a silane to the slurry, the silane being of the general formula R—Si(OR′) 3 wherein R is an alkyl group, being substituted with at least one electron donating group, and R′ being an alkyl or an aryl group.

12. The method of claim 5 , wherein the chelating agent is one of the group consisting of Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid (EDTA), Hydroxyethylethylenediaminetriacetic Acid (HEDTA), Nitrilotriacetic Acid (NTA), glycosides and polyglycoside derivatives, sorbitan derivatives, sodium vinylsulfonate, sodium styrylsulfonate, trimercaptotriazine, or a combination thereof.

13. The method of claim 5 , further comprising adding a layer of organic compound to the pigment along with the chelating agent.

14. The method of 5 , wherein the step of encapsulating comprises in-situ polymerization of the chelating agent.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the chelating agent is polymerized by adding a reactive ionic monomer to the slurry, adding a polymerization initiator to the slurry, and stirring the slurry at a temperature between 20° C. and 180° C., for a time period between 30 minutes and 240 minutes.

16. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the chelating agent is polymerized by adding a reactive non-ionic monomer to the dispersion and stirring said dispersion in a temperature range comprised between 20° C. and 180° C.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the chelating agent is polymerized by acidifying the slurry to a pH between 0.5 and 4.

18. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the monomer comprises a) one or more functional polymerizable groups selected from an acrylate group or an unsaturated sulfonic group, and optionally b) one or more nonionic monomers including an alcohol monomer, an epoxide monomer, an organosilane monomer, an organomodified siloxane monomer, a thiol monomer, an amine monomer, an unsaturated carboxylic acid derivatives monomer, a vinyl monomer, a vinylamine monomer, or any combination thereof.