The primary technical focus of the waterborne, water repellent is the commercial production of a waterborne, water repellent, which contains natural products and exceeds the performance properties of existing water and solvent borne commercial systems. While there are several waterborne products currently available, the vast majority of commercially available water repellents are high Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) solvent-based systems. VOCs are suspected of causing numerous atmospheric and environmental issues; thus the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), along with additional state environmental agencies, began a reduction in the permissible VOC levels of coatings in the early 1970s which continue today. This reduction in allowable VOC levels enhances the primary marketable feature of waterborne systems which is typically lower VOC levels when compared to solvent-based systems.

A new generation of waterborne water repellents has been developed at USM. These products contain as much as 15% agricultural materials and preliminary performance is promising. Long term evaluation is under way while new products continue to be formulated.