A Pathway toward a New Era of Open-Cell Polyurethane Foams-Influence of Bio-Polyols Derived from Used Cooking Oil on Foams Properties.

Maria Kurańska,Elżbieta Malewska,Aleksander Prociak,Joanna Kubacka,Krzysztof Polaczek

doi:10.3390/ma13225161

Maria Kurańska, Elżbieta Malewska + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13225161

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Journal: Materials	Publication Date: Nov 16, 2020
Citations: 16	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Cracow University of Technology

Abstract

In order to create greener polyurethane (PUR) foams, modified used cooking oils (UCO) were applied as starting resources for the synthesis of bio-polyols. The bio-polyols were produced using transesterification of UCO with diethylene glycol (UCO_DEG) and triethanolamine (UCO_TEA). Next, open-cell PUR foams were synthesized by replacing 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100% of the petrochemical polyol with the bio-polyol UCO_DEG or UCO_TEA. It was observed that an increasing bio-polyol content (up to 60%) led to an increase of the closed cell content. However, a further increase in the bio-polyol content up to 100% resulted in foam cell opening. The bio-foams obtained in the experiment had an apparent density of 13–18 kg/m3. The coefficient of thermal conductivity was determined at three different average temperatures: 10, 0 and −10 °C. The PUR bio-foams modified with bio-polyol UCO_TEA had lower values of thermal conductivity, regardless of the average temperature (35.99–39.57 mW/m·K) than the foams modified with bio-polyol UCO_DEG (36.95–43.78 mW/m·K). The compressive strength of most of the bio-foams was characterized by a higher value than the compressive strength of the reference material (without bio-polyol). Finally, it was observed that the bio-materials exhibited dimensional stability at 70 °C.

Highlights

Spray polyurethane (PUR) foams are most distinguished by a high content of closed cells (>90%).when an appropriate surfactant is used, cells can be opened in the foaming process and it is possible to obtain foams with a significant open-cell share or even fully open-cell materials
A milestone in environmental protection was the introduction of the “green chemistry” idea in 1991 and one of its postulates is the implementation of renewable raw materials [2]
We showed that PUR systems derived from bio-polyol with triethanolamine are characterized by higher reactivity due to the presence of nitrogen atoms

Summary

Introduction

Spray polyurethane (PUR) foams are most distinguished by a high content of closed cells (>90%).when an appropriate surfactant is used, cells can be opened in the foaming process and it is possible to obtain foams with a significant open-cell share or even fully open-cell materials. Spray polyurethane (PUR) foams are most distinguished by a high content of closed cells (>90%). An increase of interest in open-cell spray PUR foams has been observed [1]. The open-cell structure of a material offers high moisture vapor permeability, which in turn allows for applications of such foams in the attics of buildings. Conventional commercial open-cell PUR systems are derived from petrochemical raw materials. With people’s increasing awareness of the necessity to protect the environment, it has become important to explore renewable raw materials. A milestone in environmental protection was the introduction of the “green chemistry” idea in 1991 and one of its postulates is the implementation of renewable raw materials [2]

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